I don't understand the difference between American and English humor

2

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  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,271
    Norton' chat show has followed the same routine for the last fifteen years. It's all very tiresome now.

    My thoughts exactly. It's all rather safe. I mean a gay comedian TV presenter/compère. POSITIVELY SHOCKING!
  • Posts: 6,396
    All shows will eventually reach their peak at which point it's time to bring down the curtain. Unfortunately these days, television is a wash with shows long past their sell by date. It seems the only think the TV networks care about are the ratings. Creative output and originality are mere afterthoughts.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,271
    All shows will eventually reach their peak at which point it's time to bring down the curtain. Unfortunately these days, television is a wash with shows long past their sell by date. It seems the only think the TV networks care about are the ratings. Creative output and originality are mere afterthoughts.

    Agreed 100% Look how utterly ridiculous and self-indulgent the hit sketch show by Lucas and Walliams Little Britain became after the second series or so! A ton of money thrown at a thing once it becomes "big" often isn't the answer in popular culture. The first series of Little Britain is still the best, before all the flab was added.
  • Posts: 15,117
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Perdogg wrote:
    Perdogg wrote:
    So is Graham Norton considered funny in the UK?

    'Deeply annoying' I think would be the response from most.

    @Dragonpol

    That's the impression I have of him LOL.

    Yes, he is a deeply unfunny and smutty idiot who constantly self-references the fact he is gay (A gay on TV, you say?! 1950s-style shock value!!!) He used to be on the shock-value Channel 4 before he was moved to BBC1 to replace Jonathan "Wossy" Ross and Russell Brand - two other idiots we have over here. As Stewart Lee might have said Graham Norton is known as the leading funnyman in the UK in His Own Imagination!

    That's why he's on late-night BBC1, I guess. Everyone knows the real cutting-edge comedy is on late-night BBC2! See Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle on You Tube or DVD for more details of the best of British talent in comedy!

    I don't completely dislike Norton even though I don't find him funny one bit, but Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand I cannot stand. In fact, I think I don't dislike Norton because he got slagged off by Brand.

    I don't really dislike him either. I just find him and his routine tiresome and repetitive and basically very unfunny. That's something of a cardinal sin in comedy/light entertainment programmes in my book.

    Oh he is unfunny.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,271
    Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Perdogg wrote:
    Perdogg wrote:
    So is Graham Norton considered funny in the UK?

    'Deeply annoying' I think would be the response from most.

    @Dragonpol

    That's the impression I have of him LOL.

    Yes, he is a deeply unfunny and smutty idiot who constantly self-references the fact he is gay (A gay on TV, you say?! 1950s-style shock value!!!) He used to be on the shock-value Channel 4 before he was moved to BBC1 to replace Jonathan "Wossy" Ross and Russell Brand - two other idiots we have over here. As Stewart Lee might have said Graham Norton is known as the leading funnyman in the UK in His Own Imagination!

    That's why he's on late-night BBC1, I guess. Everyone knows the real cutting-edge comedy is on late-night BBC2! See Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle on You Tube or DVD for more details of the best of British talent in comedy!

    I don't completely dislike Norton even though I don't find him funny one bit, but Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand I cannot stand. In fact, I think I don't dislike Norton because he got slagged off by Brand.

    I don't really dislike him either. I just find him and his routine tiresome and repetitive and basically very unfunny. That's something of a cardinal sin in comedy/light entertainment programmes in my book.

    Oh he is unfunny.

    Indeed he is. To. A. Mind-numbing. Extent.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Frankie Boyle can be very crass and is one of the most controversial comics in the UK but when he says something intelligent and incisive he puts most comics to shame. The thing about Boyle is stands up for what he believes in and he's not used his stand up like countless Brit comics to launch their TV career like the likes of John Bishop, Micky Flannagan or the totally unfunny Russell Howard and don't get me stared on Mcyntire he's just like the late great Bill Hicks said been sucking Satan's c**k.

