She recalls giving a talk in a primary school asking children “to imagine their headteacher having to poo in the playground because she didn’t have a toilet at home. There was laughing, screaming, lots of hands over faces – I was breaking all the rules of polite conversation and what they expected from a ‘respectable’ grown-up and they loved it – but also realised just how gross it is.” Ah, yes. While bum jokes have been around forever – I’m looking at you, Chaucer – the poo emoji has a lot to answer for.

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Humour is an incredibly powerful tool to work through any worries or anxieties. ‘Poo’ is the antidote to ‘taboo,’” he adds. With more than 900,000 children in the UK affected by continence difficulties, there’s plenty to discuss. “Let them play with toys and games if that helps them to talk about poo and feel more comfortable,” says Lynden. “If that child goes on to develop a poo problem, you will find it easier to talk to them about it.” According to ERIC, the Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity, scatological chat is to be encouraged. Their spokeswoman Alina Lynden tells me that: “Basically, anything that helps children and their families to have conversations about poo and feel more relaxed around this subject is a good thing.” David Westman, The Entertainer’s spokesman, tells me that “toilet humour is no flash in the pan and has always been a cornerstone of the toy business, starting with products like fake dog poo. In recent years we’ve seen instant messaging and smartphones fuelling the presence and visibility of the poo emoji which itself generated an upsurge in poo-related products.”