What do you think makes British tv / film humor so unique ? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

PMills · 04-03-2002, 12:00 AM

Why do you (seriously and / or humorously) think or don't think, that British tv and film humor is much better or more unique (or isn't) than other English speaking humor.

izzy · 04-20-2002, 07:51 AM

well i think its becuz in britain a different type of humour exsists and sometimes americans etc dont "get it" and dont realise the joke etc. with british films etc the jokes are a little more acsessable and i dunno, just different from other types as the humour varies. alot also is based on real life so thats always good, u ever seen The Royale Family, thats so funny cuz its just a normal family, with only 2 settings used.
i hope thats not a stupid answer!
iz

TJL · 04-28-2002, 10:19 AM

I think a lot of it has to do with the writing.
A show like "Blackadder" is loaded with quips and insults, not to mention Blackadder's use of metaphors.
Example -
"He's the most overrated human being since Judas Escariot won the AD 31 Best Disciple contest."

The jokes are very literate and intelligent. It's a shame that shows on this side of the pond do not try to be a little smarter in their writing. I'm not putting down American shows mind you.

'Frasier" probably is the only show on TV that comes close to the dry wit of the Britcoms.

17Mar59 · 06-09-2002, 08:46 PM

A bit from column A and a bit from column B,but I think also they're
more class conscious in especially the older Britcoms like AYBS
and that is something that you don't see too often on our sitcoms
over here,so it could also be a culture thing,that is we are from a
less class conscious society and the Brits have a more class conscious one.
Besides Are You Being Served another example of what I mean is
Keeping Up Appearances.

sarageme · 07-20-2002, 11:32 PM

I believe it is because they are odd looking (right words ???) their humor is funny and we don't watch them because they are just another pretty face. Does this make sense???? It seems in america that apperance is everything espically in LA and it does not seem like that in Britcoms

jerry allen · 10-14-2002, 05:36 AM

it has to be the sophistication of the scripts or the lunacy of the actors (like Benny Hill or the Python bunch). over in England or wherever else besides the USA, i see it that attention isn't focused too much on a person's appearance. over here our TV headquarters (New York and L.A.) are so consumed with looks and as a result we've become an image conscience society. a perfect example is an actor over here named Andy Griffith. by society's standards he's not good looking and therefore the networks feel that nobody will watch him anymore. he had "The Andy Griffith Show" from 1960-1968 and "Matlock" from 1986-1995. well, if he came out with a show today he would not have hardly any support from the networks because of his age. that's the way the USA works. it's unfair and our country has proven that it'll only serve the young, good looking people. thank god for PBS!

FVChickadee · 10-26-2002, 03:21 AM

The Brits are so willing to laugh at themselves, and so you find them getting into situations that are hilarious, but you Americans are not wiling to laught at such things. I'm a Canadian and would much rather watch most Britcoms than most American sitcoms anyday. We here in the Great White North are willing to laugh at ourselves, too, but our sitcoms haven't been all that great, for the most part. Also, I don't find the Brits nearly as PC as many Americans. I'm not saying that people should be mean or offensive, and the Brits aren't as a rule, but they tend to go where other English speakers fear to tread. I also agree that there tends to be a certain intelligence in Britcoms that are lacking in a lot of North American shows, although it isn't really beyond the intelligence of the average person to understand it. Overall, Brits have fun with things and just seem to be a little crazy with it all. Way to go, Brits!

Shalyse · 10-27-2002, 07:16 AM

Hey All

I love British tv, do n e of u like Brittas Empire??
I watch it evey night and can't help to laugh

I also love drama's that come out like Prime Suspect.....

British TV Rocks...

