120-747: Captain Charles Bruce Bairnsfather (9 July 1887 – 29 September 1959) was a prominent British humorist and cartoonist . His best-known cartoon character is Old Bill . Bill and his pals Bert and Alf featured in Bairnsfather's weekly "Fragments from France" cartoons published weekly in The Bystander magazine during the First World War . Bairnsfather was born at Murree , British India (now Pakistan ) to Major Thomas Henry Bairnsfather (1859–1944), of
240-431: A War Office appointment to draw similar cartoons for other Allied forces. In 1921, Bairnsfather married Cecilia Agnes Scott (née Bruton). She was the divorced wife of eminent golfer Michael Scott . "Old Bill" and Bairnsfather himself continued in popularity between the wars. Many police officers of the time had similar facial hair, and that may have led to British police being referred to as The Old Bill . The Bill
360-627: A mystical experience . The benign-violation theory, endorsed by Peter McGraw , attempts to explain humour's existence. The theory says "humour only occurs when something seems wrong, unsettling, or threatening, but simultaneously seems okay, acceptable or safe." Humour can be used as a method to easily engage in social interaction by taking away that awkward, uncomfortable, or uneasy feeling of social interactions. Others believe that "the appropriate use of humour can facilitate social interactions". Some claim that humour should not be explained. Author E. B. White once said, "Humor can be dissected as
480-554: A better 'ole, go to it. Many of his cartoons from this period were collected in Fragments From France (1914) and the autobiographical Bullets & Billets (1916). Despite Bairnsfather's immense popularity with the troops and a massive sales increase for the Bystander , initially there were objections to the "vulgar caricature". Nevertheless, success in raising morale led to Bairnsfather's promotion and receipt of
600-405: A collection of English pottery and porcelain, comprising some 4,700 items of historic and intrinsic value, was also destroyed. The Palace was quickly rebuilt and reopened on 1 May 1875. The new Alexandra Palace contained a concert hall, art galleries, a museum, lecture hall, library, banqueting room and large theatre. The stage of the theatre incorporated machinery which enabled special effects for
720-625: A connection that led to commissions to draw advertising sketches for Lipton tea, Player's cigarettes, Keen's Mustard , and Beecham's Pills . In 1914, Bairnsfather was commissioned into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a second lieutenant and served with a machine gun unit in France until 1915, when he was hospitalised with shell shock and hearing damage sustained during the Second Battle of Ypres . Posted to
840-535: A core network of cortical and subcortical structures, including temporo-occipito-parietal areas involved in detecting and resolving incongruity (mismatch between expected and presented stimuli); and the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system and the amygdala , key structures for reward and salience processing." Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in
960-460: A couple of hundred. It was intended that the theatre would reopen, but much costly restoration would be required first. It will never again reach a seating capacity of 3,000 (not least because one balcony was removed in the early part of the 20th century as a fire precaution, when films started to be shown there). A major season of the theatre company Complicité was planned for 2005 but the project, which would have included some repair and access work,
1080-549: A form of entertainment all over the world, whether in the courts of the Western kings or the villages of the Far East. Both a social etiquette and a certain intelligence can be displayed through forms of wit and sarcasm . Eighteenth-century German author Georg Lichtenberg said that "the more you know humour, the more you become demanding in fineness." Western humour theory begins with Plato , who attributed to Socrates (as
1200-450: A frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind." Counter to this argument, protests against "offensive" cartoons invite the dissection of humour or its lack by aggrieved individuals and communities. This process of dissecting humour does not necessarily banish a sense of humour but directs attention towards its politics and assumed universality. Arthur Schopenhauer lamented
1320-554: A large fireworks display is scheduled there as part of London's Bonfire Night celebrations. The Observer ' s Wildlife Exhibition held here in 1963 was an important early event in highlighting awareness of worldwide endangered species, and it gained a large attendance (46,000). In April 1967, a benefit event took place at the Palace. The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream , organised by the International Times , demonstrated
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#17328018439191440-472: A lighter context, thus ultimately reducing anxiety and allowing more happy, positive emotions to surface. Additionally, humour may be used as a tool to mitigate the authoritative tone by managers when giving directives to subordinates. Managers may use self-deprecating humour as a way to be perceived as more human and "real" by their employees. The attachment to the notion of fun by contemporary companies has resulted in workplace management coming to recognise
1560-841: A military career, he failed the entrance exams to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst , and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich , so enlisted in the Cheshire Regiment . He resigned in 1907 to become an artist, studying at the John Hassall School of Art. Unsuccessful at first, he worked as an electrical engineer. Working in this capacity for the Old Memorial Theatre , Stratford , brought him into acquaintance with Marie Corelli , who introduced him to Thomas Lipton ,
1680-468: A more mature audience. Many theories exist about what humour is and what social function it serves. The prevailing types of theories attempting to account for the existence of humour include psychological theories, the vast majority of which consider humour-induced behaviour to be very healthy; spiritual theories, which may, for instance, consider humour to be a "gift from God"; and theories which consider humour to be an unexplainable mystery, very much like
1800-526: A one-to-one association. While most previous theories assumed the connection between the two almost to the point of them being synonymous, psychology has been able to scientifically and empirically investigate the supposed connection, its implications, and significance. In 2009, Diana Szameitat conducted a study to examine the differentiation of emotions in laughter. They hired actors and told them to laugh with one of four different emotional associations by using auto-induction, where they would focus exclusively on
