British Sitcoms: do you get it?

[Garnie]

This is a thread mainly for all you non British people wafting around EOFF!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jqECopP81xA/SCQqn_qM2-I/AAAAAAAAAiE/lo02fHXcJZc/s400/young+ones.jpg
http://www.sitcom.co.uk/green_wing/graphics/cast_photo_2.jpg
http://jennifersaylor.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/spaced.jpg
http://www.sitcom.co.uk/my_family/graphics/my_family_series7.jpg
http://janedark.com/hotfuzz-02.jpg

As a young English whippersnapper, i love our sitcoms and think they are hilariously funny! but sometimes i think our humor could be a little hard to get if you don't hail the queen! Whats your favorite comedy (film/series) from the UK and do you find it to hard to get?

[I Don't Need A Name]

The League Of Gentlemen is an...aquired taste which very few seem to get other than the majority of Northern England. But it is beautiful :jess:

[trancekuja]

As a non British, therefore intelligent,sexy and imaginative person, I actually like their humor. My personal favorites are Only Fools and Horses,Red Dwarf, Monty Python & Black Adder. But there are lots of other quirky British shows out there. The only comedy I don't quite get is their National Football Team.:p

[rubah]

red dwarf and are you being served were imperative in my formative years. Since then I haven't seen much britcom.

[Namelessfengir]

so far the best you had was dr who, monty python, and are you being served...... that one on the bottom top fuzz???? that looks like a british reno 911

[blackmage_nuke]

The Sketch Show use to be one of my favourite shows... All the leaves are brown

[demondude]

As a non British, therefore intelligent,sexy and imaginative person,
:confused:

[Garnie]

As a non British, therefore intelligent,sexy and imaginative person, I actually like their humor. My personal favorites are Only Fools and Horses,Red Dwarf, Monty Python & Black Adder. But there are lots of other quirky British shows out there. The only comedy I don't quite get is their National Football Team.:p

ready the pitchforks boys!! trancekuja is taking away our obsession for 1966

I forgot Red dwarf which is odd, because i practically know every episode and is an encyclopedia for it I cried aloud with mirth and merriment!

EDIT: Mirth and merryment?? I meant to L.ol

[Psychotic]

The only comedy I don't quite get is their National Football Team.:pThis link might explain it a bit better to you. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7602774.stm) :aimsun:

[trancekuja]

The only comedy I don't quite get is their National Football Team.:pThis link might explain it a bit better to you. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7602774.stm) :aimsun:
Counter attack!
England 2-3 Croatia, England not going to Euro 2008 (http://soccerlens.com/england-v-croatia-euro-2008-live-blog/3951/):D

[Heath]

I think if people don't 'get' it then it's often a cultural thing. Comedies are largely written for the home audience to their tastes and based upon those cultures. I'm not really a big fan of American comedies and the likes of Friends that people always raved about I always thought was terribly overrated and unfunny. I would say I think British comedies are better though that's probably coloured largely by my preference for them, but there are a lot of non-British comedies I like such as South Park, Futurama, Police Squad!, Frasier and even Flight of the Concords in an odd way. After all, there are a lot of terrible British sitcoms out there. For every The Thick of It there's a My Family, for every Fawlty Towers there's a Horne & Corden and so on.

[The Space Pope]

While I can appreciate the dry wit of the Brits, I often find them remarkably unfunny in every other aspect. But as Heath said, it's a cultural thing.

[I Don't Need A Name]

Personally, I've never understood any American comedy.
Anything that I've seen just lacks any...creativeness. It seems to lack any interlectual comedy, and relies on slapstick or stupidity.
Thats where most Britcoms differ, in the sense that most (barring :bou::bou::bou::bou:e like Little Britain) consist of sarcasm or long winded insults.

[The Space Pope]

True that American comedies by and large are stale and generic, but British comedies seem to have an air of pretentiousness to them imo. And don't even get me started on the whole "hey wouldn't it be hilarious if...A MAN DRESSED LIKE A WOMAN!?!??!" spiel.

[charliepanayi]

Why argue about UK vs US comedies. Both countries have produced some fantastic comedies, whatever the difference in styles. Heath said it best.

[The Space Pope]

It's not arguing, it's asking if you "get" them or not.

And by that logic I could ask why people argue over which FF is better, or why people argue at all.

[charliepanayi]

Well if it's about UK comedies and if people get them or not why drag US comedies and how 'intellectual' they are into it in the first place?

[The Space Pope]

Ever hear of comparison?

[Rye]

I really like British humor a great deal. I'm more of a fan of their stand up though.

Ross Noble is my favorite stand up comedian. I've almost peed myself watching his acts.

YouTube - Ross Noble - Science Talk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUfkys4xN3Y)
YouTube - Ross Noble - Cake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxs0jKYbu4g&feature=related)
YouTube - ross noble - cheeky muslim (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOORvpiu4co&feature=related)

[Dreddz]

Screw culteral differences. British comedies are king. Peep Show might just be the funniest thing on TV ever. Even stuff like The Imbetweeners, which is identical to nearly every US teen comedy in structure, is just so much better than anything you will find state side.

[theundeadhero]

I find everything I've seen horrible boring.

[Madame Adequate]

I like and dislike plenty from both sides of the pond.

[Big D]

No-one does comedy quite as well as the UK. Sure there's some that doesn't quite fire, but when it's good... it's good.

[Captain Maxx Power]

I really like British humor a great deal. I'm more of a fan of their stand up though.

Ross Noble is my favorite stand up comedian. I've almost peed myself watching his acts.

YouTube - Ross Noble - Science Talk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUfkys4xN3Y)
YouTube - Ross Noble - Cake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxs0jKYbu4g&feature=related)
YouTube - ross noble - cheeky muslim (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOORvpiu4co&feature=related)

By sheer coincidence I get compared to Ross Noble a lot.

As with the US, the UK have produced some great sitcoms and some downright awful one's. My Family is probably my most hated sitcom from the UK, and Friends is my most hated from the US. Some of my favourites from the UK include Red Dwarf, Father Ted, The IT Crowd, Blackadder and Peep Show. US I'm not as enamored with, but I do adore Big Bang Theory.

[Burtsplurt]

I like British comedy, but only the series with an edge like Blackadder or Peep Show. There is a lot of bland rubbish about (see: anything on ITV). I think British comedy hits higher heights than those shows from the US - it seems sharper and wittier?

Drama, however, belongs to the US.

[Bunny]

Ever hear of comparison?

Sounds dangerous, is it a type of bear?

I'm going to save my time and already diminished energy and just agree with old Heath up there. He said it rather well.

[The Space Pope]

Uhm, that wasn't even directed at you and I already chalked it up to a cultural thing in the first post. :rolleyes2

Burtsplurt is right though, the Babylon of America has produced some great dramas. Nothing in the U.K. can beat The Wire. :colbert:

[I Don't Need A Name]

Gimme Life On Mars & Ashes To Ashes anyday xD
And My Family was good until it hit about series 4/5.

[Boney King]

British comedies I thoroughly enjoy include The Office, I'm Alan Partridge, Peep Show, and Black Books (mostly just the first season).

[Breine]

Monty Python! <3

I like British comedy. The British people I know have a good sense of humour, but just like American humour it can also suck some mighty and moldy arse. Depends on what you like I guess.

All in all, yes for the most part I find British comedy enjoyable.