Different sense of humour??
 

I lent my Alan Partridge videos to a friend at work the other week. I thought she would find this programme as funny as I do, but she told me today that she "didn't get it!"

Saying that, I watched Kath and Kim last night and I have to say I didn't find that particularly funny.

Is it a difference in Aussie/British sense of humour, or have I got crap taste in comedy?

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

it can be a cultural thing - several Austrian Doctors were having difficulty understanding their Yorkshire patients -local slang

slang or a joke maybe poing fun at the way of life in UK or refering to place/person in UK that a British person would understand but not alway other nationalities. But then again I'm not keen on AP ;)

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I think it's less to do with a difference between Aussie and British humour as just a difference in peoples taste's.

I can back you up on the fact that Alan Partridge is brilliant. Since watching them for the first time five years ago I have passed many a day telling people "I've got cheese" and correcting people for saying 'Tannoy' when they mean 'public address system'.

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Actually IME the UK & Oz senses of humor seem very well-matched. I was having a good giggle this morning at the excerpt from 'Yes Minister' played on the Radio National AM programme, to make the point about bureaucrats being the real power base.

Our local DVD shop sells truckloads of UK comedy such as 'Men Behaving Badly', 'Blackadder', 'The Office' and many other familiar series. Dead Ringers is on TV weekly & is very popular here, esp. the guy who takes the p*ss out of President Bush!

'Dad's Army' is currently re-running on cable, and many of my Oz pals are quoting catch phrases etc from that at the mo, too. ;)

Conversely, we really enjoyed 'The Glasshouse', an Aussie satire/social comment programme.

My local newsagent sells 'Private Eye' (OK, it's a week or so behind), and Aussies buy it as well as Brits, and think it is funny, too!

Cheers,
Anya (based in Melbourne,m the comedy capital of the World ;) )

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Hi there!!

I couldnt help but notice you are from Bolton!!! So what do you think of Peter Kay??!!! I think he is hilarious!!! It is very much 'northern' humour, which some people maybe dont get :confused: But anyway I think he is brill, makes me LOL :D

Regards, Cheeky :)

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I think Peter Kay is very funny, but I think it's because he's the same age as me and I can relate to his school / family experiences.

What do people think to Kath and Kim? Does anyone find it funny?

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Peter Kay is brilliant. I have only been in Bolton for a year and he satirises life here perfectly, both in Phoenix Nights and his live stand up.
He's actually been spotted quite alot around here in the past few months filming his new series.

I read an article in The Times recently which put forward that the North West was the Capital of humour as regards the U.K.

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

'Hear, hear' Poacher!!!!!! :D

I would love to see him live!!!!! Side splitting stuff!!!!! :D
Cant wait for the new series!!! :D

Cheeky

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I also agree that its more a case of individual taste rather than an Aus v UK thing... a lot of the Australian humour currently on TV, i do not find funny at all, but saying that, my fave comedian is Billy Connolly, who is very popular down under and i also like Kevin Bloody Wilson too, who is very much in the same vein as Billy. Maybe its an age thing too. I am getting a bit older and find some of the humour very immature and silly. I do love to watch the antics on the footy show with Fatty, Stirlo and co. always makes me smile.

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The only difference between Ozzie and British peoples sense of humour is that Ozzies dont have any............at all...........apart from teenage toilet humour, subtle humourgoes straight over their heads

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Surely to pidgeon hole a whole nation's taste in humour is a tad arrogant.
Off the top of my head I can think of a couple of Rob Sitch (born in Melbourne) films; The Castle and The Dish, that are far from toilet humour while still being extremely funny.

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I don't think the Australian sense of humour is as dry, which is why I love the British sense of humour (Am neither british nor Aussie). I quite enjoy Kath and Kim though, it takes some getting used to and it also helps if you have ever been to Melbourne's western suburbs ;)

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I'm probably odd one out but I'd rather watch Kath & Kim than Alan Partridge. Like PP I think Billy Connolly is hard to beat, just wish he would do another tour of Aus.

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Bordy I totally agree! Found Kath and Kim very funny.

My friend has just seen Billy live at Hammersmith and said she hasn't laughed so much in years.

Have you ever seen All Aussie Adventures (Russell Coight)? Had me and my husband in tears - we do have an odd sense of humour though. Funny website too - www.bigcoight.com especially the Q&A.

Hev

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

So, are Kath and Kim 'Bogans'? What the hell is a 'Bogan' anyway? Any definitions, or do you just identify them by their dodgy mullet and shell suit?

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

First I saw Russell Coight was when I heard my daughter screaming with laughter in her room, yes watching Russell Coight on TV. Hes very funny but then I'm a bit of a Graham Norton fan to.

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I like Graham Norton, but I don't get the chance to see him very often as my husband won't watch him :rolleyes:

We did watch Eddie Izzard live last year in Melbourne, he was funny. Both laughed like drains, whilst a lot of the audience didn't understand.

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

That's the funniest statement in this thread for sure! I won't say what you are talking through for fear of being accused of having what you brand 20 million people with (apart from the millions of Brit expats of course?) I won't even bother trying to point out how sweeping your statement is but just one point - the so popular Benny Hill, Men behaving badly, Graham Norton, etc, etc, etc - isn't teenage toilet humour, yeah right?

