My kinda town

Irony. Americans just don't get it. The other day, I phoned someone and they said "Oh, I was just about to call you, how ironic?" Well actually no, coincidence perhaps, irony most definitely not.

How I have tried to make them realise what is irony and what is not. They don't get it.

For example Arnold Schwarzenegger actively campaigns against violence in film and video games. Now that's fucking ironic, has he never seen The Terminator starring himself?

Irony or ironical as someone who will remain nameless but he works in my team and used to be a N&R FL manager, says is lost on dear old Americans and that is predominately the reason why British comedians or sit-coms don't make it here. Even The Office has been remade for American television. It's still good but it is nowhere near as funny.

Ricky Gervais actually once walked up on to stage to collect his second Golden Globe of the evening and announced that they would make "excellent bookends." The audience gasped and he got slated in the press for being disrespectful. It was a joke, watch my lips, J O K E.

Some American comedy shows do use a form of irony and sarcasim, which works very well. Friends is the obvious one, but you always get a sense of knowing what is coming because the jokes and situations are often so set up. The best British comedies are not like that, often having to watch a Only Fools and Horses or a Fawlty Towers over and over again to get the bits that you missed the first time. I can watch an Absolutely Fabulous or a Porridge or a Blackadder episode over and over again, and will never get bored.

Unfortunately I cannot say the same for Frasier, Two and a Half Men or Everybody Loves Raymond because although funny first time around, they don't make me laugh second time.

As someone once said, Britain and America are separated by the Irony Curtain.