British Humour

Netflix’s Cunk on Earth, Ricky Gervais’ series After Life and The Office, Fleabag created by Britain’s funny and clever woman Phoebe Waller Bridge, and Douglas Adams‘ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy .The common thread linking all these is British Humour.

British humor often uses clever wordplay and double entendres to make people laugh. The absurdity of the modern and old is melted under the same roof. Cultural hierarchies are questioned and cut like a knife in the middle of conversation.

Wordplay and witty language are common features in British comedy. A serious and deadpan delivery can make jokes even funnier. This style is popular in British humor and often catches the audience off guard. (Dry and Deadpan Technique).

On the other hand, observation is another distinctive feature of British humor. As a detective, Sherlock Holmes devotes his entire mind to his work. This gives him a keen, detailed, and flawless power of observation. At times, we also see Sherlock’s witty and peculiar behavior. Observational humor focuses on boring everyday events and turns them into comedy by emphasizing their absurdity.

Another quality of British humor is its use of metaphor. There is a timeless delivery, a cool-headed description of words that suddenly cuts off speech, a stunning perspective. The phrase “ask the right question, don’t care about the answer,” which is the fundamental dynamic of Oxford philosophy, reflects the British society’s perspective on life.

They combine the tragic and the dramatic and mathematize the element of comedy. The presence of double entendres, innuendo, and obscene expressions in British humor challenges the dominant discourse of modernity and the strangeness of civilization.

British Humor: Cultural Background

Sarcasm and irony express humor in a subtle and clever way. British comedians also use these elements to criticize and entertain.We see the influence of 20th-century philosophers and theorists such as Alan Watts and Terry Eagleton in their language. In the meanwhile, British humor opens up dull expressions and wants us to surrender ourselves to chaos. For them, humor reveals the tickling side of a colorful mind. It is a valve opener that eliminates unnecessary constipation and is good for tight situations.

Another feature is that laughter is blended with social criticism. Unfiltered reactions make British humor daring. For example, Ricky Gervais states the following in his interview with Time magazine: “As a comedian, I think my job is not just to make people laugh, but also to make them think. As a famous comedian, I want a strict door policy at my club. Not everyone will like what I say or find it funny. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zfhpmfr

Sarcasm And Intellectual Orgasm

In this point, British humor is aware of the explanatory gaps in language and constantly identifies anomalies in language and communication. It also seeks to create hemispheric consistency in the mind. The expression of emotions passes through the filter of reason and attitude and discourse are shaped accordingly. Perhaps this is why it is perceived as cold and mechanical by other cultures.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zfhpmfr

The absurdity of daily life is laid bare like cosmic foresight in the cultural background. Social and societal protocols are questioned. These questions and subtle references are a key driver for wordplay, irony, subtle wit, and the structural state of the British class system. These are usually accompanied by an expressionless delivery.

On the other hand, surreal elements are used. Visualizations are made with mockery and suggestive choices, gifting people with a rich imagination. Surreal creativity and absurdity spark in the characters’ minds.

Characters and situations built on contradictions are handled in an interesting way. The fourth wall is broken, and during a dialogue, the camera looks directly at the audience, drawing them into the scene and the situation.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s Fleabag depicts the relationship between a priest and a nymphomaniac woman, showing the woman’s love for the priest through the tragicomic sequences of everyday life. With a troubled sister that is coming from family relationships stuff, and financial difficulties into something entertaining, it extracts witty humor and intelligence from them.

Simplicity and Punchiness in British Humor

Charlie Brooker, (creator of Black Mirror) presented the documentary Cunk on Earth. In this mockumentary, we watch one of the most absurd characters in television history: Philomna Cunk. She asks the simplest questions about everything. She acts stupid, but she’s actually playing stupid. It blends popular and modern culture with philosophical-historical thought.

Deadpan humor, one of the most important features of British comedy, presents a narrative style that contrasts with the absurdity of the subject matter through an emotionless or expressionless approach.

As a result, Being able to criticize with subtle, elegant humor is embellished with allusions and hints. How questions are asked and expressed is an element of charm rather than answers and explanations of any kind.

”The Egyptians believed that the most beautiful thing one could do in life was to die. Damn the world… The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with dead people, weren’t they? “

Look at the sarcastic language used by the presenter of the Mockumentary when talking to the expert on the subject, the simple explanation he gives, and the strange question he asks…In this mockumentary, our character, who interviews famous physicists, historians, and scientists, never shies away from being interesting and strange.

Another quality of British humor is its use of metaphor. There is a timeless delivery, a cool-headed description of words that suddenly cuts off speech, a stunning perspective. The phrase “ask the right question, don’t care about the answer,” which is the fundamental dynamic of Oxford philosophy, reflects the British society’s perspective on life.

In particularly, Ttis approach is what makes it fun and unique. The hierarchical structure of culture is broken down with wordplay and strange perspectives.

American Unforgattable Version of British Humour

Let’s take a look at the American dark comedy series Six Feet Under. It depicts the symbolic relationship with the dead in the home of a funeral home family. The mummification of the dead and the dialogues that take place in the basement while preparing them for the ceremony are intriguing.

Working on dead bodies is a situation where people’s deaths are important for the business to make money.The series cleverly creates deep philosophical dialogues about life, death, the search for meaning, and human foresight, doing so through characters with deep stories.

The visual background is embellished with dreams and clever references. And the humor at this point creates a calm, cool-headed, and easy-to-bear flow amidst all the strangeness.