Heidi · 12-10-2002, 02:16 PM

Maybe it's more about the characters than some American shows. They seem to write the characters first and then give them funny lines that they would actually say. This is true of the best American sitcoms, too. It doesn't work to try and go for the laugh without paying attention to your characters and who they are. The British comedies seem to pay a lot of attention to their characters. All the ones I have seen are really about the people. Sometimes the lines are subtle in a way you don't usually find in American comedies. I don't think that makes them hard to get. It just makes them funnier.

webuster · 12-27-2002, 05:59 PM

The way Rowan Atkinson (Blackadder) tells the jokes, making fun of the dumb Baldwick, he sounds much more sarcastic. I'm from Ireland though, but English actors (John Cleese) act as characters who seem very smart and clever, but bad things always happen to them, and they're actually very daft. It's funny seeing English actors being the butt of the jokes, which is probably why Fawlty Towers Worked.

Janice · 03-10-2003, 12:43 AM

oops

TheJoker · 03-14-2007, 11:56 PM

re: "Overall, Brits have fun with things and just seem to be a little crazy with it all. "
I agree FVchickadee! I arrived in the UK as a rather boring US teenager in the 60s, having somehow missed the insertion of a Sense-O-Humour gene. By the time I left a decade later, I was bitten by the infectious British Sense-O-Humour bug. Problem solved! I think Benny Hill triggered the "infection", and I never l@@ked back . Living in rural Suffolk, many of my friends resembled the Vicar of Dibley cast, and I think it rubbed off on me. Of course, on this side of the pond I often draw blank stares (or worse

) when I expose my Pythonic style wit.
Still, AYBS and other Britcoms are making inroads I never thought I'd see over hEre. Blimey! The roads hEre are even filled with Minis these days! EastEnders is on tele! It makes me feel like flying the Union Jack again! (sob...sob) Long live BritComs!

rc.uk · 03-20-2007, 12:32 PM

I think one thing that has helped British sitcoms over the years is the relative lack of funding from the BBC and ITV. Over in the States, your television business is huge and your broadcasters have millions to splash around on TV series. Over here, it is quite different -- especially with the BBC. The BBC is funded by the licence fee (a tax on every household that contains a TV set) so they are much more accountable to the public. They can't be seen to be splashing money around. Over the years, that has meant sitcoms (and dramas) have only had around 6-10 episodes per year. I think that has helped a lot. Some of the American shows I watch have so many episodes per season that some are very weak and the format and running gags become a bit tiresome after a while. With there being so few episodes of British sitcoms, the humour is appreciated more and every episode (on the whole) is top class.

Tyrone Biggams · 04-03-2007, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heidi

Maybe it's more about the characters than some American shows. They seem to write the characters first and then give them funny lines that they would actually say. This is true of the best American sitcoms, too. It doesn't work to try and go for the laugh without paying attention to your characters and who they are. The British comedies seem to pay a lot of attention to their characters. All the ones I have seen are really about the people. Sometimes the lines are subtle in a way you don't usually find in American comedies. I don't think that makes them hard to get. It just makes them funnier.

i totally agree with this statement. Next time you watch a Brit show, notice that each character no matter how small the role is, plays a key part in the overall story line. The story is filled with rich characters, which makes the story better. If watch tv here, its more based on one or two main characters and the rest are just extras. Only the really good sitcoms like Seinfied, Simpsons, had good characters (every character palys an important role in the story) i actually remember most of the characters from these two shows lol

adreed24 · 04-04-2007, 11:14 PM

I saw a British comedian on an American talk show and the interviewer asked him: What is the difference between British and American comedy.

The comedian said that British humor/comedy is more "quick to deliver the joke". American humor/comedy has to "set up the joke, then deliver the punchline", which makes it "flow" more slowly.

I think all of you are making good points. I did not think there was much of a difference between American and British TV, until I spoke with a nurse I met who was born in the U.S., then moved to England as a small child, then came back to the U.S. as an adult. She told me when she first came back, she couldn't believe how many TV shows and networks we had here, compared to England.

04-03-2002, 12:00 AM	#1
PMills Member Forum Cub Join Date: Apr 02, 2002 Posts: 2	What do you think makes British tv / film humor so unique ? Why do you (seriously and / or humorously) think or don't think, that British tv and film humor is much better or more unique (or isn't) than other English speaking humor.

