American Reacts to British vs American Comedy by Stephen Fry

[@stephenlee5929]

Hi, You suggest the pilgrims left Europe because they were persecuted. That's not how it is seen in Europe, they left to be allowed to persecute. Europe and UK in particular were espousing tolerance, the puritans wanted the freedom to inflict their standards on everyone else.

[@lynnhamps7052]

Was going to say exactly that. The pilgrims were the persecutors and not the persecuted,, hangovers from those beginnings still exist and US is far less liberal than Europe and the UK

[@supalew]

@@lynnhamps7052 Unfortunately the word 'liberal' seems to have different meanings in Europe and the USA.

[@rde4017]

The Pilgrim Fathers left England because the country wasn't religious enough, that's how bad they were!

[@stephenlee5929]

@@supalew Interesting observation. I thought I would look up Liberal on Google, it has 2 definitions (I know this is not a scientific approach, but) 1 willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; open to new ideas. 2 relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise. I'm European and relate more strongly to definition 1.

[@supalew]

@@stephenlee5929 Read farther. Go beyond adjective to noun. Many Americans would read 1 and have a negative reaction.

[@kingstumble]

British humour relies heavily on sarcasm and irony which I think a lot of Americans have trouble with. They seem to prefer more straight-ahead, in your face, visual comedy.

[@JJLAReacts]

Hmm, good points. Yeah, I think mainstream American audiences enjoy the comfort of an obvious laugh.

[@glastonbury4304]

American humour is all optimistic and sugar coated, whilst UK humour is painful reality and real life experiences and far darker...

[@roonarific1086]

Reminding me of Al Murray vs Americans. He's talking about the American dream and notes "there is no British dream, because we're awake"

[@glastonbury4304]

@@roonarific1086 ...exactly 😂

[@BusstterNutt]

@@glastonbury4304 even in failure the British "characters" have more depth than the America,I still say the last American sitcom with any real characters was MASH

[@glastonbury4304]

@@BusstterNutt ....I didn't much like MASH as it never really portrayed any reality of where it was and who was there ...prefer the American Law and Order series for depth and reality ...

[@josefschiltz2192]

Frasier and Niles Crane are actually nearer to the British trope that Stephen describes.

[@PaulK-ve1pu]

Absolutely-that's why they are both anglophiles.

[@Geese-farting-in-the-wind]

Absolutely. A lot of British comedy is about pomposity (people who think they are better than they actually are) Basil Fawlty, Captain Mainwaring, Hyacinth Bucket, Rigsby, etc. Then that pomposity being pricked. Fraiser and Niles Crane certainly fall into that bracket.

[@steven54511]

Stephen Fry is a well educated man. He's almost a genius in some respects and very self deprecating. This video explains why American comedy is ALWAYS the same.. Guy has a problem, guy solves problem, everyone goes home happy and smiling... BORING! British comedy in general is a whole lot more diverse and we enjoy pitying the main character when things go awry.

[@cmlemmus494]

Rather than saying this applies to all American comedy, I think it would be better to specify it as MAINSTREAM American comedy. Network sitcoms. Theatrical films. Broadway productions. Anything where people invest millions and want a big return they play it safe, which usually translates to whatever worked last time. Smaller productions and independent comedy takes more risks, even in the US.

[@JJ-of1ir]

@@cmlemmus494 I feel you are probably right, but I would add that American TV shows are hampered by their 'Sponsors'. People financing a show with a product to sell or a reputation to guard tend to be sensitive about its content and play it safe. Afterall, he who pays the piper calls the tune.

[@jackwhitbread4583]

​@@cmlemmus494I mean The Office was mainstream yet Michael Scott was every bit the embarrassing oaf that Brits love, probably why it was so popular

[@cmlemmus494]

@@jackwhitbread4583 I never watched the Office myself, but my understanding is that in the UK David was pretty much irredeemable with most of his embarrassing moments coming from his overconfidence in his own abilities. In the US version, Michael started out this way, but became more sympathetic over time to be less of an ass and more just chaotic.

