In its final season, the TV sitcom Seinfeld did a send-up of the cartoons in The New Yorker. The magazine's comics are distinctive – short, quippy, topical, understated. Simply put, they're smart.

Some burst out laughing at the mere mention of a dead parrot. Others find Monty Python’s surreal humour merely, well, silly. But now those who have never quite got the joke have found an ally in the ...

A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our ...

Victoria University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. The Monty Python crew have put many caveats on their upcoming reunion shows, which starts in London today and will be simulcast ...