Not just for laughs

While stand-up comedians have a general tendency to be on the left of the political spectrum (for reasons explored by Stewart Lee in this 2013 article for the New Statesman), few are card-carrying socialists like Jeremy Hardy, as committed to social change and sticking up for good causes as to provoking laughter. All of which makes his death at the age of just 57 all the more saddening.

Sure he could be dogmatic at times, and sure he did sometimes come across like a left-wing echo of namesake Clarkson, grumbling about the absurdities and injustices of modern life. But his comedy came from a place of sound principle and however serious the underlying point he was making, he was always able to make me laugh.