Anna Lowman, our new columnist, introduces herself...

While there's nothing us Brits like better than putting ourselves down, secretly there are a few things of which we're really rather proud. Good old 'fair play' is one of them (take any Premier League game at random this Saturday and you'll find that British players simply do not cheat), and our sense of humour is another. We think we're hilarious - and you know what? We are. Our stand-up scene is the envy of the world, and whatever your tastes when it comes to TV comedy - sketch show, sitcom or satire - there's plenty to keep us giggling.

All very well, you might say, but what makes me such an authority on the subject? Well, I could never claim to be one, but one thing's for sure, I am a huge fan of British comedy, fiercely proud and supportive of it, and people seem to humour my belief that I can write pretty good. (Yes, that was a joke, just not a terribly good one).

But I am completely aware that - perhaps more than most art-forms - comedy is intensely personal. When writing for another website, my reviews of drama would generally garner little more than a spam comment here or there, but whenever I ventured an opinion on comedy, I was often faced with a torrent of feedback, either in enthusiastic support or, more often, informing me that I'm a ruddy fool.

It seems that when people don't find something funny that is clearly intended to be so, they aren't just disappointed, they're offended - and they're offended that anyone else could find it funny too. But that strength of negative feeling can only exist because there is an equal and opposite positive feeling. When you find something that really tickles you, it doesn't just make you laugh in the moment, it stays with you, is something to store away and keep for lower moments. And with the really great comedy, of course, it's about so much more than just making you laugh in any case. Clever, sweet, impressive or inventive; the best of the best is something very rare and special indeed.

So, what do I consider the best of the best? If I'm going to be offering opinions on TV and live comedy, it's only fair that you know, I think. Well, if we're talking Desert Island Comedy DVDs then for me it just has to be Blackadder. Each performance is superlative, each character so perfectly conceived, and that writing - silly and intelligent in equal measure, it can't be beat. Beyond that there's a whole plethora of shows that I can watch again and again. Spaced stands out as another near-perfect creation, while The Fast Show, The Mighty Boosh and Flight of the Conchords all have a special place in my heart.

In terms of live comedy, it was seeing David O'Doherty hunched over a crappy Casio keyboard that really opened my eyes to the wonder of communal laughter, and I have never looked back since. As well as O'Doherty, I always relish the chance to see either of the two Tims: Tim Minchin or Tim Key (the latter a particular joy when combined with Tom Basden), and Mark Watson and Chris Addison have provided some of my most memorable live comedy experiences. Yes you've got it, it's that mixture of intelligence and unashamed silliness that wins out again.

Thanks to a mixture of ill-advised gags and an outbreak of over-sensitivity, comedy and comedians are a little under fire at the moment, so - to go soppy for just a moment - it's a real pleasure to be writing for a site that celebrates all that's great about the people and shows that exist simply to make us laugh. In the immortal words of, er, someone or other: let's do this!