--- title: Ricky Gervais: The Difference Between American and British Humour description: Apart from the spelling of the word, obviously canonical: https://time.com/3720218/difference-between-american-british-humour/ author: Ricky Gervais article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2011-11-09T14:34:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:05:47.597Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Ricky Gervais: The Difference Between American and British Humour og:description: Apart from the spelling of the word, obviously og:url: https://time.com/3720218/difference-between-american-british-humour/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt597fecb915fb1122/698780b335ba6fff5dc073cd/auntitled-1.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 600 og:image:height: 338 og:image:alt: auntitled-1 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ricky Gervais: The Difference Between American and British Humour twitter:description: Apart from the spelling of the word, obviously twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt597fecb915fb1122/698780b335ba6fff5dc073cd/auntitled-1.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Difference Between American and British Humour > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=889a8151-104d-4167-a2a8-116dce7e41f0&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 10 Questions for Ricky Gervais [Watch (HLS stream): 10 Questions for Ricky Gervais](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xUbIPBDl.m3u8) (9:55)  _Published 2007-12-05. Watch comedian and executive producer of The Office Ricky Gervais talk about Steve Carell, Gary Shandling and Richard Lewis_  by [Ricky Gervais](https://time.com/author/ricky-gervais/)  ## Ricky Gervais Nov 9, 2011 2:34 PM UTC  Left; NBC: Everett  by [Ricky Gervais](https://time.com/author/ricky-gervais/)  ## Ricky Gervais Nov 9, 2011 2:34 PM UTC It’s often dangerous to generalize, but under threat, I would say that Americans are more “down the line.” They don’t hide their hopes and fears. They applaud ambition and openly reward success. Brits are more comfortable with life’s losers. We embrace the underdog until it’s no longer the underdog. We like to bring authority down a peg or two. Just for the hell of it. Americans say, “have a nice day” whether they mean it or not. Brits are terrified to say this. We tell ourselves it’s because we don’t want to sound insincere but I think it might be for the opposite reason. We don’t want to celebrate anything too soon. Failure and disappointment lurk around every corner. This is due to our upbringing. Americans are brought up to believe they can be the next president of the United States. Brits are told, “It won’t happen for you.” There’s a received wisdom in the U.K. that Americans don’t get irony. This is of course not true. But what is true is that they don’t use it all the time. It shows up in the smarter comedies but Americans don’t use it as much socially as Brits. We use it as liberally as prepositions in every day speech. We tease our friends. We use sarcasm as a shield and a weapon. We avoid sincerity until it’s absolutely necessary. We mercilessly take the piss out of people we like or dislike basically. And ourselves. This is very important. Our brashness and swagger is laden with equal portions of self-deprecation. This is our license to hand it out. This can sometimes be perceived as nasty if the recipients aren’t used to it. It isn’t. It’s play fighting. It’s almost a sign of affection if we like you, and ego bursting if we don’t. You just have to know which one it is. I guess the biggest difference between the U.S. version and the U.K. version of _The Office_ reflected this. We had to make Michael Scott a slightly nicer guy, with a rosier outlook to life. He could still be childish, and insecure, and even a bore, but he couldn’t be too mean. The irony is of course that I think David Brent’s dark descension and eventual redemption made him all the more compelling. But I think that’s a lot more palatable in Britain for the reasons already stated. Brits almost expect doom and gloom so to start off that way but then have a happy ending is an unexpected joy. Network America has to give people a reason to like you not just a reason to watch you. In Britain we stop watching things like _Big Brother_ when the villain is evicted. We don’t want to watch a bunch of idiots having a good time. We want them to be as miserable as us. America rewards up front, on-your-sleeve niceness. A perceived wicked streak is somewhat frowned upon. Recently I have been accused of being a shock comic, and cruel and cynical. This is of course almost solely due to a few comments I made as host of last year’s Golden Globes. But nothing could be further from the truth. I never actively try to offend. That’s churlish, pointless and frankly too easy. But I believe you should say what you mean. Be honest. No one should ever be offended by truth. That way you’ll never have to apologize. I hate it when a comedian says, “Sorry for what I said.” You shouldn’t say it if you didn’t mean it and you should never regret anything you meant to do. As a comedian, I think my job isn’t just to make people laugh but also make them think. As a famous comedian, I also want a strict door policy on my club. Not everyone will like what I say or find it funny. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. There are enough comedians who try to please everyone as it is. Good luck to them, but that’s not my game, I’m afraid. I’m not one of those people who think that comedy is your conscience taking a day off. My conscience never takes a day off and I can justify everything I do. There’s no line to be drawn in comedy in the sense that there are things you should never joke about. There’s nothing that you should never joke about, but it depends what that joke is. Comedy comes from a good or a bad place. The subject of a joke isn’t necessarily the target of the joke. You can make jokes about race without any race being the butt of the joke. Racism itself can be the butt, for example. When dealing with a so-called taboo subject, the angst and discomfort of the audience is what’s under the microscope. Our own preconceptions and prejudices are often what are being challenged. I don’t like racist jokes. Not because they are offensive. I don’t like them because they’re not funny. And they’re not funny because they’re not true. They are almost always based on a falsehood somewhere along the way, which ruins the gag for me. Comedy is an intellectual pursuit. Not a platform. As for cynicism, I don’t care for it much. I’m a romantic. From _The Office_, and _Extras_ to _The Invention Of Lying_ and _Cemetery Junction_, goodness and sweetness, honour and truth, love and friendship always triumph. For me, humanity is king. Oh and for the record I’d rather a waiter say, “Have a nice day” and not mean it, than ignore me and mean it. _Read next:_ [_10 Rules You Need to Know to Communicate Effectively_](http://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ### See the Best Impressions on Saturday Night Live  Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child in 1978. Edie Baskin—Warner Bros./Archive Photos/Getty Images  Dan Aykroyd as President Richard Nixon in 1978. Fred Hermansky—NBC/Getty Images  Dana Carvey as Ross Perot in 1993. Raymond Bonar—NBC/Getty Images  Norm MacDonald as David Letterman in 1997. Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  From left: Molly Shannon as Monica Lewinsky and John Goodman as Linda Tripp in 1998. Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  From left: Jimmy Fallon as Michael Stipe and Ana Gasteyer as Celine Dion in 1998. Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery in 2000. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek in 2002. Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  Maya Rudolph as Donatella Versace Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  Alec Baldwin as Tony Bennett in 2005. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  From left: Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton and Will Ferrell as Janet Reno in 2007. NBC/Getty Images  Will Farrell as President George W. Bush in 2008. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  From left: Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Senator Hillary Clinton in 2008. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Kristen Wiig as Liza Minnelli in 2012. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Kenan Thompson as Rev. Al Sharpton on Oct. 25, 2014. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Kevin Hart as James Brown on Jan. 17, 2015. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Kate McKinnon as Justin Bieber on Jan. 17, 2015. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ## Transcript >> We're here with Ricky Gervais, and we are asking him questions submitted by the readers of Time Magazine and time. com. So, Ricky, hear the questions. >> Well, I will hear them. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Cool. >> I'm not gonna rag on this guy, but Dave Collins in Melbourne has submitted-- I don't even know how this softball made it through the internet. Ricky, what's the worst thing about being the funniest man on Earth? >> See, I can't criticize discerning gentlemen like that. He's obviously got taste. Well, what's his name again? >> Dave. >> Well, Dave, the worst thing about being the funniest man on Earth is that very few people on that planet agree with you. That's the thing about comedy. People say out to me, " Oh god, you know. Everyone loves The Office ." Well, no, I don't. No, I don't. Now more people hate The Office than like it obviously. Luckily, you don't need everyone on the planet to like you. So you know, you do your comedy for you and like- minded people. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And some people don't find me beautiful, which is-- yeah-- >> Uh huh. -[ unk ] it? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> I find that surprising. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So obviously I've got a nose like Karl Malden; crooked, green teeth; fat little face; but they don't see me as I do. In my head, I look a bit like Brad Pitt. >> Uh huh. >> I do. I'm walking down the street thinking, " Yeah, oh yeah ." And then I get a reflection, I go, " Awful ." You've got the whole town down [ unk ]. >> Okay. Nicole from Houston. How did you change The Office to fit an American audience? What types of gags were left on the cutting room floor? >> Well, the correct answer is I didn't change it to fit an American audience. They did. Initially, they wanted it [ unk ] Steven to direct it, and at one point, they thought I could play the new David Brent, which I thought was bizarrely pointless. >> We purposely didn't get too involved because we thought it should be made by Americans for Americans. And so after the initial meetings, when we worked out what they [ unk ] was, and you know, what-- why David Brent was a funny person, and it was-- after the first season, all there [ unk ] work. And also those little citizens of the-- they were better at their job. They were still more dynamic. And I thought, well, American offices are more dynamic than English offices. You know, you could survive-- you can retire in England having not done anything. You just keep your head down and you will not be discovered. And America's have got whiter teeth. I think Steve Carell is brilliant. I mean, just the funniest, hardest working person in TV, in Hollywood. And now he's a megastar, and I think he's earned over two billion dollars since we've been sitting here. But [ unk ] a nicer bloke. >> But you get 70 percent. >> I get 70 percent of all his earnings until he's sixty. >> Uh huh. >> And then he faces out-- those down until he dies. >> Rodney Rice. Why did you end the original Office after only two short seasons? >> We put everything into it. It's so dense, you know. It's a big, thick meat sandwich-- The Office. And you know, we wanted it to be like that because we wanted to do a comedy that was as good on the tenth viewing as on the first. So we really packed in everything and we tried to, you know, absolutely put everything we had into it. And also, it became a franchise anyway. You know, The Office, it's still showing in like in its original format in 90 countries. >> What would you care to say about the quality of the jokes in the German Office? >> Well, from-- it's a bit controversial actually because they did it without asking us and then denied it was based on it, and it was like ridiculous. And then they went, okay, it may be a bit like yours. And they handed over the marks. >> Uh huh. >> Yeah. But he's a-- it looked very good. Obviously, I couldn't understand what they were saying, but it did, you know, it looked great. >> And who wouldn't be funny in German? So I'm sure-- >> Right. >> it's absolutely fine. >> Racist. >> It's not racist. That's a historically accurate anti- nationalism. >> It's not-- it's not German to take something that wasn't theirs. You made me do it though. >> Whatever. Tom Hale, New York City. It's grammatically incorrect. I'll read it anyway. Who would fire who? David Brent or Michael Scott? >> I love it. You pulled up someone on their drama. Poor bloke. >> I expect the " m" [ unk ]. >> Right. Now, read it as it should be-- read it as it should be read. Go on. >> I did-- Who would fire who? That's what he says. It's whom --" Who would fire whom" is the correct-- >> Yeah. I know. >> Yeah, who would fire whom? >> Yeah. That did-- >> David Brent or Michael Scott? >> Why did you embarrass him? Why didn't you pretend you wrote that? >> I should have pretended. But I don't know Tom Hale. >> Who would fire who? Oh, I think Michael Scott would fire Brent. I think Michael Scott is probably slightly better at his job than David Brent. It's quite an interesting question actually because the English office, they're bigger losers I think. It's slightly more existential than the American one. And not too many good things can happen to the English-- the English lot. And then again, that is a direct parallel between our two nations. Americans grow up to believe they can become the next president of the United States. British people totally grow up [ unk ]. You know, it's-- You love success. We sort of look-- at success, we sort of like, oh well done, then we go. That-- how did they get their money? You