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A very British phrase that I once overheard was, "...I was so angry I nearly said something". 😏

The loud "Thank you, driver" on a bus isn't to prove a point, it's to make up for the previous lack of appreciation.

If i hold the door open for someone ( stranger) and they don't say thank you,, i say you're welcome loudly.

You know you are British when you do a ridiculous walk over a pedestrian crossing in order to convey to the driver who has had to stop for you that you are trying to cross as quickly as possible. I do it myself 😄

The cheering or clapping when someone drops a glass isn't really designed to embarrass the other person or be mean. It's more a shared moment of ironic joviality that acknowledges that we've all been there, and know the feeling.

I’m a paramedic in England and the number of people who ask me if I “want a cuppa” when their loved one is semi-conscious and drooling on the floor never ceases to amaze me! 😂

I was in an American DFAC on a NATO exercise as part of a small British Army continent. I will never forget the day I was still getting my food, all my colleges had already found a seat, and someone in the DFAC dropped a tray. Complete silence as nearly 500 people turned to look, except for one table in the corner where maybe ten British voices in unison went "WHEEEEEY!"

When an absolute disaster happens , like your daughter takes her driving test and hits the Driving Test Centre wall at the end and everyone is upset you say "That went well then!"

queue jumping! I was visiting London from Canada. As a 67 year old, I was awaiting knee replacements and I was using crutches. I really wanted to have my photo taken at King's Cross Platform 9 3/4, the Harry Potter thing. But there was a long queue and I knew that I could not stand in line that long. But there was seating for the station nearby. I went to the person handling the queue, explained the situation, explained that I would certainly honour the queue but if I could sit whilst waiting, and have a person technically in front of me let me know when it was my turn, that would be great. Well, instead, everyone in the Queue told me to get to the front and go first. It actually brought me to tears!! And I got a great photo out of it!

The list is spot on but you missed the one about pedestrians on a pavement doing the extra fast walk to overtake a slow walker so you are not awkwardly side by side for more than a second. You can return to your normal walking speed once you are about 6 feet in front of them 🙂

A woman stopped a man in one of the palaces as he was leaving, he was one of the Queen’s equerries. He paused and politely exchanged a few words with her and then said “ do excuse me, I have just heard that my house is on fire.” True Brit.

In the West Country, when someone waves you through while driving and you wave back "thanks" they will often wave back again "that's OK". There needs to be a lot of give and take on our narrow country lanes.

My sister’s husband passed away suddenly a week ago and I heard her eldest daughter say... ‘I’ve had better weeks’. These are spot on.

You forgot to mention the knee slap followed by "right then" to indicate it's time to leave somewhere 😂

Expat Brit here - some of what u describe happens in other. Esp Anglo-phone countries, but one thing I love about returning to London was how when there r two ATMs/cashpoints and we firm ONE single queue automatically for equality of outcome and fairness. Never seen that in 20 years of living in Asia. It’s kinda makes me proud of my fellow Brits knowing that is ingrained in us

The most horrifying thing ever is when you're following someone through a series of doors. They hold the first one open, you say "Cheers". They hold the second one open, you say "Ta". Then the third door comes up, and what do you say? It's usually best, at that point, to pretend you forgot something and turn round and go back.

It is customary to offer tea or coffee to a visitor, whether it be a contractor or a friend. Thanking the bus driver is a MUST.

"It's not ideal" usually means it's the most horrendous moment of that person's life 😂

Wot about the carrier bag stash in every british home . In the cubby hole or cupboard in kichen 😂

Brit here. I concur on the Rich Tea point. Rich Tea are not biscuits, they are in formed out of compressed product of the reaction between dissatisfaction and disappointment.

As a Brit living in the UK, you missed one on the bus (also trains, where it's more relevant, as people can walk around) - if you're sitting alone with an empty seat beside you, someone gets on and wants to sit next to you, they'll point at the seat and ask you "Is anyone sitting here?", and they'll not sit down until you assure them that there is not.

