--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans think the only funny Brits are…" description: "\"Americans think the only funny Brits are John Cleese, Benny Hill and whoever makes our toothpaste. They're not laughing with us, they are laughing at u..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/a-a-gill-3415_americans_americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are_3211121.png" --- # Americans think the only funny Brits are John Cleese… ![“Americans think the only funny Brits are John Cleese, Benny Hill and whoever makes our toothpaste. They're not laughing with us, they are laughing at us.” quote by A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/a-a-gill-3415_americans_americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are_3211121.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/a-a-gill-3415_americans_americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are_3211121.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/a-a-gill-3415_americans_americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are_3211121.png) > “Americans think the only funny Brits are John Cleese, Benny Hill and whoever makes our toothpaste. They're not laughing with us, they are laughing at us.” [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. British comedy often mocks outsiders rather than sharing laughter, highlighting cultural distance. **In simple terms:** Brits laugh at, not with, foreigners. Key Takeaway Be aware of cultural humor gaps. Themes culture humor communication identity stereotypes Mood wry observational Type cultural satirical When to use this quote - media analysis - travel experiences - international relations - media production Key Concepts cross‑cultural comedy social perception Questions to Reflect On - How does humor affect cultural understanding? - Can shared jokes improve relations? A Different Perspective Some argue humor can bridge gaps, not just highlight them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Americans Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-think/) [Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brits/) [Funny Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-brits-5999703/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-cleese/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Toothpaste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toothpaste/) [Toothpaste Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toothpaste-laughing-5999704/) ## Related quotes > [John Cleese is a very fast worker and a highly disciplined one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prunella-scales/john-cleese-is-a-very-fast-worker-and-a-highly-disciplined-one/) [Prunella Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prunella-scales/) > [There is nothing better than playing a scene with John Cleese or Maggie Smith. It's electric. But I don't think I'm the sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/there-is-nothing-better-than-playing-a-scene-with-john-cleese-or/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [I shouldn't be surprised if John Cleese's scripts don't become set texts for examinations-they're classics. And I can't tell you how service in English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prunella-scales/i-shouldn-t-be-surprised-if-john-cleese-s-scripts-don-t-become-set/) [Prunella Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prunella-scales/) > [John Cleese was my personal favorite because he played my husband for a whole season - and Minnie Driver. We almost had our own,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/john-cleese-was-my-personal-favorite-because-he-played-my-husband-for/) [Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/) > [John Cleese once told me he'd do anything for money. So I offered him a pound to shut up, and he took it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/john-cleese-once-told-me-he-d-do-anything-for-money-so-i-offered-him/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [ \[On John Cleese:\] He sometimes seems to swat at his own thoughts as if they were bees. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-gilliatt/on-john-cleese-he-sometimes-seems-to-swat-at-his-own-thoughts-as-if/) [Penelope Gilliatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-gilliatt/) > [Something about John Cleese was always very unsettled, I felt. There was always something else he wanted to do. He seemed constantly driven by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/something-about-john-cleese-was-always-very-unsettled-i-felt-there/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [I wanted to be a writer-performer like the Pythons. In fact, I wanted to be John Cleese, and it took me some time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-performer-like-the-pythons-in-fact-i-wanted/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I wanted to be John Cleese. It took me some time to realise that the job was taken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-wanted-to-be-john-cleese-it-took-me-some-time-to-realise-that-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I got my first television at Stanford when I was 20, and I used to watch 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'. He played my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-danson/i-got-my-first-television-at-stanford-when-i-was-20-and-i-used-to/) [Ted Danson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-danson/) > [It's a good tip for writers, that - write with an actor in mind. Even if you have no hope of getting John Cleese,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/it-s-a-good-tip-for-writers-that-write-with-an-actor-in-mind-even-if/) [Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/) > [“If we’re friends, I’m only the funniest guy you know because you don’t know John Cleese. Or Steve Martin. Or Jack Handey. Or, or, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-we-re-friends-i-m-only-the-funniest-guy-you-know-because-you-don-t/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I see myself as the female John Cleese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-see-myself-as-the-female-john-cleese/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [To me, if you are in the same building with Peter Sellers or John Cleese, or any of those guys and holding your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/to-me-if-you-are-in-the-same-building-with-peter-sellers-or-john/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [John Cleese was a big hero of mine. He grew up in Weston Super Mare near Bristol where I grew up; he was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/john-cleese-was-a-big-hero-of-mine-he-grew-up-in-weston-super-mare/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) ## More by A. A. Gill > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [If New York is a wise guy, Paris a coquette, Rome a gigolo and Berlin a wicked uncle, then London is an old lady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/if-new-york-is-a-wise-guy-paris-a-coquette-rome-a-gigolo-and-berlin-a/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Frightened is the natural state for all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/frightened-is-the-natural-state-for-all-men/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [So, being a good man is not an exam or a qualification, it changes, and it incorporates being a good friend, a good