American reacts to British vs. American Humor: What's the Difference? 

For me, the main difference is that the British humour has more complexity and twists than the American one. The jokes in British sitcoms and comedies don't need to have fake laughs in the background.

British humour is not just entertainment; it’s part of our everyday life. It’s how we cope with anything we find uncomfortable (which is most things for some of us). It can be a play on words, sarcasm or just plain silliness; but a joke shared and understood breaks the ice.

The Brits use sarcasm, satire and wordplay in extremely clever ways, and that goes for every Brit I've ever known - not just comedians. It can be dark, and it's often not in your face obvious. Americans are funny, too, but a lot of Americans don't understand sarcasm, and satire even less. That (like everything else) seems to depend on which side of the political aisle you're on in the US.

Our humour (uk) is low-key and dry... Like where you missed Ricky call us "the big two" and you thought that was a term rather than Ricky being intentionally obnoxious ...and that was kind of the joke too ,where it would go over an Americans head and they would probably agree.... Like Sasha Baron Cohen getting a room full of Americans to sing antisemitic songs..when he's a jew 😆👌

British humour is usually quite subtle, and can be sarcastic, but not in a malicious way. Just go to a UK pub, sit in a corner and listen. Everyday average people having normal conversations, but liberally peppered with some of the best ad hoc quips, one-liners and stark wit you will ever experience. American comedy is one thing, natural inbred humour is different. American comedy is written down and lines are learned, and can be very good indeed. "Cheers" and "Frasier" were two of my favourite USA comedy shows. However, impromptu wit is missing in Americans in general. They tend to take things very literally and miss the intended but subtle sarcasm that almost every Brit has from birth.

In US comedies the punchline is underlined, explained and pushed down your throat. In British (and most European comedy) comedy there is either no punchline at all (Monty Python) or it is mostly ignored and you have to cypher it from the context and the atmosphere of the situation Also another common difference is that in British comedy, they are almost always acted seriously, even if the situation is absolutely ridiculous, and the characters don't act like they are in a comedy, but play it straight instead Not to say this doesn't happen in US comedies as well, especially the classic US comedies that stand out from the trash, seem to be the ones where the actors are playing their characters very dead pan seriously like in Airplane!, Naked Gun and Loaded Weapon to name a few

Kipling (definitely a Brit) wrote this - "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same." Which has a great deal of bearing on modern British comedy. The fact that they are both 'impostors' not to be trusted, not to be lauded, not to be criticised or loathed.

I think the main difference between British and American comedy is that American comedy relies on one liners and seem to try really hard. Alot of the time, the gags in American comedy are either corny, stupid or not funny at all. The canned laugh in sitcoms don't help this. British comedy usually contains a joke that comes full circle, the two Ronnies for example are a prime example of that. British comedy is clever and whitty. We laugh at ourselves, everyday situations or sterotypes that we all think about, but never really discuss. Personal misery is one area of comedy, but its a lot more than that!

From an Aussie, I love English humour try watching Dad's Army, I know it's old but very cleverly done, I can watch that show over and over again and still laugh all the way through along with Mr Bean. There are so many other excellent comedy shows that have come out of England, I'd watch English comedy over American any time. Sorry if that offends anyone.

Many people think of Monty Python or MR Bean when mentioning British humor, but for me the best series will always be Black Adder and Only Fools and Horses...

From my personal view, I guess most people from Europe are more prone to do some banter and darker jokes. American and Canadian people sometimes get offended cause of obvious offensive joke and don't understand banter. Every brit I met is pretty close to my eastern europe vibe of humour, jokes about themselves, sarcasm is our main weapon. In general being more open how funny it may sound when you compare EU and NA. 😃

British comedy is clever & makes you think. It’s also about real life, whereas American humour seems to be fake. I can’t think of a time when I’ve had a laughing fit at an American show but give me a British show & my face aches where I’ve laughed so much.

European humour tends to be more self-ironic and self-conscious.

British humor hits harder, it's dirty and dark, it's for people with a humor that would offend 99% of Twitter. I love it.

