I'm not sure that I agree with the conclusions here.

British V American humour

Any comments?

By 'conclusion', do you mean Although both nations have subtle differences in their wit, they can both appreciate the other’s sense of humour., Bob?

I think that's about right. I'd already read Simon Pegg's Guardian article, and pretty much agree with what he said.

Americans in general do "get" irony, although it's less used over there. American also tend to say "only kidding" or "joke" when using irony or sarcasm for fear of giving offence. I think the fact that some people are so used to that happening that when someone from Britain doesn't use it they think the other person is rude. On the other hand, the British person thinks the American doesn't get irony ...

I would also say that I found the article difficult to read because I was distracted by the greengrocers' apostrophes scattered throughout: such as when using American's and Brit’s as simple plurals. You'd have thought that someone writing on a language blog would have been more careful!

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I would also say that I found the article difficult to read because I was distracted by the greengrocers' apostrophes scattered throughout: such as when using American's and Brit’s as simple plurals.

And furthermore, not using them consistently:

"...people say that Brit’s and Americans don’t ‘get’ each other’s sense of humour...."

"...I think American’s understand British irony ..."

But insofar as the main thrust of the article is concerned, I would agree that we do understand much of each others' humour - but it is always the exceptions that create the problems.

One thing that was not addressed in the article is the British (and especially the English) habit of self-deprecation. This habit applies to all aspects of communication, of course, and I suspect that it is maybe less prevalent in humour. But I am sure it still applies and would be a source for misunderstanding.

This was the bit I wasn't sure I agreed with

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The American sense of humour is generally more slapstick than that in Britain. I think this arises from a cultural difference between the two. Their jokes are more obvious and forward, a bit like Americans themselves. British jokes on the other hand tend to be more subtle but with a dark or sarcastic undertone. There is usually a hidden meaning. This may stem from the fact that British culture is more reserved than American culture.

I wonder what Benny Hill and the Monty Python gang would say.

I'd already read Simon Pegg's Guardian article, and pretty much agree with what he said.

Pegg's article was quite good, and I found myself agreeing with almost everything he said. I, too, enjoyed his Shaun of the Dead. I agree also with his rating of some of our best comedies. In fact, I think most Americans have a high opinion of British comedies (as well as dramas). Having over the decades been exposed to The Goon Show (radio), Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Two Ronnies, The Young Ones, Blackadder, Red Dwarf, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio, TV, and books), The Office, Wallace and Grommet (animated shorts), etc. Even though I never much cared for the humor of The Goodies, The Benny Hill Show, Are you Being Served, etc., I did appreciate that not all USans shared my opinion and made those shows hits during their first syndications here.

I completely agree with him about The Simpsons, though, both as a showcase of American humor and as our best (sarcastic) critical stance on ourselves as a people. The first time I saw an episode was in Yugoslavia (with Croatian subtitles), and my hosts were enjoying a hearty chuckle along with me. Whenever I can, I try to catch episodes in foreign countries.

I'm not a fan of The Goodies, The Benny Hill Show, or Are you Being Served?, either. I didn't know that The Goodies was ever seen over there. When I first saw it it seemed formulaic and derivative of Monty Python. For some reason the show wasn't repeated here until recently, and I assumed that the BBC had not kept or had lost the recordings. As to The Benny Hill Show, and Are you Being Served?, I (in common with many other people in the UK) am amazed that such tripe should have become popular in the USA.

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I'm not a fan of The Goodies, The Benny Hill Show, or Are you Being Served?, either. I didn't know that The Goodies was ever seen over there. When I first saw it it seemed formulaic and derivative of Monty Python.

I thought that The Goodies anteceded Monty Python.

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As to The Benny Hill Show, and Are you Being Served?, I (in common with many other people in the UK) am amazed that such tripe should have become popular in the USA.

I wouldn't say they were popular, the way Monty Python was; they were shown, and some people liked them. The real joke (as pointed out in an episode of The Simpsons) was that they were shown on public television.

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I thought that The Goodies anteceded Monty Python.

Nope. Although I'm surprised that they overlapped as closely as they did.

Monty Python appeared from October 1969 to December 1974

The Goodies ran from November 1970 to February 1982.

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As to The Benny Hill Show, and Are you Being Served?, I (in common with many other people in the UK) am amazed that such tripe should have become popular in the USA.

I have to confess that I very much enjoy Benny Hill (but then I do like highbrow, sophisticated humour)

"Are you being Served" I watched because my late uncle was in it - but even so, I didn't think it was too bad. I used to work in a department store (Grant's of Croydon) which had much in common with Grace Brothers - and thus the programme was quite nostalgic for me.

I didn't know that The Goodies was ever seen over there.

It was on the coattails of the popularity of Monty Python (which started to be shown on PBS in the early '70s in the San Francisco Bay Area). I don't think they ever became as popular here as Monty Python was (and still is), and I have not seen them since that initial run, but who knows what's available now on satellite. As for Benny Hill, his show was as popular as Monty Python, and I keep running into in the decades following those first showings. I feel that there is little overlap between the US audience of Monty Python and that of Benny Hill. A more modern, but still problematic show is the various bits of the Mr Bean franchise. While I like this show better than Benny Hill and Are you Being Served? it's not nearly as enjoyable and open to second viewings as Monty Python. Of course, I saw Monty Python in my adolescence and it had an early and important impact on the development of my sense of humor.

You think back over the programs and movies you liked when you were younger and sometimes it is disappointing to see them again in later life. For example, in the early 60s, I saw Mr. Hulot's Holiday on local TV and laughed my posterior off. I didn't see it again, and often compared my memories of it to later comedies, until last month when it was shown on cable. I thought it above average for its time but I couldn't understand why it made such a great impression on me at the time.