1920-770: A recording of portions of all three shows was released as part of the Dick's Picks series in March 1997. The Campaign for Real Ale held the Great British Beer Festival there from 1977 to 1980 (the 1980 edition taking place in tents outside the fire-damaged Alexandra Palace ). On the afternoon of 10 July 1980 (an accidental) fire destroyed the Great Hall, Banqueting Suite, Dressing Rooms and Ice Rink during contractors routine repairs and maintenance. From 27 July to 5 August 1973, The London Music Festival '73
2040-483: A refugee camp for displaced Belgians, and then later from 1915 to 1919 as an internment camp for German and Austrian civilians. The camp commandant was Lt. Col. R. S. F. Walker until his death in May 1917. The theatre was greatly altered in the early 1920s, with the general manager, W. J. MacQueen-Pope , spending the war reparation money on refurbishing the auditorium. He abandoned the understage machinery that produced
2160-429: A result. Others examined results of this movement while focusing around the science of happiness—concerned with mental health , motivation , community building and national well-being—and drew attention to the ability to achieve "flow" through playfulness and stimulate "outside the box" thinking. Parallel to this movement is the " positive " scholarship that has emerged in psychology which seeks to empirically theorise
2280-618: A semi-historical dialogue character) in the Philebus (p. 49b) the view that the essence of the ridiculous is an ignorance in the weak, who are thus unable to retaliate when ridiculed. Later, in Greek philosophy, Aristotle , in the Poetics (1449a, pp. 34–35), suggested that an ugliness that does not disgust is fundamental to humour. In ancient Sanskrit drama , Bharata Muni 's Natya Shastra defined humour ( hāsyam ) as one of
2400-403: A sense of satisfaction in their lives. Through the ageing process many changes will occur, such as losing the right to drive a car. This can cause a decrease in satisfaction in the lives of the individual. Humour helps to alleviate this decrease of satisfaction by allowing the humour to release stress and anxiety caused by changes in the individuals life. Laughing and humour can be a substitute for
2520-417: A serious relationship, and sexual intercourse. However, women rate humorous men more desirable than nonhumorous individuals for a serious relationship or marriage, but only when these men were physically attractive. While humorous people may be considered attractive, humorous people are also perceived by others to be less intellectual than nonhumorous people. When women were given the forced-choice design in
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#17328018439192640-462: A site that stands on a ridge more than 300 ft (91 m) high, part of Muswell Hill . Alexandra Park was opened to the public on 23 July 1863. The planned building was originally named "The Palace of the People"; it and its park were renamed to honour the popular new Princess of Wales, Alexandra of Denmark , who had married Prince Albert Edward on 10 March 1863. The Palace of the People, or
2760-435: A study that showed the distracting nature of a joke on bereaved individuals. Subjects were presented with a wide range of negative pictures and sentences. Their findings showed that humorous therapy attenuated the negative emotions elicited after negative pictures and sentences were presented. In addition, the humour therapy was more effective in reducing negative affect as the degree of affect increased in intensity. Humour
2880-600: A supplement for cardiovascular exercise and might increase muscle tone. However an early study by Paskind J. showed that laughter can lead to a decrease in skeletal muscle tone because the short intense muscle contractions caused by laughter are followed by longer periods of muscle relaxation. The cardiovascular benefits of laughter also seem to be just a figment of imagination as a study that was designed to test oxygen saturation levels produced by laughter, showed that even though laughter creates sporadic episodes of deep breathing, oxygen saturation levels are not affected. As humour
3000-510: A trench with a big shell hole next to him from a near miss. Old Bill says to the men around him "Mice!" What the Germans thought of this cartoon was revealed in a British newspaper clipping from World War II. Quoting a Nazi textbook taken from a German prisoner of war that shows the cartoon, the clipping reads: "Obviously, the hole was not made by a mouse. It was made by a shell. There is no humor in this misstatement of facts. The man, Old Bill,
3120-583: A variety of negative as well as positive emotions. However, if humour is limited to positive emotions and things which cause positive affect, it must be delimited from laughter and their relationship should be further defined. Adaptive Humour use has shown to be effective for increasing resilience in dealing with distress and also effective in buffering against or undoing negative affects. In contrast, maladaptive humour use can magnify potential negative effects. Madelijn Strick, Rob Holland, Rick van Baaren, and Ad van Knippenberg (2009) of Radboud University conducted
3240-679: A £27m refurbishment of the long-abandoned Alexandra Palace theatre and east wing. In 2018, it was announced that the Theatre would open for a BBC Proms performance on 1 September before officially reopening to the public on 1 December 2018 following the completion of the East Wing Restoration Project by the contractor Willmott Dixon . The opening programme included performances from Dylan Moran , Horrible Histories , Gilbert & George , Gareth Malone and an evening of jazz presented by Ronnie Scott's . During
3360-479: A £30 million deficit. It was then reopened to the public in 1988 under a new management team headed by Louis Bizat. Later the council was heavily criticised for the overspend in a report by Project Management International. In 1991, the attorney-general stated that the overspending by the council as trustee was unlawful, and so could not be charged to the charity. The council for some years did not accept this politically embarrassing finding and instead maintained that
3480-490: Is a strong correlation through constant humour in ageing and better health in the individuals. Another way that research indicates that humour helps with the ageing process, is through helping the individual to create and maintain strong social relationship during transitory periods in their lives. One such example is when people are moved into nursing homes or other facilities of care. With this transition certain social interactions with friend and family may be limited forcing
3600-441: Is able to loosen the grip of negative emotions on people's thinking. A distancing of thought leads to a distancing of the unilateral responses people often have to negative arousal. In parallel with the distancing role plays in coping with distress, it supports the broaden and build theory that positive emotions lead to increased multilateral cognitive pathway and social resource building. Humour has been shown to improve and help