Well, tell me this, if we haven’t been brought up with optimism, how have we been such great creators, innovators and explorers. And exported, so much talent across the pond. Yes, we’ll have our great actors back please.

monty python is NOT dry, US humor leans more to slapstick and less smart jokes

I remember hearing a story that I shall have to paraphrase. Back when the TV series the Young Ones was airing there was an attempt to create a version to play in the USA. However, when the original was shown to American test audiences the main question that kept being asked was "Who's the good guy/hero?". They failed to understand that every single character in that show ESPECIALLY the main cast were total and unbelievable bastards and losers. That to me is the difference in humour styles, the Americans need a hero, someone to root for, or at least some optimism in the work. The Brits don't, in fact we love to see people fail or just be awkward. Or alternatively just have totally off the wall humour like Monty Python, Mighty Boosh and League of Gentleman.

Monty Python is an almost unique style of UK comedy, a bit like Mel Brooks films for the US. Both are funny in very different ways and both styles are different from the majority of other comedy styles in their home countries and abroad.

You're so right about Curb Your Enthusiasm, it's so "British" and appeals to my Brit sense of humour. A prime example of a subtle, clever British comedy where the protagonist is always the loser is Ever Decreasing Circles, I recommend it, especially thr first two series.

Of course the "No-one expects the Spanish Inquision" is even funnier when you learn that they gave people 30 days written warning of their visit. ❤

Our comedies tend to be a mixture of tradegy and comedy , lots of characters that we can all identify with , American humour is more geared to the one liner or the guy that always wins , we always root for the underdog in comedy . 😊

I think it's more we Laugh at everything, no matter what it is. So the dark stuff isn't off-limits. Yes, I'm from the UK 🇬🇧

I started playing mens soccer in Australia from the age of 14. The teams I played in were largely composed of guys from all over Britain. The guys were just constantly joking around from the minute you arrived at the ground for games or training and most of the guys would hang around in the bar for an hour or two afterwards. Constantly being funny and telling jokes just seemed to be in their nature but I think it is a bit of a by-product of spending more time indoors with the weather, more cramped living conditions and pub culture. I think British people are just more realistic about their status and prospects and life and are more about making the most of living in the here and now. Historically the boundaries and expectations of social class has played some part as well. People in the UK tended to be less mobile and stuck to the areas they were from, so that is why you have so many regional accents and almost a tribal culture when it comes to football etc. I guess the narative in the US has been more about opportunity than other places, where there are less barriers to success. Hollywood movies promoted this and also there are few places in the Western world where the son of a family of underworld gansters like the Kenedys or an actor like Ronald Regan could make it all the way to the top and become president. People in the UK have a better understanding of their limitations (i.e. I am not qualified to do this and there are plenty of people ahead of me who are). Honestly you could spend days comparing. The format for sitcoms in the US is determined by a number of factors. They try to cram in a lot of jokes in 22 minutes (due to advertising) and appeal to the widest audience possible, right down to those with a low IQ or general knowledge. Much of the TV in Britain is government funded, so they can afford to make shows that will appeal greatly to some people, but perhaps not all, and there is no problem if the show has to run for an hour to enable better character development, plot etc. A lot of American tv shows try to make situations larger than life. They nearly always incorporate very good looking people, the odd 'zany' character, canned laughter, and a lot of product placement. You can't put all British humour into one category though - it varies a lot. People tend to focus on the shows and concepts that wouldn't work in the US. In this vein, I reckon the show Red Dwarf is another good example. It is based on the lives of 3-4 guys (admittedly including a hologram, a robot and a lifeform evolved from a cat) stranded on a space ship in deep space, a billion years into the future. There is occasionally hope, but basically nothing goes right for them, and the show ran for 20-30 years, yet every episode is funny and strangely uplifting. It is about making the most of the situation, no matter how dire. I just don't think the concept would appeal to advertisers or that the show could support the inclusion of adverts for that matter. I cannot understate how the inclusion of advertising would ruin most UK commedy shows. American TV shows also employ a lot of writers and for me it is a case of the old addage "too many cooks spoil the broth". In Britain, you usually have only one or two guys with a clear vision of what they want to bring to life. I've recently been enjoying shows like Peep Show and The Inbetweeners at the moment - very British!