know, don't leave your Rolls Royce out on the street because it'd be scratched. >> Your review with Gary Shandling was notoriously awkward. What do you think the problem was? Were you disappointed with the results? >> No, I loved it. I enjoyed the day and I-- we left-- we left it all in because it was-- that was the real me and then it-- and it-- it really went like that. I don't know why I said this. I was nervous about meeting him, okay, and I knew I shouldn't have [ unk ] up. But I pointed out either to be like Bingo from the Banana Splits. And then, I see he didn't know who that was. And then I even got one of his assistants to go in and print out a picture of [ unk ] and I went, oh-- I said-- and I go-- I said, " Oh, this is really insulting, isn't it ?" He went some of that-- He went, " Well, that would be insulting ." And I thought it was just a ridiculous thing for him to be able to do. I say, " You know, man, you look like one of the banana splits ." And then compounded by sharing my picture of what is the weirdest looking animal type thing that's ever existed and saying he looked like that. And he's a hero of mine, so I apologize. Am I boring you? >> Yeah. >> He's doing this? >> Yeah. You didn't see me just-- >> I'm boring me. >> You didn't see me just-- >> Can you edit this and make me look articulate? >> No, no, no. We don't have editing equipment. >> Okay. I mean, I know for a fact you will point out any grammatical mistakes. >> Come on. Yes, that is actually true. Gina, in Cape Town, how did it feel to win an Emmy and not be at the ceremony? >> I felt a little bit disappointed actually. I couldn't-- I couldn't make it. I was playing the Albert Hold. And I really didn't think we'd win. But I'm glad I wasn't there in the sense that Steve Carell's acceptance, it was just the best I've ever seen in an awards ceremony, the way he ran up like he'd won. And he just lost. And to do that was great. Won an Emmy last year for the American Office and I went-- and I'm at the luxury lounge with my girlfriend. It was the first time we've-- we going round there. All the Sopranos were there with Helen Mirren. And then I was like-- we were all good at first. Then you know, I can't go round-- was like millionaires walking around getting free sunglasses. I got over there and I got these really lovely pair, and I was trying them on. They were sort of big and glamorous and I thought, " Yeah, I look pretty good. Maybe a bit like Elvis ." And I heard a voice behind me go, " You've gotta be [ unk ] kidding me. You look like a gay ant ." And it was Richard Lewis. Why would we say that to me? I mean, I-- Why would he say that? I thought I looked great. And I went-- I went dammit. [ unk ] that right? Can I please? I took them. >> I see that's Richard Lewis now. He's been wearing the same thing-- >> I know. >> for forty years. >> I'm the queen of the nest, you know. >> and then-- >> Oh, not-- >> Can I see? And he tried to look them. Oh what? I realized I'm on camera. That's so rude. Sorry. I was-- You know, that was sort of [ unk ] with it, you know. >> Right, [ unk ]. >> And I'm not-- well, I can't get away with this 'cause this is being filmed. No [ unk ]. >> Yes. >> It's [ unk ]. >> Yeah, that's great. Why don't we lock the doors as we [ unk ]? Do that [ unk ] for that-- >> Oh, dear. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3720218/difference-between-american-british-humour/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3720218/difference-between-american-british-humour/"},"headline":"The Difference Between American and British Humour","datePublished":"2011-11-09T14:34:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:05:47.597Z","description":"Apart from the spelling of the word, obviously","url":"https://time.com/3720218/difference-between-american-british-humour/","keywords":["Humor","society","golden globes","Ricky Gervais"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt597fecb915fb1122/698780b335ba6fff5dc073cd/auntitled-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ricky Gervais","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ricky-gervais/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt597fecb915fb1122/698780b335ba6fff5dc073cd/auntitled-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"auntitled-1","caption":"","creditText":"Left; NBC: Everett","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/humor/","name":"Humor"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3720218/difference-between-american-british-humour/","name":"The Difference Between American and British Humour"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Questions for Ricky Gervais About the TIME 100","description":"In 2010, RIcky Gervais was listed on the TIME 100 most influential people in the world. 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