3720-572: Is also a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation , Grade 1. The nearest railway stations are the Alexandra Palace with Great Northern services from Moorgate and London Underground station Wood Green on the Piccadilly line . Alexandra Palace is also served by London Buses route W3. The "Palace of the People" was conceived by Owen Jones in 1859. The Great Northern Palace Company had been established by 1860, but
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3840-514: Is back in use. The theatre and stage structure is on English Heritage 's Buildings at Risk register. Alexandra Palace became a listed building in 1996, at the instigation of the Hornsey Historical Society. A planned commercial development of the building into a mixed leisure complex including a hotel, replacement ice-skating rink, cinema, ten-pin bowling alley and exhibition centre, encountered opposition from public groups and
3960-499: Is now at Crystal Palace in south London. The GLC considered a £20 million proposal in 1977 to redevelop the Alexandra Palace grounds into a multi-sport complex constructed around a shared football ground for North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur . The 75,000-seat stadium would have required a new transit connection—either a monorail line or a branch of the Piccadilly line —and private funding. The proposal
4080-481: Is of negative characteristics. Humour is often used to make light of difficult or stressful situations and to brighten up a social atmosphere in general. It is regarded by many as an enjoyable and positive experience, so it would be reasonable to assume that it might have some positive physiological effects on the body. A study designed to test the positive physiological effects of humour, the relationship between being exposed to humour and pain tolerance in particular,
4200-451: Is often used to ease tension, it might make sense that the same would be true for anxiety. A study by Yovetich N, Dale A, Hudak M. was designed to test the effects humour might have on relieving anxiety. The study subject were told that they would be given to an electric shock after a certain period of time. One group was exposed to humorous content, while the other was not. The anxiety levels were measured through self-report measures as well as
4320-611: Is only most likely to occur when men use humour and are evaluated by women. There is inconsistent evidence whether men prefer women with a sense of humour as partners, or women preferring other women with a sense of humour as potential partners. Outside of Western cultures, however, humour is not always valued as much in mate selection. Studies conducted in East Asia find humour ranked lower among other traits than in western cultures, especially by men evaluating women. In some studies of mate selection criteria, humour does not even make
4440-902: Is self-defeating and aggressive humour. Each of these styles can have a different impact on psychological and individuals' overall subjective wellbeing. In the study on humour and psychological well-being, research has concluded that high levels of adaptive type humour (affiliative and self-enhancing) is associated with better self-esteem, positive affect, greater self-competency, as well as anxiety control and social interactions. All of which are constituents of psychological wellbeing. Additionally, adaptive humour styles may enable people to preserve their sense of wellbeing despite psychological problems. In contrast, maladaptive humour types (aggressive and self-defeating) are associated with poorer overall psychological wellbeing, emphasis on higher levels of anxiety and depression. Therefore, humour may have detrimental effects on psychological wellbeing, only if that humour
4560-421: Is the time when the importance of parents fades into the background and social interaction with peers becomes increasingly important. Conflict is inherent in these interactions. The use of humour plays an important role in conflict resolution and ultimately in school success and psychological adjustment. The use of humour that is socially acceptable leads to a lower likelihood of being a victim of bullying, whereas
4680-497: Is therefore decidedly relevant in organisational contexts, such as the workplace. The significant role that laughter and fun play in organisational life has been seen as a sociological phenomenon and has increasingly been recognised as also creating a sense of involvement and possible comradery among workers. Sharing humour at work not only offers a relief from boredom, but can also build relationships, improve camaraderie between colleagues and create positive affect . Humour in
4800-479: The 34th Division headquarters on Salisbury Plain , he developed his humorous series for the Bystander about life in the trenches , featuring "Old Bill", a curmudgeonly soldier with trademark walrus moustache and balaclava . The best remembered of these shows Bill with another trooper in a muddy shell hole with shells whizzing all around. The other trooper is grumbling and Bill advises: Well, If you knows of
4920-839: The BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new BBC Television service. The antenna was designed by Charles Samuel Franklin of the Marconi Company . The world's first public broadcasts of (then) "high-definition" television were made from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, an event which is alluded to by the rays in the modern coat of arms of the London Borough of Haringey . Two competing systems, Marconi-EMI's 405-line system and John Logie Baird 's 240-line system, were installed, each with its own broadcast studio and were transmitted on alternate weeks until
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5040-626: The Indian Staff Corps , and (Amelia) Jane Eliza, daughter of Edward Every-Clayton and granddaughter of Sir Henry Every, 9th Baronet . His parents were second cousins, both being great-grandchildren of Sir Edward Every, 8th Baronet. Bairnsfather spent his early life in India, but was brought to England in 1895 to be educated at the United Services College , Westward Ho! , then at Stratford-upon-Avon . Initially intending
5160-550: The London Borough of Haringey . A Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Originally built by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson , it opened in 1873 but following a fire two weeks after its opening, was rebuilt by Johnson. Intended as "The People's Palace" and often referred to as " Ally Pally ", its purpose was to serve as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment; North London 's counterpart to
5280-730: The London Racers and now the Haringey Huskies , as well as a figure skating club, the Alexandra Palace Amateur Ice Skating Club. In June 2004, the first performances for about 70 years took place in the theatre, first in its foyer then in July in the theatre itself. Although conditions were far from ideal, the audience was able to see the potential of this very large space – originally seating 3,000, it could not be licensed for more than