04-20-2002, 07:51 AM	#2
izzy Member Forum Hawk Join Date: Apr 20, 2002 Location: england Posts: 4	well i think its becuz in britain a different type of humour exsists and sometimes americans etc dont "get it" and dont realise the joke etc. with british films etc the jokes are a little more acsessable and i dunno, just different from other types as the humour varies. alot also is based on real life so thats always good, u ever seen The Royale Family, thats so funny cuz its just a normal family, with only 2 settings used. i hope thats not a stupid answer! iz
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04-28-2002, 10:19 AM	#3
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,591	I think a lot of it has to do with the writing. A show like "Blackadder" is loaded with quips and insults, not to mention Blackadder's use of metaphors. Example - "He's the most overrated human being since Judas Escariot won the AD 31 Best Disciple contest." The jokes are very literate and intelligent. It's a shame that shows on this side of the pond do not try to be a little smarter in their writing. I'm not putting down American shows mind you. 'Frasier" probably is the only show on TV that comes close to the dry wit of the Britcoms.
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07-20-2002, 11:32 PM	#5
sarageme figment of a dream Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 20, 2002 Location: a state of insomnia Posts: 18	I believe it is because they are odd looking (right words ???) their humor is funny and we don't watch them because they are just another pretty face. Does this make sense???? It seems in america that apperance is everything espically in LA and it does not seem like that in Britcoms
	__________________ "I've eaten a river of liver and an ocean of fish! I've eaten so much fish, I'm ready to grow gills! I've eaten so much liver, I can only make love if I'm smothered in bacon and onions" ~~~~Hawkeye <center> http://www.webspawner.com/users/sarageme123/hawke2.art</center>

10-26-2002, 03:21 AM	#7
FVChickadee Member First Time Poster Join Date: Oct 26, 2002 Location: Abbotsford Posts: 1	They laugh at themselves! The Brits are so willing to laugh at themselves, and so you find them getting into situations that are hilarious, but you Americans are not wiling to laught at such things. I'm a Canadian and would much rather watch most Britcoms than most American sitcoms anyday. We here in the Great White North are willing to laugh at ourselves, too, but our sitcoms haven't been all that great, for the most part. Also, I don't find the Brits nearly as PC as many Americans. I'm not saying that people should be mean or offensive, and the Brits aren't as a rule, but they tend to go where other English speakers fear to tread. I also agree that there tends to be a certain intelligence in Britcoms that are lacking in a lot of North American shows, although it isn't really beyond the intelligence of the average person to understand it. Overall, Brits have fun with things and just seem to be a little crazy with it all. Way to go, Brits!

06-09-2002, 08:46 PM	#4
17Mar59 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 03, 2002 Location: washington state Posts: 475	A bit from column A and a bit from column B,but I think also they're more class conscious in especially the older Britcoms like AYBS and that is something that you don't see too often on our sitcoms over here,so it could also be a culture thing,that is we are from a less class conscious society and the Brits have a more class conscious one. Besides Are You Being Served another example of what I mean is Keeping Up Appearances.

10-14-2002, 05:36 AM	#6
jerry allen Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 01, 2002 Location: State Route 72/ Ohio Posts: 148	it has to be the sophistication of the scripts or the lunacy of the actors (like Benny Hill or the Python bunch). over in England or wherever else besides the USA, i see it that attention isn't focused too much on a person's appearance. over here our TV headquarters (New York and L.A.) are so consumed with looks and as a result we've become an image conscience society. a perfect example is an actor over here named Andy Griffith. by society's standards he's not good looking and therefore the networks feel that nobody will watch him anymore. he had "The Andy Griffith Show" from 1960-1968 and "Matlock" from 1986-1995. well, if he came out with a show today he would not have hardly any support from the networks because of his age. that's the way the USA works. it's unfair and our country has proven that it'll only serve the young, good looking people. thank god for PBS!