[@Bart-tk9um]

@@cmlemmus494The reason Michael started out this way is because at the beginning of the American Office, it was heavily based off of the UK office, and in turn the characters were very similar to the UK counterparts. But when they ran out of source material to draw on, each character was given an almost redemption arc to appeal to more of a wider audience in America. Take Michael for example, in the beginning he is crass, repulsive and basically David Brent, but as the show evolved, while he was still the guy who fails, his character also evolved to show a more caring and nurturing side, so the audience could sympathise. Both shows are great at what they do in my opinion.

[@Cleow33]

Ross is the most British of the Friends characters. Although he is academically successful, he is constantly shat on by life and by his own pomposity. He reminds me of Captain Mainwaring from Dad’s Army.

[@nathan_hassen]

They actually made a pilot of an American version of red dwarf but they made the he lead a hero type when the whole point of the English original version was that he was the lowest rank on the ship

[@louisef1861]

And, of course, the American version failed, because they didn't understand what made Red Dwarf so great was the losers

[@NilMortifey]

@@louisef1861 It was written by a staff of writers who wrote a generic sitcom "in space" using the Red Dwarf setting and names but none of the characteristics or the weird scifi adventures from the original series. Lister and Rimmer were smart and handsome, the Cat was Terry Farrell (who went on to be Dax in DS9). It was rejected. Grant/Naylor were absolutely gobsmacked at the process. Later, during the second pilot (the Red Dwarf USA we have footage of), Grant, Naylor and Lewellyn rebelled and rewrote the script overnight. The cast and crew loved it, but the studio caught wind of it and insisted the original script be filmed. Again it wasn't picked up because it was generic

[@louisef1861]

@@NilMortifeyIt wasn't just generic, it was bad, and boring. It was boring because everything good about Red Dwarf was taken out, because they didn't think having your hero be a loser and a slob, etc, would work with an American audience. They needed to be good looking, perfect, good at their jobs, successful, etc. So they didn't understand what made Red Dwarf great was the characters, and that they weren't perfect. It didn't matter how many writers they had, it was that those writers didn't understand Red Dwarf.

[@SteveSmallMusic]

Yep, Americans WANT to see themselves in the lead character. Brits CAN see themselves in the lead character. That's what makes the characters endearing and ultimately relatable. The lead always 'winning' is not relateable, because in real life most of us don't win. We Brits don't relate to or look up to a wise cracking, universally liked guy, who is having an easy life and has everything going for him. We look up to and identify with the character who is like us. Most episodes in British comedy show the lead struggling to achieve something, but ultimately failing, often falling at the last hurdle. The struggle is the relatable and funny part. If the aim is achieved, it fails to be funny. All our best comedies follow this blueprint.

[@vaudevillian7]

