An American comedian called Rich Hall who largely lives in the UK summed it up perfectly....he said "Americans can laugh...but Brits have a sense of humour".
Seen him live in Swindon, brilliant comedian (and documentary maker). He came here in 2017 (I think) and immediately won the audience over with a comment about Trump's intelligence (or lack thereof). He then followed with "everyone comes to play Swindon twice, once on the way up and once on the way down, so it's nice to be back".
The young ones, bottom, mr bean, blackadder, red dwarf, thin blue line, maybe only fools and horses and most importantly Monty Python are british shows with not so normal characters
I would add, he has a gift many intellectuals do NOT have. He has the ability to communicate his ideas to one and all (he's a regular guest at Buck Palace).
An American comedian would say "I saw a funny thing happen to this guy on the way to the studio" A British comedian would say "A funny thing happened to me on the way to the studio"
If i were British i'd call Mr.Fry a national treasure. A man as eloquent as him, with an encyclopedic knowledge , a great sense of humor, and who is honest about his own failures and struggles in life is very hard to dislike.
He is very much considered a national treasure, it's great that people of other cultures can see that, maybe he's a multinational treasure in that sense.
I am British and I do agree with you. Fry is certainly a 'national treasure'. I wish I was as articulate and could come up with a deep and thoughtful answer to a question, as if I'd researched it!
yup, I'm a Brit, and Fry is a great treasure - and (in case you don't know) he's not just being "clever" when talking about the "losers" and failures, he also openly talks about his own mental health problems (real ones, not the imaginary ones of Prince Harry and Megan) he had a serious drug addiction and a mental breakdown. He is a wounded guy in so many ways, but we absolutely love him to bits
I'm neither British or American, but this is why British comedy is soooo much better than American comedy in my book. Sure, I occasionally giggle or laugh a bit when watching certain American shows or comics, but nothing is close to achieving legend status, like Monty Python, Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, The Office (the UK version) etc.
I love the show's you've mentioned, but there's the brilliance of Fraiser, Mash, The American Office and Parks and Reacts are genius. sorry but Del Boy is the wit of Only Fools, he makes jokes and gets one over on people all the time, there's also moments he's the butt of the many jokes, while Fraiser is exactly the same. The comedy is great on both sides of the Ocean the biggest differences is the practicality of how it's made.
@@flemit35Frasier was a psychologist with his own radio show and pent house apartment. Del boy lived in a shit hole and was always broke. After the first season of the American office, the American writing team took over and brightened up the atmosphere. No one could spent 100 episodes with David Brent. They had to turn him into Micheal Scott. They ended up being two very different characters. I love American sitcoms and comedians, but there's a reason Bill Hicks got famous here after years of being ignored in America. Bill spoke the bleak dark truth. And Americans don't want that from their entertainment. They want to be distracted from the bleak dark truths.
Most Americans became more aware of the British sense of humour during and after world war 2, when the GIs came over and found all the brits telling jokes and singing humorous songs about Hitler only having one testicle, etc. Humour played a massive role in keeping people's moral up during the war and was a crucial component of what famously came to be known as the "blitz spirit" shown in the face of the nazi's bombing raids.
I find that Americans like slap stick, British comedy can be sarcastic, witty and dark, being a Brit we use these types of humour daily. I worked on a market and helped out my neighbour who sold cheese, the daughter went to Australia for a year, I told all her customers that she was in jail, her mother just laughed and when the daughter came back we told her, the daughter laughed.
It's because Brits are an old 'people' and so mature enough to accept we have faults but know we have virtues too and take it all in the round ie over the centuries we have become comfortable in our skin and do not care what others think of us. The Americans are still a 'young' people and have not yet gained that confidence as they have only been around for a couple of hundred years and still care what the world thinks about them.
Definitely. I think America currently being world superpower also plays into it. We had our empire and like every great power it has since fallen. America is yet to be humbled/matured in that way
Good idea. However, I would point out that we are watching Mr Rumple's RUclips channel that predominantly focuses on UK culture through the lense of a North American. Any Brit's watching ( I'm one,) have different motivation's for watching his channel but maybe, one of them is we want to know what others think of us. Cheers Tyler man, I like your channel, especially the in between sentence giggles. 🤭 👍
Stephen Fry is an intellectual powerhouse. You'd be hard-pressed to find a clip where the things he says aren't of some deeper philosophical significance. And his eloquence makes him always such a joy to listen to. Great reaction too, btw.
A really funny British comedy character is Victor Meldrew from One Foot in the Grave. A funny moment was when Victor who is getting on age wise reflected on his life - thinking he may die soon. He was in bed and said to himself 'well I've not had a bad life'. He then paused and said 'no I havn't - I've had a bloody awful life'.
Brits, and also Aussies, Kiwis, and in some cases Canuks, aren't afraid of ridicule, sarcasm, and even sometimes cruelly blunt self-deprecating humour. I think this is because there is an innate self-confidence and historic strength in most Ango-Saxons and Celts. The US is more flamboyant and full of outward expressions of confidence, but inwardly are generally more fragile and sensitive to criticism.
For me, the most relatable American comedy to British humour was Frasier - probably because, despite all his success and pomposity, his bubble can be burst very quickly. The most relateable parts of Frasier are when, despite his best efforts, everything is going to hell in a handbasket all around him and he's racing to save a situation that is rapidly spiralling out of control. I can watch that and think: "That's exactly what would happen to me."
My sister worked at a summer camp in New York State back in the 90s. There was a regatta for the kids one day with a big canoe race. A sudden squall got up and the lake got very choppy and one of the canoes started to sink (the kids were in no danger as the lake was warm and they all had life jackets on) but as they determinedly kept paddling and as they started sinking all the European counsellors laughed hysterically and the American ones were appalled at such hilarity. That’s the essence of being able to laugh at misfortune, whether it’s your own or someone else’s, which is entirely missing in the American pysyche.
That explains the fragility shown in Social Media comment sections! The ones upholding the façade at all costs are often American despite everybody else pointing out the emperor has no clothes.
It's funny, the Russians are also _really_ fragile, they're allergic to embarrassment. And these are the two nations that were pointing 50 billion nukes at each other! 😂😂😂
But laughing at someone else's misfortune is the very essence of pranking, something that Americans often seem to take to ridiculously cruel levels. Perhaps it's a sub-category in that there the perpetrator is laughing at misfortune that they themselves actively caused.
In 10 words or less: American comedy - Seinfeld; British comedy - Mr. Bean. When Stephen Fry talks on any subject it's well worth listening - he's very very insightful.
Interesting, of all the examples funny thing is I loved Seinfeld never liked mr bean (despite being a big Rowan Atkinson fan!). I hate that being used as an example of British comedy it’s like referring to the benny hill show. We’re better than that!
I think there is one US comedy that is really close to being a British sitcom, Frasier. Yes, he has made a success of his life but that success is often thrown in his face as well as having the world continually shit on him. It's why Frasier is constantly repeated on Chanel 4 here.
