Britain has produced an impressive amount of fantastic comedy over the years. With a more blunt, forceful style of humour built on uncomfortable situations and misfortune than the typical American comedy, there is a distinct thread running through almost every show.
Some of these characters have really made fans laugh throughout their time on screen, some even more than others.
Jim (Friday Night Dinner)
Jim has enjoyed an incredible surge of fame in the UK in recent years. He is the very strange neighbour of the Goodman family, who likes to (along with his dog, Wilson) interrupted their Friday night dinners with a multitude of bizarre problems. One of the best Jim moments of all time came during season three, where a little accident involving electricity led to him eating twelve biscuits and covering himself in red paint.
Mark Corrigan (Peep Show)
One of the two main characters in Peep Show through whose eyes we explore a mundane, bleak world is Mark Corrigan.
He is played by British comic David Mitchell and is able to provide non-stop laughter through his cynicism, thinly-veiled intelligence, and often total failure to impress women.
Gareth (The Office)
The UK equivalent of Dwight Schrute is Gareth Keenan: assistant to the regional manager and lover of conspiracy and being taken seriously. It’s his response to relentless mocking from Tim Canterbury is arguably the finest aspect of his character, as well as his love of his best friend, The Oggmonster.
Jay (The Inbetweeners)
It’s almost baffling how the vulgarity and extreme desire to be a womaniser (no matter how often this attempt fails) made it to British screens. Jay is totally obsessed with sex, and claims to be a seasoned pro himself, even if Simon and Will can see straight through his compulsive lying.
One of the best Jay-moments The Inbetweenerscame when he made a new ‘friend’, was relentlessly mocked, and proceeded to jump on his car like a maniac.
David Brent (The Office)
Played by co-creator of The Office and hugely successful British comedian Ricky Gervais, David Brent is a goldmine of comedic content. He means well deep down, but boy is he easy to hate. His over-the-top attempts at humour often come across as shocking or offensive to most of his employees, such as his famous, very dark role-play: “there’s been a rape up there!”.
Douglas Reynholm (The IT Crowd)
After his father Denholm Reynholm died by suicide at the end of season one, his son Douglas was sent to take over as head of Reynholm Industries. It might be glossed over a little that Douglas actually murdered his ex-wife a long time ago, but you just can’t escape how desperately funny he is.
Like many British sitcom characters, he is completely sex-obsessed, but somehow makes it work here. Despite this, it is his overwhelming desire (and rejection by) Jen that provides the most laughs.
Super Hans (Peep Show)
Motivated almost exclusively by his love for quite literally any drug in the world, Super Hans provided some of the greatest quotes in all of Peep Show. Whether it was when he explained that “this crack is really moreish”, requested that Jez not talk about crack because “I love crack”, or whether he was ringing Jez to explain that he had “accidentally run to Winsor”.
Rodney Trotter (Only Fools And Horses)
Stupidity and an over-the-top cockney accent were the main features of Rodney Trotter. The way he slotted into a world full of London stereotypes and remained funny was impressive, and he had a whole host of catchphrases at his disposal, whether it was his incessant use of the word ‘cosmic’ to describe anything good, or constantly calling Del Boy a ‘git’.
Karen (Outnumbered)
Considering Ramona Marquez was less than ten years old throughout almost every episode of Outnumbered, her appearance on this list is incredibly impressive. The show was structured, but gave the children (Karen and Ben) free reign to improvise what they thought would be funny in a scene.
The idea that such a young child is able to improvise with such comedic timing and knowledge humour an adult could laugh at just as much as a child could is something no other TV show has ever managed. The character has become an endlessly quotable iconic of British TV.
Maurice Moss (The IT Crowd)
The one character who could beat Karen to the top spot of British sitcom characters based solely on how much they can make us laugh is Moss. Played by Richard Ayoade, the awkward IT-support worker is as stereotypical as a nerd can be, and delivers all of the stereotypes to a comedically genius level. However, his departure from his true personality in an attempt to fit in might have been his finest hour: “You see that ludicrous display last night?”
