A tourist-friendly itinerary for visitors who want the comedy alongside the culture
Fiona MacLeod’s Guide: Where to Go in London to Understand British Satire
If you want to understand why Britain produces the satirical journalism you have been reading at The London Prat and Bohiney, the city will show you if you know where to look.
Start at Westminster
Stand outside the Houses of Parliament. Notice that it looks like a Victorian film set, because it essentially is one: rebuilt after the 1834 fire in Gothic Revival style chosen specifically to look old and authoritative. Britain’s constitutional system is conducted inside a building designed to look like the past. The satirical newspaper tradition has been noting this since the building was new.
Walk to Trafalgar Square
The Fourth Plinth has hosted rotating contemporary artworks since 1999, placing modern often satirical art on the same pedestal as Nelson’s Column. Britain literally put the contemporary joke next to the imperial monument. The Fourth Plinth programme is free to view.
Visit the British Library
The collection includes original satirical pamphlets from the 18th century alongside the Magna Carta. Britain has been printing satirical commentary for as long as it has been printing constitutional documents.
End at a Pub
Any pub. Order something British. Talk to whoever is there. Within fifteen minutes they will have expressed a view about the current government that is simultaneously deeply critical and entirely affectionate, which is the register of all great British satire. You will understand The London Prat better for it.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/