Inclined to agree. MASH is also another great American comedy. You can see the growth of American comedy though. There is a stark difference in Family Ties as opposed to Married With Children or Malcolm in the Middle. For me American comedy was once run in a manner whereby you had to almost reveal the punch line before telling the joke.
Is it just me, but i reckon Tyler has to be one of the nicest guys on YT. The genuine pleasure you display whilst comparing our cultures warms my heart 😊
Not just you, surely. Tyler has nice open-minded approach to all things UK and there are certain things we in the UK do better than them, which he cheerfully acknowledges.
A pleasant change - touching on the way people in the UK actually think, rather than the usual Marmite, electric plugs, national healthcare and roundabouts. (Though I think all those examples probably do relate to our national psyche).
Exactly so - I think that's why poor Americans vote overwhelmingly for Republicans. They think they're going to be millionaires next year.@@stevehartley7504
I sat here thinking “But Fry, you’re wrong. What about Chaplain or Laurel & Hardy? They were the underdogs. They played down-and-out failures”. And then I remembered. Chaplain was British. Stan Laurel was British. And then I thought “Yes, Fry! You big, lovely, clever bugger. You’re right!”
Charlie chaplin, an English actor, began the trend of being the target of the joke. The Tramp character was relatable to the everyman and yet never seemed to rise above his status.
Stephen Fry is a national treasure. He is INSANELY intelligent, no one knows his IQ but it's easily somewhere in the 160 range at LEAST. He absorbs general knowledge like a giant sponge, he's multi-talented, and he's extremely articulate.
I think essentially US comedy likes to punch down and U.K. comedy likes to punch itself. I also believe that there may (at least historically) be some reflection of that in the respective societies. It always seemed that US tv shows and films portrayed the borderline or blatantly outright bullying jocks and cheerleader types as the ‘popular kids’ and the ones that were destined to go far and that the aggressive core they had was something to be revered. Where most from the U.K. would take the mick with those they are closest to but would never dream of bigging themselves up or bragging about their lives and with few seeking to push others around and those who did were generally disliked…like I said that is how it was historically (at least for me growing up in a Presbyterian family in a small Scottish town), I would say that it seems the centre ground between the two is becoming more populated now though.
Well said. And, having been raised in Canada by Scottish Presbyterians (Montrose), I was encouraged to recognize wee bits of success within the home .. but, appear boastful in public, and expect a corrective chat to follow.
You picked a good one here, Tyler. Stephen Fry is powerfully intelligent and highly articulate. He's an amazing human being and has become a bit of a 'national treasure' in the UK. Personally, I think American comedy can be a little self-deprecating at times but overall, I agree with what he says (I'm a fan of both British and American comedy). I'm glad you were able to appreciate just how fantastic Stephen Fry is!
One sketch defined the future of British comedy (says me): The Four Yorkshiremen. The writing team who bacame Monty Python, Cleese and Chapman, performed it with Marty Feldman and Barry Cryer in 1967 as The Good Old Days. It was an argument over who had the poorest upbringing, with hysterical examples. Winning status, paradoxically in American terms, would go to the person in the most desperately poor circumstances.
Originally it was Chapman, Cleese, Feldman and Tim Brooke-Taylor. Cleese has also credited Brooke-Taylor, usually considered a comedy performer rather than as a writer, with coming up with the idea.
One other differnce I have noticed in many US comedies is that often things are much more literal and explicit (not in the sense of lewdness) whereas in British comedies there is much more reliance on inference.
That may also be a necessity when trying to appeal to people of different cultural backgrounds - you need to make sure the joke lands. This has he advantage of allowing the comedies to have global appeal - look at Friends. Most British comedy does not export well, or needs to be remade.
@@capitalb5889 That's a great point. British comedy does "land" more successfully in former Empire markets. Australia, NZ, Canada, India, SA, etc. Those bastions of rugby or cricket were hugely supportive of Top Gear, Python, Fawlty Towers, and the like.
I was on a metro train in LA around new year a while back, and some of the passengers (on their way home from a game I think) were asking me about what was the main difference I had noticed between the US and the UK. I simply stated that in America, people will profess how great their sports team/ town/ whatever is- regardless of any evidence to the contrary. In Britain there was a book released called "Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places to Live", and people wrote in to complain that their town *wasn't* featured- requiring a sequel to be released!
I remember that 50 crap towns being released, and even before the sequel came out because of people complaining about their town not being included, there were people from towns included in the first book complaining about not coming higher in the list. I think Hull was voted worst place in the first book, with East Kilbride second, and people from East Kilbride getting up in arms not for being voted the second worst place to live, but because there was no way Hull could possibly be more shit than East Kilbride.
Frasier was a psychologist with his own radio show and pent house apartment. Del boy lived in a shit hole and was always broke. After the first season of the American office, the American writing team took over and brightened up the atmosphere. No one could spent 100 episodes with David Brent. They had to turn him into Micheal Scott. They ended up being two very different characters. I love American sitcoms and comedians, but there's a reason Bill Hicks got famous in the UK after years of being ignored in America. Bill spoke the bleak dark truth. And Americans don't want that from their entertainment. They want to be distracted from the bleak dark truths. Who can blame them.
I think The Office perfectly exemplifies the difference between US and UK comedy, especially after US season 2 when they took it in their own direction. I love both, but for very different reasons. The US Office is a lot sillier, it has a lot more 'obvious' jokes, the characters are much more exaggerated, but its also much warmer, everyone gets a happy ending. The UK Office is darker, more awkward, even the colour pallette when filming is more drab, and you love to hate most of the characters
I prefer the UK office because for all their differences the biggest one for me is it feels like the UK office is good people who are either incompetent or in an awkward position; the US office is mediocre people who are both incompetent and in an awkward position. David Brent is a terrible boss and can't socialise, he's out of touch, but he's a good person, he just can't connect to his staff and does dumb things as a result. Michael from the US office is similar, but he's not a good person, he blackmails his boss, he plays favourites among the staff, he has moments of doing the right thing; but he's not a good person at heart. The UK office is darker and more grimey, but it feels more like a real office, in any real office the US office staff would all be fired. Jim is harassing Dwight, Dwight is way too far up Michael's behind, Kevin is clearly useless, Creed is massively inappropriate, etc. It's unrelateable and the characters aren't pleasant, even if the chaos caused by their forced situations is funny it just doesn't land as hard as the UK office does.
@AlBarzUK I too loved Ever Decreasing Circles, Richard Briar's character, him, always feeling the lower against Peter Egan's, always butting up against him for his own wife's attention. Made all the better by the inspired, brilliant actors, the two aforementioned & the great Penelope Wilton 🎉
I agree, I think they're very different shows and the name is the only thing that links them. If the US version was just called Dunder Miifflin or something like that there wouldn't be many that would realize that one is a version of the other. Another great show Coupling, the US version failed horribly, I saw some of the episodes just awful.