As a Brit I've never heard a more spot on list made by a non-brit! Excellent work! x

A few years ago, my dad who was 85 at the time was cutting down a tree in their garden. He started to get chest pains, so instead of calling an ambulance, my mum took him inside and made him a cup of tea! Luckily it turned out he had just pulled a muscle when the went to A&E 3 days later!

A cup of tea doesn't hurt anything, and can always make your day brighter. As for the ones who don't like tea, well, they are Philistines. I was in the British Army 1979-84 been on op's came in soaked to the skin, covered in mud and God knows what, and after a debriefing to hear these words, " all right lads, clean your weapons, then cookhouse for a Brew and Egg Banjo's" ( Mug of tea and Egg Sarnies } At 02.30 In the morning was heaven. ( if you were there then you know exactly what i am saying ) You always say "thank you" when someone keeps a door open for you, or opens a door for you. Always offer a seat to a woman on a bus or on a train. Say "Thanks Driver " when getting off the bus.

Very accurate; only big one you missed is when a person who is bumped into or walks into something apologises 😂

As a Californian living in the UK - Brits say "sorry" instead of "excuse me" while navigating through crowds. Brits are usually very accommodating when you have to merge into traffic. British kids are drilled in saying "yes, please" when you offer them something. My most, most, most favorite thing about Brits: they are self-deprecating, kind-hearted, jovial, and just all-around more pleasant human beings. At the end of the video, you said the most British thing of all: "byeeeeeee". They all do it. LOVE IT!

Taking your own teabags to the breakfast room when staying in a foreign hotel.

"mustn't grumble" is the best response to being asked "how are you doing?"

That cheer on dropping glasses actually takes some of the embarrassment out of it somehow lol

A friend of mine in Malaysia was interested in the idea of Brits "talking about the weather"... it seemed crazy to her. The weather in Malaysia is very easy to predict and the difference between the two seasons is mainly HEAVY rainfall. The temperature is always high. But then she visited the UK and after a couple of weeks came to understand. She discovered that the weather here can change radically in half a day, then back again, with daytime temperature differences of ten or more degrees over just a couple of days. Weather in the UK is a story.

I've only just started watching your videos. It's easy to feel quite down about the state of things here in the UK at the moment. It's doing me a lot of good to see you talking so enthusiastically and excitedly about living here, your videos help me to thank my blessings. It takes someone from elsewhere to hold up a mirror sometimes. A British person couldn't make these videos and you're doing a great job. Thank you

To be fair, waving to say thanks in a car takes practically 0 effort, so if you can't even be bothered to do that when someone waits for you to go, it's pretty fair to call that rude!

I remember when I accidentally dropped a glass in a Berlin bar I was actually gutted there wasn’t a chorus of “WAAAAAAYYYY!!!” It made me pine for my British local 😭 This was an absolutely brilliant list, Alanna. Cheers!

TBH, I think the cheering when you drop a glass is actually better than an embarrassing silence. You know everyone knows now and you can move on.

🇬🇧 don't forget the , quote , " see you later " , even if you don't know them and you're not going to see them later or ever again. Haha

Thanking the bus driver is one of the most genuine and beautiful things of the UK. Especially when routinely done in a huge city like London (I can’t imagine NY or any other big metropolis doing this). My German fiancé was very surprised when he saw me doing this when we visited London last year and he immediately adopted it!! 😊

I was on the bus a few months ago. Some guy was talking on speaker with his phone. Some old guy got up grabbed his phone and threw it out of the window. Nobody ever spoke about it ever again.

I’m so British I once ate a fish pie in a restaurant, because that’s what they gave me, I had ordered cauliflower cheese! This list is so spot on

Our passive aggression is unmatched.

I was born and bred in the UK and have never in my life (64 years) used "You alright" as a greeting. I also have a bunch of illnesses, including liver cancer, but the answer to "How are you?" Is always "not bad at all."

I was in a queue for tickets at a low-level football match once and someone unknowingly jumped the queue. A man said "Oi, mate, we were here first !" The absent-minded queue-jumper said "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't know." The reply was "Oh, that's OK, you can go ahead !" Thank you for being positive about us, Alanna !