I think British humour is also more understated. American humour seems overwritten amd often wants to spell out the joke for you. Where as the Brits just let the scenario speak for itself and they don't try as hard. Which ends up being funnier in a lot of ways Plus...the accent lends itself to humour more. Not sure why, it just does. I also like that British shows use ordinary looking people whereas American shows have everyone looking glamorous which is more fake and less relatable.

"Europe is just basically a gene pool of people whose ancestors said: Oh, I don't think I can risk - there, I can't risk it". Wtf?! Who does he think were the ones who did the Age of Discovery, who found the maritime route to India, who sailed around the world to prove it was possible? Martians?! Took two World Wars for us to finally say "well.... maybe we should take a breather".

American comedy is very slapstick, but British humour is very clever! When I tell a British joke to an American, they never seem to get it, even after I have tried to explain it!

Monty Python was something different. It's not typical of British Humour. We do enjoy stuff that's "out there" but that's just one kind of British humour. Word play often plays a big part. But we do laugh at the hard times. It's a way of getting through. :)

I grew up with British humour and really enjoy it, when Friends started I had friends tell me I should watch it but after about half of the first show I just changed channels, I found it just boring, the laugh reel really grated and it just wasn't funny. That was all I saw of the entire series, half of one show. Some American comedy is good, Married with Children springs to mind but generally I prefer British humour.

It's called the American dream, because You have to sleep to believe it

I really enjoyed watching you absorb and articulate what you were seeing and hearing. We need both tones in comedy and film.

Our humour is being hurtful in a way where no one gets hurt 😂

There is optimism in British comedy, everyone has a plan that's going to work, but in the end they are brought down to reality, either by realising themselves that it's not going to work out, or by someone else who spoils their plans, You hardly ever get a successful main character, Unlike the US.

I think one of the things that gets US humour in the eyes of many UK people is that it seems dozens of writers are needed to write a US comedy. In the UK only one or two writers are generally involved. UK humour quite often pokes fun more that US comedy and clever use of words (watch some of Ronnie Barker's monologues for example). Doesn't mean both aren't funny. I think sometimes (in both humours) "local" references often confuse the watcher.

Brits are one of the nations of Europe that really lean into sarcasm and Americans have more light-hearted shows. Even though there have been some very good US shows, the UK shows have a humour that is more natural and realistic.

What I’ve never understood about Americans audiences is that they need every joke or situation to have an explanation, to have it handed to them. If they don’t, they’ll say “I don’t get it”. If they do get it, then they tell you that they got it. British humour leaves it hanging for the audience to work it out for themselves.

Sponge Bob is on a comedic level with the best of British humour. But most American humour is too obvious. You see the joke coming before it is born. Sometimes before it was conceived. Good British humour sneaks up and bites your behind.

My favourite comedy in the UK is Blackadder.......... all the series. I think it just about sums us up.

I like American humour but it's mild and tends to insist on having a moral message.

We excel in self depricating humour, we're not afraid to take the piss out of ourselves. Americans don't do that as they think it shows them in a bad light. We're also kings of sarcasm, Americans just end up cringy when they try to do sarcasm.

British humour is self depricating, whilst American humour has to be optimistic and never sarcastic...i think British humour is so much funnier ss its usually always about real life and you can relate to it, whilst American comedy is something always wished for or hasnt really happened yet!

American humour is unsophisticated, it works on fewer levels but it still works... It's like a classic car and a brand new base model car, they both provide the same functionality, but the classic car provides either depth and fun or if you don't see it fails to give you the comfort you expect... American humour hits you around the face with tag line and punchlines, British humour will often have layers from the obvious to the almost subliminal. Different people can watch it and get a totally different aspect of the joke... It's not as if Americans can't do deep dark humour, watch MASH that was exceptional. It's almost as if they prefer Seinfeld over MASH...

You got it with Curb Your Enthusiasm , full of embarrassing failures, my favourite US comedy ever 😂😂

The biggest difference between British humour and American humor is u!

