WHAT IS IT about the idea of a solo jaunt to the cinema that often results in a raised eyebrow and a flurry of bemused questions?

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In many ways, a trip to the cinema is considered an opportunity to socialise; you rally your mates, you arrive en masse, but then – and here’s the clincher – you sit in silence for two hours before parting ways.

Sure, you can make a whole night of it – dinner, drinks, the cinematic postmortem – but if that’s not on the cards and you simply want to see a film, do you still feel obliged to find a viewing partner?

I’ll say it here and now; I have gone to the cinema by myself.

And one time I even saw a French film by myself because I was feeling particularly notion-filled that day and clearly craved an absolute roasting from my friends which I deserved and duly got.

Seriously though, I’ve gone alone because I’ve been at a loose end, I’ve gone alone because nobody else wanted to see the film, and I’ve gone alone because I don’t automatically consider the cinema a group activity.

In saying that, 90 per cent of the time I go, I will be found in the company of others, but it’s definitely not a prerequisite.

Now, what about you? Would you go to the cinema on your own?