5400-910: The Second World War broke out, Bairnsfather continued Old Bill work, but was not asked to help with the British war effort. Instead, he became official cartoonist to the American forces in Europe, contributing to Stars and Stripes and Yank , whilst residing at Cresswell House in Clun , Shropshire . Worcester . [[File:Creswell House Clun.jpg |thumb|right|200px|"Creswell House, Clun, Shropshire]] He also drew cartoons at American bases and nose art on aircraft. His works are considered to have influenced artists such as Bill Mauldin . One famous cartoon that Bairnsfather drew shows Old Bill sitting in
5520-606: The ageing process in three areas. The areas are improving physical health, improving social communications, and helping to achieve a sense of satisfaction in life. Studies have shown that constant humour in the ageing process gives health benefits to individuals. Such benefits as higher self-esteem , lower levels of depression, anxiety , and perceived stress , and a more positive self-concept as well as other health benefits which have been recorded and acknowledged through various studies. Even patients with specific diseases have shown improvement with ageing using humour. Overall there
5640-635: The coronavirus pandemic , Alexandra Palace was used as a food distribution hub by Edible London for local residents. Alexandra Palace has hosted a number of significant events. Recurring events held there include the Great British Beer Festival (1977–1980), the Brit Awards (1993–1995), the PDC World Darts Championship (2008–present) and the Masters snooker tournament (2012–2020 and 2022–2024). In November every year,
5760-407: The humorist , an audience, and the subject matter of the humour. The two transformations associated with this particular model involves the subject matter of the humour, and the change in the audience's perception of the humorous person, therefore establishing a relationship between the humorous speaker and the audience. The social transformation model views humour as adaptive because it communicates
5880-409: The undoing hypothesis , have shown several positive outcomes of humour as an underlying positive trait in amusement and playfulness. Several studies have shown that positive emotions can restore autonomic quiescence after negative affect. For example, Frederickson and Levinson showed that individuals who expressed Duchenne smiles during the negative arousal of a sad and troubling event recovered from
6000-514: The "Frying Pan" and the "Pan Handle" because of its layout), which was London's only racecourse from 1868 until its closure in 1970, a Japanese village, a switchback ride, a boating lake and a 9-hole pitch-and-putt golf course . Alexandra Park cricket and football clubs have also played within the grounds (in the middle of the old racecourse) since 1888. A Henry Willis organ installed in 1875, vandalised in 1918 and restored and reopened in 1929, survives. In its 1929 restored form, Willis's masterpiece
6120-515: The "art of reprehension" and made no reference to light and cheerful events or troublesome beginnings and happy endings associated with classical Greek comedy. After the Latin translations of the 12th century , the term comedy thus gained a new meaning in Medieval literature . Mento star Lord Flea , stated in a 1957 interview that he thought that: " West Indians have the best sense of humour in
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#17328018439196240-465: The 405-line system was chosen in 1937. After the BBC leased the eastern part of the Palace the theatre was only used for props storage space. The Palace continued as the BBC's main transmitting centre for London until 1956, interrupted only by the Second World War when the transmitter found an alternative use jamming German bombers' navigation systems . In 1944, a German doodlebug exploded just outside
6360-528: The Charity Commission's order authorising a 125-year lease of the entire building to Firoka Ltd. In September 2009, Alexandra Palace main hall was allowed 2,000 more occupation, up to 10,250 ("still saddled by a £37 million debt it owes its guardian, Haringey Council"). A masterplan for the future of the site was drawn up in 2012, comprising six 'big ideas' to restore and redevelop the Palace. The first of these to be implemented aims to transform
6480-526: The Crystal Palace in South London . At first a private venture, in 1900, the owners planned to sell it and Alexandra Park for development. A group of neighbouring local authorities managed to acquire it. An Act of Parliament created the Alexandra Palace and Park Trust. The Act required the trustees to maintain the building and park and make them available for the free use and recreation of
6600-615: The Party-state's approach towards humour was generally repressive. Social liberalisation in the 1980s, commercialisation of the cultural market in the 1990s, and the advent of the internet have each—despite an invasive state-sponsored censorship apparatus—enabled new forms of humour to flourish in China in recent decades. The social transformation model of humour predicts that specific characteristics, such as physical attractiveness, interact with humour. This model involves linkages between
6720-493: The People's Palace, remained as alternative names. In September 1865, construction commenced but to a design by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson rather than the glass structure initially proposed by Jones. In 1871, work started on the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway to connect the site to Highgate station . Work on both the railway and the Palace was completed in 1873 and, on 24 May of that year, Alexandra Palace and Park
6840-496: The State-Trait-Cheerfulness-Inventory. The instructions for the three groups were as follows: the cheerfulness group were told to get excited about the movie without laughing or smiling, the exhilaration group was told to laugh and smile excessively, exaggerating their natural reactions, the humour production group was told to make humorous comments about the video clip as they watched. To ensure that
6960-760: The Stone Roses performed a concert at Alexandra Palace. Hugh Cornwell played his last performance with the Stranglers at Alexandra Palace in August 1990. This was documented by the Saturday Night, Sunday Morning album and video. Blur performed a major concert at the venue in October 1994 to promote their album Parklife . The recording of the concert was released on video in February 1995 with
7080-464: The ability for colleagues to be able to laugh during work, through banter or other, promotes harmony and a sense of cohesiveness. Humour may also be used to offset negative feelings about a workplace task or to mitigate the use of profanity, or other coping strategies, that may not be otherwise tolerated. Not only can humour in the workplace assist with defusing negative emotions, but it may also be used as an outlet to discuss personal painful events, in
