Seems I’m not the only one who has issues with how to greet people and human contact. I’m in the company of Jo Brand who struggles with air kissing, PDA and greeting people, in spite of her totally friendly persona. So she’s back on the Beeb taking us on her journey through kisstory in Brand on Kissing.

First stop is with Dr Paul Taylor, who lectures in Communications Theory, to discuss if the value of the kiss is being lost. Yes, the pair conclude, although they don’t get off to prove any kind of point. Instead Taylor makes the point that “the upside of repression is it’s all the more exciting, whereas now…5 Red Bulls and vodka and everyone’s at it”.

Dr Taylor also commented that in the Judeo-Christian world life begins with G_d’s kiss of life to Adam, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. Now we round off a text or e-mail with an X. Whatever your beliefs are or aren’t there is some bathos about that.