{"id":5432,"date":"2021-02-22T16:35:31","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T16:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/?p=5432"},"modified":"2025-10-06T14:57:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T13:57:14","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-british-humour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-british-humour\/","title":{"rendered":"What do you need to know about British humour?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Brits are famous for many things. First, there\u2019s the language, which is spoken throughout the world. And everybody knows every Brit loves a <a href=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/attractions\/afternoon-tea\/afternoon-tea-sightseeing-tour-with-pg-tips\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=british_humour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hot cup of tea<\/a>. Then, of course, there\u2019s culture and entertainment like the Premier League, <a href=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/tours\/london-tours\/harry-potter-studio-tour-london\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=british-humour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Harry Potter<\/a> and Dr Who. But if there\u2019s one thing the British are especially proud of, it\u2019s their sense of humour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>British humour can often be <a href=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/travel-guide\/out-of-london-guide\/60-english-idioms-and-phrases-to-learn-before-visiting-the-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">misunderstood by non-Brits<\/a>. Sometimes, it\u2019s hard to tell whether they&#8217;re actually joking. And some people are astounded by their ability to find comedy in just about every situation, even miserable ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So, what are the fundamentals of British humour? Here&#8217;s a wrap:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brits like to laugh at themselves<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Being mildly offensive can be a sign of closeness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brits love sarcasm and irony<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The British find humour in everything<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn about the Great British pun<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Just for a laugh, let\u2019s look at why the British sense of humour is so widely revered. Read on as we explain everything!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brits like to laugh at themselves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the UK, you can\u2019t take yourself too seriously. Brits love to laugh at their own flaws and make light of their failures. It\u2019s this self-deprecating humour that makes them seem more approachable, humble and relatable. Embarrassing moments, awkward encounters and clumsiness are all considered funny in Britain. So, the next time you slip up in the UK, turn it into a joke. There\u2019s no need to let misery drag you down when you can laugh instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/laugh-at-themselves.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/laugh-at-themselves.jpg 800w, https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/laugh-at-themselves-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/laugh-at-themselves-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/laugh-at-themselves-270x180.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Being mildly offensive can be a sign of closeness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When we say offensive, we don\u2019t mean downright vulgar. But the British certainly like to happily \u2018offend\u2019 those close to them with witty, tongue-in-cheek remarks. In fact, when a Brit throws a light-hearted insult your way, it\u2019s a sign you\u2019ve earned their respect. If you make a mistake and somebody responds with \u201cWell, that was clever!\u201d, there\u2019s no need to be alarmed. It\u2019s all in the name of fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brits love sarcasm and irony<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Brits would disagree. The British use sarcasm and irony in such a way that it can be hard to tell whether they&#8217;re joking or not. But if a statement is made with a deadpan delivery followed by a cheeky grin, you\u2019ve probably just heard a classic example of British humour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/irony_British.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/irony_British.jpg 800w, https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/irony_British-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/irony_British-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The British find humour in everything<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s true that they can laugh at just about any situation. Making jokes is like a form of medicine in the UK. Watch just about any <a href=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/16-best-british-comedy-series-to-learn-about-british-culture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">British comedy<\/a>, and you\u2019ll notice there\u2019s rarely a happy ending. Instead, they like to laugh at unfortunate situations. That\u2019s why there\u2019s so much misfortune and failure in their comedy TV shows. They like to think they&#8217;re realists. Misery can\u2019t always be avoided, so it might as well be laughed at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/UK_Joke.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/UK_Joke.jpg 800w, https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/UK_Joke-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/UK_Joke-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/UK_Joke-270x180.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Great British pun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Who doesn\u2019t enjoy hearing a good pun from time to time? <a href=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/tours\/day-tours-from-london\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=british-humour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">In the UK<\/a>, people love puns so much that they have an <a href=\"https:\/\/comedy-festival.co.uk\/events\/the-uk-pun-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">annual UK Pun Championship<\/a>. A pun is essentially a joke that uses the different meanings of a word or similar-sounding words for humour. For example: \u201cLast week I pulled a muscle. I\u2019m now banned from the aquarium.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brits are famous for many things, especially their witty sense of humour. So, what are the fundamentals of British humour? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[607,1330,1329,1858,1108,1840],"tags":[781,870],"class_list":{"0":"post-5432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-culture","8":"category-british-culture","9":"category-british-history","10":"category-fun-facts","11":"category-travel","12":"category-travel-tips","13":"tag-british-culture","14":"tag-british-humour"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What do you need to know about British humour? | Evan Evans Tours<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"British humour can often be misunderstood by non-Brits. Let\u2019s look at why the Brits&#039; sense of humour is so widely revered.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-british-humour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What do you need to know about British humour? | Evan Evans Tours\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"British humour can often be misunderstood by non-Brits. 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