Top 10 British Stereotypes

When it comes to British stereotypes, it's hard not to find yourself chuckling or nodding in recognition.

These ideas, some charming and others wildly inaccurate, have been shaped by pop culture, history, and the quirks of how the world views the UK. From how Brits are supposed to speak to what they eat or wear, these stereotypes range from endearing to downright odd.

The Top Ten

  1. We all drink tea

    Sad but true. I'd say mainly in England, though.

    Sad but true. It just helps me relax after school.

    This is the only true one. We are all addicts!

  2. We all wear top hats and single-lens glasses with chains

    We are not all posh. We do not all live in London. We do not all dress posh (e.g., top hats). We do not have one accent.

    We do not eat the full English breakfast every day (I hate black pudding). We do not all drink tea. Many dislike it (I hate iced tea).

    Maybe about 200 years ago.

  3. All our accents are amazing

    That's a stereotype I have! But, well, not every Brit can be as amazing as Britgirl! I guess we just met the top British citizens here on The Top Tens!

    Yep, our accents tend to be, unfortunately, put under one wing.

  4. We say stuff like "Good day to you, sir" and "Jolly good"

    My dear fellow, how is your reading of the Potter novels going?

    Jolly good, sir, jolly good. I do think it is a fine day to read. It's only drizzling today. Why, yesterday it was spitting, and the day before, it was raining cats and dogs!

    I find it awfully strange that foreigners think we have lots of words for rain. Why, my good fellow, we only have cow quakers, deluges, downpours, drenchers, driving rain, drizzle, flurries, it's beating it down, it's coming down in sheets, it's getting biblical out there, and it's chucking it down, among about 100 or so other terms used in various parts of the UK.

    Yes, my jolly good fellow, I do not understand these claims about it raining all the time in Britain. Two out of three days is not all the time. In fact, it's jolly well two-thirds of the time.

    Good day, my dear fellow. That is probably the longest conversation I've ever had with a stranger in my entire life. I will not do it again.

  5. We all have big noses

    Umm, well, that is my family. We have big noses.

  6. We hate France

    Back in history, Britain hated France. Seriously, you have not got with the times at all. Those were times before anyone living now.

    Then why do we say "cinema" instead of the American word "theatre?" Why was The Magic Roundabout popular and even made a brief comeback? Why do they teach French in school? Why did Tilly speak French on Tots TV? We do NOT hate France.

    With good reason - they invaded in the year 1066 and never left!

  7. We are basically Oliver Twist

  8. We have bad teeth

    I'm not British myself, but I know that most of them (British people) have very good teeth.

  9. We are sarcastic

  10. We talk about the weather 24/7

    We have well over 100 words for rain, and not without reason, seeing as it rains two out of three days on average.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    We all play British bulldog

  12. ?

    We are anti-social

    13. The Contenders

  13. We want to conquer the world

    We tried. Then America happened.

  14. We are snobbish

  15. We worship Harry Potter

    He is our eternal supreme being. We all strive to be more like him.

  16. Our traffic is horrendous

    My dad got let off a speeding fine (not fully, he just didn't get any points on his license) in the US because the judge noticed he was English and asked if he was from the South-East. My dad was, and the judge said he'd been to the South-East and understood why my dad wouldn't be used to the open roads, as the traffic was so bad in England. He only got a fine, instead of a fine and points on his (new) license.

  17. We eat bland, boiled, awful food

  18. We're extremely polite

  19. We all live in thatched cottages

    Been watching too much Lord of the Rings?

  20. We obsess over our music, and we hate American music

  21. We are lazy

  22. We are not funny

    No, we're not funny at all, nor are we sarcastic. What a ridiculous thought!

    Haha, the most brilliant thing I ever heard.

  23. We are all pirates

  24. We are all punctual

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