British comedy

2025-07-18T20:39:12Z

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In [[Cinema of the United Kingdom|film]], [[Television in the United Kingdom|television]], [[Theatre of the United Kingdom|theatre]], and [[Radio in the United Kingdom|radio]], British comedy has produced some of the most renowned characters in the world. In it, [[satire]] is one of the features of [[British humour]]. [[Radio comedy]] in Britain has been almost exclusively hosted on the [[BBC]].

==History==
{{Quote box
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| quote = "[Pulcinella] went down particularly well with [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration British]] audiences, fun-starved after years of [[Puritanism]]. We soon changed Punch's name, transformed him from a marionette to a hand puppet, and he became, really, a spirit of Britain - a subversive maverick who defies authority, a kind of puppet equivalent to our political cartoons."
| source = —[[Punch and Judy]] showman Glyn Edwards<ref name="British seaside">{{cite news|title=Punch and Judy around the world|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/7949781/Punch-and-Judy-around-the-world.html|agency=The Telegraph|date=11 June 2015}}</ref>
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British [[comedy]] history is measured in centuries. [[Shakespeare]] incorporated many chase scenes and beatings into his comedies, such as in his play ''[[The Comedy of Errors]]''. [[Punch and Judy]] made their first recorded appearance in Britain in 1662, when Samuel Pepys noted a "pretty" puppet play being performed in [[Covent Garden|Covent Garden, London]].<ref name="British seaside"/> The various episodes of Punch and Judy are dominated by the anarchic clowning of Mr. Punch.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mr Punch celebrates 350 years of puppet anarchy|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17895716|agency=BBC|date=11 June 2015}}</ref>

[[Satire]] has been a major feature of comedy in the [[British Isles]] for centuries. The pictorial satire of [[William Hogarth]] was a precursor to the development of [[political cartoons]] in 18th-century Britain<ref name="Press">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwzWAAAAMAAJ|title=The Political Cartoon|first=Charles|last=Press|year=1981|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press|page=34|isbn=9780838619018}}</ref> The medium developed under the direction of [[James Gillray]] from London, who has been referred to as the father of the political cartoon.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |date=18 June 2015 |title=Satire, sewers and statesmen: why James Gillray was king of the cartoon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/mar/21/satire-sewers-and-statesmen-james-gillray-king-of-cartoon |agency=The Guardian}}</ref>

In early 19th-century Britain, [[pantomime]] acquired its present form, which includes [[slapstick]] comedy and featured the first mainstream clown, [[Joseph Grimaldi]], while comedy routines also featured heavily in British [[music hall]] theatre which became popular in the 1850s.<ref>David Christopher (2002). "British Culture: An Introduction". p. 74. Routledge,</ref><ref>Jeffrey Richards (2014). "The Golden Age of Pantomime: Slapstick, Spectacle and Subversion in Victorian England". I.B.Tauris,</ref> British comedians who honed their skills at pantomime and music hall sketches include [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Stan Laurel]], [[George Formby]], and [[Dan Leno]].<ref name="Karno"/><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/enjoy_cumbria/famous_people/stan_laurel.shtml "Enjoy Cumbria – Stan Laurel"]. BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2015</ref> The music hall comedian and theatre impresario [[Fred Karno]] developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin and Laurel were among the young comedians who worked for him as part of "Fred Karno's Army".<ref name="Karno">McCabe, John. "Comedy World of Stan Laurel". p. 143. London: Robson Books, 2005, First edition 1975</ref>

==Theatre==
{{See|Harold Pinter Theatre}}
==Film comedy==
{{See|British comedy films}}

==Radio==
Radio comedy in Britain has been almost exclusively the preserve of the [[BBC]]. In the 1940s and 1950s, [[Variety show|variety]] dominated the schedules, and popular series included ''[[ITMA|It's That Man Again]]'' and ''[[Much Binding in the Marsh]]''. In the 1950s, the BBC was running ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]'' starring [[Tony Hancock]]. ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was later transferred to television.

One of the notable radio shows was the [[double entendre]]-laden ''[[Round the Horne]]'' (1965–1968), a sequel to the earlier series ''[[Beyond Our Ken]]'', which ran from 1959 to 1964.

Later radio shows made use of the panel game format, including the long-running ''[[Just a Minute]]'' (1967–), ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'' (1972–), and ''[[The News Quiz]]'' (1977–), which often broadcast a dozen of so episodes a year.

==Television==
Following the success of ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]'' and ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'', [[sitcom|sitcoms]] became a part of some television schedules. The [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] has generally been dominant in [[television comedy]], but the commercial stations have also had some successes. Other formats have also been popular, such as with [[Sketch comedy|sketch shows]], [[stand-up comedy]], [[impressionist (entertainment)|impressionists]], and [[Puppetry|puppet shows]].

Notable [[satirical]] comedies are the 1960s series ''[[That Was The Week That Was]]'', the 1980s series ''[[Not the Nine O'Clock News]]'', and [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s puppet show ''[[Spitting Image]]''. The show of the 1980s and early 1990s, ''[[Spitting Image]]'', was a satire of politics, entertainment, sport, and [[British culture]] of the era, and at its peak, it was watched by 15 million people.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/arts/pictures/0,,1444231,00.html?redirection=gallery "Spitting Image"]. The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2015</ref> British satire has also gone over into [[List of U.K. game shows|quiz shows]]; popular examples include the news quiz ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'', ''[[8 out of 10 cats]]'', and ''[[Shooting Stars (British TV series)|Shooting Stars]]''.

In the 1980s, [[alternative comedy]] was spearheaded by [[Ben Elton]] and [[The Comic Strip]] group, which included [[Alexei Sayle]], [[Rik Mayall]], and [[French and Saunders]]. The 1990s and 2000s also have those that have used [[editing]], [[surreal humour]], and cultural references to great effect.

==See also==
* [[British Comedy Guide]]
* [[List of British comedians]]
* [[British Comedy Awards]]
* [[British humour]]
* [[British sitcom]]
* [[List of U.K. game shows]]
* [[List of BBC sitcoms]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation |last=Quirk |first=Sophie |year=2018 |title=The Politics of British Stand-up Comedy: The New Alternative |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-3-030-01104-8}}
{{refend}}

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[[Category:British comedy| ]]
[[Category:British humour]]
[[Category:Culture of the United Kingdom]]

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British comedy