7200-418: The balance of fluids in the human body, known as humours ( Latin : humor , "body fluid"), controlled human health and emotion. People of all ages and cultures respond to humour. Most people are able to experience humour—be amused, smile or laugh at something funny (such as a pun or joke)—and thus are considered to have a sense of humour . The hypothetical person lacking a sense of humour would likely find
7320-661: The behaviour to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational. Though ultimately decided by subjective personal taste , the extent to which a person finds something humorous depends on a host of variables, including geographical location , culture, maturity , level of education, intelligence and context . For example, young children may favour slapstick such as Punch and Judy puppet shows or cartoons such as Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes , whose physical nature makes it accessible to them. By contrast, more sophisticated forms of humour such as satire require an understanding of its social meaning and context, and thus tend to appeal to
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#17328018439197440-440: The brick infills in the colonnade on the south-east face of the building, which the BBC constructed after 1936 to form their television studios within. Following a public consultation and advice from English Heritage, Planning and Listed Building Consent was given for the proposals and in March 2015 HLF awarded Round 2 major grant funding securing a positive future for the historic areas. In 2018, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios made
7560-775: The centuries. Local performing arts, storytelling, vernacular fiction, and poetry offer a wide variety of humorous styles and sensibilities. Famous Chinese humourists include the ancient jesters Chunyu Kun and Dongfang Shuo ; writers of the Ming and Qing dynasties such as Feng Menglong , Li Yu, and Wu Jingzi ; and modern comic writers such as Lu Xun , Lin Yutang , Lao She , Qian Zhongshu , Wang Xiaobo , and Wang Shuo , and performers such as Ge You , Guo Degang , and Zhou Libo . Modern Chinese humour has been heavily influenced not only by indigenous traditions, but also by foreign humor, circulated via print culture, cinema, television, and
7680-544: The charity "owed" the council £30 million, charged compound interest on what it termed a "debt" (which eventually rose to a claim of some £60 million), and to recoup it tried to offer the whole palace for sale. An ice rink was installed at Alexandra Palace in 1990. Primarily intended for public skating, it has also housed ice hockey teams including the Harringay Racers , the Haringey Greyhounds ,
7800-537: The decrease in satisfaction by allowing individuals to feel better about their situations by alleviating the stress. This, in turn, can help them to maintain a sense of satisfaction towards their new and changing life style. In an article published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience , it is reported that a study's results indicate that humour is rooted in the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex . The study states, in part: "Humour seems to engage
7920-596: The derelict eastern end of the Palace, making accessible the Victorian theatre and historic BBC Studios. In 2013 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a Round 1 pass to develop the proposals, creating a new entrance in the restored East Court, re-establishing the theatre as a flexible performance space and re-opening the BBC Studios as a visitor attraction. There was controversy regarding plans to demolish
8040-559: The early 1960s, an outside broadcast was made from the top of the tower, in which the first passage of a satellite across the London sky was watched and described. It continued to be used for BBC News broadcasts until 1969, and for the Open University until 1981. The antenna mast still stands and is used for local terrestrial television transmission, local commercial radio and DAB broadcasts. The main London television transmitter
8160-399: The effects necessary in Victorian melodrama; some of the machinery is preserved, and there is a project to restore some of it to working order. After these changes, the theatre was leased by Archie Pitt , then husband of Gracie Fields , who appeared in the theatre. Fields also drew an audience of 5,000 people to the hall for a charity event. In 1935, the trustees leased part of the Palace to
8280-443: The four emotional states displayed a full range of high and low sender arousal and valence. This study showed that laughter can be correlated with both positive (joy and tickle) and negative (schadenfreude and taunt) emotions with varying degrees of arousal in the subject. This brings into question the definition of humour, then. If it is to be defined by the cognitive processes which display laughter, then humour itself can encompass
8400-499: The funeral service of the Labour MP Bernie Grant took place at the Palace. An estimated 3,000 people attended. The fourth Mind Sports Olympiad was held at Alexandra Palace in August 2000, with more than 4,000 competitors from around the world taking part in mind sports. In December 2002, The Miss World 2002 pageant was staged at the venue. In June 2007, a Hackday event was hosted at Alexandra Palace by
8520-418: The heart rate. Subjects which rated high on sense of humour reported less anxiety in both groups, while subjects which rated lower on sense of humour reported less anxiety in the group which was exposed to the humorous material. However, there was not a significant difference in the heart rate between the subjects. Humour is a ubiquitous, highly ingrained, and largely meaningful aspect of human experience and
8640-512: The humorist when other variables are also favourable. Humour is considered attractive for males in Western cultures. In mid-20th Century, a majority of American college students report that having a sense of humour is a crucial characteristic looked for in a romantic partner. In late-20th Century, British college students report humour and honesty as the two most important attributes in a significant other. It has since been recorded that humour becomes more evident and significantly more important as
8760-672: The importance of the quickly developing Underground scene. Although venues such as the UFO Club were hosting counter-cultural bands, this was certainly the largest indoor event at the time. Performers included headlining act Pink Floyd as well as the Pretty Things , Savoy Brown , the Crazy World of Arthur Brown , Soft Machine , The Purple Gang , The Move and Sam Gopal's Dream (featuring Sam Gopal, Mick Hutchinson and Pete Sears ). John Lennon attended, and Yoko Ono (who
8880-601: The individual to look elsewhere for these social interactions. Humour has been shown to make transitions easier, as humour is shown reduce stress and facilitate socialisation and serves as a social bonding function. Humour may also help the transition in helping the individual to maintain positive feelings towards those who are enforcing the changes in their lives. These new social interactions can be critical for these transitions in their lives and humour will help these new social interactions to take place making these transitions easier. Humour can also help ageing individuals maintain
