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Very British Problems #1
Very British Problems: Making Life Awkward for Ourselves, One Rainy Day at a Time
There's an epidemic sweeping the nation. Symptoms include:
*Acute embarrassment at the mere notion of making a fuss;
*Extreme awkwardness when faced with any social greeting beyond a brisk handshake;
*An unhealthy preoccupation with meteorology.
Doctors have also reported several cases of unnecessary apologising, an obsessive interest in correct queuing etiquette and dramatic sighing in the presence of loud teenagers on public transport. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, you may be suffering from VERY BRITISH PROBLEMS. VERY BRITISH PROBLEMS are highly contagious. There is no known cure.
Rob Temple's hilarious new book reveals all the ways in which we are a nation of socially awkward but well-meaning oddballs, struggling to make it through every day without apologising to an inanimate object. Take comfort in misfortunes of others. You are not alone.
*Acute embarrassment at the mere notion of making a fuss;
*Extreme awkwardness when faced with any social greeting beyond a brisk handshake;
*An unhealthy preoccupation with meteorology.
Doctors have also reported several cases of unnecessary apologising, an obsessive interest in correct queuing etiquette and dramatic sighing in the presence of loud teenagers on public transport. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, you may be suffering from VERY BRITISH PROBLEMS. VERY BRITISH PROBLEMS are highly contagious. There is no known cure.
Rob Temple's hilarious new book reveals all the ways in which we are a nation of socially awkward but well-meaning oddballs, struggling to make it through every day without apologising to an inanimate object. Take comfort in misfortunes of others. You are not alone.
225 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2013
314 people are currently reading
1867 people want to read
About the author
Rob Temple
12 books69 followersRob Temple is a journalist and founder of the @SoVeryBritish Twitter account, which now has more than one million followers, and a consultant on the official Channel 4 Very British Problems series.
Originally from Peterborough, he recently moved from South London to the countryside to provide more storage space for his rapidly expanding collection of inedible hot sauces and to be alone with his thought(s). He’s not that keen on hot drinks but is fine with just water if that’s okay?
Originally from Peterborough, he recently moved from South London to the countryside to provide more storage space for his rapidly expanding collection of inedible hot sauces and to be alone with his thought(s). He’s not that keen on hot drinks but is fine with just water if that’s okay?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 332 reviews
May 21, 2015
A mildly amusing novelty book based on Temple’s @soverybritish Twitter account. I have long since been disabused of my initial notion that the British are actually polite robots that run on tea (though after eight years in the UK I am now as fond of a lovely cup of tea as any Brit), but his generalizations still prompted an occasional chuckle.
It may be that I expected too much from a book that is, essentially, a Christmas stocking stuffer. Whatever you do, do not (as I did) read it all the way through, beginning to end, in a few sittings. If you do, the rapid-fire Tweet style will soon grate. Instead, let serendipity guide you to those snippets that elicit a laugh.
The book’s combination of fondness and self-deprecation makes for a pleasant tone, though this has been done much better. Two of my favorite “finding the British” books are Brit-Think, Ameri-Think: A Transatlantic Survival Guide by Jane Walmsley and Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson.
(See my full review at The Bookbag.)
It may be that I expected too much from a book that is, essentially, a Christmas stocking stuffer. Whatever you do, do not (as I did) read it all the way through, beginning to end, in a few sittings. If you do, the rapid-fire Tweet style will soon grate. Instead, let serendipity guide you to those snippets that elicit a laugh.
The book’s combination of fondness and self-deprecation makes for a pleasant tone, though this has been done much better. Two of my favorite “finding the British” books are Brit-Think, Ameri-Think: A Transatlantic Survival Guide by Jane Walmsley and Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson.
(See my full review at The Bookbag.)
January 8, 2016
This book is so British, it apologises for being a book.
