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

[JennyTals]

I know it a time of terrible doom and gloom
trump, putin, shit weather, people struggling

but thank FUCK
for our good old sense of humor that keeps us strong !

I haven't lived in the UK for years but you're right. British humour is unique I miss it

Yup

Just read that awkward thread in Chat

Hilarious

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5279345-very-normal-things-that-make-you-feel-awkward

Reading that thread just makes me think that Brits are decidedly odd!

As for British humour being the best in the world, you think that because it is what you grew up with and what you know. Isn't it just possible that people from other countries think the same about their own type of humour?

@NattyTurtle59 it's well known throughout the world the British sense of humor is elite, tbh it's really the only thing we have left and Yorkshire puddings 😁

Really, I've never heard anyone here say that British humour is elite. I think some of you delude yourselves - it's a bit like 'the NHS in the envy of the world' which is oft quoted on here.

Reading that thread just makes me think that Brits are decidedly odd!

I'm British and just read that thread. You're not wrong.

Who has the best then @NattyTurtle59 ?

@JennyTals How about some examples?

I think all nationalities think the humour they grew up with is the best. I fing some British humour very good and some...well...really not funny.

Old sitcoms....Only fools and horses....if you are not British and grew up in this era, it's really not funny. I won't even mention Benny Hill 😂

The same 'hilarious' replies repeated daily in local Facebook groups would suggest otherwise

We also have cakes. Our cakes are the best.

And pasties.

Agree with this. There's some British comedians and media that I find hilarious - but there's some that I find so unfunny I have no idea why they have any success.

Plenty of Irish output i think is hilarious. But you could show me Mrs Brown's Boys and it world raise a smile from me. Some with comedy from the USA, Australia, Canada and so on. (Listing English speaking countries there as comedy, in my opinion, tends to get lost in translation )

Have to say the thread linked above, I've read through it and have now idea why it's been linked as an example of humour.

I do think people sometimes talk the British sense of humour up a bit too much (like claiming North Americans aren't funny) and that it's culturally relative, but also that the British prize a specific type of humour and are very good at it. And the fact that Britain successfully exports a lot of its comedy is proof.

Hmm, I think you just understand the humour you grew up with the best tbh.

What a load of self-serving soft nationalistic exceptionalist nonsense.

We don't have the greatest sense of humour in the world.

Neither do we have the best TV, military, queues, police, landscape, weather, manners, way of life, sense of justice etc in the world. All things that British society tried to teach us growing up.

Firstly, we don't have one single British sense of humour. We have a variety of modes of humour, from Jim Davidson to Judy Love to Victoria Wood to Reeves and Mortimer to Last of the Summer Wine to Carry On to Peep Show to pantomime to Stewart Lee.

Secondly, our humour, like all nation's humour, is shaped by us and for us. The things we find most funny are ourselves, our habits, our stereotypes. Of course British people love British humour best. It's what we know. It's who we are.

That doesn't mean it's "the best". It means it's the best for us.

Danes are very fond of British humour.

What Brits used to be good at was self deprecating humour, while still believing we had good humour.
Now it seems the clamor is to say
'Oh yeah, Britain's shit, we're awful and rubbish at everything, all the other counties are so much better, am so ashamed to be British, everything we've done in comedy is awful'... 🙄

I havent read the thread referred to

But if MN as a whole is anything to go by, no one has a sense of humour these days. Thankfully this site is nothing like real life

Having spent last night watching Rhod Gilbert, I can wholeheartedly agree, OP.

I disagree. In the 90s I travelled all over Europe and everyone I met brought up Benny Hill and loved him.
Actually not sure if this illustrates we have shit humour or the Europeans do?😂

Benny Hill is quite European in many ways, our humour is more verbal and satire/sarcasm, Benny Hill was slapstick

Our television dramas and comedies are often superb and having watched a lot of TV in other countries it’s definitely superior! 😂

I was once transiting through a German airport. I use a wheelchair for this and then I was driven out to the plane while they were still loading luggage.

The two people transporting me were in fits of giggles and said, "we have been telling all our friends we are collecting Miss sashh", more giggles.

So I asked what was funny.

I share my surname with a famous actress, apparently that is the funniest thing in a German airport. Possibly in Germany.

Just totally different.