The other night as I got ready for bed my vocal tics were distracted from their usual focus. The lamp-post I normally chat to as part of my bedtime routine was let off the hook for a change, to be replaced by a bold new subject – Will’s testicles.

Will was supporting me, and was getting ready for bed too. I suddenly started telling him, time after time, to punch himself in the testes! He took no notice and made it clear he wasn’t going to comply, but my tics didn’t let up and went on in the same vein for more than ten minutes.

On a rational level it was no surprise to me that he didn’t follow my ticced instructions. But if I’m honest I do find it very difficult to understand how he managed not to – because Tourettes makes me very suggestible. If you tell me to hit myself on the head I almost certainly will, and even though I know this is because of my unusual neurology I still find it incredible that other people are able to resist acting on such instructions.

That Will could resist is obviously a great relief for him, and his balls.