11:00 YES! We laugh at the misery of life, and by making comedy about it shows that we're not afraid to talk about, to explore and examine it it, and, therefore, in a way we therapeutic with it. We don't shy away from it, we don't necessarily master it or find a way to escape it because, that's part of life that can't be erased, but we at least take control of it in some form.
6:43 The reaction from the audience says it all. The laughter is because the British audience relates to what Fry is saying here, that our comedians would play the folk singer.
He is an excellent comedian. You should watch him in the Jeeves and Wooster series and in the Black Adder comedy series. Fry and Laurie (famous in the US for House) are comedic geniuses on the level of Monty Python. You should watch Fry's lecture The Catholic Church is Not a Force for Good because his argument is quite brilliant.
I'm not a great fan of American comedy shows but one show in particular, which is never mentioned these days, was "The Phil Silvers Show". Every episode made me laugh out loud. Poor old Colonel Hall. I felt sorry for him.
Love your videos Tyler. I remember Al Bundy as the main character from Married with Children. Al was a downtrodden, unfortunate character who didn't havethe best life. I think that's why it was one of the most popular US exports of comedy to the UK and had re-runs for years
Fry's observation is one of the things that makes him such a good comic. Don't forget we also share a slapstick tradition, Vaudeville was basically a cleaned-up version of Music Hall. The British ability to laugh at ourselves may be a result of greater cultural confidence. Stephen Fry is always great value!
I always feel we (Brits) have a better sense of humour or at least, a wider spectrum of humour. And I arrive at that conclusion via the fact that a successful American Comedy Show can be lifted straight onto British TV and we'll enjoy n understand it. Whereas British Comedy Shows have to be rewritten etc and even recasted for American TV....... Just my opinion. Enjoyed your upload though, Cheers mate.
American studios believe British shows must be 'translated' for the average American to understand them. While some references may need to be researched to be fully appreciated, Americans do 'get' British humor, and I actively seek it out due to the (IMO) inferior, home-grown shows.
I think most of us can appreciate American comedy, you really do have/have had some stellar comedians that I really enjoy. I have to say, being born and brought up in London but having a completely Irish family, dark humour plays a big part in the lives of my family and I know some people would be horrified at the things we laugh at but sometimes, if you don’t laugh, you will cry. It’s not just the British that can laugh at themselves, plenty of cultures are happy to poke fun at themselves and I honestly think an ability to laugh at yourself is an extremely healthy thing 👍🏻
Steven Fry went to Cambridge. The thing that Oxford and Cambridge have in common is they are known to select not only on accademic brilliance, and not necessarily on your extra curriculars, but have a preference for people who are intellectually capable of thinking on their feet. If you can show you are capable of origional thought that is coherent and well argued, you stand a much better chance of getting in. For instance Fry is well known to have frustrated multiple educational establishments( who declined to participate further in attempts to educate him) before getting jnto Cambridge. The British sense of humour is why Britains are really great when their backs are to the wall, and doom is almost certain. Because thats when we are most likely to be cracking jokes. Because black humour is the other side of british humour. I had a friend who was really angry at her brother who tried to commit suic_de. She sent him a birthday card saying 'have a swinging time'. He found it hilarious and it actually marked the begining of his recovery. NB the saying he swung for it, comes from a time in Britain where we still had public hangings.
Notable anomaly being the award-sweeping _Frasier_ where the brilliant writers even plonked the brothers Crane in the wettest city. Frasier often blended Mainwaring & Hancock with classic farce, with 2 of the star 5 being British and often tipping the cap back across the pond. US can produce some fantastic comedy *when it doesn't dumb-down* and has faith in the capacity of it's viewers.
I wouldn’t say either is better but the subtle differences are quite fascinating. The sense of humour is generally just a bit darker and maybe less literal in the UK. Americans tend to be quite earnest in general so sometimes the dry/darker humour is lost in translation, or taken the wrong way. I know an American living here and it’s taken them a while to fully wrap their head around. Great they get it now though, so we can have a better laugh!
I think it's because you also take yourselves extremely seriously and you also take things literally aswell. Where as I think elsewhere in the world we are more laid back and go with the flow of things.
Stephen has an excellent point. Even in that Jim Carrey movie "Me, Myself and Irene", the main character is portrayed as this loser who doesn't have the respect of his peers, his wife cheats on him and leaves him for the guy she was cheating with. But the character arc for Jim's character is him learning to respect himself and recognizing his true value as a person. He's caring and compassionate, raises three children who're genuises, and he saves the day in the end. Meanwhile, Blackadder is a mean, selfish jerk whose self serving plans usually fail, and the supporting characters are all very flawed in one way or the other.
Stephen fry is a national treasure. Always bang on the money. He was so well suited to being the host of QI, although i think Sandi does an excellent job as his replacement, i still miss him loads from that show.❤
Stephen Fry isn´t your "average guy" by any mean, from either British or American viewpoint. He´s a top Cambridge University graduate (think of Yale or Harvard) with an Honours Degree in English Literature and one of the country´s top intellectuals. He knows his stuf. Lol.
For a reaction channel, I really appreciate that you can touch on videos like this and it seem to make a genuine impression on you. More food for thought content, please!
As a European I went on some dates in USA. I used to tell funny and embarrassing things that happened to me. And once a guy said why would you show people your bad side/failures? Thos baffled me. I tried to make a psrson smile and also show some insight. And maybe that I can learn from experience. And I could also see this interaction was also in friends circle.
Typically, we British always love to see the underdog get the upper hand in any situation. We realise that we're unlikely to rise to the top, especially in our society what with all the "old boys clubs" and snobbery trying to keep people down, but every now and again we have our little victories and celebrate them. It's a point Stephen touches upon. It's not just comedy either, but happens a lot in sport. For example, the world's oldest football competition (soccer), the FA Cup, can see any qualifying team, amateur or professional, play each other. Naturally, you'd expect the best team in the land to win the game, but this is not always the case. Half the country will cheer on the "minnows" (a little fish) just to see a bigger and better team get beaten.
Maybe this is why, as a Brit, I enjoyed The Big Bang Theory so much (and not just because I'm a science nerd). This show leans more that way, you can point at someone and say "Oh my god, you're such a Sheldon!" (at least, a colleague of mine does... pointing at me).
Hi Ryan, The characterws that Stephen is describing in British comedy, while they are perhaps on the lower rungs of the ladder are also optimistic and look forward to the day when they will be superior, but sadly they never make it. Although we find their situations funny, sometimes hilatious we also have a sympathy and understanding for them, sometimes we see something of our own lives in theirs.
This works on multiple levels. If an American is critical of America they are not being patriotic so are ostracized and shunned. Where as in the UK we celebrate those who stand up to bullies. In the US you celebrate your technological achievements, military might and dominance. In the UK we celebrate our forces humanitarian intervention, disaster relief and aid. You celebrate aircraft carriers, missiles and 1000s of soldiers stood in formation, we celebrate the effectiveness a small group of SAS can have
What an amazing mind to have such clarity of insight into the cultural factors producing a nation’s comedy, he’s a fascinating speaker. I could listen to him talk about anything!