The title sequence to The Office makes me laugh - just something about those cars on the roundabout, whilst 'Handbags and Gladrags' plays

A lot of British humour is of the "I've done that, but just not quite so badly". US humour seems to be "Oh, that worked out well in the end".

Laughing AT people and at yourself, riffing on ridicule and delighting in other's embarrassment are key to British humour. Many Americans see this as 'cruel' or 'rude'. Having a disastrous day is 'comedy content' for your friends and family. Making people laugh at your expense is cathartic to a British person. Americans would sympathise. Comedy comes in all different shapes and sizes, both here and in the USA.

I think you nailed it, a lot of American comedy I find "corny" Although my favourite comedian is Dave Chappelle, and I enjoy some American comedy, "The last man on earth" was one of my favourite comedy series, and Will Forte was brilliant.

As someone from the UK, I love watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. It is so unlike any other form of US comedy, but it is hilarious. One thing I don’t like about some comedies is the over use of canned laughter.

it is a basically different mind set in many things. like for example starting your own buisness`? in the us everybody supports you, in germany they will tell you why it wont work

Monty Python has it too... "So always look on the bright side of death, Just before you draw your terminal breath". And the Spanish Inquisition one - making funny something that killed and brutalised hundreds of thousands of people for four centuries... (and enough of them studied history to know exactly what they were doing). But I think The Office is a good example. The British one is funny to British people because anybody who's worked in an office has known somebody like David Brent. It's funny because it's real. Same goes for most of the most successful comedy shows in Britain. They're funny because you can go 'yeah, that's what it's really like', and laugh at ourselves. Also, there's a lot more sarcasm and punning (see Ronnie Barker for both).

'Frazier' is very funny because it's a synthesis of American and British humour, which makes it a great sit-com. There are other great American sit-coms, mostly, from the 60s: 'The Beverly Hillbillies', 'Get Smart', 'The Munsters', etc. Back to England, there's no mention of the bawdy and hilarious Carry-On films; they're a British institution, and very funny.

I think the best comedy is off the cuff. I love our Brit quiz panel shows Would I lie to you (Wilty) and 8 out of 10 cats. The insults fly back and forth but is taken with a pinch of salt and a belly laugh.

just subscribed. Like your vibe. Us brits need the American escapism as much as you need our gritty relatable stuff x

America are/is the adverts... The UK are the documentaries...🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Best way I can explain it..... Americans....it rained today and we survived a Hurricane, tomorrow its gonna be sunny and warm, let’s do this thing...... YAAAAA British..........it rained today, F**Ks sake it gonna rain tomorrow, and the day after, bollocks to this crap I’m off to the pub YAAAAA Australians...it rained last month, it’s always sunny, let’s go surfing and eat shrimp on the beach then lets go to the pub . YAAAAA Irish ............it rained but I don’t care because I’m already in the pub and tomorrow and the next day, let’s stay in the pub YAAAAA

I think a big difference is hat UK sitcoms tend to be written by, produced by and staring comedians.. where as USA sitcoms are written by comedy writers, produced by networks and star actors. The office is a prime example... certainly a generalization but It's the vast majority for sure. UK v in general focus on the average working class person. American shows on wealth and status.. and even the one UK show that I can think off that did feature weakly people was Ab Fab and hey where incompetent as hell.

