On Friday, when the fireworks pop and the hotdogs sizzle for the annual celebration of Independence Day in the United States, New York Yankees fans will have another impossibly sentimental reason to hark back on past Fourth of Julys.

It was a notable week in comedy. The Office screened for the last time in the USA. The first trailer emerged of America’s take on Gavin & Stacey. It was the 15th anniversary of the final Seinfeld.

A mass funeral has been held in Italy for the victims - most of them children - of Thursday's earthquake.