War again, I’m afraid.

Last [time] it was conscientious objectors – heavy, man! – so it’s time to explore the lighter side of world-wide carnage.

Let’s see how war can be fun! Of course, I’m talking about The Wipers Times, co-written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, which takes as its basis the eponymous newspaper produced in the trenches during WWI.

Capt. Fred Roberts and Lt. Jack Pearson found an old printing press and set about publishing a newspaper, named after the local town (“Wipers” was the common mispronunciation of “Ypres,”) which lampooned everything about the war, especially their senior officers, many of whom wanted it banned.

However, the prospect of a ticking-off by some weak-chinned toff was never that terrifying when you knew you’d probably be blown to smithereens within the next three minutes, so the paper pressed on regardless.

That’s not to say that Roberts wasn’t a brave and good soldier.

Between editing editions of The Wipers Times, he found time to earn the Military Cross, and they don’t hand those out for correct use of punctuation and subjunctive clauses.

But, importantly, he recognised the effect black humour had on men’s morale, and the newspaper became their escape – putting the laughter back into slaughter, so to speak.

The writers have taken the text of the paper and turned the jokes, music hall parodies and poems into sketches, comedy dance routines and songs.

The set’s a grim reimagining of a WWI trench – a sort of mise en scène en Somme - while the play’s wacky, cheeky and very poignant.

Above all, though, it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious! Whatever I said earlier, I know that war itself isn’t funny. Ever. But the British capacity for self-deprecating humour in the face of adversity transcends this, and The Wipers Times pays homage to the fine character of great and brave men.

It’s a must see.

It runs at Salisbury Playhouse until October 28.