You can’t beat British humour! One thing we are still best at in the world

@Talonz

British humour is just unique. Its varietal, subtle, dry and the timing is bang on the mark. Maybe you just have to be a Brit to get it.

By claiming it's unique, you're saying no other country has humour with the same qualities, which are rather vague and universal tbh. Then you set the tone with who can understand and why like it's some ancient language literary masterpiece.I responded in kind.

I'm not saying it's not good, I'm just not seeing its uniqueness since I experienced several kinds, in several languages and there's a massive overlap, from slapstick, to dark humour, to self deprecation, to experience humour , to "philosophical " humour (not a fan tbh). I can't name one particular country to say that has completely unique humour (or that theirs is the best, not your point I know , I know, I can understand you just fine).

Can you positively say no other country has humour like that though?
Yes, all countries have unique senses of humour. While there is some overlap, different cultures have subtleties than can tell them apart.

And I can understand British humour very well thank you very much.
You seem very sensitive. What are you 'thanking' me for?

It's the claim that it is unique and the best in the world
You were replying to my post directly. Note that you are the only person implying that British humour is the best in the world. Can't see it anywhere else.

Have you experienced EE humour? Or Brazilian humour? Or Japanese humour (often listed in the top 10/15 funniest countries in the world)? To be able to make that claim?
Yes there is plenty of that around. Swiss, German....all unique. I particularly like Belgians and Irish when it comes to humour. As well as Brits.

We are not all as simple or uncultured as you seem to want to project.

Saturday Night Live being a prime example, I really don't know why they rave about that

No one does humour quite like the Scots!

If I’m bored of an evening I sometimes watch those reaction videos on YouTube of people (usually Americans) watching UK/Irish comics.

They genuinely can’t fathom that we don’t find it insulting! Like the others commenters say, it’s a sign of affection - we only take the piss out of you if we like you!

I have to agree. So many people I know say that American humour is superior to British,but am I alone in not finding most American humour funny,or just not understanding it?

Can you positively say no other country has humour like that though?

And I can understand British humour very well thank you very much. I also can appreciate it and enjoy a lot of it (even some that a lot of MN posters hate with the passion of a thousands suns).

It's the claim that it is unique and the best in the world (I don't think any country/region is) that I don't understand.

Have you experienced EE humour? Or Brazilian humour? Or Japanese humour (often listed in the top 10/15 funniest countries in the world)? To be able to make that claim?

If you have, and still make that claim have you considered that maybe you just don't get it? You know, being a foreigner and all.

British humour is just unique. Its varietal, subtle, dry and the timing is bang on the mark. Maybe you just have to be a Brit to get it.

Kerry Mucklowe, The Reverend Francis Seaton.....well researched and spot on acting.

Jethro's "What happened was......" and then on stage "Sit down you wanker!" as an audience member fidgets to go to the bar.

Catherine Tate's posh mum, "Chloe and I are having a gooseberry and cinnamon yoghurt, would you like a gooseberry and cinnamon yoghurt".

Lots in there for non-Brits not to understand, but for Brits its absolute brilliance.

I’m sure you’re right. I don’t think anyone is saying it is exclusively a British trait (how would we know unless we could speak all the world’s languages) but it is a strong one.

Ooh where are you from. I wonder if it’s a country I’ve said that about lol.

@BunnyLake fair enough, however I wouldn’t say self deprecation is specifically or uniquely British. It’s quite common in plenty of other countries too.

Where I’m from a very common joke is “beautiful country… shame about the people”.😀

Each country can't speak for the other but I would say there is a common thread (my family are English and Scottish). It is self deprecating in a way I think, say, America, isn’t (they are conditioned early on to believe their country is the best in the world at everything even when it clearly isn’t but British people will generally say, yeah we’re shit.

British humour

Also by British... do we mean English , Scottish, Welsh , N Irish all mashed up together/is it all the same?Or just English humour?

@SallyWD what is British humour? What exactly makes it unique?

OMG I love this 🤣

They're going to be so disappointed by Staines.

We were in Havana two years ago, and spent a lot of time walking around the city in places tourists don't normally venture to. A lot of curious locals would stop and chat to us. When they asked us where we were from and we replied England, almost every one of them exclaimed "Ali G" some got really excited. We couldn't quite understand why the Ali G character was so popular to Cubans and even how his comedy would translate to them. Most odd.

Nowt wrong with being proud of being British. 🇬🇧
Doesn’t matter how shit it gets we still have the ability to see positives. Bit like English football 🤣

Ok, I posted upthread about how many foreigners don't get our humour. However many do, and it's appreciated by other nationalities. I do think comedy is something we're good at and our humour is unique, so why not be proud of it? I have lived abroad in three other European countries and they don't place the same value on comedy. Their comedy shows were few and far between, and to be honest, they were bad!
Also, what I appreciate about British humour goes beyond the fact we've produced so many high quality comedy shows. It's the fact that we are humorous nation who incorporate comedy into to every day situations, even the most dire situations. When I've been abroad for extended periods (as I often have) and I come back to the UK, I notice how prevalent humour is here. A brief exchange with a ticket collector or shop assistant or a bus driver will often involve a joke or a laugh. I know people cringe at the term "office banter" but I still do enjoy the laughs we have at work.
I have in-laws in India who assume all British people are very serious but I actually think we're not serious at all. We don't take ourselves too seriously and we get a lot of pleasure from "having a laugh".

Proud of you, hon.

Found a spare one in my pocket. It’s a bit fluffy and sticky but hopefully I’ve wiped most of it off. Now this is the last one mind so please look after it (at least better than I did) 😁 No need to thank me, I feel we are nearly friends now.

Hilarious as your flippant comedy responses are, I'd be interested in your honest answer.

It’s getting beyond tedious. I used up my last precious grinning emoji on them though as I know how much they appreciate them. I wouldn’t give them my last Rolo though, that would be taking the piss!

I am sorry I quoted the wrong post!

It's not even a funny mistake 😂

As another poster said you're being deliberately obtuse.