December 29, 2017
The British are unique, there seems to be no other country whose people would actively seek to form an orderly queue unless it had too, nor do the citizens of many other countries apologise when it is not their fault having bumped into someone. We are obsessed with the weather, even though it rarely has the drama that happens in other countries. Whilst displays of emotion are not forbidden, most struggle to go beyond a swift handshake. Apart from the odd un British like person who suffers from road rage, most are likely to say thank you when hooted at, at the traffic lights and the other thing that will set you apart from others is that you will sigh a lot.
You'll know you're British when you say 'Honestly it's fine' to warn of your imminent breakdown, even though the thought of complaining or making a fuss is abhorrent to you, and this book is packed full of these little gems made me laugh out loud (embarrassing I know) and cringe a lot when you read some and think, do I really do that? There is no cure for this burden of nationhood. But tea and sarcasm help. Really enjoyable light-hearted book. 3.5 stars
You'll know you're British when you say 'Honestly it's fine' to warn of your imminent breakdown, even though the thought of complaining or making a fuss is abhorrent to you, and this book is packed full of these little gems made me laugh out loud (embarrassing I know) and cringe a lot when you read some and think, do I really do that? There is no cure for this burden of nationhood. But tea and sarcasm help. Really enjoyable light-hearted book. 3.5 stars
January 10, 2020
The book is basically just a collection of Tweets from their Twitter account. It doesn't work as well in book form.
March 16, 2014
Blimey, what a fun little book! If you're looking for an entertaining quick read, don't dilly-dally, go get this book! I'm sure the author will be quite chuffed if you do. Also, check out the tweets on Twitter for more British problems.
December 18, 2017
Just like other people, I have been laughing about tweets that float around from the Very British Problems account. Little is good, more must be better, right? Unfortunately no.
As it turns out, I had already seen the funniest jokes in there because so many people could relate to them (including me) - believe or not that's the reason they are retweeting them.
Jokes I hadn't seen before were the biggest part of the book - the bits I (and probably all those people who didn't retweet) couldn't relate to. So it turned out to be a half awkward read, where I knew some things and could chuckle about them dreading the next time I will apologise to a chair... But didn't know others, so just put on a poker face and pushed through. It could be that proper Brits actually can relate to almost all of that, but I somehow doubt it.
And although I liked the jokes that made me chuckle, I reduced my rating hence some jokes were repeated (yes, in this little book jokes actually managed to be printed more than twice in a slightly different version each time).
As it turns out, I had already seen the funniest jokes in there because so many people could relate to them (including me) - believe or not that's the reason they are retweeting them.
Jokes I hadn't seen before were the biggest part of the book - the bits I (and probably all those people who didn't retweet) couldn't relate to. So it turned out to be a half awkward read, where I knew some things and could chuckle about them dreading the next time I will apologise to a chair... But didn't know others, so just put on a poker face and pushed through. It could be that proper Brits actually can relate to almost all of that, but I somehow doubt it.
And although I liked the jokes that made me chuckle, I reduced my rating hence some jokes were repeated (yes, in this little book jokes actually managed to be printed more than twice in a slightly different version each time).
September 30, 2016
This is just the perfect book if you're a Brit, it sums us up PERFECTLY. I was pretty much laughing the entire time because it's so true. I always get angry when I'm in a queue and someone queue jumps, and I store my anger inside, because that's just what we do - we do not call a person out on their rudeness, we just seethe. And we're so awkward... It just - I could imagine myself in every situation, acting the same way.
You just have to read it and laugh, because it's amazing, and it will absolutely brighten up your day, if you're having a crap day, I swear.
You just have to read it and laugh, because it's amazing, and it will absolutely brighten up your day, if you're having a crap day, I swear.
January 2, 2016
Hilarious. One of those books where you either look like a loon, chuckling to yourself and shaking your head, or spend half your time reading bits out loud so everyone else can join you.
June 13, 2025
Mildy amusing in places. Us Brits - what are we like?
Bought on a whim to balance out a history of the Third Reich in maps in a charity shop.
Bought on a whim to balance out a history of the Third Reich in maps in a charity shop.
