Impractical Jokers coming to London: 'Brits are smarter than Americans'

James “Murr” Murray told the Standard: “When we filmed in the UK, they called us out on everything. We were the dumb ones."
Impractical Jokers: Brian Quinn, far left, Sal Vulcano, Joe Gatto and James Murray
Rex Features
Alistair Foster25 October 2016

A star from hit US show Impractical Jokers today revealed the comedy troupe almost failed in their attempt to film an episode here — because Londoners are “a lot smarter than Americans”.

The hidden camera prank show has become an unexpected hit in the UK on Comedy Central, so much so that the four New Yorkers have four live dates at the O2 arena in January for their biggest ever live shows.

Joseph “Joe” Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Salvatore “Sal” Vulcano, all 40, are childhood friends who met at school, later forming their comedy troupe The Tenderloins. Impractical Jokers was first broadcast in 2011 and is now on its sixth series. They usually film in the US but came to London to shoot an episode earlier this year.

Murr told the Standard: “When we filmed our London episode, what we learned is that British people are a lot smarter than Americans. In America, when we film, we’re the smarter ones and the public is just kind of there, baffled by what we’re doing.

“When we filmed in the UK, they called us out on everything. We were the dumb ones. I think a British audience appreciates that what we’re doing is smarter than a typical prank show and we’re clearly having more fun — it’s not mean-spirited.

“In the British episode we were the tourists. We’re so used to pranking tourists when we are the savvy locals. So that was odd. More often than not they called us out. The entire episode ends with Q at a pub working behind the bar, and this British guy says to him, ‘I knew American people were dumb, but I didn’t know they were this dumb!’ It’s the perfect ending.”

Impractical Jokers perform at the O2 on January 7, 8, 14, and 15.

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