Apologies in advance for the essay I think Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses is a bit of a wisecracker, but like most it’s not afraid to end on a sad or dark note. Coincidentally that was voted Britain’s no 1 sitcom and was written completely by one guy - John Sullivan. Some of the key differences also come from how the comedy is made, in the US it’s a product of the studio system, with an ever revolving large writer’s room, and it keeps going and going until the studio can’t milk any more out of it. In contrast in Britain the writer is the key figure, if they say they’re done after 12 episodes that’s it, it’s done (largely the same with dramas too) - usually there’s one or two writers (rarely much more than that) and then you get a clear vision of character and plot, which supports Stephen’s point. In the US system you get more people chipping in one liners. There’s also more of a tradition of writer-performers, there’s so many British comedies that a written by the person or people that are in them; in the US there is a bit of this and they tend to come from improv backgrounds, often Second City, or it’s a standup turning their material into a sitcom and the character usually shares their first name - but ultimately the series isn’t written by then. In the UK it’s mostly stand ups, but not necessarily, and the comedy they write is usually unconnected to their stage material. Those I can think of off the top of my head with writer-performers (excluding sketch shows). The Office Fawlty Towers The Royle Family (incredible groundbreaking show about a working class Manchester family) Early Doors (related to the above but set in a pub) Fleabag This Country Detectorists (sublime - written and directed by Mackenzie Crook from the U.K. Office) Spaced (Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes) People Just Do Nothing Getting On (this was adapted for US TV) Gavin and Stacey (written by James Corden and Ruth Jones) League of Gentlemen Inside No 9 (incredible bit of TV, not all comedy - it’s an anthology) Bottom Look Around You Extras Derek Ghosts (now adapted for the US but don’t think the cast write it there as they do in the UK) Dinnerladies Phoenix Nights (Peter Kay, his stand up is superb) Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan, the Alan Partridge character is a British icon) Saxondale (also Coogan) Marion and Geoff (Rob Brydon - who worked with Steve on The Trip) Man Down (Greg Davies - well worth checking out, we have several former teachers and doctors who are comics, Greg was a teacher) Nighty Night (Julia Davis) Human Remains (very dark but funny, by Rob Brydon and Julia Davies) There’s a few more but I think you get the idea Honourable mention is Blackadder as the cast especially Rowan, wrote quite a bit) There’s also some good videos looking at the UK and US versions of the Office to get a bit more of this in microcosm, and a look at the US version of the Inbetweeners - I think by the same channel, might be worth a look. Highly recommend QI too if you haven’t seen it for more Stephen, and the other staple of British comedy - the panel show. Happy to recommend some more there

[@lizvickers7156]

The British version of the office is the original so that's how it was made to be like that. If the American version was more optimistic then that's what Stephen Fry was on about.

[@MsClaudz]

Lol the ending ramble chat was hilaire 😂 JJ is getting funnier as he lets his guard down.

[@moonramshaw1982]

I like this guy. I will only subscribe to American reactors if they have some sort of knowledge. This man has loads. New subscriber. Best of luck with your channel m8. From Lancashire UK👍👍

[@TheCornishCockney]

The most recent smash hit comedy here in Britain was of course,The Inbetweeners,which showcases our heroes,whose failures are hilarious to us. The American comedy has to be positive and the good guy must ALWAYS win. There are many American stand ups I absolutely love,with George Carlin right at the top,but it’s British comedy all the way for me.

[@JJLAReacts]

Makes sense! Yeah, after recording this video I realize that I can't think of a single example of an American character doing the British style of comedy. The American characters seem to always have a little too much hope to really do the British thing.

[@vaudevillian7]

@@JJLAReactsI think Frasier is the nearest, Curb your Enthusiasm is similar, Always Sunny is a bit British, and course Veep but that’s almost entirely created and written by Brits

[@simonman3042]

Oh.. & Al Murray (A must!)

[@JJLAReacts]

thx

[@tm108332]

Re: The UK 'Office'- I think you'll find a lot of the UK audience felt it was excruciating to watch as well, like a slow-mo car crash in front of your eyes (my wife often left the room 5-10 minutes in to escape it). Perhaps a difference between the US and UK audience is that (for some reason) we (UK) embraced the discomfort... which might tie into the Stephen Fry narrative?

[@PaulK-ve1pu]

The only exception to Stephen's rule that I know of is Seinfeld. "No hugging, no learning" was Larry David's mantra. Which, I think, led to one of TV comedy's all time greats...George Costanza.

[@susantownsend8397]

I’ve been listening (again!) to Stephen Fry read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. My husband is watching (again!) all the seasons of Stephen Fry as Jeeves. These epitomize British humor.

