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

Nah. I think I’m done with you. Here, have a grinning emoji as a keepsake 😁

Again, I'm confused about what you're proud of and why?

And this isn't me being ashamed or snarky about British humour or comedy, much of which makes me - a Briton - laugh.

But I don't see how a nation liking its own sense of humour makes us exceptional, "best in the world" or something to be proud of. Please explain.

I wasn’t aiming it at you. In fact I’m sure I’ve responded to some of your posts with a thumbs up or funny emoji (and you me 😁) on the react option.

You probably had to be there (and aged about 17) tbf.

As someone once said (I don’t know who) in Britain all compliments are insults and all insults are compliments. I guess that can be baffling to more direct cultures.

I think we are a culture where you have to be able to read between the lines because what we say is probably the opposite of what we mean.

Rather than being sour about our humour I think it’s one thing we can mostly be proud of. Of course there is unfunny stuff, or dated stuff, but that’s the same for every culture’s humour.

World class humour, I'm sure.

Little Britain was classic, but very close to the line. DSis and I used to love it, but DM had an absolute raging hatred for it.

At that time, if you accidentally sent a SMS to a landline, what sounded like Tom Baker’s voice would “read it out” when you picked up messages. So we’d write down his best narrator line from LB every week, text it to DM’s landline and stand well back. 😂 We finally broke her with “British justice is the best in the world. Anyone who disagrees is either gay, a woman or a mental.”

just pointing out that other nationalities find their own cultural humour funnier is hardly offensive. Cheer up.

it's not
Foreigners are still puzzled by Benny Hill, Little Britain, Mr Bean 😂

It does make sense that each country finds things funnier when they're related to their own culture, and not everything translates well.

The only ones who think British humour is the elite are.. British. 😄

Holy Grail was a bit 'out there', but Life of Brian was brilliant.

It was funny if you watched it stoned (misspent younger days). Not particularly funny watching it straight.

The thing with British humour is that a lot of it is based around shared culture and "in jokes" in a way that other countries don't do. I lived in Germany for a while, and though I speak German fluently, I often found myself accidently using British humour in German, and being met with blank stares and chirping crickets. I wanted to fall through the floor so many times!

OrganicPlane yes Rumour has it that they (Reeves and Mortimer) fell out .No big row just didnt get on I guess .Everyone who is British will like different brands of humour I think . Mum was no early Feminist but wasnt keen on the dolly birds being chased routine with BH. Incidentally he had a sad life (as so many comedians seem to)and died alone in his late mothers house .He was a milkman when young and I guess that was the basis for "Ernie the fastest milkman in the west"

Yes, not sure there are enough lemons to go round, some are sucking on far too many.

I can hear the scowling and lip pursing from my front room.

Frasier is very funny but it isn’t typically American humour you are more often laughing at him and Niles is extremely socially awkward this is more like British humour writing than typically american

Larry David is brilliant at this Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm is more about the awkwardness of interactions and everyday life and laughing at characters than with them again more like British self deprecating humour (or Jewish humour)

It doesn’t always translate well. I remember showing my Lebanese French-speaking friend that Monty Python scene in Holy Grail with the French knight guarding the castle. “I fart in your general direction! Your mother was an ‘amster and your father smelt of elderberries!” All the Brits in absolute stitches, everyone else looking slightly alarmed.

Some miserable people on here that give the impression it’s wrong to big up something you love about British folk.

This! Tbh when I lived abroad, the only things I missed were British humour and British supermarkets. Not because of any professional or broadcast comedic output, but the little foibles and interactions. Like saving our worst insults and most egregious swears for our best friends, our talent for nicknames, normalising very dark humour with nothing out of bounds, etc.

I love Benny Hill but the one thing I absolutely didn’t like was the Reeves and Mortimer quiz thing - Shooting Stars? Just awful

we are able to laugh at ourselves it’s part of British humour it’s self deprecating so at times that’s why many of the better comedies are about people in challenging situations or the foolishness of peoples actions/behaviour. Dad’s Army or Only Fools and Horses would never have been made in the US

and the world wide appeal of Benny Hill was that it was so visual (not just the chasing women) some early Benny Hill was very funny

Doris in Gavin and Stacey and the salad.

Had DD and I in stitches.

I grew up in the 70s and DM didnt find Benny Hill amusing then either.He was like an overgrown schoolboy .very crude and silly and misogynistic even then .The "British sense of humour" is not all encompassing of middle age leery old men .We loved The Good life,The 2 Ronnies and so on .We have a unique GSOH and the BBC was in a league of its own!

I believe this is a peculiarly British thing to do. From what I've heard / read.

I'm sure someone will be along to tell me I'm completely wrong and unless I've experienced every culture and unless I can speak every language I have no right to utter a word on the subject.

Slapstick is fairly world wide, its not a particularly 'British' type of humour, British humour is about wit, sarcasm, self deprecation, irony, dry humour.

Thats why the likes of Benny Hill and Norman Wisdom have been 'adopted' by many a country, its more of a European type of humour if you have seen any of their TV at length

Someone mentioned Curb your Enthusiasm, NY humour is very much like British humour, particularly NY Jewish humour. Lots of the rest of the US just doesnt get it at all.

@FreddoSwaggins you lost all credibility about that is funny when you said Mrs Browns boys raises a smile with you. It is total and utter dross.