Screenshot Of UK Life: 45 ‘Great British Memes’ That Perfectly Capture British Humor (New Pics)

Not too long ago, we did a deep dive into the Great British Memes page. The endeavor is the brainchild of George Bacon, who’s also the man behind the GBM group social creative agency.

The meme page was created back in 2017 when Bacon was in university. The founding of the company followed in 2020 during the global COVID pandemic.

Bacon explained that the page jumps on reactive and cultural things happening in the UK, which, besides the giggles, keeps the audience up to date on current events. See, I told you it was educational!

Besides that, consistency was also a key factor that added to the popularity of the page. Great British Memes posts on the daily (3 to 4 times most days), and has been for the past 6 years. Today, roughly 17,880 posts later, the page boasts nearly 1 million followers on Facebook with another 2.3 million on Instagram.

Great British Memes isn’t the only player out there when it comes to British memes. Another very popular page is Very Brexit Problems.

Very Brexit Problems has years' worth of unadulterated political, social and very British satire and parody wrapped into memes. And even though Brexit has been old news for a while now, there’s always something to talk about on the matter. Again, memes can teach you so much!

Bored Panda got in touch with the creator of Very Brexit Problems, Joel Willans, for more context on what makes country-focused memes so great. The UK seems to be one of the internet's favorites, and there's reason for it.

From my experience creating Very Brexit Problems, I’d say there are a few reasons, which spring to mind," explains Willans. "Firstly, the UK has had such a huge influence on the modern world with colonialism, industrial revolution, culture, and language reaching the farthest corners of the globe. The British Empire sprawled across continents, stitching together a patchwork of culture and history that's now meme gold."

"Then there’s our linguistic legacy–English is the global language of billions, which makes it so much easier for people everywhere to relate the puns and word play that make English such a fun language."

Willans continues: "Add to that British culture, which is so loved by people, from Shakespeare's witty quips, The Beatles' toe-tapping hits, Monty Python's bonkers humor and Harry Potter magical quotes etc. There are so many globally recognizable icons, which leapfrog borders."

"I’d say final ingredient is British humor. You can see this regularly on the Very Brexit Problems Instagram and Facebook page. British humor is drenched in irony, sarcasm, and self-depreciation, it’s tailor-made for memes. Its unexpected punchlines and absurdity thrive in the meme world, delivering quick, delightful twists. In my opinion, this unique charm, combined with rich cultural references, makes British humor a perfect fit for creating shareable, relatable memes."

While the UK's does have a unique flavor and reach, its meme formula can be translated to other countries as well, even if it's a smaller, more local scale. Willans explains that the key is to leverage that which makes the country's culture and humor tick. For instance, Brits have humor that's drenched in irony, wordplay, and self-deprecation. Other countries can identify their comedic strengths and adapt the memes accordingly.

"Cultural relevance is paramount," elaborates Willans. "British memes thrive on references to local quirks and historical touchstones. Likewise, successful memes elsewhere should be steeped in cultural references and shared experiences that resonate with their own people."

"British memes have an advantage because of people worldwide being able to relate to or understand lots of elements of Britishness, but other countries can use this formula, as successful memes can often transcend borders. You just need a deep understanding of one's own culture and humor, an ability to tap into shared human experiences, with a knack for humor that hits home."

But what about other countries? Can others live up to the potential that the UK has when it comes to country memes? Absolutely.

"To start with, I have to say Finland, just because of my own success with Very Finnish Problems, which now has over 1.2 million fans on 5 social channels," says Willans. "While Finland isn’t in any way as universally known as the UK, it does have certain relatable cultural themes commons to the human condition, namely introversion, love of personal space and stoicism in the face of tough conditions (necessary when you have 5 months of winter)."

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it should be. Bored Panda has featured its memes on numerous occasions.

Willans continues: "Another obvious candidate would be the United States. They've got a knack for churning out pop culture that travels far and wide, from Hollywood blockbusters to iconic TV shows. What’s more, most people have an opinion about the American character and culture, and of course Americans speak English."

"It’s a lot easier to create globally resonating memes with a global language. That said, I think Japanese pop culture, from anime to quirky game shows, has already seeped into the international meme scene. Their offbeat and surreal humor resonates with a wide audience, and their national character fascinates a lot of people."

"So, while British memes have a unique charm, I think many countries have the potential to serve up some meme-tastic delights that could tickle funny bones worldwide."

Fun fact, if you’re not yet fully caught up on the whole Great Britain vs. The United Kingdom vs. England thing, here’s a tl;dr for you:

The United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; Great Britain is the big island that’s home to England, Scotland, and Wales (minus Northern Ireland), and England is only one of several countries within the UK.

And if you need to get super nerdy, here’s CGP Grey’s explanation. You’re welcome.

If you’re still here, you can either keep on scrolling, or you can also go nuts in the comment sections under the various submissions, or the big main one after the article and share your thoughts on anything and everything about British culture, society and memes.

But if you need a bigger fix, be sure to check out more from Great British Memes, and supplement that with some Very Finnish Problems and Very Brexit Problems.