"Sheldon, Sheldon," KC said in a jocular voice.

There was a moment's silence, then he spoke again, and now the voice, superficially jocular, rang with a tinny overtone.

A short pause, and a different, more jocular voice came on the line.

He spoke in the same jocular, teasing voice, but Alan heard the anger beneath it.

Then some words he couldn't catch in a man's voice: low, rapid, and jocular.

His smooth, jocular voice was just the same, his oval face kindly, his eyes jet-hard.

His eyes narrowed, and in a jocular, wheedling voice he went on, 'Five guineas, gentleman?

Maggie smiled at him and nodded her thanks, until a jocular voice from the queue called, 'Squeezed some high notes out tonight, Lemon.

Off the field, he took an informed and jocular voice to the broadcast booth during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and to ESPN's short-lived "Extra Time" show.

At that very moment a deep, rich jocular voice was heard.