Comedy and the Representation of the British Working Class from On the Buses to This Is England ’90

Abstract

This chapter argues that This is England ’90 (2015) uses comedy in a subversive way to critique commonly accepted class-based stereotypes in contemporary culture. Instead of “mocking the weak”, the series challenges neoliberal ideologies, introduced by Margaret Thatcher, which are still prevalent in contemporary society. Comedy has been used in popular British television from the 1950s onwards to represent the working class in both reactionary and radical ways. I show that demonisation of the working class has become common discourse in contemporary British culture. In contrast, This is England ’90 uses comedy in a radical way and challenges neoliberal ideologies of classlessness, individualism and upward monetary mobility, as well as redressing the demonisation of the working class.