Spot on. Love the example of the bus where you don't sit next to someone unless you have to. Absolutely true 100%

In the north (dying out now but still around) the usual answer to 'how you doing' is something along the lines of 'I'm average'. So you might get: Fair to Middling Oh, you know Batting on Mustn't grumble Still breathing etc.

You are bang on my dear! Top notch observations. So funny to hear our quirks from a foreigner. We were laughing our heads off. 😂 One thing I would add about the queuing aspect is that if we have a lot of things in our basket at a check out, we will typically notice if someone behind us has only one or two items and we will say something like “Go ahead “ and the correct response is always a thank you if you are allowed to jump the queue.

The reaction to someone jumping a queue can be much more interesting at times. I was visiting my son in west London just before Covid. We were in a line to get into the National Gallery. Some berk just barged in front of Felix, who is very dark and 2.05m tall. He said, loudly, "Good thing you brought me up well Dad, rather than this nob in front of me, who was obviously dragged up by a Neanderthal". Those behind me laughed loudly, as the interloper slunk away, head down.

And saying “Yeah, you’re welcome!” loudly from the safety of your car when you let someone through and they have the audacity to not wave thanks! 😂 Love the video, subscribed for the Yorkshire Tea/Rich Tea reference!

"You judge people by the colour of their.... tea". Phew, I was worried there for a moment!

I was at a beer festival yesterday, in a queue for the pasties. Because we were queuing past an entrance to the hall, I'd left a space for people to get in and out of the hall but one gentleman walked in, saw the part of the queue towards the stand and just joined the back of that. I mentioned just about loudly enough to the chap behind me that the queue was quite slow. The queue interloper looked back, realised what he had done and was genuinely mortified as he apologised profusely and shuffled to the genuine queue end (only about 6 people back).

British man in my 50s here. I never "tut" at queue jumpers, I say out loud quite blatantly and pointedly, "You do know there's a queue here right??". Everyone looks first at me, then at the perp. Usually they are immediately shamed into going to the back, or if they fancy themselves and say "yes thanks" or similar, then I respond with "then gtf to the back, we're all waiting ahead of you". Everyone else in the queue then joins me, and the person serving at the checkout (or whatever) will refuse to serve them until the proper turn.

An alternative to “I can’t complain…” is “mustn’t grumble…”, admittedly used mainly by older people, usually over 75 - 80 or so and therefore getting rarer these days.

Excellent compilation! I'm from US living in Cambridge over 20 yrs now. I related to everything you said - except maybe the "I can't complain" bit - I heard that a lot in the States. But it's true, the British tend to not complain. My favourite bit about UK culture is the polite driving (flashing of lights + wave) - it's like a dance, and when adhered to creates such good feelings. :). Cheers!

A prominent sociologist once did an experiment at one of the major London Railway stations where she deliberately bumped into random people who were stood on the concourse, happily minding their own business, in order to see how many of them would apologise to her. Over 50% of her victims did. That is pure ",British"

Spot on! The waves or even two fingers together whilst holding the wheel; it still irks me after 25 years in Spain when drivers don’t give you a wave.

Cut a queue? That's a tutting. Don't thank the bus driver? That's a tutting. Don't wave thanks when I let you have right of way? You can bet that's a tutting!

As a tradesman going in many hundreds of homes the phrase "Do you want a brew?" is always a good moment. It is usually followed by "What do you want?" ...... My reply is invariably "Whatever you are having" It has been a long time since I used a bus but I don't remember more than an occasional "Thanks mate!" Nowadays it would probably be seen as a prelude to robbery and thus not good! Rage for queue cutters is rare. Usually it follow two paths. 1. (yes I am one of those guys) A question phrased so the other person knows they will not be tolerated ..... especially if there are people in front of me in the queue. Something like "Sorry Mate (big emphasis on the mate) these people are before you! or 2. Take the piss. The situation would determine the level of piss taking involved, as would the "handiness" of the one pushing in! "Mustn't complain, people stop listening to me when I do that." is my usual response ;o) Tea and weather ..... well what can I say! If the complaint is about heat I usually ad in a "We pay good money for that every year" Being a straight man I do Not do the x at the end ...... Other than cards to my Mrs! A bad meal I would complain about ..... gently, but if it were OK'ish I would just say it was OK. Really bad and I will not be paying for it though! What is wrong with Blunt, Dark AND Sarcastic? Personal space is important, if I had to sit next to someone I would give a quick "Sorry". Tea, white, none please. Or Warm and wet please ..... if I am asked But if your milk quotient is vital you need to say beforehand! Road etiquette is simple. If someone lets you in you say thanks (an open hand above the wheel or a flash) and if you don't Karma will get you. Trust me it will! As for the UK driving experience ...... it depends vastly where you are! There are places you just do not stop (ever) (even if someone is trying to flag you down) ... (especially if they try to flag you down)! Other more laid back areas allow a level of courtesy to be shown and given and life is the better for it!