As someone said humour is an individual and regional thing not a national thing. Just to illustrate this, Alan Partidge hasn't yet managed to raise one laugh from me, nor Graham Norton but Only Fools and Horses, Porridge and many others, that's a different thing. Peter Kay is excellent. Few of you will have heard of Norman Gunston (real name Gary McDonald) but he was a classic in Australia. Like Alan Partidge you either got it or you didn't and that didn't depend on where you were born but your own individual sense of humour.

OzTennis :)

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Billy Connolly shocked his audience in London a few nights ago by making cheap jokes about the hostage Ken Bigley. It went something like, 'Ken Bigley, why don't they get on with it'! Billy perhaps wondered why people didn't laugh and a few in the audience jumped up and told him what poor taste they were in. He continued by trying to make jokes about Bigley's Thai wife. Another British comedian who doesn't resort to teenage toilet humour too!

OzTennis :)

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I agree OzT that what Billy said, if he did say it [I was not there], was well out of order. There can be no excuse, only an apology from Billy:o

However...how many of us can ever say we have NEVER, EVER comitted a faux par whilst at work? The difference is that Billy's job is within the public arena. When he drops a bollock, he does it big style.... in public. You could argue this was totally tasteless and most if not all of us would agree.

Billy made a big mistake at work. Like any of us who have ever said something stoopid, I bet he's sorry about it too :o

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Bogan

1. fool; idiot; 2. (WA, Tasmania) lout or hooligan, especially of a particular social group noted for wearing black shirt and jeans. In Hobart equivalent to a "Chigga" (probably from Bogan - a river in NSW)

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I agree. Never really got into Alan Partridge but love Kath & Kim. All Aussie Adventures is better still, that guy is brilliant.
Billy Connolly is good in small doses but I reckon he should be in hiding for a while after his 'gag' the other night. How stupid can you get?

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

As regards Australian humour Tom Gleisner is fantastic.He is the guy behind the Warwick Todd books .Also wrote the "the Dish" and "the Castle" screenplays for both movies(I think also produced )

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

What I don't like about the mainstream comedy shows on free-to-air Oz TV especially the one on Channel 10, is that the comedians often seem to go on to explain the joke in case you didn't get it. Or it's about something gruesome like using a head as a football, that kind of stuff. It's not my style. I don't like Benny Hill stuff at all either. However, I loved The Office, some of Jack Dee's stuff and some of Billy Connolly's and Lenny Henry's.

I do think that the sense of humour on the whole is different here. The type of humour I like is harder to find from an Australian comedian, it seems. But you know, you never know who will turn up next week.

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Bit of a generalisation from me here, but I have found quite a lot of Aussies themselves are like that - some will even come out with a one-liner, which is funny at first, but then they repeat it a couple of times, then explain it,a nd it ends up not being even vaguely laughable. I just want to scream, and say Yes, I get it, I laughed 10 minutes ago!!! I'm sure some Brits do it, but its much more widespread here.

There does seem to be a huge Aussie following for many Brit sit-coms though; people at work are often mentioning old favourites that they have seen on Foxtel's UKTV.

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:D I quite like Kath & Kim............................................... ............... :D

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Would Never have guessed. :)

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Have you seen chewin the fat Bordy? very funny scottish comedy series!!

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Yeah got a couple of Videos but canny beat " Still Game".

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I notice 'Little Britain' is going to be shown soon on ABC. Does anyone think it will be popular here in Australia?

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

You've just described a guy I used to work with .. :scared: He was a guy from Co. Durham who I think was desperate to be a geordie so kept putting on this ridiculous accent to make things worse... :eek:

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Although I think there is good and bad stuff from both countries; I do think that 'Badiel and Skinner Unplanned' is better than 'Merrick and Rosso Unplanned'

Cheers
Alistair

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I agree with you Alistair. I think Baddiel and Skinner do a great job because they're better comedians and they are more comfortable with that kind of pressure. Merrick and Rosso aren't quick enough with the comebacks.

Whatever happened to Hamish and Andy? Did they get axed?

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

fat pizza---guys at work rave about it --- I found it laugh at the fat greek girls whilst tokin, --juvenile crap. Love partridge, adder, connely, izzard, kaye, office etc

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I've seen neither Alan Partridge nor Kath and Kim, but British humour is the best in the world :D !

-Becs

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Little Britain is hilarious and I'm sure the Aussies will love it. You have to get into it though - the more you watch it the funnier it gets. I saw Peter Kaye's stand up show the other night and howled with laughter. I had no idea he was so funny. Is Phoenix nights good?

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Hi there!!!!

If you like Peter Kay stand up ya gotta watch Phonex nights!!!!!!LOL So FUNNY!!!! :D

Enjoy!!!

Cheeky!! :D

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

I love Peter Kay doing stand up but have never got my head around Phoenix Nights. Don't know why :confused:

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

Totally agree "Navid the shopkeeper" total genius. :) :D

"hey winston yer pishin on ma tanktop"

Re: Different sense of humour??
 

His recent jokes have been in rather poor taste though!!

Peter Kay - top man - love pheonix nights - i suspect they wont 'get' that in other countries. I know many 'southerners' who don't get it. Having lived in the midlands and spent many many nights in working mens clubs I can relate to everything in pheonix nights

Dave