Ahhh. Finally: "American is more, like, corny." Yess! Only people don't want to say that directly to an American's face - because it isn't very complimentary. But the humour, in US shows, is just as rigidly constrained as are all the other constraints on USA film & tv shows, like: there's ALWAYS a happy ending. Good always triumphs over bad. The main characters always end up getting married. And if you look at old USA sitcoms...they're all pretty standard in that Mum stays home and spends all her time being a), wise b)ditzy. She & Dad slept in twin beds which had the whole of the rest of the world scratching their heads & muttering "Wotha?" All Dads have REAL wisdom: from learning. While Mum's wisdom is all about relationships and fashion & stuff. Dad works 9 to 5.most days. Dads worked at a place called "the office". Women possessed the magic key to waking in the middle of the night beautifully made-up, and with every hair in place. And no-one, ever, was gay. There was never a mixed race family portrayed. Everybody always believed in a Christian god. They inhabited a different world to the Brits or Europeans: theirs was make-believe. Unreal. In this mythical 'Merica humour was more visual...even to this day I've seen clips where people smash 'pies' into people's faces - and the crowd - still - goes wild.Someone standing on a garden-rake is hilarious. But our humour has developed through words: minstrels that went from place to place singing rude ditties about the Upper echelons. Nursery Rhymes, Traditional (& bawdy) songs sung in pubs, Clever little 4-line verses that could be taken as being pretty disgusting, or as an innocent little poem. People falling over or having accidents with garden equipment are pretty everyday occurrences. I don't think many of us would laugh at someone who's just had an accident?. It gets old after a while.But there are many, many ways we can play with words and sentences & phrases. That never gets old to us. In the clip where Gervais is doing that eye-wateringly-cringe dance sequence the humour, for us, isn't the moves he's making...it's in looking at all the people watching him with no expression whatsoever. We know how much they're in agony. Every nerve in their bodies overwhelmingly wants to run away. But they can't. That'd be rude & insensitive - even though he's a total arse.But if they stay there with all this pent up emotion iit's gonna explode in one way or the other....they're gonna wet their drawers or they're going to laugh themselves silly. And you know from the uncanny silence and carefully held expressions on their faces - athey aren't going to be able to be in control in about 5 seconds! And we laugh our heads off because that's exactly what we'd think, and go through, and look like, in a similar situation..😂😂

2:47 Bright guy you are. You caught that significant moment.

I believe in American comedies we tend to go with a character who is the confident idiot. Brits have the more loveable oaf, the underdog who looks to his mates for validation. It gives British humor a humble quality that's very appealing.

Just watching Red Dwarf or Black Books will convince anyone which humor is better.

I really enjoyed watching you slowly get it. A lot of Americans just don't understand the difference.

Oh my goodness. 'We look back at nineties stuff.' I feel so old.

The big difference for me, is that American humour is often sanitized to the point of near death formulaic. British humour left that behind decades ago to the point where nearly nothing is sacred. The boundaries are continually pushed. Push the boundaries in the US and the networks will shut you out. For example the late Bill Hicks and George Carlin. Hilarious to many Brits, shunned by network TV in the US.

I love Ricky Gervais. He‘s my favorite a**hole! 😂 The Brits really nail it when it comes to dark n‘ dirty humor!

Its a bit funny you saying Monty Python Flying Circus has a happy vibe giving "Life of Brian " ends with the cast being crucified to music, and "The Holy Grail" the cast get arrested

For me the biggest difference is that Brits can laugh at themselves, often setting themselves up for humour. One of the best 'set ups' were 'Yes Minister' and 'Yes Prime Minister' I cannot even begin to imagine Americans making a comedy about their politicians.

I love the ridiculing, even dark humor that some US comedy shows have, like Roseanne, Archie Bunker and Modern Family. That first season of Modern Family was hands down the best comedy show of all time for me. Those characters were the funniest ones ever on television because they were completely over-the-top but always had a surprising element to them. And there were a lot of US comedy movies like The Naked Gun, Dumb and Dumber, MIB, The Pink Panther, Back to the Future (and many more) that I found very funny. And let's not forget the stand-up comedy that gave us Robin Williams, Eddy Murphy and Joan Rivers.

Paraphrasing British comedian Al Murray's character The Pub Landlord. '...we don't have a British dream, because we're awake!'

The guy example saying; 'you know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation' would be answered by a Brit with 'I then give back a small fraction of the reservation. It's the American Way!'.

A different perspective. Gives a better viewe.. Thank you from the uk

It's not that we don't like it, we do! We just laugh at a whole range of stuff,

Humour is defined by the society that creates it. In the UK we've been crapped on from a great height for longer than you, so that reflects in the comedy. But hey, you are catching up!

For me, as a Brit, Mash was your finest and funniest.

Perhaps the best ever TV comedy series to come from tht USA was Mash.