Can confirm, I am a British person who doesn't drink tea and yet there are two types of tea bags in my cupboard, specifically for guests.

Where in from in Hull, our standard greeting is 'Now then'. It's a catch all.

"I can't complain, well I can but no one would listen". 😊 I quite enjoy these uploads

Hey Alanna. You know you're British when you watch Alanna's "You Know You're British" video and you agree with every single point. Excellent and very enjoyable video. Hope you are well now we're heading into big coat weather.

When returning to your desk or work station after lunch break; 'Oh well.... No rest for the wicked'. Occasionally rejoined with; 'Not even the very wicked'.

You are spot on with your comments …. I just find it weird that other countries don’t have the same unwritten rules. You can tell that I haven’t travelled abroad very much. When I did go to the US I was amazed how often I was complemented on my accent 😀

I've noticed if you don't thank the driver on the buses around here the driver often retaliates by thanking you very loudly as you step off. I worked one place where the cakes on birthdays thing was totally out of control. There were cakes virtually every single day and I hard to literally starve myself outside of work to stop turning into an elephant.

The wave thing you mentioned , yep totally agree , if you’ve taken the moral high ground to stop and allow that other driver coming the other way to go first and that bond that you thought you both had is rubbished by that driver NOT waving it acknowledging your sacrifice then it instantly turns to ashes in your mouth and you realise that person has mentally flipped you the bird as they disappear into the distance and you’ve been taken for a fool then the next mile and a half is one giant swearathon in your car at that persons cheek and arrogance . 😅. 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I'm British and born in the UK. I agree with these. We always offer a cuppa or cup of tea or coffee to guests or people providing a service fixing something. We don't drink coffee anymore. We have 2 types of coffee for guests and visitors and fruit tea which I don't really like. I like mint tea though as well as breakfast tea. I always thank the bus driver especially if no one else thanks them.

I was on a bus one day when a lady said thank you to the driver on leaving the bus. Two women were sitting in front of me and one turned to the other and said “it really annoys me when people thank the driver. He is doing his job and getting paid for it and there is no need to thank him“. I was shocked, but being British, I didn’t say anything to them!! So not all British people are thankful to the driver for a safe journey!

Brit here. I was crazy enough to catch a bus in San Francisco once. It was like the 7th level of hell on wheels. I thanked the driver when I got off but was completely dumbfounded when there was no response. In the UK the driver normally thanks you back.

Queue jumping is the worse, holly and Phil will never live it down im afraid xx

As a native brit, I find this hilarious that people of other nations find this amusing. I totally get what you are saying about the lanes in Kent. Same as Yorkshire, Cumbria, Scotland, hell anywhere rural in the UK. You deffo need to know the width of your vehicle, like it was your own hips.