    Most Brit comics sell out as soon as they get some success, Boyle like his hero Hicks has never done that.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,271
    Shardlake wrote:
    Frankie Boyle can be very crass and is one of the most controversial comics in the UK but when he says something intelligent and incisive he puts most comics to shame. The thing about Boyle is stands up for what he believes in and he's not used his stand up like countless Brit comics to launch their TV career like the likes of John Bishop, Micky Flannagan or the totally unfunny Russell Howard and don't get me stared on Mcyntire he's just like the late great Bill Hicks said been sucking Satan's c**k.

    Most Brit comics sell out as soon as they get some success, Boyle like his hero Hicks has never done that.

    Fair enough. What do you think of Stewart Lee, then?
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 12,837
    I'm not a big fan of Jonathon Ross or Graham Norton but I sometimes watch those shows if people I like are guests.
    Dragonpol wrote:
    or the crass Frankie Boyle.

    He's crass but I still find him really funny (for the record I like Stewart Lee too, I've seen him live before).
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Has anyone seen Puppet Game Show on BBC1?

    Absolutely staggering. The height of sophisticated British humour.
  • Posts: 6,396
    Has anyone seen Puppet Game Show on BBC1?

    Absolutely staggering. The height of sophisticated British humour.

    I thought "Don't Scare The Hare" from a couple of years ago was as bad as it got for Saturday evening entertainment on the BBC.

    Sadly, I was wrong.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Has anyone seen Puppet Game Show on BBC1?

    Absolutely staggering. The height of sophisticated British humour.

    I thought "Don't Scare The Hare" from a couple of years ago was as bad as it got for Saturday evening entertainment on the BBC.

    Sadly, I was wrong.

    I honestly think its the worst programme ever made. Even Naked Jungle on channel 5 had the comedy/novelty value of Cheggers with his cock out.

    Monkey Tennis gets laughed out of TV Centre but Puppet Game Show gets green lit? Go figure.
  • Posts: 6,396
    Who would have thought Partridge could have seen it coming all those years ago.

    The scary thing is we've even had "Cooking in Prison" X_X
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Who would have thought Partridge could have seen it coming all those years ago.

    The scary thing is we've even had "Cooking in Prison" X_X

    Inner City Sumo would honestly be better than Puppet Game Show - even if it was done in a pub car park with a circle drawn in chalk.

    Partridge is a visionary. Either that or the commissioning standards have dropped off a cliff since the stringent Tony Hayers died. This wouldn't have happened on his watch.
  • Posts: 6,396
    I'm still waiting for 'Knowing M.E. Knowing You'.

    "You've got to keep the energy up" ;-)
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Don't Scare The Hare for me is by a fair distance the worst thing I've seen but That Puppet Game Show is nearly just as bad. No wonder it's getting an earlier time from next week. Best get this flop out of the way! One episode of each was more than I could take. Why do I do it to myself, I ask.
  • Has anyone seen Puppet Game Show on BBC1?

    Absolutely staggering. The height of sophisticated British humour.

    So it was as shit as I thought it seemed then? I didn't watch it because I thought it looked awful.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Has anyone seen Puppet Game Show on BBC1?

    Absolutely staggering. The height of sophisticated British humour.

    So it was as shit as I thought it seemed then? I didn't watch it because I thought it looked awful.

    I was going to post on how appalling it was but for once the Wizard was left speechless. It's the TV equivalent of paying 20m for Downing and look what happened to Kenny.

    The only conceivable explanation I can possibly come up with is that someone at the Jim Henson corporation has a picture of Tony Hayers balls deep in a toddler and is threatening to go to Yewtree.
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 1,708
    Norway ripping off Danish comedy , the Olsen Gang films....these have Eng subs too , fun to see Oslo/Copenhagen from the 70s/80s :

  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Tracy wrote:
    Norway ripping off Danish comedy , the Olsen Gang films....these have Eng subs too , fun to see Oslo/Copenhagen from the 70s/80s :


    Norwegian/Danish comedy? We're getting a bit off piste now aren't we?

