Page 103 - The Language of Humour

90 SPOKEN HUMOUR—TELEVISION AND RADIO
inspired similar shows on British television, involving a group of young
single people. Both shows ref lect the move away from the nuclear
family as the norm.
Only Fools and Horses ran for several series on BBC and its final
episode was watched by a record 24.5 million people, so it indicates the
current British taste in television humour. The situation is an extended
family—two brothers living first with their grandad, then with their
uncle in a high-rise council flat in East London. Both have aspirations to
escape from their lifestyle: the older brother, Del, wheeling and dealing
in anything which might sell on a market stall, the younger, Rodney,
studying at night school. The title comes from the theme tune:’ Why do
only fools and horses work?’ Although this seems to be a critical
comment on working-class culture, many of the episodes contrast the
ethics of their way of life with yuppie lifestyles.
As well as the comic potential of the situation, the dialogue uses a
number of humorous devices of incongruity. For example, there is
humour in bizarre image: ‘Poor old grandad—he was about as useful as
a pair of sunglasses on a bloke with one ear.’
The discourse moves in unexpected ways, when the brothers are
arguing about why Del wants to buy their council flat:
Del: The flat has warm memories.
Rodney: Why do you wanna buy it?
Del: So I can sell it.
Still arguing about the flat, neat balance is used to create the twist in the
punchline:
Rodney: It’s only fifteen minutes from the motorway…
Del: And fifteen minutes from the ground!
The sitcom Friends has been so popular that in 1997 the series was
rerun on Friday nights as the beginning of Channel 4’s night of comedy
advertised with the slogan ‘Give your remote the night off.’ A range of
products has been marketed as a further mark of its cult status, so the
material exists in a permanent form in videos and written compilations.
The following activity asks you to consider the ways in which the
situation, the characters and their relationships matches the definition
(outlined on p. 91) of situation comedy, as opposed to comedy drama.
More importantly, try to assess what makes this particular sitcom so
popular.