Yeah, growing up watching both US and British sitcoms. I hated how the last scene in most US sitcoms was a 'so what did we learn today?' type moment, with a warm and fuzzy ending. The British sitcoms would mostly end with the ultimate humiliation or embarrassment.
I think another difference is US comedy has big writers rooms and UK comedy will have two people who bounce ideas off each other. All the really great UK comedy has two people who really know each other well writing together. Collaborative rather than competitive.
I agree, but sometimes not even 2 people. John Sullivan wrote Only Fools and Horses himself. But I agree, usually 2 writers at most, Croft and Perry, Dalton and Simpson, La Frenais and Clement being great examples.
There are huge crossovers and mixes though. He mentions Ben Stiller, well Ben stiller was in Zoolander - and Zoolander is semi British style comedy, where the main Characters are trying to be awesome, but they're actually idiots. Same thing with Tropic Thunder. American style comedy is Archer. Ace Ventura. The Zohan. "I am optimistic and would be sad if I lost." - Models, the rich, superheroes. British style comedy is Bottom, Blackadder, Dads Army. "I am a pessimistic and would be glad if I won." - Butlers, Servants, Hotel Managers, the unemployed.
Stephen is one of our greatest minds, a host of talent befalls this man. He must be protected at all costs. He is the no.1 dinner guest for most of us. An actor, comedian, writer, playwright, chat show and quiz game host, an orator and overall exquisite export from us to the world. I love this man, Hugh Laurie's comedy partner and friend, of course who else could keep up with that ❤
I would love to see your reaction to "stephen fry argues the catholic church is not a force for good." It's a 19 minute RUclips vid taken from a whole debate. Fry is very interesting to listen too and a great debater.
Stephen Fry is truly a national icon - he is one very smart and insightful individual. Fry's long term comedy partner was Hugh Laurie - great roles in Blackadder too - but he made the transatlantic leap by playing Gregory House MD. Interesting how well that worked too.
As a Brit, there are some amazing American comedians we admire. Re sitcoms, I think Friends and Seinfeld are great. I love Cheers, and Frasier is Superb. Cheers from London!
Our humour is an evolution of the blitz spirit of the early 1940s when there was little to bring joy, but people carried on regardless. One observation I heard about American sit coms is that if you watch them without the imposed audience laughter, it’s often not funny.
In Britain we always support the underdog and can relate to a loser. The US loves a winner and smartguy who always comes out on top. The closest I have seen to a Brit comedy character is John Candy in Planes Trains and Automobiles. Plus the best Brit coms have pathos, where there is reflection and a change of mood, sadness is a real part of it. That is why US remakes of Brit coms never really work
Some examples of American comedy that resonate with British are Frasier, Scrubs, 3rd Rock From The Sun and Police Squad for the reasons Stephen Fry talks about.
Stephen Fry‘s observations are so insightful! I never thought about it like that. I would actually love your reactions on some British comedians like Sarah Millican, Danny Bhoy, Michael McIntyre or others and find out if you can relate to the British sense of humour.
I saw a comment on a video recently that explained the difference in one sentence - In American comedy, the character is telling the joke. In British comedy, the character is the joke.
This is a bit of an over-generalisation, but I would say that Americans would see their comedy characters as who they aspire to be, whereas we British tend to see our comedy characters as who we actually are.
Im English and I loved Married With Children, the US comedy with Al Bundy, now I know why, it's like a British comedy and Al was always the butt of jokes.
An American comedian called Rich Hall who largely lives in the UK summed it up perfectly....he said "Americans can laugh...but Brits have a sense of humour".
Rich Hall is incredibly funny! Love him.
Id never heard him say that or seen that quote but its bang on the money
Seen him live in Swindon, brilliant comedian (and documentary maker).
He came here in 2017 (I think) and immediately won the audience over with a comment about Trump's intelligence (or lack thereof).
He then followed with "everyone comes to play Swindon twice, once on the way up and once on the way down, so it's nice to be back".
@@simonoleary9264 he also has a dry sense of humour, and cynical which is why he is funny.
He's been here a lot longer than that, been watching him for decades.
American comedy is about silly people in ordinary circumstances. British comedy is about ordinary people in silly circumstances.
Very concise observation there, mr " Aeneid ".
Such a great summary
Just...no.
Hats off!
The young ones, bottom, mr bean, blackadder, red dwarf, thin blue line, maybe only fools and horses and most importantly Monty Python are british shows with not so normal characters
Stephan Fry is one of the most interlectual people to come out of britain, hes not only a great intelectual hes also a great comedian in himself.
Also, he can spell, intellectual.
Ahh man, you beat me to it !
😂
I would add, he has a gift many intellectuals do NOT have. He has the ability to communicate his ideas to one and all (he's a regular guest at Buck Palace).
he was funny when he was carried by hugh lawrie since then a boring fat git.
An American comedian would say "I saw a funny thing happen to this guy on the way to the studio"
A British comedian would say "A funny thing happened to me on the way to the studio"
If i were British i'd call Mr.Fry a national treasure.
A man as eloquent as him, with an encyclopedic knowledge , a great sense of humor, and who is honest about his own failures and struggles in life is very hard to dislike.
He is very much considered a national treasure, it's great that people of other cultures can see that, maybe he's a multinational treasure in that sense.
He definitely is a national treasure in the UK, we love him. He is always top on my hypothetical dinner party guest list.
I am British and I do agree with you. Fry is certainly a 'national treasure'. I wish I was as articulate and could come up with a deep and thoughtful answer to a question, as if I'd researched it!
yup, I'm a Brit, and Fry is a great treasure - and (in case you don't know) he's not just being "clever" when talking about the "losers" and failures, he also openly talks about his own mental health problems (real ones, not the imaginary ones of Prince Harry and Megan) he had a serious drug addiction and a mental breakdown. He is a wounded guy in so many ways, but we absolutely love him to bits
@@brendanriley2908 how he talks so openly about his mental health is one of many reasons I love him so much.
I'm neither British or American, but this is why British comedy is soooo much better than American comedy in my book. Sure, I occasionally giggle or laugh a bit when watching certain American shows or comics, but nothing is close to achieving legend status, like Monty Python, Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, The Office (the UK version) etc.
Thats because Fry writes his own material, closest thing to this is a stand up comic in the US.
You left out the king of them all,Only Fools and Horses.
Where’s Porridge,The Young Ones,Rising Damp etc etc.
So many wonderful shows.
I love the show's you've mentioned, but there's the brilliance of Fraiser, Mash, The American Office and Parks and Reacts are genius. sorry but Del Boy is the wit of Only Fools, he makes jokes and gets one over on people all the time, there's also moments he's the butt of the many jokes, while Fraiser is exactly the same. The comedy is great on both sides of the Ocean the biggest differences is the practicality of how it's made.
@@TheCornishCockneyHe mentioned Delboy in there.
@@flemit35Frasier was a psychologist with his own radio show and pent house apartment.
Del boy lived in a shit hole and was always broke.
After the first season of the American office, the American writing team took over and brightened up the atmosphere.