    Although given that Scandinavian telly had the vision to bring us 'Richard Kiel & Verne Yroyer Meet the Swedish Bikini Team' (genuine programme that has to be seen to be believed - Youtube it) I'm prepared to give it a try.
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 15,117
    Well, I don't care about Scandinavian humour, but I love Scandinavian say... aesthetic.
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 11,189
    Im not a massive fan of Franke Boyale. True he's said a few funny things but he strikes me as a rather unpleasant bloke in real life. His tv sketch show on channel 4 was - from the small amount I saw of it - poor.

    In regard to actual programmes I saw the first episode of Big Bad World the other day with Neil from The Inbetweeners - and was disappointed.

    British comedy is becoming more like American comedy -in-your-face and less subtle.

    Recently I saw one of the worst examples of a comedy that combines British and American stars. Movie 43 - an absolutely abysmal experience featuring the likes of Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman and Stephen Merchant. On the American side the there was Anna Farris, Sean William Scott and Halle Berry.

    It was intentionally bad but was trying so hard to be crude and offensive.

    The first minute consists of the Halle Berry clip. 0.55 must be Halle's lowest point in her acting career - and we all know what film that includes.




  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    BAIN123 wrote:

    British comedy is becoming more like American comedy -in-your-face and less subtle.

    And with Iannucci spending increasing amounts of time stateside it seems that soon there will only be Stewart Lee and Joe Pasquale left.
  • Posts: 15,117
    Back to the OP, I am no specialist, but isn't British humour more absurd based and American humour more satire and often sarcasm based? I mean typical humour obviously, a British stand up comedian can be sarcastic and of course American humour has now been "cloned" in various culture, but overall, that would be the difference. I think absurd is what Brits do best and when they try to emulate American humour they often fail.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Shardlake wrote:
    Frankie Boyle can be very crass and is one of the most controversial comics in the UK but when he says something intelligent and incisive he puts most comics to shame. The thing about Boyle is stands up for what he believes in and he's not used his stand up like countless Brit comics to launch their TV career like the likes of John Bishop, Micky Flannagan or the totally unfunny Russell Howard and don't get me stared on Mcyntire he's just like the late great Bill Hicks said been sucking Satan's c**k.

    Most Brit comics sell out as soon as they get some success, Boyle like his hero Hicks has never done that.

    Fair enough. What do you think of Stewart Lee, then?

    I like Stewart Lee I remember him from the Lee & Herring days, not seen much of his stand up though. I am aware that he said something about Boyle and he retaliated in typical Frankie fashion.

    I have seen that puppet show abortion and it is beggars belief what passes for humour in this country these days.

    I must say though one series caught my eye and I think it might be a marmite show. Count Arthur Strong with our own Bill Tanner the hugely talented Rory Kinnear.

    It's particularly sit com like but it's co written by Graham Lineham with the title character star Steve Delaney. The beauty of the show that the Count on his own could become tiresome and annoying but due to Kinnear's humanity it becomes or did for me incredibly likable. Delaney's creation evolves into far more than he initially appears with Kinnear's gravitas.

    I'm not sure it would translate that well over the pond but it's full pathos something us Brits can do very well, be warned it might not be your cup of tea as initially could be dismissed as yet another cookie cutter UK sit com.
    The series ended in a way that it should be left but I've no doubt it's going to get it a 2nd series although 1 would be more than enough as it's likely to descend into formula.
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 6,396
    Ludovico wrote:
    Back to the OP, I am no specialist, but isn't British humour more absurd based and American humour more satire and often sarcasm based? I mean typical humour obviously, a British stand up comedian can be sarcastic and of course American humour has now been "cloned" in various culture, but overall, that would be the difference. I think absurd is what Brits do best and when they try to emulate American humour they often fail.

    In what way do you mean emulate? Can you give examples?

    And in terms of satire, the UK still leads the way:

    That Was The Week That Was
    Spitting Image
    The Day Today
    Brass Eye
    Have I Got News For You
    The Thick Of It
    Private Eye (publication)
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Has anyone seen Puppet Game Show on BBC1?

    Absolutely staggering. The height of sophisticated British humour.

    So it was as shit as I thought it seemed then? I didn't watch it because I thought it looked awful.

    I was going to post on how appalling it was but for once the Wizard was left speechless. It's the TV equivalent of paying 20m for Downing and look what happened to Kenny.