10-27-2002, 07:16 AM	#8
Shalyse Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 26, 2002 Posts: 13	Hey All I love British tv, do n e of u like Brittas Empire?? I watch it evey night and can't help to laugh I also love drama's that come out like Prime Suspect..... British TV Rocks...

12-10-2002, 02:16 PM	#9
Heidi Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 09, 2002 Location: Wallingford Connecticut Posts: 76	Maybe it's more about the characters than some American shows. They seem to write the characters first and then give them funny lines that they would actually say. This is true of the best American sitcoms, too. It doesn't work to try and go for the laugh without paying attention to your characters and who they are. The British comedies seem to pay a lot of attention to their characters. All the ones I have seen are really about the people. Sometimes the lines are subtle in a way you don't usually find in American comedies. I don't think that makes them hard to get. It just makes them funnier.

12-27-2002, 05:59 PM	#10
webuster Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 26, 2002 Posts: 2,150	well. The way Rowan Atkinson (Blackadder) tells the jokes, making fun of the dumb Baldwick, he sounds much more sarcastic. I'm from Ireland though, but English actors (John Cleese) act as characters who seem very smart and clever, but bad things always happen to them, and they're actually very daft. It's funny seeing English actors being the butt of the jokes, which is probably why Fawlty Towers Worked.

03-10-2003, 12:43 AM	#11
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	oops

03-14-2007, 11:56 PM	#12
TheJoker Member Forum Cub Join Date: Mar 14, 2007 Location: East of the Yellow Brick Road Posts: 2	re: "Overall, Brits have fun with things and just seem to be a little crazy with it all. " I agree FVchickadee! I arrived in the UK as a rather boring US teenager in the 60s, having somehow missed the insertion of a Sense-O-Humour gene. By the time I left a decade later, I was bitten by the infectious British Sense-O-Humour bug. Problem solved! I think Benny Hill triggered the "infection", and I never l@@ked back . Living in rural Suffolk, many of my friends resembled the Vicar of Dibley cast, and I think it rubbed off on me. Of course, on this side of the pond I often draw blank stares (or worse ) when I expose my Pythonic style wit. Still, AYBS and other Britcoms are making inroads I never thought I'd see over hEre. Blimey! The roads hEre are even filled with Minis these days! EastEnders is on tele! It makes me feel like flying the Union Jack again! (sob...sob) Long live BritComs!

03-20-2007, 12:32 PM	#13
rc.uk Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 14, 2004 Location: UK Posts: 90	I think one thing that has helped British sitcoms over the years is the relative lack of funding from the BBC and ITV. Over in the States, your television business is huge and your broadcasters have millions to splash around on TV series. Over here, it is quite different -- especially with the BBC. The BBC is funded by the licence fee (a tax on every household that contains a TV set) so they are much more accountable to the public. They can't be seen to be splashing money around. Over the years, that has meant sitcoms (and dramas) have only had around 6-10 episodes per year. I think that has helped a lot. Some of the American shows I watch have so many episodes per season that some are very weak and the format and running gags become a bit tiresome after a while. With there being so few episodes of British sitcoms, the humour is appreciated more and every episode (on the whole) is top class.

04-04-2007, 11:14 PM	#15
adreed24 Member Forum Hawk Join Date: Oct 20, 2004 Posts: 4	I saw a British comedian on an American talk show and the interviewer asked him: What is the difference between British and American comedy. The comedian said that British humor/comedy is more "quick to deliver the joke". American humor/comedy has to "set up the joke, then deliver the punchline", which makes it "flow" more slowly. I think all of you are making good points. I did not think there was much of a difference between American and British TV, until I spoke with a nurse I met who was born in the U.S., then moved to England as a small child, then came back to the U.S. as an adult. She told me when she first came back, she couldn't believe how many TV shows and networks we had here, compared to England.