9000-417: The internal emotion and not on the expression of laughter itself. They found an overall recognition rate of 44%, with joy correctly classified at 44%, tickle 45%, schadenfreude 37%, and taunt 50%. Their second experiment tested the behavioural recognition of laughter during an induced emotional state and they found that different laughter types did differ with respect to emotional dimensions. In addition,
9120-412: The internet. During the 1930s, Lin Yutang 's phono-semantic transliteration yōumò ( 幽默 ; humour) caught on as a new term for humour, sparking a fad for humour literature, as well as impassioned debate about what type of humorous sensibility best suited China, a poor, weak country under partial foreign occupation. While some types of comedy were officially sanctioned during the rule of Mao Zedong,
9240-440: The level of commitment in a romantic relationship increases. Recent research suggests expressions of humour in relation to physical attractiveness are two major factors in the desire for future interaction. Self-deprecating humour has been found to increase one's desirability and physical attractiveness to others for committed relationships. Women regard physical attractiveness less highly compared to men when it came to dating,
9360-465: The list. It is generally known that humour contributes to higher subjective wellbeing (both physical and psychological). Previous research on humour and psychological well-being show that humour is in fact a major factor in achieving, and sustaining, higher psychological wellbeing. This hypothesis is known as general facilitative hypothesis for humour. That is, positive humour leads to positive health. Not all contemporary research, however, supports
9480-465: The misuse of humour (a German loanword from English) to mean any type of comedy. However, both humour and comic are often used when theorising about the subject. The connotations of humour as opposed to comic are said to be that of response versus stimulus. Additionally, humour was thought to include a combination of ridiculousness and wit in an individual; the paradigmatic case being Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff. The French were slow to adopt
9600-477: The negative affect approximately 20% faster than individuals who did not smile. Using humour judiciously can have a positive influence on cancer treatment. The effectiveness for humour‐based interventions in patients with schizophrenia is uncertain in a Cochrane review. Humour can serve as a strong distancing mechanism in coping with adversity. In 1997, Kelter and Bonanno found that Duchenne laughter correlated with reduced awareness of distress. Positive emotion
9720-764: The nine nava rasas , or principle rasas (emotional responses), which can be inspired in the audience by bhavas , the imitations of emotions that the actors perform. Each rasa was associated with a specific bhavas portrayed on stage. The terms comedy and satire became synonymous after Aristotle's Poetics was translated into Arabic in the medieval Islamic world , where it was elaborated upon by Arabic writers and Islamic philosophers such as Abu Bischr , his pupil Al-Farabi , Persian Avicenna , and Averroes . Due to cultural differences, they disassociated comedy from Greek dramatic representation, and instead identified it with Arabic poetic themes and forms, such as hija (satirical poetry). They viewed comedy as simply
9840-459: The optimisation of human potential . This happiness movement suggests that investing in fun at the workplace, by allowing for laughter and play, will not only create enjoyment and a greater sense of well-being, but it will also enhance energy, performance and commitment in workers. The use of humour plays an important role in youth development. Studies have shown that humour is especially important in social interactions with peers. School entry
9960-648: The organ end of the Great Hall and the Rose Window was blown in, leaving the organ exposed to the elements. In 1947 some of the pieces of the shattered rose window were incorporated in a new design by architect E.T. Spashett during renovation of bomb-damaged public buildings by the Ministry of Works . During the 1940s and 1950s the Palace also housed a public roller-skating rink and the Alexandra Palace Roller Skating Club . In
10080-483: The outer walls survived and the eastern parts, including the theatre and the BBC Television studios and aerial mast, were saved. Parts of the famous organ were destroyed, though it had been dismantled for repairs so some parts (including nearly all the pipework) were away from the building in store. Some of the damage to the Palace was repaired immediately but Haringey council overspent on the restoration, creating
10200-428: The pantomimes and melodramas then popular – artists could disappear, reappear and be propelled into the air. The theatre was also used for political meetings. An open-air swimming pool was constructed at the base of the hill in the surrounding park; it is long since closed and little trace remains except some reeds. The grounds included a horse racing course with grandstand (named Alexandra Park Racecourse and nicknamed
10320-482: The participants actually found the movie humorous and that it produced the desired effects the participants took a survey on the topic which resulted in a mean score of 3.64 out of 5. The results of the Cold Press Test showed that the participants in all three groups experienced a higher pain threshold and a higher pain tolerance than previous to the film. The results did not show a significant difference between
10440-483: The people of London. A committee was formed by Burt and the consortium managed to raise enough money to purchase them just in time. By the Alexandra Park and Palace (Public Purposes) Act 1900 ( 63 & 64 Vict. c. cclix), a charitable trust was created; representatives of the purchasing local authorities became the trustees with the duty to keep both building and park "available for the free use and recreation of
10560-433: The potentially positive effects of "workplay" and realise that it does not necessarily undermine workers' performance. Laughter and play can unleash creativity, thus raising morale , so in the interest of encouraging employee consent to the rigours of the labour process, management often ignore, tolerate and even actively encourage playful practices, with the purpose of furthering organisational goals. Essentially, fun in
10680-454: The present desire to be humorous as well as future intentions of being humorous. This model is used with deliberate self-deprecating humour where one is communicating with desires to be accepted into someone else's specific social group. Although self-deprecating humour communicates weakness and fallibility in the bid to gain another's affection, it can be concluded from the model that this type of humour can increase romantic attraction towards
