It’s a fresh burst of British eccentricity

When it comes to comedy, Americans have mastered the middle ground.
We’re the land of Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Simon and Carol Burnett, of “Friends” and “Big Bang” and all the late-night comics. Our huor is quick, slick and consistent.
And what about our former overlords? “In England, there is definitely a distinct sense of humor,” Noel Fielding (shown here) said. “And it’s quite eccentric.”
The latest example is his “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin,” which debuts Friday (March 1) on Apple TV+. Most people will agree that it’s eccentric; some will feel it’s also funny, in a bizarre, British kind of way.
Fielding, 50, grew up as a semi-typical English kid, catching both influences. “Most of my favorite comedians are American,” he told the Television Critics Association. “You know – Steve Martin and Richard Pryor and so many.”
But he also liked the distinct British style that leans toward ensembles, historical settings and sheer silliness. He reels off the names – Monty Python, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. “There’s a sort of whimsy that goes back to Lewis Carroll” writing “Alice in Wonderland.”
Kenton Allen, the “Dick Turpin” producer, adds Rowan Atkinson and his “Blackadder,” which was (like this one) set in the olden days.
The real Dick Turpin, historians tell us, was a low-level chap in the early 1700s. He was a poacher, a burglar, a horse thief, a highway robber and a killer.
Some authors, however, turned him into a grander figure. “It’s a bit like the American cowboys that were romanticized,” Allen said. “I think Billy the Kid and Jesse James were … pretty horrible, murdering lunatics. The real Dick Turpin was a horrible, murdering lunatic.”
In this comedy version, he’s a butcher who’s a vegan, a criminal with a sweet soul. “It’s a bit of a fish-out-of-water thing,” Fielding said. “Dick is nice and inclusive and kind and sees the best in everyone, but he’s dealing with a bunch of hardened criminals.”
The result, Allen said, is “silly and just sort of optimistic and escapist.” And “silly” is something his countrymen have turned into an art form.