[General] British humour?

[Mrs Irons]

The British people have always claimed to have a unique sense of humour. Indeed, we may catch a glimpse of Brit. humour through the widely popular British sitcoms such as Yes, Minister, Yes, Prime Minister, Black Adder, Little Britain, Not Going Out. But sometimes British humour is lost on people from elsewhere. I wonder if there are any distinctive linguistic features of British houmour? I mean, apart from the culture-specific content that may most likely betray the 'nationality' of a joke. So, what do you think makes a specific humourous line British?

Also, if you know any books or online information on the topic, please provide a link here. Thanks so much!

[Offroad]

I am also a fan of the English sense of humour.

Click to see my suggestion

[Mrs Irons]

Thank you for the link to this wonderful website.

Well, I am actually working on my graduation thesis proposal about British humour. It's been a difficult job, as I haven't found enough analytical information, and I'm kind of stuck in the methodology...

Being a big fan of British humour, you must have watched quite a number of British sitcoms. What's your interpretation of British humour? What do you think differentiates it from other types of humour, say, American, Brazilian?