[@johnkemp8904]

I have posted this comment on KZbin before concerning this video, but nonetheless I shall go ahead and post it again! The late actress Dame Diana Rigg many years ago assembled an amusing anthology gleaned from her many friends in the theatrical and cinematic professions of the very worst reviews that they had ever had in their careers. In her foreword to the book, she pointed out that although she had many friends in the USA, a relatively small number of them had volunteered any information on the basis that (it appeared to her) successful as you might have become later in life admission of any shortcoming was absolutely out of the question, whereas the British were quite delighted to admit to all sorts of appalling disasters earlier in their careers. US performers were included in the book, but very patchily!

[@ziggythedrummer]

I'm sure I have heard people use US comedy characters to describe someone - in particular those from Friends, The Big Bang Theory and Happy Days (alright, fair enough, only The Fonz with Happy Days!). Though those might have been British people and those are arguably three of the most popular US comedy TV shows over here! Other US comedy shows I've enjoyed include Mork & Mindy, Scrubs and Cheers. I can name a lot of others, but they never really grabbed me like the six I mentioned. Comedy MOVIES is another matter entirely.

[@antiqueinsider]

American founders were NOT escaping religious persecution! Time to check on your history (using non-US resources)

[@supalew]

A Stephen Fry quote:" They didn't go to escape persecution, they went to persecute".

[@ColmPadraig]

​@@supalew Stephen Fry's tribe always likes to subvert European history.

[@gazlator]

Stephen's comment on the fundamental American tradition coming out non-conformist/Puritanical belief in the trust that self-improvement is possible through learning from sermons & teachings surely makes sense to me. And that attitude is, by en large, very different to the English tradition.

[@simonman3042]

Great reaction John. These comedians/ Comedy shows will get you more subscribers.. Graham Norton show. Inbetweeners. Peep show. Jimmy Carr. Frankie Boyle. Peter Kay (Must) Ricky Gervais (Golden Globes) Sarah Millican. Lee Mack. Micky Flanagan. Ab Fab (Show) Les Dawson (Cissie & ada) Bernard Manning (Controversial) Try these for now!! 😁👍

[@JJLAReacts]

OMG, thank you! These are gems! I've only heard of three of them! Thanks!

[@SeeDaRipper...]

@@JJLAReacts And if you like it dark, try The League Of Gentlemen, Phsychoville or Inside No 9.

[@helenwood8482]

Just a little historical note. America was not founded by people fleeing religious persecution. The Pilgrim Fathers left England because the King had changed the law to stop them from persecuting Catholics.

[@mxnolis]

“Here’s YOUR daily dose of internet” u sound like that guy 😂 in a good way

[@allanheslop4493]

I’ve seen quite a few of your posts, I find you to be insightful with a little passion for knowledge keep posting

[@glastonbury4304]

More Stephen Fry please ...some with house would be good!

[@torlcean]

Really like your thoughtful reactions and considered responses when you feel the need to disagree. Subscribed!

[@JJLAReacts]

Thank you so much! Cheers to you! ❤️

[@rickybuhl3176]

2:00 I will always love the way he catches himself referring to the 'Higher Church' and quickly switches it to 'the rump' to remove any semblance of superiority or the implication that the US is somehow "lower" in that comparison. Not because there is any intention but merely in case it is perceived as such by the audience.

[@chuckjjohnston4568]

You should definitely check out "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" & "Toast of London".

[@TOYSTITCHER]

Intelligent and measured reaction…thank you 👍🤗

[@InkblotSatan]

The American comedy is “I’ve hit rock bottom, the only way is up” and the British comedy is “I’ve hit rock bottom, now I live here”

[@garethm3242]

Great react! The Floyd lyric was a nice touch - I knew immediately which line it was gunna be before you read it :) Yeah, as others have touched upon I feel like you've misinterpreted Stephen's initial point about the puritan "protestant" work ethic that was present in the founding fathers of America. I believe he meant that it was this that led to the psyche in the US that scripture/sermons/self help books etc are the route to a better life - and the very belief that life can be improved if we learn a system for it. Which just isn't in the psyche in UK/Ireland (I'm in N Ireland)

[@dr.zacking2097]

JJ, very interested to know your take....it's a good discussion for sure, picking some things out, and sure there will be some.....loving the reactions

[@dorianwylie9000]

just watch the uk version of red dwarf and then the american version.......I rest my case xD

[@delskioffskinov]

I have to say David brent's character for me is in the top 10 best comedic characters ever to grace british TV! I'm not into ricky's comedy after The Office but I do rate that character he played as genius lol!