In American comedy the main character is the hero. In British comedy, the main character is usually a failure and ends up messing things up. Or at the least is a anti hero. The British laugh at themselves constantly and that is reflected in the comedy( life is a tragi- comedy) American like to laugh at the mistakes of others so the main character reflects the American spirit. He’s the smartest man in the room whereas the British comedian is shown as not very bright. The British don’t like to brag( it is almost a deadly sin here) The Americans generally love blowing their own trumpet You can even see that on celebrity chat shows

having seen the American pilot version of the vicar of Dibley with Kirsty alley ..it says it all...

In england i grew up in a constant wind-up, piss take, sharp tongued and brutal environment. Everyone was at it, wherever you went, if you were with older kids, you were the material and it could be savage. A German once said to me that when he was in a hotel in Spain there were lots of Brits and for 24 hours they were either laughing or singing.

I mean, America is a young country with much more optimism. Kind of like your older sister or brother, Europe are over here watching its always sunny and curb your enthiusiasm line "aw, they're starting to grow up and lose their childlike wonder" 😂

Hey Ryan, Have a look at an Older Aussie movie called The Castle… it’s about an Aussie family who have been told their home, which is adjacent to an airport,is being compulsorily acquired for expansion. The story is the battle to stay in the home(Their Castle),and live their everyday ordinary lives. Aussie humour at its best. BUT,you have to watch the Whole movie for it to make sense. Hope you enjoy it.

I wish they brought up the IT crowd for this, because as someone who has watched too many american tv shows, in the IT crowd when chris o dowds character is bullying jen in the first episode not wanting her there, in america they would become a couple usually, take brooklyn 99 with how jake treated amy, but no he and jen never ended up together, they just stayed friends. and that was so nice. ike yes bullying someone and it turning into a relationship is not the right way.

British comedy is often more complex, and assumes a higher level of knowledge of the audience. But the 80s soaps are a good example. Dallas and Dynasty were in big rich homes and families. It's aspirational and "I could be them". UK soaps are Eastenders and Coronation Street, which are dark and working class. Tge viewer things "thank god I'm not them!" And Australian soaps, Neighbours and Home and Away are just slightly more dramatic versions of reality in suburban Australia.

British sitcoms, I think, tend toward "well, this sucks, doesn't it? Bloody ridiculous though too, right? Come on, let's laugh at the bastards; it takes some of their power." American sitcoms have more of a tendency toward "hey, you're home now. Don't be sad, be happy! Go to bed happy! It's better for you! (Then get up in the morning, refreshed, get back to work, and keep making money for your capitalist overlords.)"

To me, American humour tends to be “in your face”, lacking any subtlety. It’s not as funny when you can see the joke indicating that it’s turning and coming your way.

idealism vs realism, thats right. larry davids stuff is like british because its east coastal america, which is influenced by seafaring british and west european culture, which is about realness.

And there is Australian comedy. Somewhere between Irish comedy, British comedy, and a dash of Americanism. And the think about never dreaming about one day being President. That is an important difference to everything Commonwealth, including Canada, Australia, NZ and so on. This is something to do with the saying "There is no such thing as Patriotism in a commonwealth country. Think of it. Canada, Australia. We are self-aware. But not quite patriotic.

Very interesting, I think you were right saying American humour was more corny. I think on the whole the Brits have a darker sense of humour. I know I laugh at inappropriate moments . That said I love Friends and happily watch it over and over again which is not usual for me. My teenage granddaughter loves it too.

when I see US comedy I am often not that entertained because it is so foreseeable. I like comedy with layers, so to speak. Even if I get the joke only when seeing it for the third time.

The difference is in part that bit of sarcasm around 2:30 ... and they can

It ain't half hot mom ! Hilarious British army comedy of the 70s ... Windsor Davis was a legend .... Watch the episode showing the flag

You hit the nail on the head with "corny" (imo anyway). It's that 'everything has to be uplifting & have a happy ending' vibe with a lot of US shows that turns your stomach a bit. And I don't know whether the US is capable of producing the level of self-deprecation you get with a standup like Dylan Moran. Of course there's some great stuff from the US, it's just a different flavour ... but when a British show's redone in the States, the original always wins hands down (but then I'm Australian).

