‘British humour’ is a term frequently used but seldom clearly described and understood by the general public. This course ‘British TV Comedy’ intends to introduce students the characteristics and techniques of so-called ‘British humour’, and through detailed analysis of specific TV comedy series, the brief history and development of contemporary British TV comedy will be introduced and related to the tradition of British comedy.
Carpenter, Humphrey. A Great, Silly Grin: The British Satire Boom of the 1960s. London: Da Capo Press, 2000.
Fox, Kate. Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2005.
Gray, Jonathan. Satire TV: Politics and Comedy in the Post-Network Era. New York: New York University Press, 2009.
Lockyer, Sharon. Reading Little Britain: Comedy Matters on Contemporary Television: Yeah But Groundbreaking TV Comedy. London: I B Tauris & Co, 2010.
Miberg, Doris. The Art of the Screwball Comedy: Madcap Entertainment from the 1930s to Today. Jefferson NC: McFarland & Co, 2012.
Moreall, John. Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor. London: Wiley-Blackwell, 2005.
Wagg, Stephan. Because I Tell a Joke or Two: Comedy, Politics and Social Difference. London: Routledge, 1998.
Walters, Ben. The Office. London: BFI, 2005.
Week 1 Introduction
Week 2-3 Sketch: Pythonesque
Week 4-5 Sitcom: Period Comedy
Week 6 Study Week Tutorials
Week 7-8 Mockumentary: Rudeness & Embarrassment
Week 9 Mockumentary: Political Comedy
Week 10 Mockumentary: Absurd Reality
Week 11 Sketch: Excessive Nuisance
Week 12 Sketch & More
Week 13 Sitcom: Not Moderate Anymore!
Week 14 Comedy Drama: Sex Comedy I
Week 15 Sketch: Sex Comedy II
Week 16 Final Assignment Submission
Week 17 Holiday Off
Week 18 Tutorials
