The history of popular music is littered with supposed comedy songs which are about as funny as gallstones.

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Mel Smith and Kim Wilde springs immediately to mind, along with The Stonk by Hale and Pace and Star Trekkin’ by The Firm. The passing years have failed to dim their utter mirthlessness.

But these are side-splitting classics compared with the latest unwelcome addition to the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Shame by the formerly quite funny Peter Kay.

After an occasionally entertaining spoof of TV talent shows - which have long descended into self-parody anyway - Kay is now menacing the top of the charts with The Winner's Song, which he co-wrote for the show with that well-known master of satire Gary Barlow, from Take That.

The "comedy" element is provided by the fact that Kay is posing as an Irish transsexual called Geraldine. It’s like Dick Emery never happened.

The programme was also an excuse for a load of tiresome cameos by celebrities "sending themselves up" (yawn), usually the last resort of the creatively bankrupt (see also Extras, with Ricky Gervais).

Maybe the problem is my own sense of humour. After all, I used to find comedy records richly amusing when I was a young boy. The Funky Gibbon by the Goodies was the pinnacle of hilarity when I was about seven, likewise I’ve Got a Brand New Combine Harvester by The Wurzels (which I still have a certain affection for. Nobody writes lyrics like “I threw me pitchfork at yer dog to keep quiet” anymore).

Even The Laughing Gnome by David Bowie had a jaunty appeal, although following it up with the po-faced Ashes to Ashes seemed like a strange move at the time (until you realised Bowie was actually a restless musical innovator and not a novelty song specialist. He did dress up as a clown in the video, to be fair).

As we get older, I guess we’re not so easily amused. I think the last record that truly made me laugh was Ebenezer Goode by The Shamen. And that wasn’t even meant to be funny.

Maybe the country is full of seven-year-olds laughing at pictures of Peter Kay in drag and I’m missing the point. Or, more likely, it’s genuinely not funny.