No one could spent 100 episodes with David Brent.
They had to turn him into Micheal Scott. They ended up being two very different characters.
I love American sitcoms and comedians, but there's a reason Bill Hicks got famous here after years of being ignored in America.
Bill spoke the bleak dark truth.
And Americans don't want that from their entertainment.
They want to be distracted from the bleak dark truths.
Stephen Fry is quite simply brilliant, in the most engaging, enthralling way.
We're not negative, We're realists.
Exactly. We don't mind admitting that life often sucks but we're not afraid of laughing about it. Basically, we're more mature.
bollox
Most Americans became more aware of the British sense of humour during and after world war 2, when the GIs came over and found all the brits telling jokes and singing humorous songs about Hitler only having one testicle, etc. Humour played a massive role in keeping people's moral up during the war and was a crucial component of what famously came to be known as the "blitz spirit" shown in the face of the nazi's bombing raids.
Yup, It is what it is.
I find that Americans like slap stick, British comedy can be sarcastic, witty and dark, being a Brit we use these types of humour daily. I worked on a market and helped out my neighbour who sold cheese, the daughter went to Australia for a year, I told all her customers that she was in jail, her mother just laughed and when the daughter came back we told her, the daughter laughed.
Off by 200 years 🙂
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in the early series ‘a bit of Fry & Laurie’ is an absolute classic. Especially the Language sketch.
It's because Brits are an old 'people' and so mature enough to accept we have faults but know we have virtues too and take it all in the round ie over the centuries we have become comfortable in our skin and do not care what others think of us. The Americans are still a 'young' people and have not yet gained that confidence as they have only been around for a couple of hundred years and still care what the world thinks about them.
Agree.
Definitely. I think America currently being world superpower also plays into it. We had our empire and like every great power it has since fallen. America is yet to be humbled/matured in that way
Good idea. However, I would point out that we are watching Mr Rumple's RUclips channel that predominantly focuses on UK culture through the lense of a North American. Any Brit's watching ( I'm one,) have different motivation's for watching his channel but maybe, one of them is we want to know what others think of us. Cheers Tyler man, I like your channel, especially the in between sentence giggles. 🤭 👍
@@ewan8947we do seem to take it on the chin to be fair and I love that about us.
Excuse me, ms Bicknell, i'm only 66. How dare you ?
Stephen Fry is an intellectual powerhouse. You'd be hard-pressed to find a clip where the things he says aren't of some deeper philosophical significance. And his eloquence makes him always such a joy to listen to. Great reaction too, btw.
A really funny British comedy character is Victor Meldrew from One Foot in the Grave. A funny moment was when Victor who is getting on age wise reflected on his life - thinking he may die soon. He was in bed and said to himself 'well I've not had a bad life'. He then paused and said 'no I havn't - I've had a bloody awful life'.
It was as if he was playing my father, the exact same personality lol
Stephen Fry is both an acedemic genius whilst also a comedic genius, he is a national treasure in every sense!
Stephen Fry is a national treasure.
Yes! I could listen to him speak all day.
I would even go so far as to say that he is one of the most fascinating people on earth
Brits, and also Aussies, Kiwis, and in some cases Canuks, aren't afraid of ridicule, sarcasm, and even sometimes cruelly blunt self-deprecating humour. I think this is because there is an innate self-confidence and historic strength in most Ango-Saxons and Celts. The US is more flamboyant and full of outward expressions of confidence, but inwardly are generally more fragile and sensitive to criticism.
Or maybe they have such self-confidence that they assume any criticism to be invalid or it just doesn't bother them.
Then that’s very naive.
@@lottie2525that's called arrogance not confidance
Oh they're just like us, I love Aussies, they're so relaxed.
Absolutely..you hit the nail on the head. 👏
For me, the most relatable American comedy to British humour was Frasier - probably because, despite all his success and pomposity, his bubble can be burst very quickly. The most relateable parts of Frasier are when, despite his best efforts, everything is going to hell in a handbasket all around him and he's racing to save a situation that is rapidly spiralling out of control. I can watch that and think: "That's exactly what would happen to me."
My sister worked at a summer camp in New York State back in the 90s. There was a regatta for the kids one day with a big canoe race. A sudden squall got up and the lake got very choppy and one of the canoes started to sink (the kids were in no danger as the lake was warm and they all had life jackets on) but as they determinedly kept paddling and as they started sinking all the European counsellors laughed hysterically and the American ones were appalled at such hilarity. That’s the essence of being able to laugh at misfortune, whether it’s your own or someone else’s, which is entirely missing in the American pysyche.
That explains the fragility shown in Social Media comment sections! The ones upholding the façade at all costs are often American despite everybody else pointing out the emperor has no clothes.
It's funny, the Russians are also _really_ fragile, they're allergic to embarrassment.
And these are the two nations that were pointing 50 billion nukes at each other! 😂😂😂
But laughing at someone else's misfortune is the very essence of pranking, something that Americans often seem to take to ridiculously cruel levels. Perhaps it's a sub-category in that there the perpetrator is laughing at misfortune that they themselves actively caused.
In 10 words or less: American comedy - Seinfeld; British comedy - Mr. Bean. When Stephen Fry talks on any subject it's well worth listening - he's very very insightful.
Interesting, of all the examples funny thing is I loved Seinfeld never liked mr bean (despite being a big Rowan Atkinson fan!). I hate that being used as an example of British comedy it’s like referring to the benny hill show. We’re better than that!
Seinfeld was awful and so was Mr bean. Terrible shows.
I'd argue a better comparison would be = American comedy - Seinfeld, British comedy - Blackadder
When I made that comparison I was meaning the characters rather than the series, BTW.
Seinfeld takes a certain inteligence to
understand obviously @@dib000
I think there is one US comedy that is really close to being a British sitcom, Frasier. Yes, he has made a success of his life but that success is often thrown in his face as well as having the world continually shit on him. It's why Frasier is constantly repeated on Chanel 4 here.
Maybe why it's my favourite, has it all,even after life treats him terrible I'd like to be him.
And he clearly has flaws. Much of his trouble comes from his own flaws, just like a British comedy character.
Inclined to agree. MASH is also another great American comedy. You can see the growth of American comedy though. There is a stark difference in Family Ties as opposed to Married With Children or Malcolm in the Middle.
For me American comedy was once run in a manner whereby you had to almost reveal the punch line before telling the joke.
Is it just me, but i reckon Tyler has to be one of the nicest guys on YT. The genuine pleasure you display whilst comparing our cultures warms my heart 😊
Totally agree
Not just you, surely. Tyler has nice open-minded approach to all things UK and there are certain things we in the UK do better than them, which he cheerfully acknowledges.
And that’s why Chandler Bing resonated in the UK so much ❤
Thanks a lot for bringing this topic up and for your great reaction.
Steven Fry is the real deal. He knows comedy from A to Z.
All best from Germany
I adore Stephen Fry. I don't think he's ever said a single thing I don't agree with.
oh dear, you really should get a life.
