# British humour vs. American humor



## P.C. (Peter) Anders (Feb 6, 2013)

I recently watched the first two seasons of the British comedy "The Office"  (and earlier, a series called "The In-Betweeners"). What I find really impressive is that both were bankrolled by the BBC, which is the British version of America's PBS.

What surprised me is that the dialogue of "The Office" is packed with raw sexual references. Even the situations--for example, one of the women gets a gigantic dildo as a birthday gift, and nearly everyone else in the office plays with the dildo or has a laugh about it. I cannot imagine this happening in an American office, or a show like this being bankrolled by PBS!

Do such things really happen in British offices? Would there not be sexual harassment lawsuits? 

I like quite a few different comedies on American television, but among them, "Californication" and "South Park" come to mind--though both use sexual language, sex is not the point in the second show.

What do you think is the difference between the British and American sense of humor today (my influences include Marx Brothers, Monty Python, P.G. Wodehouse, Anthony Burgess, Evelyn Waugh, Punch, Thomas Pynchon, Joseph Heller, and S.J. Perelman, among others)?


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## CatherineM (Jan 9, 2013)

I always thought Monty Python was incredibly stupid.  That's my take on British humor.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

P.C. (Peter) Anders said:


> the BBC, which is the British version of America's PBS.


Thank you for the first laugh of the day....

As far as the differences in humour, it seems to me that (just as in journalism) the stellar best and the abysmal worst both come from Britain.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

My take on it is that I love British writing - there is a lot of dry, sly humor in it. However, the visually oriented stuff (i.e. Monty Python) isn't so much to my taste. The odd thing is that if I just listen to the sound track, though, I like Monty Python. It's just that the sight gags leave me a little cold.

A lot of American "humor" in the written word isn't all that funny to me, though. But I do love American sitcoms like "The Big Bang Theory" and "Seinfeld".

So I sort of like elements of both British and American. (I am slightly prejudiced in favor of British writing, though. I think they are some of the greatest writers in the world.)


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

I think they have the same laws against sexual harassment in Britain as we do in America, so unless the office workers know each other REAL well, I don't think dildos are handed out, but I can't be sure. I'm a big fan of Absulutely Fabulous and Benny Hill, but not so much of Python or pub humor, which tends to go over my head.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

The British comedy for me are the comedy shows on PBS. I certainly am used to like the American comedy shows..


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I've always liked this explanation by Stephen Fry.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I think the US perspective may be slanted a bit by the fact that much of our exposure is based on what shows PBS chooses to broadcast here -- and I'm glad they often make very good choices. But lest we think that all British humor is more high-brow than American, let's not forget the long-running "Benny Hill Show". 

I suspect that humor tastes as spread across the entire population of either country are not all that hugely different, but that _in general_, US TV networks are more likely to target the least common denominator in order to (theoretically) grab the largest possible market share (and thus more advertising dollars), whereas the BBC, which delivers multiple channels and gets much (all?) of its income from user license fees, can afford to target different audiences with different content, as they are mainly "competing" with themselves. (Or is my take on the current state of British TV woefully out of date now?)


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I've always appreciated British humor more, but it's definitely not all highbrow.  I've gone beyond PBS enough to know there's quite a bit out there, though I still haven't really had the desire to go as far as watch any Benny Hill.  I do think, like Nogdog said, a lot of it has to do with target audiences.  I'm pretty sure TV in the UK is still the pay a license and no commercials type deal they had before, though I imagine they're getting a lot more American television now the same way we're getting more from them.  I mean, they've been showing the Superbowl on BBC for three years now I think.

Our big problem, and I really think it's a problem, is that our shows are all made to attract a higher audience share.  That's why you see empty shows like Two Broke Girls do well while a show like Community is struggling.  One has mass appeal, the other is targeting a much smaller audience.  So I think, while the comedy in UK isn't necessarily high brow, the comedy in the US is most definitely dumbed down to the lowest common denominator.  NBC has even said this, that they're moving away from what they call "smart comedies" (this includes shows like 30 Rock, Community, and Parks and Rec) and moving toward a more formulaic sitcom because that's where the money is.

The BBC isn't afraid to take chances and they're also not afraid to pull a show in its prime.  Fawlty Towers is a good example of that.  They stopped making that after two seasons and it's long been held as one of the best sitcoms of all time.  Then look at the UK Office which ran for 2 seasons, a mere 14 episodes, while the one in the US is going on its tenth season and each season is upwards of 26 episodes... one season is almost twice as long as their entire series and we have ten of them.  We just run our shows into the ground to make as much cash as we can.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

P.C. (Peter) Anders said:


> I recently watched the first two seasons of the British comedy "The Office" (and earlier, a series called "The In-Betweeners"). What I find really impressive is that both were bankrolled by the BBC, which is the British version of America's PBS.