[@JJLAReacts]

I 100% agree - it's a genius character!

[@blazednlovinit]

5:35 It's important to note that "The Office" was/is a British show which the US version was based on. So they're going to keep the dynamic more or less the same.

[@mairiconnell6282]

The David Brent character which makes the British one better than the American one. Is that we in Britain like to squirm with embarrassment.

[@petejones879]

That line was from Pink Floyd's song Time

[@simongeoghegan9842]

There are great character's in American comedies such as "coach"and others from my favorite tv show Cheer's!👍🇬🇧

[@JJ-of1ir]

The Plymouth Brethren were not persecuted. They were unable to tolerate the way protestants worshipped here in England. They did not like candles, or paintings in the churches, nor could they tolerate the priests wearing robes. They were Separatists and wanted to worship in their own way - away from everyone else. They were more severe than the most extreme Puritans. So they went to Holland, to Leiden mostly, where they held themselves apart from their new Dutch community. After twelve years or so they realised that their children were adopting more and more customs from the Dutch and they thought this would not do. It is ironic that they, who wanted the freedom to worship in the way they wanted, could not tolerate that freedom for other people - even if those people were their hosts. Anyway, they decided to return to England and sailed, in a ship bought from the Dutch, for Plymouth. They also decided not to wait until April, when the weather was generally safer to sail for the New World, but insisted on sailing in September - one of the most dangerous times of the year. They meant to go in two ships, the Mayflower and also the one they'd bought from the Dutch, but it was not seaworthy. They all clambered on the Mayflower in VERY cramped conditions and set sail for America. They were on board for about 66 days. At the end of those dreadful days, the Brethren still did not acknowledge the other passengers, but insisted on calling them 'Strangers'. How that could be when conditions were so cramped each man, woman and children had just six feet by three feet of space on board. There had been three births on board during the voyage and two deaths. The two months on board had been fraught and there had been a great deal of friction within the Plymouth Brethren themselves and a good deal more with the 'Strangers'. As the sight of land came into view, some realised that with no social structures, laws and customs laid down, they had to stay together to survive. They hastily drew up a contact. Which was a means of making sure, in a so called lawless land, that everyone was singing from the same hymn sheet - so to speak. They also found it wasn't the 'New World' to some, because native peoples were already living there with established, cohesive societies, and traditions of their own - as you know. They did not mean to sail to Cape Cod, they meant to head further south to an established settlement there. After their arrival they tried to sail further south to their original destination, but were driven back by the foul weather.

[@margaretflounders8510]

A brilliant true facts picture of what really happened..I felt I was there reading it! Congratulations, JJ-of1ir...

[@zeroxox777]

Remember the cultural origins of the American psyche. It WAS the British psyche, only instead of suffocating in its traditions it decided to split off for an adventure. So the developmental differences in psychology and commedy needs to be understood in relation to history since the 17th century, and we see an optimism and positive egoism (trying always to affirm and strengthen the self) in the US psyche and a pessimism and negative egoism (an egoism that criticises everything including itself) in the UK psyche. These have to reflect the two different social, cultural and environmental conditions and experiences between the two streams of human consciousness, for that's what a living population is - a collective human consciousness streeming and collecting and modifying through time. I think the reason why American's take on the sunny characteristics they do is that their golden age of freedom was a mere 250 years ago. Ours was tens of thousands of years ago, and we look at you with a mixture of longing and foreboding. You find in us something of your lost roots, but surely there must be a dark and sinister element in your apprehension of your mother culture in its state of disintegration and decay. The protestant ethic can't be used to explain the psychological and commedic differences because the UK was far more dominated by the protistant ethic in the victorian period then the US ever has been in it's life. That's certain.

