Ralph Fiennes

From Remona Aly, Freelance journalist and editor: 
As we all know, Comic Relief is with us again, and while I love a red nose, I’m unfortunately viewed by friends as a bit of an unintended clown. My slapstick life has seen me walk bang wallop into mirrors, glass doors, and the occasional telephone pole. I’ve also sat on my glasses, mistakenly sprinkled my salad with bacon bits - not really ideal for a Muslim - and dropped a black forest gateau on my aunt’s Persian rug. 
As much as I want to climb towards grace, charm and dignity, I don’t often manage to get a foothold. A few moons ago, I was working from home and looking rather professional in my bright pink fleece onesie - a gift from a friend with a bad sense of humour - when my brother dropped by, and asked if I wanted to see his new kitchen. ‘Nobody’ll be there,’ he assured, so I threw on a headscarf and off we zoomed. As soon as I got out of the car, two suave builders who looked like they stepped out of a cover shoot for a men’s magazine, came into the driveway and saw me looking like the Pink Panther in a hijab.
 My embarrassment gave my mates a good giggle. Laughter can be transformative. Medieval Muslim thinkers made a study of laughter and found that it improved the circulation of blood in the body, while sadness restricted it. The 9th century Muslim philosopher and physician al-Kindi, defined laughter as a balance of the heart’s blood together with “an expansion of the soul to a point where its joy becomes visible”. I don’t take happiness for granted any more. There was a time when I forgot even how to laugh, all I knew was tears. 
But Laughter returned like an old smiling friend, and just as Al Kindi suggested, made my soul expand towards joy. The American Danish comedian, Victor Borge said that, “Laughter is the closest distance between two people”. As Red Nose Day continues to make the gap between human hearts ever shorter, I’ll remember the glory a laugh can bring, even if it’s at my inglorious pink onesie.