Lol Fry is a pseudo intellectual who only surprises Americans.
The man couldn't even pass an entry level course at Cambridge.
in a nutshell we dont take ourselves too seriously. there is a time and place for sensability
Take yourself too seriously, and expect a bolloxing. Just an outsider's assumption.
A pleasant change - touching on the way people in the UK actually think, rather than the usual Marmite, electric plugs, national healthcare and roundabouts. (Though I think all those examples probably do relate to our national psyche).
Life teaches us to anticipate failure
Americans hope failure doesn't happen
Never moreso in the designs of British and American electric plugs!!!!
🇬🇧👍
Exactly so - I think that's why poor Americans vote overwhelmingly for Republicans. They think they're going to be millionaires next year.@@stevehartley7504
It may be worth watching some compilations of QI. It a panel show that had Stephen Fry as its hosts and its about interesting facts.
QUITE interesting facts🙃
Not his best work.
I sat here thinking “But Fry, you’re wrong. What about Chaplain or Laurel & Hardy? They were the underdogs. They played down-and-out failures”. And then I remembered. Chaplain was British. Stan Laurel was British. And then I thought “Yes, Fry! You big, lovely, clever bugger. You’re right!”
Many, if not all of the Laurel & Hardy 20/30 minute shorts (2 or 3 reelers) were conceived and written by Stan Laurel.
Charlie chaplin, an English actor, began the trend of being the target of the joke. The Tramp character was relatable to the everyman and yet never seemed to rise above his status.
This has been my favourite reaction of Tyler's. Really thoughtful, not just laughing at everything different to America.
Stephen Fry is a national treasure. He is INSANELY intelligent, no one knows his IQ but it's easily somewhere in the 160 range at LEAST. He absorbs general knowledge like a giant sponge, he's multi-talented, and he's extremely articulate.
Lol he's not insanely intelligent.
I learned everything he learned in year 11 highschool.
I think essentially US comedy likes to punch down and U.K. comedy likes to punch itself. I also believe that there may (at least historically) be some reflection of that in the respective societies. It always seemed that US tv shows and films portrayed the borderline or blatantly outright bullying jocks and cheerleader types as the ‘popular kids’ and the ones that were destined to go far and that the aggressive core they had was something to be revered. Where most from the U.K. would take the mick with those they are closest to but would never dream of bigging themselves up or bragging about their lives and with few seeking to push others around and those who did were generally disliked…like I said that is how it was historically (at least for me growing up in a Presbyterian family in a small Scottish town), I would say that it seems the centre ground between the two is becoming more populated now though.
Well said. And, having been raised in Canada by Scottish Presbyterians (Montrose), I was encouraged to recognize wee bits of success within the home .. but, appear boastful in public, and expect a corrective chat to follow.
@@danmayberry11851
You picked a good one here, Tyler. Stephen Fry is powerfully intelligent and highly articulate. He's an amazing human being and has become a bit of a 'national treasure' in the UK.
Personally, I think American comedy can be a little self-deprecating at times but overall, I agree with what he says (I'm a fan of both British and American comedy).
I'm glad you were able to appreciate just how fantastic Stephen Fry is!
One sketch defined the future of British comedy (says me): The Four Yorkshiremen. The writing team who bacame Monty Python, Cleese and Chapman, performed it with Marty Feldman and Barry Cryer in 1967 as The Good Old Days. It was an argument over who had the poorest upbringing, with hysterical examples. Winning status, paradoxically in American terms, would go to the person in the most desperately poor circumstances.
Originally it was Chapman, Cleese, Feldman and Tim Brooke-Taylor. Cleese has also credited Brooke-Taylor, usually considered a comedy performer rather than as a writer, with coming up with the idea.
My all time python favourite and in some ways seems to resonate these days when one looks at the victim Olympics that currently goes on.
One other differnce I have noticed in many US comedies is that often things are much more literal and explicit (not in the sense of lewdness) whereas in British comedies there is much more reliance on inference.
Good point. Allow the audience to complete the thought, and they'll feel more invested in the joke.
We like "inuendo"! Double entendres and such! It's been a staple of British comedy for a good while!
That may also be a necessity when trying to appeal to people of different cultural backgrounds - you need to make sure the joke lands. This has he advantage of allowing the comedies to have global appeal - look at Friends. Most British comedy does not export well, or needs to be remade.
@@capitalb5889 That's a great point. British comedy does "land" more successfully in former Empire markets. Australia, NZ, Canada, India, SA, etc. Those bastions of rugby or cricket were hugely supportive of Top Gear, Python, Fawlty Towers, and the like.
American 'comedy' is an obvious, in your face style, while British is subtle.
You mention Dumb & Dumber with Jim Carrey, but you forget one thing - he's Canadian
It's a Hollywood movie - hence an American movie with a Canadian-born actor.
Stephen Fry, legend over the years. From his early stuff, blackadder and even up to QI
What did they of the acropolis where the Parthenon is?
You can never go wrong with listening to Stephen Fry. 😀
I was on a metro train in LA around new year a while back, and some of the passengers (on their way home from a game I think) were asking me about what was the main difference I had noticed between the US and the UK.
I simply stated that in America, people will profess how great their sports team/ town/ whatever is- regardless of any evidence to the contrary.
In Britain there was a book released called "Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places to Live", and people wrote in to complain that their town *wasn't* featured- requiring a sequel to be released!
I remember that 50 crap towns being released, and even before the sequel came out because of people complaining about their town not being included, there were people from towns included in the first book complaining about not coming higher in the list. I think Hull was voted worst place in the first book, with East Kilbride second, and people from East Kilbride getting up in arms not for being voted the second worst place to live, but because there was no way Hull could possibly be more shit than East Kilbride.
I would love to be able to talk with such skill as Steven Fry
Stephen Fry is one of the most knowledgeable people I know, he can talk about absolutely anything.
You Should maybe look into "only fools and horses", its a legendary British show which is a great example of British comedy. Plus its hilarious lol
Frasier was a psychologist with his own radio show and pent house apartment.
Del boy lived in a shit hole and was always broke.
After the first season of the American office, the American writing team took over and brightened up the atmosphere.
No one could spent 100 episodes with David Brent.
They had to turn him into Micheal Scott. They ended up being two very different characters.
I love American sitcoms and comedians, but there's a reason Bill Hicks got famous in the UK after years of being ignored in America.
Bill spoke the bleak dark truth.
And Americans don't want that from their entertainment.
They want to be distracted from the bleak dark truths.
Who can blame them.
I think The Office perfectly exemplifies the difference between US and UK comedy, especially after US season 2 when they took it in their own direction. I love both, but for very different reasons. The US Office is a lot sillier, it has a lot more 'obvious' jokes, the characters are much more exaggerated, but its also much warmer, everyone gets a happy ending. The UK Office is darker, more awkward, even the colour pallette when filming is more drab, and you love to hate most of the characters
I prefer the UK office because for all their differences the biggest one for me is it feels like the UK office is good people who are either incompetent or in an awkward position; the US office is mediocre people who are both incompetent and in an awkward position.