father,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/so-being-a-good-man-is-not-an-exam-or-a-qualification-it-changes-and/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Women's handbags are incredibly heavy. You rarely get to pick one up and, when you do, you wonder why anyone carries so much stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/women-s-handbags-are-incredibly-heavy-you-rarely-get-to-pick-one-up/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Gifts are an important and necessary part of our collective lives. We need to give and we need to allow others to give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/gifts-are-an-important-and-necessary-part-of-our-collective-lives-we/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Have you ever wondered why the rich and privileged care about, or even bother with, the gift bag? Because they don't need this stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and-privileged-care-about-or-even/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [London is a city of ghosts; you feel them here. Not just of people, but eras. The ghost of empire, or the blitz, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/london-is-a-city-of-ghosts-you-feel-them-here-not-just-of-people-but/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Television gives us the gift to see ourselves as we'd like to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/television-gives-us-the-gift-to-see-ourselves-as-we-d-like-to-be-seen/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [I walk up a dune to a beach and look out to sea, but it's 100km away. The ships lie askew in their dry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/i-walk-up-a-dune-to-a-beach-and-look-out-to-sea-but-it-s-100km-away/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Being able to afford everything you desire is not, by any means, the worst thing that can happen to you. But, depressingly, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/being-able-to-afford-everything-you-desire-is-not-by-any-means-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [If the world were to end tomorrow and we could choose to save only one thing as the explanation and memorial to who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/if-the-world-were-to-end-tomorrow-and-we-could-choose-to-save-only/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [You see, the problem with Dave Cameron is that people know who he is. The less people know about him, the more he's likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/you-see-the-problem-with-dave-cameron-is-that-people-know-who-he-is/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Personal adornment is the only cultural form that everybody in the world takes part in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/personal-adornment-is-the-only-cultural-form-that-everybody-in-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [The part that makes you unique is the bit people will like or fear, fall in love with, or try to avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/the-part-that-makes-you-unique-is-the-bit-people-will-like-or-fear/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) [Explore all 131 A. A. Gill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) ## More Americans quotes > [“People – Americans, mostly – realise how attached they are to material comforts when they arrive in India.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-william-roberts/people-americans-mostly-realise-how-attached-they-are-to-material/) [Paul William Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-william-roberts/) > [Music has an intrinsic value that touches Americans - they love their music, and want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rosen/music-has-an-intrinsic-value-that-touches-americans-they-love-their/) [Hilary Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rosen/) > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [My parents don't care what Americans think of us; we just care what the other Indian people in our community think of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-suri/my-parents-don-t-care-what-americans-think-of-us-we-just-care-what/) [Himanshu Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-suri/) > [When Americans, who have no idea who I am, laugh at my jokes, it's exactly the same if someone loves you even if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-elmaleh/when-americans-who-have-no-idea-who-i-am-laugh-at-my-jokes-it-s/) [Gad Elmaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-elmaleh/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We Americans tend to be a prodigal lot. We are as careless with our personal resources as we are with the resources of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-crook-de-camp/we-americans-tend-to-be-a-prodigal-lot-we-are-as-careless-with-our/) [Catherine Crook de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crook-de-camp/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [“Using a wide variety of media, we could demonstrate for our fellow Americans their anxieties, desires, insufficiencies, and frustrations--and how to assuage them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/using-a-wide-variety-of-media-we-could-demonstrate-for-our-fellow/) [Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/) > [The Americans say that we are ungrateful-but I ask them for heaven's sake, what should we be grateful to them for-for murdering our fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/the-americans-say-that-we-are-ungrateful-but-i-ask-them-for-heaven-s/) [David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/) > [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [You are Americans. You love this country. Together we are entrusted with the principles that represent mankind's greatest political and social achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tsongas/you-are-americans-you-love-this-country-together-we-are-entrusted/) [Paul Tsongas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tsongas/) [Browse all 1,536 Americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Americans think the only funny Brits are John Cleese, Benny Hill and whoever makes our toothpaste. They're not laughing with us, they are laughing at us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. A. Gill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are-john-cleese-benny-hill-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Americans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are-john-cleese-benny-hill-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/a-a-gill-3415_americans_americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are_3211121.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/a-a-gill-3415_americans_americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are_3211121.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/a-a-gill-3415_americans_americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are_3211121.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Americans think the only funny Brits are John Cleese, Benny Hill and whoever makes our toothpaste. They're…” — A. A. Gill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "A. A. Gill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Americans think the only funny Brits...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are-john-cleese-benny-hill-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/americans-think-the-only-funny-brits-are-john-cleese-benny-hill-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```