In a world before sofas

The normally silent editorial bods at the Guardian sprang in to action when this arrived, with a query along the lines of not getting it at all and could we explain where they might find the gag, which seemed to have gone astray somewhere in transit. This was such a panic-inducing event for Berger and Wyse that we began to wonder whether there ever was a joke in there in the first place. I still can't believe that the food ed at the paper hasn't heard the expression "Shall we sit soft?" – and if he hasn't, he's clearly going to the right kind of dinner parties. PW