David Brent is a terrible boss and can't socialise, he's out of touch, but he's a good person, he just can't connect to his staff and does dumb things as a result.
Michael from the US office is similar, but he's not a good person, he blackmails his boss, he plays favourites among the staff, he has moments of doing the right thing; but he's not a good person at heart.
The UK office is darker and more grimey, but it feels more like a real office, in any real office the US office staff would all be fired. Jim is harassing Dwight, Dwight is way too far up Michael's behind, Kevin is clearly useless, Creed is massively inappropriate, etc.
It's unrelateable and the characters aren't pleasant, even if the chaos caused by their forced situations is funny it just doesn't land as hard as the UK office does.
I’ve a theory that the Office is a progression from series like Ever Decreasing Circles, an often overlooked, brilliantly written sitcom.
@AlBarzUK I too loved Ever Decreasing Circles, Richard Briar's character, him, always feeling the lower against Peter Egan's, always butting up against him for his own wife's attention.
Made all the better by the inspired, brilliant actors, the two aforementioned & the great Penelope Wilton 🎉
I agree, I think they're very different shows and the name is the only thing that links them. If the US version was just called Dunder Miifflin or something like that there wouldn't be many that would realize that one is a version of the other. Another great show Coupling, the US version failed horribly, I saw some of the episodes just awful.
In the original UK series the main characters get a happy ending as well, in the Christmas special.
11:00 YES! We laugh at the misery of life, and by making comedy about it shows that we're not afraid to talk about, to explore and examine it it, and, therefore, in a way we therapeutic with it. We don't shy away from it, we don't necessarily master it or find a way to escape it because, that's part of life that can't be erased, but we at least take control of it in some form.
I dont always agree with Stephen Fry but he does make his points very well. A different reaction from you, nice one
6:43 The reaction from the audience says it all. The laughter is because the British audience relates to what Fry is saying here, that our comedians would play the folk singer.
He is an excellent comedian. You should watch him in the Jeeves and Wooster series and in the Black Adder comedy series. Fry and Laurie (famous in the US for House) are comedic geniuses on the level of Monty Python.
You should watch Fry's lecture The Catholic Church is Not a Force for Good because his argument is quite brilliant.
I'm not a great fan of American comedy shows but one show in particular, which is never mentioned these days, was "The Phil Silvers Show". Every episode made me laugh out loud. Poor old Colonel Hall. I felt sorry for him.
All those early comedies were great (those created by Nat Hiken) such as Bilko, Car 54 where are you, The Munsters.
Yep, big fan of all those you mentioned 😊
Fantastic of you to even explore it. In such a kind and understanding way.
American comedy always starts with a picture of the outside of the house and usually has a moral to the plot
The British show is just raining outside with some bloke telling another to fuk off.
Love your videos Tyler. I remember Al Bundy as the main character from Married with Children. Al was a downtrodden, unfortunate character who didn't havethe best life. I think that's why it was one of the most popular US exports of comedy to the UK and had re-runs for years
The thing to understand about britain is that we loooooove an underdog. In any given story, we always want the little guy to win.
Fry's observation is one of the things that makes him such a good comic. Don't forget we also share a slapstick tradition, Vaudeville was basically a cleaned-up version of Music Hall. The British ability to laugh at ourselves may be a result of greater cultural confidence. Stephen Fry is always great value!
I always feel we (Brits) have a better sense of humour or at least, a wider spectrum of humour. And I arrive at that conclusion via the fact that a successful American Comedy Show can be lifted straight onto British TV and we'll enjoy n understand it. Whereas British Comedy Shows have to be rewritten etc and even recasted for American TV....... Just my opinion.
Enjoyed your upload though, Cheers mate.
American studios believe British shows must be 'translated' for the average American to understand them. While some references may need to be researched to be fully appreciated, Americans do 'get' British humor, and I actively seek it out due to the (IMO) inferior, home-grown shows.
Stephen fry is one of my favourite ppl, i grew up with him on my tv and i love listening to audio books by him.
We make fun of our self before someone else does 😂😂 you have to laugh at life because it can be very harsh as to soften the blow we laugh 😂
Finnish mentality too😅
@@mikkohapponen5728 feel free to alaberate on this comment I'm all ears as we say. ie I'm up to hearing your comments
I think most of us can appreciate American comedy, you really do have/have had some stellar comedians that I really enjoy. I have to say, being born and brought up in London but having a completely Irish family, dark humour plays a big part in the lives of my family and I know some people would be horrified at the things we laugh at but sometimes, if you don’t laugh, you will cry. It’s not just the British that can laugh at themselves, plenty of cultures are happy to poke fun at themselves and I honestly think an ability to laugh at yourself is an extremely healthy thing 👍🏻
Steven Fry went to Cambridge. The thing that Oxford and Cambridge have in common is they are known to select not only on accademic brilliance, and not necessarily on your extra curriculars, but have a preference for people who are intellectually capable of thinking on their feet. If you can show you are capable of origional thought that is coherent and well argued, you stand a much better chance of getting in. For instance Fry is well known to have frustrated multiple educational establishments( who declined to participate further in attempts to educate him) before getting jnto Cambridge. The British sense of humour is why Britains are really great when their backs are to the wall, and doom is almost certain. Because thats when we are most likely to be cracking jokes. Because black humour is the other side of british humour. I had a friend who was really angry at her brother who tried to commit suic_de. She sent him a birthday card saying 'have a swinging time'. He found it hilarious and it actually marked the begining of his recovery. NB the saying he swung for it, comes from a time in Britain where we still had public hangings.
Love your character. Love your channel. Subscribed!
Notable anomaly being the award-sweeping _Frasier_ where the brilliant writers even plonked the brothers Crane in the wettest city. Frasier often blended Mainwaring & Hancock with classic farce, with 2 of the star 5 being British and often tipping the cap back across the pond. US can produce some fantastic comedy *when it doesn't dumb-down* and has faith in the capacity of it's viewers.
I wouldn’t say either is better but the subtle differences are quite fascinating. The sense of humour is generally just a bit darker and maybe less literal in the UK. Americans tend to be quite earnest in general so sometimes the dry/darker humour is lost in translation, or taken the wrong way. I know an American living here and it’s taken them a while to fully wrap their head around. Great they get it now though, so we can have a better laugh!
Fry is genius level intellect and hits the bullseye on many topics. He's something special.
I think it's because you also take yourselves extremely seriously and you also take things literally aswell. Where as I think elsewhere in the world we are more laid back and go with the flow of things.
Stephen has an excellent point. Even in that Jim Carrey movie "Me, Myself and Irene", the main character is portrayed as this loser who doesn't have the respect of his peers, his wife cheats on him and leaves him for the guy she was cheating with. But the character arc for Jim's character is him learning to respect himself and recognizing his true value as a person. He's caring and compassionate, raises three children who're genuises, and he saves the day in the end.
Meanwhile, Blackadder is a mean, selfish jerk whose self serving plans usually fail, and the supporting characters are all very flawed in one way or the other.
