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A few nights ago, I made the mistake of rereading Charles Dickens' 'The Signal-Man' in bed. Bad, baaaaad idea. It's long been my favourite ghost story - and the BBC adaptation one of my favourite short slabs of telly - but even knowing every story beat in the tale didn't protect me from that growing unease and dread.

As a young boy, I loved visiting the newsagent. Whenever I was taken out shopping in Stockport, instead of asking to visit the toy or sweet shops, I would pester until I was allowed into WH Smiths. That big two-level store was bliss to me - more books and comics than I had ever seen in one place.

It is often said that the key to great comic delivery is timing. I would go further and say its the key to great writing too. But before I get into that, let's examine the power of timing in the best way possible - Morecambe and Wise.