British Humour

Humour is universal, it

is found in every culture,

in every language. In Great Britain it is even one of their most

important national prides.

British Humour

Literature. Lewis Carroll *Jabberwocky: When a class in the Girls' Latin School in Boston asked Carroll's permission to name their school magazine The Jabberwock, he replied: "The Anglo-Saxon word 'wocer' or 'wocor' signifies 'offspring' or 'fruit'. Taking 'jabber' in its ordinary acceptation of 'excited and voluble discussion'*Jubjub bird: 'A desperate bird that lives in perpetual passion', according to the Butcher in Carroll's later poem The Hunting of the Snark. 'Jub' is an ancient word for a jerkin or a dialect word for the trot of a horse (OED). It might make reference to the call of the bird resembling the sound "jub, jub".*Bandersnatch: A swift moving creature with snapping jaws, capable of extending its neck. A 'bander' was also an archaic word for a 'leader', suggesting that a 'bandersnatch' might be an animal that hunts the leader of a group.

Literature. Oscar Wilde

social criticism

irony

caricatures

comedy of manners

Literature. P. G. Wodehouse Bertie Wooster: If you ask me, Jeeves, art is responsible for most of the trouble in the world.Jeeves: It's an interesting theory, sir. Would you care to expatiate on it?[pause]Bertie Wooster: As a matter of fact, no, Jeeves. The thought just occurred to me, as thoughts do.Jeeves: Very good, sir.

Bertie Wooster: You bally well are informed, Jeeves! Do you know everything?Jeeves: [hesitates] I really don't know, sir.

Literature. Douglas Adams

"If I asked you where the hell we were," said Arthur weakly, "would I regret it?"Ford stood up. "We're safe," he said."Oh good," said Arthur."We're in a small galley cabin," said Ford, "in one of the spaceships of the Vogon Constructor Fleet.""Ah," said Arthur, "this is obviously some strange usage of the word safe that I wasn't previously aware of."

Television. Monty Python

Television. A Bit of Fry & Laurie

Television. The Mighty Boosh

Television. The IT Crowd

Films. Withnail and I

[Contemplating how to kill a chicken for supper] It's got dreadful beady eyes, they stare at you. Best kill it quick before it tries to make friends with us.

Films. Death at a Funeral

Robert: What are you doing in my dad's coffin?

Films. The Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy

Comic Relief and Red Nose Day

Red Nose Day is on Friday 18th March. It’s a day like no other when the whole country gets together to do something funny for money and change countless lives in the process. It all culminates in a night of cracking TV on the BBC with some of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment. All the fun and mayhem helps to raise cash and transform lives across the UK and Africa.

British humour