10800-614: The previous assertion that humour is in fact a cause for healthier psychological wellbeing. Some of the previous researches' limitations is that they tend to use a unidimensional approach to humour because it was always inferred that humour was deemed positive. They did not consider other types of humour, or humour styles . For example, self-defeating or aggressive humour. Research has proposed 2 types of humour that each consist of 2 styles, making 4 styles in total. The two types are adaptive versus maladaptive humour. Adaptive humour consist of facilitative and self-enhancing humour, and maladaptive
10920-494: The public forever". In 1921 a plaque was erected at the entrance of the south terrace in honour of Burt. The Palace passed into the hands of the Greater London Council in 1967, with the proviso that it should be used entirely for charitable purposes, and their trusteeship was transferred to Haringey council in 1980. During the First World War the park was closed; the Palace and grounds were firstly used as
11040-453: The public forever. The present trustee is the London Borough of Haringey, whose coat of arms shows lightning bolts depicting Alexandra Palace's pioneering role in the development of television. In 1935, the trustees leased part of the Palace to the BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new television service . In 1936, it became the home of the BBC's first regular public television service. The broadcasting system
11160-406: The study, they chose funny men as potential relationship partners even though they rated them as being less honest and intelligent. Post-Hoc analysis showed no relationship between humour quality and favourable judgments. For females, the results of a study conducted by McMaster University suggest humour can positively affect one's desirability for a specific relationship partner, but this effect
11280-518: The term humour ; in French, humeur and humour are still two different words, the former referring to a person's mood or to the archaic concept of the four humours . Non-satirical humour can be specifically termed droll humour or recreational drollery . As with any art form, the acceptance of a particular style or incidence of humour depends on sociological factors and varies from person to person. Throughout history, comedy has been used as
11400-475: The three groups. There are also potential relationships between humour and having a healthy immune system. SIgA is a type of antibody that protects the body from infections. In a method similar to the previous experiment, the participants were shown a short humorous video clip and then tested for the effects. The participants showed a significant increase in SIgA levels. There have been claims that laughter can be
11520-491: The title Showtime and used as the basis for the video for the band's song " End of a Century ". From 1993 to 1995, the Brit Awards were hosted at Alexandra Palace. In November 1996 it was the venue for the annual MTV Europe Music Awards . In 1996, the Palace hosted the inaugural London Model Engineering Exhibition which continued each year until 2021 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In April 2000,
11640-616: The two-hour-long gig and were uniquely made available from specific Harlequin Record Shops within Central London. In 1973, the Divine Light Mission held a "Festival of Love" there. Also in 1973, British rock band Wishbone Ash played a Christmas concert at the Palace, billed as "Christmas at the Palace". The American band Grateful Dead played a series of three shows there between 9 and 11 September 1974;
11760-484: The use of self-disparaging humour leads to a higher likelihood of being bullied. When students are bullied, the use of self-disparaging humour can lead to an exacerbation of the negative effects on the student's psychological adjustment to school. One of the main focuses of modern psychological humour theory and research is to establish and clarify the correlation between humour and laughter. The major empirical findings here are that laughter and humour do not always have
11880-638: The wall of the main staircase in the Royal British Legion Victory House Club in Ludlow , Shropshire. Old Bill, the life of Thomas Henry Rafferty, Brewin Books by John Pimm Belcher Humour Humour ( Commonwealth English ) or humor ( American English ) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement . The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks , which taught that
12000-527: The workplace is no longer being seen as frivolous. The most current approach of managed fun and laughter in the workplace originated in North America, where it has taken off to such a degree, that it has humour consultants flourishing, as some states have introduced an official "fun at work" day. The results have carried claims of well-being benefits to workers, improved customer experiences and an increase in productivity that organisations can enjoy, as
12120-506: The workplace may also relieve tension and can be used as a coping strategy . In fact, one of the most agreed upon key impacts that workplace humour has on people's well-being, is the use of humour as a coping strategy to aid in dealing with daily stresses, adversity or other difficult situations. Sharing a laugh with a few colleagues may improve moods, which is pleasurable, and people perceive this as positively affecting their ability to cope. Fun and enjoyment are critical in people's lives and
12240-399: The world. Even in the most solemn song, like Las Kean Fine ["Lost and Can Not Be Found"], which tells of a boiler explosion on a sugar plantation that killed several of the workers, their natural wit and humour shine though." Confucianist & Neo-Confucian orthodoxy, with its emphasis on ritual and propriety, have traditionally looked down upon humour as subversive or unseemly. Humour
12360-678: Was "fortunate in possessing a talent ... which suited almost to the point of genius one particular moment and one particular set of circumstances; and he was unfortunate in that he was never able to adapt, at all happily, his talent to new times and new circumstances". He died in 1959 aged 72 of complications from bladder cancer , in Worcester . Download coordinates as: A commemorative blue plaque appears outside one of his old studios, 1 Sterling Street, Knightsbridge London ( 51°29′58″N 0°10′01″W / 51.4995°N 0.16686°W / 51.4995; -0.16686 ). The blue plaque
12480-600: Was 405-line monochrome analogue television – the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. Although other facilities soon superseded it after the Second World War , Alexandra Palace continued to be used by the BBC for many years and its radio and television mast is still in use. The original studios 'A' and 'B' still survive in the southeast wing with their producers' galleries and are used for exhibiting original historical television equipment. The original Victorian Alexandra Palace Theatre with its stage machinery also survives and as of 2019,