[@prusila_]

Summed up by Rimmer in Red Dwarf! haha

[@IESVSCHRISTVSDOMINVSNOSTEREST]

Canadian comedy is a good compromise between the two. The main characters of Trailer Park Boys, for example, are all constantly being put down and set back but are always able to hold their own when facing opposition. They are both aspirational in personal qualities (loyalty, ingenuity, optimism, etc.) and embarrassing in how badly they fail. Where Blackadder is even a failure in personal character, betraying his friends and being unable to resist petty revenge even at the cost of everything else, Julian is a ride-or-die, he might con you if you are outside of his group, he may call you stupid even if it's not your fault but at the end of the day he will be by your side.

[@MantisEnergy]

I was watching Laurel and Hardy earlier, Hardy is much like a Hancock or a Fawlty, aspiring but failing to bring a bit of class.

[@etherealbolweevil6268]

Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie as Jeeves and Wooster.

[@martinsear5470]

A great example of this is the British sci fi sitcom Red Dwarf, a series about a group on a spaceship millions of miles from Earth. The main leads are losers the lowest ranked members of the crew. The lead character Dave Lister is a total slob with weeks old food stains on his clothes, he's overweight and not great with girls and uses sarcasm as a weapon. When the US decided to remake the show suddenly the main lead is a chiselled jawed stud muffin who wisecracks his way out of trouble. The US pilot never even aired and can be found online its fecking awful. The original show is so British its unreal and absolutely hilarious. You should check it out the humour becomes much broader from season 2 onwards as the first season is more of a comedy drama than a sitcom, enjoy.

[@garyballared2077]

bill hicks was like a british comic

[@helenwood8482]

Original sin is not much believed in here in the UK, but he's an Atheist, so it's not his field.

[@denisebell8422]

Only 2 American comedians made me laugh Joan Rivers & Robin Williams both brilliant 👏👏👏 ❤

[@deckofcards87]

Fry's totally spot-on. And the original American "wise crackin'" clown was Groucho Marx. Pure cheeky sarcasm, and he is a mastermind who out-smarts his opponents. The other Marx brothers aren't as smart as Groucho, but they also manage to succeed in life. Another good example is Bugs Bunny.

[@pipercharms7374]

I agree with him in the sense that US humour seems much lighter and theres usually a happy ending, while our humour is the opposite. Do you do recomdations? If your interested in languages I think this one about the english language is very interesting kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIDcn6WPba92eq8 as someone who is trying to learn Spanish, I always wondered why our words were quite similar.

[@JJLAReacts]

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out! I haven't done any language videos but maybe I will.

[@sladewilson9718]

Honestly the Office is a great example of a show that works in both Britain and America, both are absl brilliant and don’t feel like cheap adaptations👍🏽

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

Meh.. I don't agree. The Office will always be British. The American version is too forced

[@sladewilson9718]

@dcmastermindfirst9418 I think Michael scott is a little forced at times but you can't even deny Jim and Dwights relationship is pique😂👌🏽

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

@@sladewilson9718 Meh. The British version is way more iconic. Americans can't do awkward or irony.

[@ben-tendo]

Red Dwarf UK: "Three million years?! I've still got that library book!" Red Dwarf US: "Three million years?! My baseball cards must be worth a fortune!" Life on Mars UK: *Enters childhood record store* "I remember this... this was where I got my first record." Life on Mars US: *Enters childhood record store* "Imagine the money I could make on eBay!" US comedy comes from financial and personal wealth, UK comedy comes from being an underdog and sentimental.

