Britain's tourism chiefs are playing up the famous native sense of humour by helping people find the places behind England's comedy heroes and heritage, in a new campaign unveiled on Tuesday.

VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, hopes its Comedy England campaign will get tourists visiting sites and buildings associated with comedy legends like Charlie Chaplin, or the scenes where famous films and sketches were shot.

The organisation has produced a map and the comedyengland.com website citing the locations.

They include the birthplaces of Chaplin, "Pink Panther" star Peter Sellers and Noel Coward; Benny Hill's grave and the houses of Irish wit Oscar Wilde and stars such as Sid James from the "Carry On" films.

Stan Laurel's statue and the Laurel and Hardy Museum are included, as are Albury Park stately home, used for the third marriage in "Four Weddings and a Funeral", and the protagonist's flat in "Bridget Jones's Diary".

The street corner where John Cleese's character Basil Fawlty thrashed his car with a branch in the sitcom "Fawlty Towers" is also listed.

"England is renowned for producing some of the best comedy in the world and our sense of humour is a trait that the English are famous for," said Laurence Bresh of VisitBritain's Enjoy England section.

"Comedy is an integral part of our heritage and culture and the Comedy England campaign will encourage visitors to explore some of the regions, locations and attractions which have contributed to this."

AFP

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