I'm not sure that's a valid comparison. BBC is, I believe, state run -- one of our resident Brits can probably explain it better -- but I'm almost sure it's not non-profit.

As to British vs American humor. . . . I prefer intelligent humor most of the time to outright silliness for silliness sake. (Though there are some Monty Python sketches that are pretty funny -- especially when recited by a 12 year old: that's how old my son was when he memorized 'The Parrot Sketch' as well as 'Penguin on the Telly' and I can't help but smile when I think of either one because he did (still does) a great retelling. And he's 30 now. )

I'm also not a fan of physical humor -- people whacking each other with stuff or making people trip and fall. I think that's just mean and not even a little bit funny.

I think you get all kinds on both sides of 'the pond' . . . but many Americans may not get British humor as much if they're not as familiar with the culture. And vice versa -- though, arguably, Brits are probably more familiar with our Yank culture in general because I think they tend to have access regularly to more American product than we do to British product. BBCAmerica notwithstanding.

I lived in the UK for 3 years and found that people are people, mostly. And humor is humor.


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## lynkay (Feb 9, 2013)

P.C. (Peter) Anders said:


> BBC, which is the British version of America's PBS.


Actually in England you pay a TV License which goes to the BBC. So they produce great shows like Doctor Who


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

CatherineM said:


> I always thought Monty Python was incredibly stupid. That's my take on British humor.


I find that about twenty percent of Monty Python is hilarious, routinely among the funniest things I've ever seen, about thirty percent is amusing but not spectacular, and for about fifty percent, I wonder if the network accidentally edited out the part with the joke. On the other hand I've watched Benny Hill and liked it in small doses, and I love Mr. Bean, which isn't generally an intellectual powerhouse. Which reminds me, I need to give Black Adder another chance. Didn't enjoy it when I sampled it once.

I am impressed that the British seem to produce writers like Douglas Adams and P. G. Wodehouse who are so brilliant at making the mere descriptive prose hilarious.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Definitely watch Black Adder again.  The first season is really a bit meh, but I enjoyed it a lot more after watching it again having watched the entire series.  The fourth season is also a bit meh, but again.  Seasons 2 and 3, though, are some of my favorite in British sitcoms ever.  The Christmas special is also a lot of fun.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

I wonder how funny we'd find ANY of the television humor if we didn't have laugh tracks telling us where to laugh. I really can't think of anything on TV that I find funny. Written humor is another story altogether.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I find that about twenty percent of Monty Python is hilarious, routinely among the funniest things I've ever seen, about thirty percent is amusing but not spectacular, and for about fifty percent, I wonder if the network accidentally edited out the part with the joke.


Not all their sketches worked by a very long chalk. As another comic put it: "They died for us. Frequently."


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

HappyGuy said:


> I wonder how funny we'd find ANY of the television humor if we didn't have laugh tracks telling us where to laugh. I really can't think of anything on TV that I find funny. Written humor is another story altogether.


I find myself laughing at Community and Parks and Rec despite them not having a laugh track. Though I find myself laughing out loud almost more to Supernatural. There's some really clever writing in that show. I find I prefer comedies without laugh tracks, the so-called "smart comedies". Even Big Bang Theory, which I have enjoyed in the past, has become almost intolerable because of the laugh track. It means they can get away with less writing I guess... I wonder how long an average sitcom would play without the pauses for the laughs.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I usually like dry British wit. That said, I can't go by The Office, because I thought the US version was hilarious (before Michael Scott left) but I didn't care at all for the British version. Part of the problem was that I didn't understand most of what was being said. I've never had trouble understanding British speech before, either in movies or BBC shows, so I'm not sure why I couldn't understand The Office. Everything went by so fast I had no time to decipher the words, let alone get the jokes. Then again, I'm a slow thinker and speaker myself, so maybe if I'd watched a few more episodes I'd have adjusted to the speed. 

As far as laugh tracks go, I dislike them because I feel they just underscore the parts that were intended to be funny but fell short. Better to let a bad joke pass like it never happened, rather than force awkward laughter. The only time I don't hate a laugh track is, not surprisingly, when the show is actually hilarious. Then I don't even notice the track because I'm laughing too.


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## harrisonbooth (Oct 29, 2012)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I'm not sure that's a valid comparison. BBC is, I believe, state run -- one of our resident Brits can probably explain it better -- but I'm almost sure it's not non-profit.


