Switzerland is not a boring country

They say Switzerland is boring, but these are the people who invented the cuckoo clock. How mad in the head do you have to be to think "Maybe I should build a timekeeping device where a small wooden bird is integral to its function? Yes, that'll be a good idea"

Why The British Had An Empire

Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the British floated around the world, taking control of land by force of arms. It's not much of a sop to point out that everyone else was at it, and possibly only a small consolation that we weren't the Belgians. In each case I like to think we invaded with the best of intentions.

Jokes about different countries: Japan

I get on well with Japanese people. I think that's because the British and the Japanese have many similarities:

• We both live on islands
• We both talk about the weather a lot
• Neither of us are famous for the quality of our dentistry
• ... and we both have a lamentable history of tourism in China over the last two centuries

Hong Kong - phooey!

I was worrying that nothing of any note had happened today. I had failed to read the paper, so perhaps many wonderful things were occurring around me, but I was as yet unawares.

So low had I got that I actually began to look through the drawers of my desk. I'm not sure what for, exactly. Certainly not inspiration. The main reason for having drawers in a desk is so you can sweep the accumulated mess into them when the occasion demands it.

Generating geographically appropriate material

Performing at the only stand-up comedy club in Hong Kong has its advantages and disadvantages; english-language stand-up has never had the huge potential audience that it would in a big city like London or New York. On the other hand, the barrier to entry is lower, and there's less of the explicitly confrontational aspect one sometimes sees in London.