[@Jee123123]

As a lot of people think the UK’s Monarchy is powerless and is just a figure head a good video to react to is “What Powers Does the Queen of England Actually Have?” by the channel “Today I Found Out” which now applies to King Charles

[@JJLAReacts]

Oh, yeah, I've always thought the Monarchy was to attract tourism. I'll have to check that out, thanks for suggesting!!!

[@AnOldEnglishBloke]

When you realise that Ricky Gervais' character in The Office was a parody of Ricky's real life, you'll understand why he is so awkward and desperate. There's a reason it is based in Slough, and is an office environment.

[@aucourant9998]

The main difference between the UK and the US versions of The Office is that the UK version is funny.

[@joealyjim3029]

It creeps into other areas of life too, you glorify the achiever while we glorify the underdog. When someone does really well in life they are celebrated in america, here they are mocked in a ‘oh look at Jim, i bet he thinks hes too good for us now’ way.

[@carolineskipper6976]

You say the US movie audience wants to see themselves in the main character - but so do the British. We see ourselves in the well meaning but flawed character on whom life craps continuously. In the US the audience sees the 'self they'd like to be' rther than the reality of who they actually are.

[@BusstterNutt]

I still say the last American sitcom with any real characters was MASH

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

This is why British humour is better and more relatable.

[@DruncanUK]

Something else that is an "American" thing....is having a therapist. Just not a thing in UK. I suppose they need a therapist after reading all those self-help books!

[@JJLAReacts]

Yeah, therapy is very popular here. Even more so in the past decade. Is there anything you'd like to tell me? Anything at all. I'm here for you. You can't control the situation but you can control your reaction. Oh, I'm sorry, looks like our time is up. That will be $3,000. Thank you!

[@JamesLMason]

You're completely correct that there are American equivalents. Louis CKs Horrace and Pete is exquisite.

[@milesdust3465]

Comedy comes from culture and not from the film-industry.

[@horatiomh]

Bill Burr is the closest current US comic who has the British style

[@daryl9434]

Perhaps if you are going to contradict the great Stephen Fry. And I do contend that in some instances, there might be the possibility where you could, in fact, be right. But one's argument holds better water if you sight definitive examples.

[@JJLAReacts]

Indeed. I couldn't think of any in the moment. But later I thought perhaps Tim and Eric? But as I'm typing this reply I realize, no, not Tim and Eric. I can think of no good example. None at all. But I'm not ready to admit that I'm wrong 😂

[@daryl9434]

@JJLAReacts At least you are halfway to admitting it. I would task you with further observational exercise. Check out some original and remake comedies for the UK-US. In every instance that I am aware of, they totally rework the style or formula, and it fails to succeed in almost all instances. The two I can think of are the aforementioned The Office and Shameless that didn't crash and burn. But I've never seen either version of the second, so I'll won't stake my case on that one, that this rule applies to it entirely. The pattern suggests it would be the extreme outlier, if so. But in the first instance, by the 2nd series or the US Office, they have almost totally abandoned the mockumentary style in favour of a more traditional sitcom format. This only increases as the show goes on. This then makes them somewhat incomparable to a certain degree, and any success it holds as irrelevant in the case of 'which is better'. There have been quite a number of remakes UK-US but virtually none of the reverse.

[@Mary-qw4to]

The office was really bad, I'm a Brit.

[@DK-cy5mt]

Agreed, I love British comedy, but I've always thought The Office was pure shite

[@sarablack2547]

The US office is based on the uk office so steve carell's character is going to be closer to brit humour.

[@karl9091]

For me M*A*S*H is the best non UK comedy series, it's ironic, has characters that put themselves down, blah blah.. all the UK type comedies traits, plus they killed off really popular characters... not seen that in any U.S. comedy...

[@helenjarvis7755]

Loved MASH when I was a teenager

[@davidmichael9034]

Your thoughts on UK v US The Office are true. But are you really not aware that Self Help is far, far bigger in the US?

