British humor interlude.

In the middle of four books today, two which are not really working out as planned* and two which are actually quite engrossing, but not lending themselves to commentary at this time. So as a comedic interlude, please enjoy this clip from the British sketch comedy show That Mitchell and Webb Look (please note one phrase in the clip** is not suitable for the workplace or little 'uns' ears:

And feel free to discuss: Are the British funnier than Americans? I say yes, but we already know I'm biased.

*And many thanks to wonderful citizen reader Beth, who sent a link to a glorious article about leaving books unfinished, which finishes with a Dorothy Parker-esque touch (playing on "this is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly--it should be thrown across the room with great force"--okay, score one for the American humor side). Thanks, Beth!

*Thanks to, of course, AustenBlog for the link.

Comments

[Tripp]

Hmmm, are the British funnier than Americans? Well, sometimes. I suspect we get all their best, smart humor over here, so we probably think them funnier. They did give the world Benny Hill don't forget. Certainly I think Simon Pegg is creating some of the funniest stuff around, so there's one for the Brits.

[Citizen Reader]

Tripp!
So you're telling me there's probably a British equivalent of "Three and a Half Men" floating around out there, but we haven't seen it because they only show us our best stuff? Hmmm...

Well, you're probably right about that. Although I do love me some Simon Pegg; it's time to re-watch "Shaun of the Dead," I believe.

No offense if you happen to enjoy Three and a Half Men. It's all right, I suppose. It just hurts me that that is the sitcom that worked for Jon Cryer, because he was in a ton of funnier ones before it that only lasted for a few episodes.

[Tripp]

I do not in fact enjoy 3.5 Men. That show makes me weep whenever I see it. Most of the network sitcoms do, although How I Met Your Mother is an Exception.

[Venta]

omg. i just look up jon cryer. i didn't know duckie is the brother on three and a half men. my world has shifted a bit, and i'm old.

[Citizen Reader]

Tripp,
I must say, How I Met Your Mother has moments, but for me most of its appeal can be summed up in two words: Doogie Howser. Mr. CR and I also enjoyed "Better Off Ted," although I don't know if it's coming back for fall. And, of course, I'm ridiculously excited for the return of Gossip Girl, so I should probably stop pretending like I have standards.

Venta, dearest,
Don't feel old, just feel one year closer to retirement. That's what I do. :) At least Jon Cryer had his Duckie moment, even if he has to do 3.5 Men now to pay the bills.

[Thomas]

I love Mitchell and Webb but hadn't seen this before. It is hilarious.

I do love British humour, but there are a lot of Three and Half Men equivalents in the UK. Not in style necessarily but in being absolutely bad. Think Keeping up Appearances or Are You Being Served? Both formulaic and dreadful.

Actually Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant in their hilarious series Extras make fun of the whole "catch-phrase" variety of British sitcoms. If you haven't seen Extras it is worth renting. Although the first season seemed a bit slow to me at first, season two really got funny. And once you get through the whole series and go back to season one you realize just how funny it is as well.

[Citizen Reader]

Thomas,
I know that there's plenty of bad TV in the UK too, but man, when it's good, it's SO good. (I must also confess to a fondness for "Are You Being Served?," probably because of my retail background.)

Oh, Extras is classic. I'm still laughing about the Daniel Radcliffe guest appearance, and the uncomfortable scene in Stephen Merchants's office (you know, the one with the girly pen). Now I have to go back and watch them again--I didn't re-watch Season 1 after Season 2 and I'll bet, just like the UK Office, you pick up a lot of things you missed the first time around.