Don’t we love a laugh.

And that’s highlighted by the success of the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival, back for an incredible eighth year.

With more than 370 performances taking place over an eight-day period, the festival brings together the best of Scottish comedy with an impressive bill of international acts.

The largest dedicated comedy festival in Europe, this year’s line-up will feature the strongest international influence to date, with comedians from the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and Ireland joining UK talent – along with plenty of home-grown Scottish acts.

Glasgow loves to celebrate its own talent and we can be fortunate that the city seems to produce more and more jokers.

It’s all to easy to flash back a generation, when stand-up comedy talent could be counted on the fingers of one hand; Billy Connolly, Chic Murray, Andy Cameron, with a new breed of talent emerging in the form of Fred MacAulay, Phil Kay and Bruce Morton.

Now, the city can boast a comedy line so powerful that if they were footballers then World Cup qualification would be automatic.

Already Des McLean has sold out two nights at the Clyde Auditorium and he’s also appearing tomorrow night at the King’s Theatre.

But we’ve also got the incomparable Jerry Sadowitz bringing his show Master Baiter to the King’s Theatre on March 26.

There’s no doubt that Frankie Boyle’s sold-out new show, I Would Happily Punch Every One of You in the Face, running at the King’s on March 20 and 21 is one of the hottest tickets in town.

But the Glasgow comedy spectrum covers every colour and shade. The irrepressible kilted Craig Hill appears at Oran Mor on March 26, with his razor-sharp improvisation and his cheeky, irreverent and, of course, wonderfully camp blend of incisive stand-up.

And Janey Godley, one of Glasgow’s most honest and hard-hitting funny people, comes to the Tron on March 25.

That’s not to say that the international acts and the best of British should be ignored.

Glasgow plays home to the incredible talent that is Jimmy Carr, who plays the Clyde Auditorium, March 26-29.

Paul Merton’s Impro Chums come to the King’s on March 26, and you can guarantee some very surreal moments.

And the Comedy Festival is not all about the celebration of young, cutting edge humour. Comedy veterans such as Jim Bowen – who graduated from TV’s The Comedians to Bullseye – is at the very least likely to be lovely, smashing – and wonderful. Bowen appears at Highlights (formerly Jongleurs) on March 21.