I think Canadians and Australians think _'You alright'_ means: _'are you feeling alright - do you need some help - are you lost - can I take you somewhere?'_ when really it's more like an open ended statement: _'everything's well with you and me'_ If a Brit was concerned for a person's wellbeing they would ask _'are you alright?'_

This is, by FAR, the most spot-on video I've seen on Brits... 90% of this I can whole-heartedly agree on (the other 10% is because I never face those situations.. like working in an office in the UK). I'm appreciating this a lot since I moved from the UK over a decade ago. Highlights for me: #1. I stopped drinking tea for about 2 years, but I kept a fresh (yep, I dumped and replenished them) supply of tea bags for guests and repairmen , etc. #4. I do hope there's a confronter somewhere in the queue to actually take action, since most of us won't. #11. I have never complained about a meal when I had issues with it. #13, You said "I'm sat"... grammatically wrong, and 100% British... That is instant approval for a British passport right there. #14. Re-gathering your belongings to indicate you are getting ready to leave rather than actually speak to a person and simply say "excuse me"... this is GOLD and something I've done all my life and never thought about discussing, simply because EVERYONE does it #17. I pre-empted the Rich Tea biscuits. I'm 100% with you. You said "Literally any biscuit" and I said "not Rich Tea" in my head. (Also, BIG kudos for saying calling for Yorkshire Tea. I'm now in Australia, but I carry 2 Yorkshire Tea teabags with me when I got to the office, or a bunch if I'm away for a few days) #18. I don't drive, but I still thank on behalf of the driver if they are passing on the passenger side. Again, this is an awesome video, certainly representing the British spirit than any others I've seen.

Yeah pretty good, I think you captured a lot of our traits. So much so that I kept thinking "that just seems natural, you mean they don't do that in other countries......?"

Your description of avoiding sitting next to a stranger on public transport bought back memories of Ben Elton's classic comedy monologue of getting on a train, 'double seat, double seat, got to get a double seat'

That is totally spot on, well done, and welcome to Britain. X

As a Brit I can't argue with any of your points. I was once in the Caribbean at a beach bar and the server brought me a drink over and I said cheers. From the table next to me all I heard was "wow, its true, I thought it was only a myth". This was the response of an American who overheard me saying cheers which resulted in quite a long chat with them. As to tea I say this through gritted teeth as a Lancastrian...Yorkshire Tea is the best.

“Suppose to rain later I heard, yeah change is in the air, see how early it gets dark now? Big coat weather soon anyways gotta go, have a good one” gets me out of most awkward social interactions 😂 thanks for the video!

I even asked delivery guys if they wanted a drink (a cold one) when we had really warm weather during summer - I always say thanks to bus drivers - and drivers who stop at crossings to let me go lol

American from Wisconsin living in the UK for30 years and every observation had me laughing and nodding along. Brilliant. 😉

In Liverpool people don't queue for buses, everyone just mills around. When the bus arrives, generally you let the prams / mobility issue people on. Much more civilised. Also, what's the point of queuing if more than one bus stops there.

Well, you seem to have got our number :-) I rather like the cheering when someone drops a glass (or prefferably a whole tray of glasses) When the unfortunate can carry it off with a bow I think it confirms our mutual assessment that no-one is perfect :-)

As an irish person living in England, the 'you alright' greeting often makes me slightly paranoid wondering if I look ill or visibly worried. After nearly fifteen years settled here, I'm aware it's just the greeting everyone has gotten into the habit of, but that usually doesn't dent my anxiety.

In UK you have to get used to roads with a 60mph speed limit only wide enough for one vehicle, and they have grass growing in the middle....

Great list! There's a third option to the "confronters/don't want to bother" divide. Nowadays a lot of people say everything's lovely, and then complain on TripAdvisor or similar. Really annoying - if something's wrong they should speak up and give people a chance to put it right

Yep, that's the British alright. I did once confront a queue-jumper by saying loudly 'there's a queue'. The miscreant joined the queue. I love being British.

I was born in England but mainly raised in Canada. I came back to England as an adult. One thing I noticed was English people apologise a lot. For example if someone was standing in a supermarket looking at the shelves and someone who was looking at their mobile phone nearly walked into them both people would apologise. This might not be true everywhere and for everybody but it seems to be true for most people where I've lived. Even though Canadians are supposedly polite I didn't do this at first if I was the innocent person. I would just grumble under my breath but now I tend to do it.

Very funny, and a lot of deep truths here! 😂 Remember it’s not (even remotely) ‘are you alright?’, it’s y’o’re’ - more schwa - when it’s a greeting 😉👍 Really enjoyed your summary - made me a little homesick even - might have a cuppa!

