Brazil
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One of the sharpest and funniest comedy programmes made for Brazilian TV is Casseta & Planeta. This features a core of comedians, who write general sketches, as well as sketches centred around current affairs. Not so different from programmes that are seen in North America and Europe. Casseta & Planeta relies on comedic forms like satire, particularly for its political comment. Whereas the other sketches rely on a mix of slapstick again, as well as anarchic and alternative styles. The Portuguese language often comes into play, where words are taken and modified to give some amusing meaning. This is something that‘s particularly easy to do with Portuguese, and not so easy or often seen with English. An example that springs to mind is that of a sketch which centred around the word "cofrinho". The word "cofre" means safe, in the sense of somewhere you lock away money and jewels. But the meaning had been perverted to refer to the cleft of someone‘s buttocks, that can often appear when you need a belt for your trousers (so called "builder‘s bum" in the UK). The idea was that you could keep things safe in your little cofrinho.

Tags:  comedic europe portuguese