Stephen fry is a national treasure. Always bang on the money. He was so well suited to being the host of QI, although i think Sandi does an excellent job as his replacement, i still miss him loads from that show.❤
Stephen Fry isn´t your "average guy" by any mean, from either British or American viewpoint. He´s a top Cambridge University graduate (think of Yale or Harvard) with an Honours Degree in English Literature and one of the country´s top intellectuals. He knows his stuf. Lol.
Love you mate, love watching you too!
For a reaction channel, I really appreciate that you can touch on videos like this and it seem to make a genuine impression on you. More food for thought content, please!
As a European I went on some dates in USA. I used to tell funny and embarrassing things that happened to me. And once a guy said why would you show people your bad side/failures?
Thos baffled me. I tried to make a psrson smile and also show some insight. And maybe that I can learn from experience.
And I could also see this interaction was also in friends circle.
Typically, we British always love to see the underdog get the upper hand in any situation. We realise that we're unlikely to rise to the top, especially in our society what with all the "old boys clubs" and snobbery trying to keep people down, but every now and again we have our little victories and celebrate them. It's a point Stephen touches upon. It's not just comedy either, but happens a lot in sport. For example, the world's oldest football competition (soccer), the FA Cup, can see any qualifying team, amateur or professional, play each other. Naturally, you'd expect the best team in the land to win the game, but this is not always the case. Half the country will cheer on the "minnows" (a little fish) just to see a bigger and better team get beaten.
If the British made a version of Seinfeld it would be called Costanza.
Maybe this is why, as a Brit, I enjoyed The Big Bang Theory so much (and not just because I'm a science nerd). This show leans more that way, you can point at someone and say "Oh my god, you're such a Sheldon!" (at least, a colleague of mine does... pointing at me).
How refreshing to hear an interviewee being allowed to talk and expand his points.
Hi Ryan, The characterws that Stephen is describing in British comedy, while they are perhaps on the lower rungs of the ladder are also optimistic and look forward to the day when they will be superior, but sadly they never make it. Although we find their situations funny, sometimes hilatious we also have a sympathy and understanding for them, sometimes we see something of our own lives in theirs.
This works on multiple levels. If an American is critical of America they are not being patriotic so are ostracized and shunned. Where as in the UK we celebrate those who stand up to bullies. In the US you celebrate your technological achievements, military might and dominance. In the UK we celebrate our forces humanitarian intervention, disaster relief and aid. You celebrate aircraft carriers, missiles and 1000s of soldiers stood in formation, we celebrate the effectiveness a small group of SAS can have
What an amazing mind to have such clarity of insight into the cultural factors producing a nation’s comedy, he’s a fascinating speaker. I could listen to him talk about anything!
Yeah, growing up watching both US and British sitcoms. I hated how the last scene in most US sitcoms was a 'so what did we learn today?' type moment, with a warm and fuzzy ending.
The British sitcoms would mostly end with the ultimate humiliation or embarrassment.
I think another difference is US comedy has big writers rooms and UK comedy will have two people who bounce ideas off each other. All the really great UK comedy has two people who really know each other well writing together. Collaborative rather than competitive.
I agree, but sometimes not even 2 people. John Sullivan wrote Only Fools and Horses himself. But I agree, usually 2 writers at most, Croft and Perry, Dalton and Simpson, La Frenais and Clement being great examples.
There are huge crossovers and mixes though. He mentions Ben Stiller, well Ben stiller was in Zoolander - and Zoolander is semi British style comedy, where the main Characters are trying to be awesome, but they're actually idiots. Same thing with Tropic Thunder.
American style comedy is Archer. Ace Ventura. The Zohan. "I am optimistic and would be sad if I lost." - Models, the rich, superheroes.
British style comedy is Bottom, Blackadder, Dads Army. "I am a pessimistic and would be glad if I won." - Butlers, Servants, Hotel Managers, the unemployed.
Bill Bailey- “how are you?”, “not too bad, could be worse, all things considered”. Very well worth a watch and typically British
Stephen is one of our greatest minds, a host of talent befalls this man. He must be protected at all costs. He is the no.1 dinner guest for most of us. An actor, comedian, writer, playwright, chat show and quiz game host, an orator and overall exquisite export from us to the world. I love this man, Hugh Laurie's comedy partner and friend, of course who else could keep up with that ❤
Very thought provoking. I love our British sense of humour it’s very unique I feel. Even Europeans comment on it.
I see what you did here.
Dinner for One, a British comedy, is a German institution!
I get both American and UK humour I fine some of both great. Don’t let anyone knock your humour. I have enjoyed so many US shows.
I would love to see your reaction to "stephen fry argues the catholic church is not a force for good." It's a 19 minute RUclips vid taken from a whole debate. Fry is very interesting to listen too and a great debater.
Stephen Fry is truly a national icon - he is one very smart and insightful individual. Fry's long term comedy partner was Hugh Laurie - great roles in Blackadder too - but he made the transatlantic leap by playing Gregory House MD. Interesting how well that worked too.
As a Brit, there are some amazing American comedians we admire. Re sitcoms, I think Friends and Seinfeld are great. I love Cheers, and Frasier is Superb. Cheers from London!
American comedy: haha, he's stupid.
British comedy: haha, I'm stupid.
You are a lovely American! That is a big compliment! 🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸♥️
Our humour is an evolution of the blitz spirit of the early 1940s when there was little to bring joy, but people carried on regardless. One observation I heard about American sit coms is that if you watch them without the imposed audience laughter, it’s often not funny.
In Britain we always support the underdog and can relate to a loser. The US loves a winner and smartguy who always comes out on top. The closest I have seen to a Brit comedy character is John Candy in Planes Trains and Automobiles. Plus the best Brit coms have pathos, where there is reflection and a change of mood, sadness is a real part of it. That is why US remakes of Brit coms never really work
Some examples of American comedy that resonate with British are Frasier, Scrubs, 3rd Rock From The Sun and Police Squad for the reasons Stephen Fry talks about.
Stephen Fry is an all-around genius!
Stephen Fry‘s observations are so insightful! I never thought about it like that. I would actually love your reactions on some British comedians like Sarah Millican, Danny Bhoy, Michael McIntyre or others and find out if you can relate to the British sense of humour.
“British humour is deep…”
Benny Hill enters the room.
I saw a comment on a video recently that explained the difference in one sentence -
In American comedy, the character is telling the joke. In British comedy, the character is the joke.
Probably why Ross is my favourite friends character because everything goes wromg for him
Friends isn't really a comedy though, unless you're younger than 10.years old.
Love a reaction video to Paul Smith ,a comedian from Liverpool, absolutely brilliant, keep up the good work
This is a bit of an over-generalisation, but I would say that Americans would see their comedy characters as who they aspire to be, whereas we British tend to see our comedy characters as who we actually are.
Im English and I loved Married With Children, the US comedy with Al Bundy, now I know why, it's like a British comedy and Al was always the butt of jokes.