Today, November 19th, is International Men’s Day. The least original thing to say on International Men’s Day is, “Hang on, isn’t every day International Men’s Day?” I know this, because as a Committee Member for IMD for the past four years, I hear it hundreds of times every year, usually before lunch. Then, at lunch, it starts again when the Americans wake up.

So predictable is this stock jibe that I have a stock response, and it’s a bit of a party pooper. I say, “No, today is IMD. And today – the same as on every other day of the year – 12 British men will take their own lives, 31 men will die of prostate cancer and 3000 men will sleep rough. Hilarious, isn’t it?”

Still, it’s vital to maintain a good sense of humour, especially as November 19th is also World Toilet Day. Which is ironic, as both men and toilets are routinely taken for granted, and are expected to do society’s dirty work.

Launched in 1999 and now celebrated in over 60 countries, IMD 2018 looks set to be the biggest ever in the UK, thanks to a sea-change in attitude towards it. Through the sheer hard work of unpaid volunteers, IMD has been transformed from something it was fashionable to laugh about, to something it’s cool to care about.