While I cannot contribute on transatlantic variation in comedy appraisal, I can report that there seems to be a cult following of British comedy in Germany especially among young people, while German attempts at the genre have failed miserably. There is even a project that attempts to dub Monty Python which up to now has been shown in a subtitled version. A related question which I am interested in is a genre question. Can we distinguish itcoms from a non( or short-)-narrative sketch or stand-up show that may be tied together just by the comedian personality, e.g. Dave Allen, Smith & Jones, Not the 9 o'clock news ( a format that certainly does not travel at all, not even in Europe). If so, what seems to be more popular, the sketch show or the narrative sitcom? And one more question. In England there is a very lively comedy scene, especially in London, with lots of venues for stand-ups etc. that also feeds TV comedy. The scene has even been called (somewhat stupidly) 'the new Rock'n'Roll' with a related star system etc. Can we go beyond attempts to explain the comedy boom with a cliche like 'times are bad-so people need to laugh' or 'post-socialist consumerist nihilism' Is there anything like this comedy boom in the USA? Dr. Eckart Voigts-Virchow Institut fuer Anglistik & Amerikanistik Justus-Liebig-Universitaet Giessen Otto-Behaghel-Str. 10 B D-35394 Giessen Phone +49 6 41 / 99 - 30030 or 30033 Fax +49 6 41 / 99 - 30039 e-mail: [log in to unmask] ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]