British Humor Reflects the Best of English Culture

I for one cannot get enough of English humor. Whether it be a good English sitcom, a joke or a very clever quote, it all shows the brilliance of the English when it comes to envisioning a situation. No one can deny that when it comes to wit, the British variety is cutting edge. With literary geniuses like Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, it is impossible not to come up with statements that both display wit and insight. The English are masters of both. Like the rest of their literary masterpieces their brand of humor has a genius all its own.

British humor is displayed in many types of British media, ranging from plays, political quotes, sitcoms, and some really awesome jokes. I have come across some really excellent examples of British humor in the form of jokes and political quotes. Here is a very funny joke of how the English and the Scottish save on train fare.

Five Englishmen boarded a train just behind five Scots, who, as a group had only purchased one ticket. Just before the conductor came through, all the Scots piled into the toilet stall at the back of the car. As the conductor passed the stall, he knocked and called "Tickets, please!" and one of the Scots slid a ticket under the door. It was punched, pushed back under the door, and when it was safe all the Scots came out and took their seats. The Englishmen were tremendously impressed by the Scots' ingenuity. On the trip back, the five Englishmen decided to try this themselves and purchased only one ticket. They noticed that, oddly, the Scots had not purchased any tickets this time. Anyway, again, just before the conductor came through, the Scots piled into one of the toilet stalls, the Englishmen into the other. Then one of the Scots leaned out, knocked on the Englishmen's stall and called "Ticket, Please!" When the ticket slid out under the door, he picked it up and quickly closed the door

Here's another one:

There was a Scotsman, an Englishman and Claudia Schiffer sitting together in a carriage in a train going through Wales. Suddenly the train went through a tunnel and as it was an old style train, there were no lights in the carriages and it went completely dark. Then there was this kissing noise and the sound of a really loud slap. When the train came out of the tunnel, Claudia Schiffer and the Scotsman were sitting as if nothing had happened and the Englishman had his hand against his face as he had been slapped.

The Englishman was thinking: 'The Scottish fella must have kissed Claudia Schiffer and she missed him and slapped me instead.'

Claudia Schiffer was thinking: 'The English fella must have tried to kiss me and actually kissed the Scotsman and got slapped for it.'

And the Scotsman was thinking: 'This is great. The next time the train goes through a tunnel I'll make that kissing noise and slap that English b**tard again .

Here you have two perfect examples of how the English and Scottish love to compete with one another, even in humor. Imagine how it must be during soccer season, when their teams play against each other. After all, a little good humored fun keeps a country fun and vibrant. There are some really funny quotes in the political arena as well. Here are examples of a few:

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." Margaret Thatcher.

"The difference between a misfortune and a calamity is this: If Gladstone fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out again, that would be a calamity." Benjamin Disraeli.

"At every crisis the Kaiser crumpled. In defeat he fled; in revolution he abdicated; in exile he remarried." Winston Churchill.

The leaders of Parliament did not only have a gift for governing, but they could also throw a good punch line as well. It’s great to know how to rule a nation with excellence, but to also know how to rule that nation with a sense of humor, that is sublime.

Let us not forget the televised version of England's priceless wit, the British sitcom. Fantastic programs such as Are You Being Served, Benny Hill, Monty Python, Keeping Up Appearances, and Waiting For God, are just a few examples of the best of English comedy. I am huge fan of Keeping Up Appearances and how this show exemplifies the best of English humor. Much of the dialogues in most of these shows are priceless, and incredibly funny.

English humor reflects on the best, as well as the ups and downs of life in England. Humor helps us to look at the lighter side of things because life is hard enough as it is. So, if you fancy a good laugh, and want to change your perspective on what would otherwise be a tough situation, tune it to a good English sitcom and have a jolly good time.

If you would like to read some really good British jokes, here is the link to a really fun site:

http://www.anglik.net/britishjokes.htm