Northern English Humour - Do Americans 'Get It'?

You should ask the Kids in the Hall about that?

I have seen bumps on BBC America suggesting you turn on the subtitles.

 

I confess when I watch some British TV I turn on the subtitles.

 

One problem is that on some systems turning the subtitles on or off is a big deal because of something that happens when the video is converted from Euro to North American standards. On the Dish TV satellite system it takes 9 button pushes to go through the menus to turn subtitles on or off.

 

Then, we'd better not send our teenagers over there. I counsel them and their rudeness drives me crazier!

 

definitely going to have to try the subtitles. if they work, i'll watch sherlock #1 again. should be like watching for the first time. or should i say listening?

 

Some of that may be due to their grade & time in the service. A long time ago the phrase "Sir, yes, sir" was just about beat into you in basic training. Saying that to an NCO would get you "Don't call me "sir". I'm not an officer. I work for a living."

Monty Python's humour is classic & timeless. I also like Fawlty Towers & John Cleese was equally good in the corporate training videos he did later.

 

Grumpy, I immediately "got" your joke, as I am quite accustomed to puns.

"Sherlock" is quite good... just saw the first DVD from Netflix, and we are anxiously awaiting the rest of them. Enjoy Monty Python, loved Good Neighbors, To the Manor Born (another play on words), and my dear hubby quite enjoyed Red Dwarf.
Hitchhiker's Guide, in every incarnation, is a dear favorite, too.

We should travel more... I think Hyo would agree that DH and I are agreeable tourists, not terribly rude as some Americans can be...

 

Yes, you are agreeable tourists. Sorry, I hadn't meant my mention of a stereotype to be taken by others as a direct insult.

 

They'd get on like a house on fire with their UK peers.

Either that or they'd end up in a house on fire.

 

It wasn't. I was just thinking that we should spread the love

If DH and I travel enough, the stereotype will change... but, do we want the new stereotype based on us?

 

Oldham -- Old em -- Hold em -- Hold them

 

The English have a sort of class humor that is also imposed on certain locations, like Bristol, Hammersmith, Oldham, etc. We make jokes about people from certain parts of the country as well. The significant difference I think is that Americans like a hard punch line, whereas the British (Irish and Scottish, not sure about Welch) will take an implication, innuendo, or just humorous elements and ruminate on them. One thing I don't get about British humor is the costume walk on. This seems to break up a British tv audience at least.

Here is a regional joke for the British to "get":
What is 1/4 mile long and has 4 teeth?



The funnel cake line at the WV State Fair.

 

I missed this thread the first time around. I completely missed the joke. I thought it was funny for the wrong reason: I figured, pretty woman asks the bus driver if he's going to a place off his route, and he takes her there. Loses his job for not following his route.

Now that's hilarious!!!

I always say "please" and "thank you," and when asked "How are you?" or some other polite small talk, I respond in kind.

What I have a really hard time with is places where tipping is not expected, or even considered mildly insulting. I feel kind of dirty if I don't tip.

I love Mr. Bean but Blackadder seems deadly dull to me.

I'm not a particularly big Monty Python fan. They have some wonderful gags, and the Galaxy Song and Every Sperm song are pure genius. But most of what they do just bores me.

We share a language (mostly) with the Brits, but we have a very different culture.

 

Many of us Americans love Brit humor...
I was introduced to Python at the tender age of 11 or 12 back in the early 70's when it showed on local telly in the states via PBS stations. As a matter of fact, we liked it so much- our group used to record the audio from the shows so we could play it back on our cassette recorders! (no VCR's back in 1973).
Some of my favorite skits include- "the Church Police- Righteous Fuzz", "The Spanish Inquisition" , "Scott of the Antarctic" and so on....
Now my kids (age 14 + 15) watch classic Python on Youtube- they love it!

We also used to love Benny Hill- our favorite old purv

Right... and now for something completely different.....

Comedies are one thing, but some of the drama's are hard to understand cause the accents are so intense- I tried to watch the first few episodes of "Life on Mars" but just couldn't handle some of accents. I was able to watch all of "Ashes to Ashes" though, maybe they toned down the accents for "Ashes"? Anyway, loved "Ashes"....

At any rate- just keep sending us the good stuff and we'll keep sending you Jersey Shore