12600-436: Was a British t.v. series which shortened the original commonly-used phrase. Bairnsfather was the subject of one of the first British sound films in 1927, wrote and directed the 1928 Canadian film Carry On Sergeant , and took part in the early Alexandra Palace television transmissions in 1936. Old Bill appeared in numerous books, plays, musicals and films. Bairnsfather's autobiography, Wide Canvas , appeared in 1939. When
12720-464: Was blocked by the High Court in 2007. The Great Hall and West Hall are typically used for exhibitions, music concerts, and conferences, operated by the trading arm of the charitable trust that owns the building and park on behalf of the public. There is also a pub, ice rink , palm court , and a panoramic view of central London. In 2013, Alexandra Park was declared a local nature reserve and
12840-472: Was cancelled due to higher-than-anticipated costs. Plans by the current trustees, Haringey Council, to replace all the charitable uses by commercial ones by a commercial lease of the entire building, including a casino, encountered considerable public and legal opposition, and on 5 October 2007, in the High Court, Mr. Justice Sullivan granted an application by Jacob O'Callaghan, a London resident, to quash
12960-412: Was clearly mistaken in thinking a mouse had made it. People who can laugh at such mistakes are obviously not normal; therefore we should pay careful attention to their psychology. Their very decadence may prove to be a weapon of self-defense." During later life, Bairnsfather had found himself typecast as the creator of Old Bill. His Times obituary, discussing his career, came to the conclusion that he
13080-564: Was conducted in 1994 by Karen Zwyer, Barbara Velker, and Willibald Ruch. To test the effects of humour on pain tolerance the test subjects were first exposed to a short humorous video clip and then exposed to the cold pressor test . To identify the aspects of humour which might contribute to an increase in pain tolerance the study separated its fifty-six female participants into three groups, cheerfulness, exhilaration and humour production. The subjects were further separated into two groups, high Trait-Cheerfulness and high Trait-Seriousness according to
13200-498: Was declared by Marcel Dupré to be the finest concert organ in Europe. In 1900, the owners of Alexandra Palace and Park were threatening to sell them for redevelopment, but a consortium of public-spirited men in the district, headed by Mr. Henry Burt JP , a member of the Middlesex County Council and of Hornsey District Council, at once embraced the opportunity of securing the Palace and the beautiful grounds for
13320-552: Was held here. After the fire, the burnt-out shell of the great hall of Alexandra Palace was used as Victory Square in Michael Radford 's 1984 film adaptation of George Orwell 's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . The Sinclair C5 battery electric vehicle was launched at the Palace in January 1985, one week after the closure of the 405-line television system that was inaugurated there 49 years earlier. In November 1989,
13440-428: Was immediately effective in helping to deal with distress. The escapist nature of humour as a coping mechanism suggests that it is most useful in dealing with momentary stresses. Stronger negative stimuli requires a different therapeutic approach. Humour is an underlying character trait associated with the positive emotions used in the broaden-and-build theory of cognitive development. Studies, such as those testing
13560-534: Was initially unable to raise financing for the construction of the Palace. Construction materials were acquired and recycled from the large 1862 International Exhibition building in South Kensington after it was demolished: the Government had declined to take it over. In 1863 Alexandra Park Co. Ltd. acquired the land of Tottenham Wood Farm for conversion to a park and to build the People's Palace, on
13680-932: Was initiated by Tonie and Valmai Holt who later wrote Bairnsfather's biography ( In Search of the Better Ole – the Life, the Works and the Collectables of Bruce Bairnsfather ) and also sponsored a memorial plaque to Bairnsfather on the cottage at St Yvon in Belgium at the edge of Plugstreet Wood where Bairnsfather drew his first 'trench' cartoons. A plaque commemorating Bruce Bairnsfather was unveiled at his former home, Victoria Spa Lodge, Bishopton, Stratford upon Avon ( 52°12′18″N 1°43′52″W / 52.205018°N 1.731122°W / 52.205018; -1.731122 ) on 10 September 2005 by cartoonist Bill Tidy . The plaque
13800-722: Was instigated by Mark Warby, Editor of The Old Bill Newsletter , the official journal for Bairnsfather enthusiasts and collectors. On 24 September 2011, a plaque commemorating Bruce Bairnsfather was unveiled on the wall of Colwall Royal British Legion Club in Crescent Road, Colwall , near Malvern in Worcestershire. The plaque was instigated by the Colwall Village Society and was unveiled by Mark Warby. Bairnsfather lived in Colwall from 1951 to 1954 and
13920-548: Was opened. The structure covers some 7.5 acres (3.0 ha). The Palace was built by Kelk and Lucas , who also built the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington at around the same time. Sims Reeves sang on the opening day before an audience of 102,000. Only 16 days later, Alexandra Palace was destroyed by a fire which also killed three members of staff. Only the outer walls survived; a loan exhibition of
14040-558: Was perceived as irony and sarcasm. The Confucian Analects itself, however, depicts the Master as fond of humorous self-deprecation, once comparing his wanderings to the existence of a homeless dog. Early Daoist philosophical texts such as Zhuangzi pointedly make fun of Confucian seriousness and make Confucius himself a slow-witted figure of fun. Joke books containing a mix of wordplay, puns, situational humour, and play with taboo subjects like sex and scatology, remained popular over
14160-464: Was rejected by the GLC after local opposition cited the potential for hooliganism in the area. Early in 1980, Haringey council took over the trusteeship of Alexandra Palace from the GLC, insuring it for £31 million, intending to refurbish the building but just six months later, during Capital Radio 's Jazz Festival, a fire started under the organ and quickly spread. It destroyed half the building. Again
14280-459: Was soon to become Lennon's new romantic partner) presented her performance work "Cut Piece". In 1970, Italian director Lucio Fulci filmed an important segment of his giallo film A Lizard in a Woman's Skin here. Alexandra Palace posed as a disused church. The rock band Led Zeppelin played at Alexandra Palace's Grand Hall in two sell out performances on the evenings of the 22/23 December 1972. Their concert tickets were priced at £1 each for
14400-586: Was well known at the British Legion Club in the village. Bill & Alphie's, the Royal Military College of Canada 's on-campus cadet pub in Kingston, Ontario is named after Bruce Bairnsfather's Great War cartoon characters. Yeo Hall at the College of Canada features sculptures of Bill and Alphie. There is a large mural featuring "Old Bill" smoking amidst the ruins of a French village, drawn on
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