    The only conceivable explanation I can possibly come up with is that someone at the Jim Henson corporation has a picture of Tony Hayers balls deep in a toddler and is threatening to go to Yewtree.

    Hilarious, did Frankie Boyle just sign in on the forum then?
  • Posts: 15,117
    Ludovico wrote:
    Back to the OP, I am no specialist, but isn't British humour more absurd based and American humour more satire and often sarcasm based? I mean typical humour obviously, a British stand up comedian can be sarcastic and of course American humour has now been "cloned" in various culture, but overall, that would be the difference. I think absurd is what Brits do best and when they try to emulate American humour they often fail.

    In what way do you mean emulate? Can you give examples?

    And in terms of satire, the UK still leads the way:

    That Was The Week That Was
    Spitting Image
    The Day Today
    Brass Eye
    Have I Got News For You
    The Thick Of It
    Private Eye (publication)

    When I watch British stand up comedians, I rarely laugh. But maybe satire was not the right word. You can do satire and absurd at the same time. Maybe it has something to do with characters.

    An interesting comparison with both types of humour by Stephen Fry, I think he nails it (and explains it better than me):

  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Ludovico wrote:
    Back to the OP, I am no specialist, but isn't British humour more absurd based and American humour more satire and often sarcasm based? I mean typical humour obviously, a British stand up comedian can be sarcastic and of course American humour has now been "cloned" in various culture, but overall, that would be the difference. I think absurd is what Brits do best and when they try to emulate American humour they often fail.

    In what way do you mean emulate? Can you give examples?

    And in terms of satire, the UK still leads the way:

    That Was The Week That Was
    Spitting Image
    The Day Today
    Brass Eye
    Have I Got News For You
    The Thick Of It
    Private Eye (publication)

    Agreed as funny as the onion news network was someone had clearly been watching the day today and brass eye, as the format is almost a complete lift at times.

    Yeah we still lead the way with satire our u.s cousins are still playing catch on that one, the thick of it, need I say more?
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Shardlake wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Back to the OP, I am no specialist, but isn't British humour more absurd based and American humour more satire and often sarcasm based? I mean typical humour obviously, a British stand up comedian can be sarcastic and of course American humour has now been "cloned" in various culture, but overall, that would be the difference. I think absurd is what Brits do best and when they try to emulate American humour they often fail.

    In what way do you mean emulate? Can you give examples?

    And in terms of satire, the UK still leads the way:

    That Was The Week That Was
    Spitting Image
    The Day Today
    Brass Eye
    Have I Got News For You
    The Thick Of It
    Private Eye (publication)

    Agreed as funny as the onion news network was someone had clearly been watching the day today and brass eye, as the format is almost a complete lift at times.

    Yeah we still lead the way with satire our u.s cousins are still playing catch on that one, the thick of it, need I say more?

    Quite. Yeah Americans lead the world in satire to the extent they have to fly Armando over to create a piss weak watered down version of TTOI for them.

  • Posts: 6,396
    Shardlake wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Back to the OP, I am no specialist, but isn't British humour more absurd based and American humour more satire and often sarcasm based? I mean typical humour obviously, a British stand up comedian can be sarcastic and of course American humour has now been "cloned" in various culture, but overall, that would be the difference. I think absurd is what Brits do best and when they try to emulate American humour they often fail.

    In what way do you mean emulate? Can you give examples?

    And in terms of satire, the UK still leads the way:

    That Was The Week That Was
    Spitting Image
    The Day Today
    Brass Eye
    Have I Got News For You
    The Thick Of It
    Private Eye (publication)

    Agreed as funny as the onion news network was someone had clearly been watching the day today and brass eye, as the format is almost a complete lift at times.

    Yeah we still lead the way with satire our u.s cousins are still playing catch on that one, the thick of it, need I say more?

    Quite. Yeah Americans lead the world in satire to the extent they have to fly Armando over to create a piss weak watered down version of TTOI for them.

    I quite liked VEEP but it was still not a patch on The Thick Of It. Tucker rules! :-)
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