logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
36m 40s

What is British humour anyway?

THE LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS
About this episode
Anglophiles abroad love the British sense of humour – but what does that actually mean? In a recent review for the paper, Jonathan Coe takes a scalpel to the satire boom and its aftermath to find out what, if anything, sets British comedy apart. He joins Malin for a serious chat about comedy and its double-edged role in the UK’s political life. Further readi ... Show More
Up next
Mar 4
Caravaggio’s Bodies
In the 1590s, Caravaggio was one of ‘the swaggering, violent young men who terrorised Romans’, Erin Maglaque wrote recently in the LRB, and he ‘made his name by painting this violent, chaotic world’. On this episode, Erin joins Thomas Jones to discuss the ways that Caravaggio rep ... Show More
43m 56s
Feb 25
On Politics: The Rearmament Consensus
‘We must build our hard power because that is the currency of the age,’ Keir Starmer declared to the Munich Security Conference earlier this month. It’s a sentiment shared across Europe, where leaders have cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the rise of Chinese power and US insta ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 18
Early Modern News
‘Information in the early modern world could move no faster than the bodies that carried it,’ John Gallagher wrote recently in the LRB. For a horse and rider, that was just under fifteen kilometres per hour. Yet postal systems, as pioneered by the enterprising Tassis family, were ... Show More
45m 3s
Recommended Episodes
May 2017
447. What is this, British Humour? (with Amber Minogue)
<p>What is British Humour? Is it funny? Does it even exist? How does it relate to our communication style and culture? In this episode I go through the main points of my British Council Teacher Talk about British Humour. Amber and I discuss the definition of British humour, the w ... Show More
1h 26m
Jul 2022
Bitesize Episode 40 - The Diary of a British Comedian
📝 Get FREE Episode Worksheet 🧐 Take English Level Test 👄 Improve Your Pronunciation Charlie gives you a sample of a book that he has recently read by a British comedian called James Acaster. This book covers all bases. It includes loads of intermediate to advanced British Engl ... Show More
26m 8s
May 2024
882. 47 "Funny" Country Jokes, Explained 🌍 😂 Learn English with Humour
<p>Here's a list of jokes about different countries which I found on the website Bored Panda. I'll tell you the jokes and then explain them all (dissecting the frog), including any homophones, double meanings or specific cultural references. Can you "get" the jokes? Do you find a ... Show More
1h 31m