This guys review is on a specific darker Brit humour. It is too narrow a view. I once heard it explained as Brit comedy assumes the viewer gets the joke and can be subtle, dry or sarcastic whereas American have to make it clear they are making a joke just to be sure you don't miss the joke.

Watch only fools and horses and porridge..or rab c resbit and father Ted.. British comedy at its finest ❤

Oak Ryan, let me put the difference between the two countries like this: At 02:30 Ricky Gervais suggests 'a' difference between the two countries humourous aspects. His last sentence: "and they carry that, they carry that with them." This is said with a mouthful of cynicism, sarcasm, and truthfulness altho while trying to be funny and bland by the dead pan delivery. It's both truthful and humourous because of the prose and the delivery, which you just didn't get. Us Aussie's who have anglo - Saxon heritage get it. and can spot it a mile off. We've been raised on Monty Python, The Goodies, Black Adder, etc. and the like. It is a cultural thing. It takes years of learning and exposure to the subtle nuances and idioms of the culture to appreciate. Don't expect to pick it up over a weekend watching a couple of videos on British humour. Try The Two Ronnies' 'Mastermind' to get a full dollop of this. It will be very hard to digest at first. You may need to research the history of various historical figures of British history. But it genuinely subtle and hilarious once you understand it and the level of complexity in its inception. Classic creativity, as opposed to just simple minded character mis-play representation from the Americans...

Hi Ryan. how is you . ?? My mate just got back from Holi in the usa. HE LOVED IT met lots really nice people. and Being an Aussie. the yanks treated him. really nice. which made him think.. You Yanks really like us Aussies. You have a good one mate. and take care.. bye for now. Keep the vids coming, always enjoy them.

For a start - it's spelled with a 'u'.

It's not just comedy but a difference in the way British people and Americans generally are. As an English man, we see a stereotypical American as largely being optimistic, energetic, visibly happy and ready to party, whilst often being loud. This isn't to say that people from the UK are miserable or unhappy (putting aside current politics and the state of the country) we just tend to have a much less excitable and more relaxed and down to Earth mindset. Take this for example. If you ask an American how they are they might say "I'm doing great!", where as a Brit will likely say "not too bad". This isn't said to mean 'well my life isn't as crap as it could be', it's simply a more relaxed response, as most of the time people aren't "great". Great is when something amazing's just happened. The common British reply of "Not too bad, thanks. How are you?" just means, 'I'm alright thanks, how are you?'. I can understand why from an American perspective this and our comedy could appear to have an air of gloom or darkness, but really it's just rooted in a more down to Earth realism about shit that happens in life.

I travel to work everyday by tram. I have been travelling south east asia countries and ofc recognise them in Finland. They are always well behaved but other like from middle easy and africa, It's amazing how loud and not caring a shit of culture of country what has saved them. If i would flee a war or just wanted better life i's try to exactly how their culture is.

Well it’s important to laugh. Loves a lot of both, the British seems closer to home though, our humor here in Sweden is similar.

As a Dutchman I don't think the difference has much to do with misery, cheering up, quality or even self depreciation. The two points are already shortly mentioned. English humour indeed is more negative while American humour is more positive. In English comedies things always go wrong beyond repair, while in American comedies everything ends up fine. Also English humour relies more heavily on insults while American humour relies on witty oneliners and silly behaviour. It's not fair to compare shows like Cheers and Friends (both upliftin) with say Monty Python (the opposite). Cheers and Friends should be compared with eg 'Allo 'Allo and Are You Being Served (I dislike all four). The counterpart of Fawlty Towers (Monty Python is, despite its influence, unique) would be several movies with Richard Pryor/Gene Wilder and young Eddie Murphy (especially Raw and Trading Places). The counterpart of Keeping up Appearances would be All in the Family. I wouldn't dare to say that these examples of American humour are any worse. A very underrated American comedy is 1941. A cheesy example of terrible English humour is any Benny Hill show.

There was a small clip of Stephen Fry in the video you watched. Here is a link to the whole video of him talking about the difference between the two types of humor. I think it’s well explained: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8k2AbqTBxao.htmlsi=dPI7H4gBGdsoY1Dw