Oh this video made me laugh more any other video you’ve ever made. 😄 You’ve absolutely nailed the British psyche. Love it!

Definitely the most accurate depiction of Britishness that I've seen in a video 🙌

As a 66 yr old Brit, I think you have covered it well, it is as you describe. We do always think of other people and treat them as we would like to be treated. But don`t make us angry(maybe another video).

An accurate description of British behaviour, well done. There is more to complaining about the weather than just that it is too hot or too cold, there is also the rain. After a few days rain we complain that we cannot cut the grass or weed the flowerbeds because it is just too wet. After a spell of warm dry weather, we complain that the grass is drying up and turning brown and all the flowers are wilting and that we really need some rain.

American southerner here. I thought my old grandad was the only person who answered when asked how he's doing, "Fair to middling." He was a 10th generation American, by way of England. We never knew why he said that! Now I know, it was passed down thru generations of British ancestry!! Thanks Aleena!

You missed the fact that when you are out and about and no matter how cold it is in the middle of winter. It is always a good idea to have an ice-cream. Maybe this is a Northern thing though

According to my passport , I'm not British. According to Alanna's list , I am !!! Great video, thanks girl 😂👍

…. and what’s wrong with that jewel of the biscuit barrel ‘Richtea’!?

Spot on, I am a foreigner who lived in the UK for 20 years, in my country SA, we are very direct, being direct is seen as being honest and trustworthy, so even telling a friend if they are putting on weight is seen as a positive because you are being sincere and won't hide the truth, the Brits are the exact opposite though, they speak almost in a kind of code, you just have to know the actual meaning, and what is being said could at times be almost opposite, circumlocution, so you have to learn to interpret what they mean when they say certain phrases it is not obvious that it is actually a hidden criticism, like 'that is such an interesting choice of colour for a jacket' means I would rather die than be seen in something that hideous, or if they say we 'must meet up sometime' they 'I will check my calendar' is a polite way to decline a social engagement, but there is also a lot of what I now think of as filler phrases that means nothing at all, and they will periodically say these meaningless things while they are compiling their thoughts in their heads, like 'at the end of the day' or 'to be honest' there are many of those. When a British person sees an American make tea they die inside, microwaving water is a very serious faux pas, as well as any deviation from the 'proper way' of doing things. Humility is very important so someone who is a bit brash or full of themselves will quickly find British people take them down a peg, someone like Trump is almost universally reviled on the isles, but even someone like a prime minister in the UK would almost apologise or downplay their achievement of being elected for instance. You can pinpoint someones home town almost to the neighbourhood by their choice of word for sandwhich There is an incredible range of terms of endearment used even with strangers, and sometimes cute as hell, like called 'Duck' in Derby or 'Luv' in Birmingham, Neighbouring cities often have mutually unintelligible accents 'like Brommie and Black-country' (for foreigners Black country refer to mines)

The wave thing is spot on, but there are two levels. I used to live in London and one wave or light flash to say thanks is the standard. However I now live in the country and the wave to acknowledge the thank you wave is compulsory. I suppose we have more time our here! 😂

All very true, you missed off apologising for NEARLY bumping into someone. I didn’t even think that was weird until an American pointed it out to me “Why you saying sorry?” “I nearly bumped into you!” “Yeah, nearly, your apologising got something that didn’t happen man!” 😂😂

"Sack the Juggler" when someone drops a glass. You've got us weighed up, Alanna. Most of this is so true. Personally I don't use "x" on texts (my mate Colin would get worried!) but I might use 1 or 2 to female family members. Queue jumping is a *serious* social sin. A severe "Tutting" to the back of the miscreant's head is much in order. We Brits don't really go in for direct confrontation. Have a great week Alanna.

Brilliant!!! As a northwest English man who's lived in NZ for 22 years, you've just demonstrated a lot of what I didn't realise I missed. Thanks

" Alright " can also be used as both a greeting and responce for strangers passing each other. Sometimes further abbreviated to " 'ight ".