We quizzed a couple of comics about their bucket systems, and got very different answers...

"Now, the world don't move, to the beat of just one drum, what might be right for you, may not be right for so-ome..." So went the now seminal theme tune to the US sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, which became a massive transatlantic hit from 1978 to 1985. Curiously, that theme was actually written by an actor, Alan Thicke, who wasn't even in Diff'rent Strokes but did play the father in a similarly huge 1980s sitcom, Growing Pains, which also helped launch a young Leonardo DiCaprio to acting fame.

The music to Growing Pains was composed by Steve Dorff, whose son Stephen Dorff is now a famous film star, rather than a musician. Alan Thicke's son Robin, on the other hand, became not an actor but a singer, best known for co-writing and performing the huge 2013 hit Blurred Lines (Marvin Gaye is now listed as one of its other writers, due to a US court deciding that Thicke and co had borrowed a little too heavily from Gaye's single Got to Give it Up.)

Anyway, 'different strokes for different folks' is the expression that inspired the sitcom, and the career paths of those famous sons support that sentiment: creative minds tend to fly off in different directions. It's a phrase that also occurred to us recently, when we asked two comics about an awkward new gig phenomenon - where an act gets nothing in his bucket after a Pay What You Want show, then finds out that everyone bought a ticket in advance. It's a scenario we're calling the 'no deposit bonus', which sounds a bit like a no deposit casino bonus, but without the casino.

Now, there's an idea that deep down, all comedians have similar personalities; that even the bolshiest performers are so desperately needy that they have to go stand in front of potentially hostile strangers every night of the week. We spoke to two comics who seemed pretty far apart on the personality spectrum, however: a storytelling stand-up from Hertfordshire, and a wild Irish absurdist who also does street performance.

They both do Pay What You Want shows every year, so we asked: if they find out that everyone already paid for a ticket - and they usually only discover that in advance when the show sells out - do they still ask for donations at the end? Or not?

"No, I don't do the bucket if it's sold out, I feel too cheeky," replied the stand-up from Herts, "but I know plenty of comedians who do and absolutely rake it in. I wish I had the balls."

Meanwhile the Irish comic was definitely in the ask-for-more-cash camp, and pointed out that those advance tickets are usually only a fiver, whereas many comics doing shows billed as 'free' will then demand tenners afterwards. Which is virtually a hostage situation.

Interestingly, he doesn't actually do his own bucket though, preferring to clear up the stage straight after shows instead. Which must make it easier for people to sneak out without paying - punters find it a lot less stressful doing the sad-faced 'empty pockets' routine to a random member of the venue staff. It's different with the comedian standing there holding it, all red-faced and dripping with sweat after an hour of toil for our enjoyment. There's something awkwardly post-coital about it all.

Of course, nowadays even the old 'empty pockets' mime doesn't work, as your more assertive performer will be standing there with a contactless card machine. Indeed there are probably certain comics - no names, but their Twitter feeds will feature more one-sided praise than a North Korean newspaper - who find the £30 limit on contactless machines a bit low. You'd be paying upwards of £50 for a decent seat if you went to see Michael McIntyre at the 02, after all, and you got a much better view of the stage in the back room of this pub.

That pay-at-the-end model offers a pretty unique and privileged insight into a performer's private world, when you think about it. The traditional routine for ticketed gigs or plays is to get on stage, do the show then get off again, irrespective of dodgy reviews or how many people you're pulling in. If you stink the place out, at least you can hide backstage.

But have a stinker in a Pay What You Want venue and you still need to stand at the door and let that whole audience file past you afterwards, or you don't get paid, which really doubles the whammy. Well, unless they'd all paid in advance, of course. You might not beg for extra cash on that occasion.

So, no, career comedians definitely aren't all cut from the same cloth. But after a few years in this business they have a thicker skin than most of us.