It isn't state run, but its had a history complicated enough for people to think maybe it is. The government has a "Culture Secretary" and there will be typically be a lot of toing and froing between them and the Director General of the BBC but there's no direct link. It's funded by the license fee and flogging its big name programmes like Top Gear and Doctor Who to other countries.

Discussions like this do tend to focus in on the two versions of The Office, and so it's also important to remember most of Gervais' influences are American. The Office is basically Spinal Tap. When it was first broadcast here, it was often compared to another sitcom called Phoenix Nights, which is similar humour but much more UK-based. Though things like the dildo scene are pretty representative of what would happen in an office here. Innuendo is comedy ground zero for a lot of people and even in times gone by programmes like Are You Being Served? have thrived off it.

It always surprises me how Benny Hill is still remembered - for better or worse - in other countries. He's basically been forgotten here (aside from the theme tune) which is very different to Python which is still a national institution. I agree Python was hit and miss but that was really the whole point; it was a show of experiments and they arguably set down the blueprint of what works and what doesn't for those who came after.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Dara England said:


> I usually like dry British wit. That said, I can't go by The Office, because I thought the US version was hilarious (before Michael Scott left) but I didn't care at all for the British version. Part of the problem was that I didn't understand most of what was being said. I've never had trouble understanding British speech before, either in movies or BBC shows, so I'm not sure why I couldn't understand The Office.


Ricky Gervais can be really difficult to understand. I had the same exact problem with The Office UK when I first tried to watch it. A friend made me get the DVD and I couldn't get past one episode. I shelved it for a good while, I'm actually still not really in love with it. It's probably one of my least favorite popular British comedies, but I did start to like Ricky Gervais a lot through his podcast and then Idiot Abroad. Once he was easier to understand The Office became a lot more bearable.


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## P.C. (Peter) Anders (Feb 6, 2013)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I find that about twenty percent of Monty Python is hilarious, routinely among the funniest things I've ever seen, about thirty percent is amusing but not spectacular, and for about fifty percent, I wonder if the network accidentally edited out the part with the joke. On the other hand I've watched Benny Hill and liked it in small doses, and I love Mr. Bean, which isn't generally an intellectual powerhouse. Which reminds me, I need to give Black Adder another chance. Didn't enjoy it when I sampled it once.
> 
> I am impressed that the British seem to produce writers like Douglas Adams and P. G. Wodehouse who are so brilliant at making the mere descriptive prose hilarious.
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


Monty Python--Charles Dickens with two "k"s, the Travel Agency, and Holy Grail . . . very funny. Some of the visually dependent humor is beyond me.

Douglas Adams-brilliant.
Evelyn Waugh: Scoop, Black Mischief

Thanks for correcting me on the BBC-PBS comparison. I did vaguely realize that BBC is more independent and commercial, but they still have to answer to the public and to Parliament, and I'm astounded that those scenes and that raunchy dialogue from "The Office" could pass. It must mean the British in general are far more tolerant of sexual humor.


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

I find some American humor hilarious and some hideous, and I find some British humour hilarious, and some hideous. 

This bit from Ricky Gervais (Life's Too Short) with Steve Carrel, and references to both versions of The Office, absolutely hilarious. The awkward faces of everyone (British and Americans) was brilliant. I love how Stephen Merchant reacts at the end. And Warwick Davis is super funny. I never thought of him as a funny guy from his movies. I guess hard to be funny when you're a killer Leprechaun.






My first exposure to British humor was of course, Benny Hill, and then The Young Ones. Both super funny.


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## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

I don't quite get British humor.  They'll have the laugh track on and I'll think its time go get snacks.  I do however love Alfred Hitchcock and Chef Ramsay, so it must just be their humor that escapes me.


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## P.C. (Peter) Anders (Feb 6, 2013)

Lee44 said:


> I don't quite get British humor. They'll have the laugh track on and I'll think its time go get snacks. I do however love Alfred Hitchcock and Chef Ramsay, so it must just be their humor that escapes me.


Try "The Parrot" skit and the "bookshop" skit from Monty Python.

And, if you think you could go to the trouble, the novels "Scoop" and "Black Mischief" by Evelyn Waugh. The latter is racist by today's standards . . . but "The Loved One" by him is not.

Well, if you don't dig any of these, maybe British humor is indeed not for you.


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

I like me some Monty Python.  It's hit or miss, but when it's a hit it's REALLY a hit.  That's usually the case with British humor for me.

For American humor...  It's tough to get into some of it when it's a lot of crude humor (fart jokes and the like).  Doesn't help when we had those "*insert genre* Movie" movies coming out every other month.  Epic Movie, Scary Movie, Date Movie, etc. and all of their lame attempts at hamfisting in a bunch of absurd jokes and failing miserably.


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