Comic/ Seaside Humour

British humour is notable due to its intellectual depth, usage of British slang, wit, and self-effacing culture. more...

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Aspects, such as slang terms and English personal references have a reputation for being puzzling to non-British speakers of English —but certain Commonwealth nations (such as Australia, Canada and South Africa) tend to find it more familiar. Nonetheless, many UK comedy TV shows which use it as a basis have been internationally popular, and have been a strong avenue for the export and representation of British culture to an international audience.

General features

Some general features characteristic of British humour are:

Puns: these do not too easily translate into other languages (if at all).; Nonsense: has its origins in the writings of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear.; Black humour: main features of black humour can already be found in the drama of the Elizabethan era.; Eccentricity; Satire and sarcasm; The use of understatement and irony so that many jokes pass unnoticed by those not familiar with it.;

Themes

Some themes (with examples) that underpinned late twentieth-century British humour were:

Smut and innuendo

Smut and innuendo with sexual and scatological themes, typified by:

the seaside postcards of Donald McGill; the humour of Benny Hill and Julian Clary; the series of Carry On films; the comic magazine Viz;

Disrespect to members of the establishment

Disrespect to members of the establishment and authority, typified by:

Beyond the Fringe, stage revue from the 1960s; Private Eye, satirical magazine; Spitting Image, TV puppet comedy lampooning the famous and powerful; Discworld, a series of fantasy books written by Terry Pratchett, heavy with irony criticizing various aspects of society;

The absurd

The absurd, typified by:

The Goon Show; Monty Python; Vic Reeves Big Night Out; Green Wing; Bottom; The Mighty Boosh; "Bus Driver's Prayer";

The banality of everyday life

The banality of everyday life, as seen in:

Hancock's Half Hour; The Office; The Royle Family; Peep Show; The Giles cartoons;

The 'war' between parents/teachers and children

The 'war' between parents/teachers and their children, typified by:

Read more at Wikipedia.org