This document provides an introduction to comedy in British television, discussing different genres, formats, themes, and notable comedic shows and performers. It explores various types of humor like irony, satire, and the absurd. It examines formats such as stand-up, sitcoms, sketch shows, and panel/game shows. Famous British comedies mentioned include Monty Python, The Two Ronnies, French and Saunders, Mr. Bean, Blackadder, and The Office. The document also discusses the history of comedy in Britain and provides vocabulary related to humor.

1. BRITISH COMEDY
An introduction to humour in British TV

2. WHAT IS COMEDY?
Is humour the same in every country?
What makes people laugh in your country?

3. VOCABULARY
 Irony, Sarcasm(n)  A sketch (n)
 A Comedian (n, masc)  Dry (adj)
 A Comedienne (n, fem)  A panel (n)
 An innuendo (n)  Conventional (adj)
 A gag, a joke (n)  Alternative (adj)
 A punch line  Observational (adj)

4. MEDIA
Television
Radio
Written forms
Comic strips, poems, stories

5. COMIC STRIP

6. FORMATS
Stand up
Situational Comedy
Game show/Panel Show
Sketch show

7. THEMES
 Innuendo  British Class system
 Satire  Race and regional stereotypes
 Absurd  Sarcasm
 Macabre  Parodies of stereotypes
 Surreal and chaotic  Eccentric people
 Humour in everyday life  Pranks and practical jokes
 Social awkwardness

8. GENRES
Slapstick Satire
Surreal Parody
Class Macabre/Black/Dark
Political Panel Show
Alternative

9. HISTORY
 The Music Hall
 The War
 Women
 Radio
 Television
 The Heyday of British Comedy…… the 70s.

10. STAND UP

11. THE SITCOM

12. THE SKETCH SHOW

13. THE GAME/PANEL SHOW

14. MONTY PYTHON
 Politics
 Slapstick, Surreal
 Sketch

15. THE TWO RONNIES
 Play on words,Class
 Conventional
 Sketch

16. FRENCH/SAUNDERS
 Parody
 Satire
 Sketch

17. ALAN PARTRIDGE
 Social awkwardness
 Surreal
 Sitcom

18. BILLY CONNOLLY
 Everyday life
 Observational
 Stand up

19. MR BEAN
 Eccentric
 Slapstick
 Sitcom

20. BLACKADDER
 Class
 Historic
 Play on words
 Sitcom

21. H AV E I G O T N E W S F O R YO U ?
 Religion
 Satire
 Panel Show

22. THE FAST SHOW
 Observational, everyday humour
 Eccentric person
 Sketch

23. THE OFFICE
 Social awkwardness
 Black comedy
 Sitcom

24. WHO’S LINE IS IT ANYWAY?
 Social awkwardness
 Slapstick, surreal
 Panel Show

25. BIG TRAIN
 Everyday life, Play on words
 Observational, surreal
 Sketch

26. THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!
You can find all these clips in a playlist on Youtube….
Search for “EF Manchester British Comedy Lecture

27. WATCH AGAIN…
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLme6v_
sQkdGe9IJekVoa9ajYHkV9rtOi4