[@lordtumbleweed4817]

To be fair, neither the British nor American versions of The Office were any good.

[@justneedalogin]

The pilgrims left to flee from religious persecution? On the contrary - the left Europe to seek a place where they can persecute others. They had a beef with the Catholic Church because they didn’t like the way the Catholics run things. They fled England and settled in the even-back-then-very-liberal Netherlands - from where they “fled” again because of the permissive and tolerant Dutch way of life. Do they really teach you that the pilgrims basically had to flee for their lives and that’s why they crossed the Atlantic in ships made out of wood? 😂 Wow. Just wow.

[@dalbhuie_youtubeaddedanumber]

It's a myth that the founding fathers, moved to America to have religious freedom and escape persecution. They had the rite to practise thier religon in the Uk and indeed across Europe. They moved there with the intent of practisong thier religion and as demonstrated by thier actions once established, to persecute all others who did not follow thier bielfs. It was not to be free to practise, it was to be free to only practise thiers and deny all others.

[@JJLAReacts]

Excellent points! Yeah, I think in the video I made it seem like I thought the Puritans were the victims, but I don't. Thanks for watching!

[@panchopuskas1]

Modern British humour relies heavily on "awkward" situations......cringe......it's the Oh God, is this happening scene ? American humour is changing and, as you point out, it's beginning to go the same way......Family Guy is probably the best example... .

[@kaylabradburyliggett]

You should watch "The Inbetweeners UK vs The Inbetweeners USA- JackW Reviews" you can see the difference between the comedy in each country the American version is terrible, but when it comes to The Office many British people agree that the American office is better than the British

[@mikegeorge7824]

I don't. The British version was extremley carefully and cleverly constructed, when one first watches it, it could be a serious documentary. It perfectly illustrates what Fry was saying; the British loser, desperately trying to better himself, and failing miserably.

[@Ffinity]

I certainly don't agree about The Office. The original was believable, sharp and left you wanting more. The remake was clearly a sitcom and ran too long.

[@House0fHoot]

The original UK Office is miles superior to the US version! The US version is generic American cringe fluff.

[@free..to..air..]

Comedy is subjective..what is funny to some people..isnt to others..there have been funny American comedy sit coms in the past..and unfunny British comedies of years ago..and vice versa...depends on temperement and internal prejudice...All i can say is that the humour of both countries was free of the restrictions of todays wokist dogma..where taboos are in place to prevent free flowing expression of all things worthy of comic interpretation..a sad fact of modern so called comedy

[@ewok_soup]

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you look like sebastian stan playing a terminally ill character

[@petefluffy7420]

You're right you know, comedians DO come from the entertainment industry. duh

[@josefschiltz2192]

Hm. Actually Stephen, I would say that the one who smashes the guitar and thinks that he is great is the failure.

[@darkblondewatch8652]

only fools and horses

[@patmanchester8045]

This is a gross over simplification; but the Brits are pessimistic and therefor things can't get any worse. (I'm so far down, it looks like up to me.) The US believes things HAVE to be good so we have to keep driving toward that unattainable best. Who has the more contented life?

[@leodurkin8539]

Steven fry is a bell end

[@jackwhitbread4583]

Since you're on Stephen Fry I'd love if you could react to some of the religious debates he has participted in

[@davidware9549]

You should check out the pilot episode for only fools and horses our greatest comedy show and then watch the really bad pilot of the American version kings of van nuys who ever wrote the script and done the casting ain’t got a clue cause it’s hella crap so glad that the chief of ABC is a huge fan of the British not fools and horse he said hell no are we buying that trash British comedy is the best when someone can make you laugh we their face expressions but I not seen one American comic that can make me that laugh with their face just like Laurel and hardy which I love and are my fav comedy duo it’s was so funny cause it was mostly British comedy even tho it was a American show but stan Laurel wrote most of it and he was British so I humour was all that show