August 2, 2019
Very British, very funny. It's all about keeping up appearances:
Unbelievable, the things you can be embarrassed about.
Being a bit of a people-pleaser myself, I was pleasantly surprised how many of these situations do not make me feel awkward. At all. Not one bit.
And Brexit won't help with those, tee-hee.
Unbelievable, the things you can be embarrassed about.
Being a bit of a people-pleaser myself, I was pleasantly surprised how many of these situations do not make me feel awkward. At all. Not one bit.
And Brexit won't help with those, tee-hee.
March 27, 2019
Too funny. Rob Temple is brilliant. He captures the awkward, queue loving British public perfectly. I highlighted so many passages in this book, I definitely suffer from VBP; such a fun read on my lunch hour
March 26, 2020
This was a fun read. A great 'dip in' book for these miserable times. It makes me ironically quite proud to be British...
March 20, 2017
This is a "occasionally pick up and flick through" type book that's incredibly amusing and frighteningly accurate. It's a really brilliant addition to the British persons life. I tabbed the ones that I found relatable (there are quite a few!)
I like this! It's really charming!
I'd recommend it (even to those non British folk!)
I like this! It's really charming!
I'd recommend it (even to those non British folk!)
October 21, 2024
This was just so much fun. Or should I say: not bad at all!
June 6, 2018
I fell in love with the @SoVeryBritish Twitter account when I discovered it last year. A lot of what is posted on there seems to apply to me, typically the scenarios involving awkward social situations, which I often find myself in. So when my brother mentioned that there is also a series of books containing some of these problems, I just could not resist it.
Much like the Twitter account, Very British Problems lists the various awkward and uncomfortable situations that British people often encounter. Most of these play on typical British stereotypes which are, more often than not, incredibly accurate and very funny too. There were lots of these problems that I could apply to myself, some of which were just too accurate. However, there were also quite a few that I could not relate to, but I was able to see some of them in people I know, so I was still able to enjoy them.
I had a lot of fun reading this, there were so many scenarios that I could apply to either myself or people I know and I am now looking forward to reading the next volume at some point in the future.
Rating - 4/5
★★★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
Much like the Twitter account, Very British Problems lists the various awkward and uncomfortable situations that British people often encounter. Most of these play on typical British stereotypes which are, more often than not, incredibly accurate and very funny too. There were lots of these problems that I could apply to myself, some of which were just too accurate. However, there were also quite a few that I could not relate to, but I was able to see some of them in people I know, so I was still able to enjoy them.
I had a lot of fun reading this, there were so many scenarios that I could apply to either myself or people I know and I am now looking forward to reading the next volume at some point in the future.
Rating - 4/5
★★★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
March 28, 2016
If you're looking for a book to buy in hard-copy and leave in the downstairs loo, this is a perfect choice. As something for family and friends to browse whilst dealing with more important 'business', it's a pretty good source of a giggle or two for a few minutes. Trouble is that it's not something you can really sit down and read from cover to cover - which is what I tried to do.
I bought this for my Kindle and found it to be a case of a small joke stretched too far and I also found the kindle format very poor - it's more like a PDF than a proper e-book. You can't use the normal highlighting or dictionary functionality and the layout is very poor.
I'll admit that a few bits made me laugh and I did read out the odd gem to my husband but on the whole it stopped being funny very quickly. Yes, I recognised my own behaviour a few times but more often than not, I was just left thinkings "Please tell me that we're really not quite that ridiculously pathetic".
I bought this for my Kindle and found it to be a case of a small joke stretched too far and I also found the kindle format very poor - it's more like a PDF than a proper e-book. You can't use the normal highlighting or dictionary functionality and the layout is very poor.
I'll admit that a few bits made me laugh and I did read out the odd gem to my husband but on the whole it stopped being funny very quickly. Yes, I recognised my own behaviour a few times but more often than not, I was just left thinkings "Please tell me that we're really not quite that ridiculously pathetic".
October 3, 2015
There are a couple of things which the British are really quite good at. Under-exaggeration is one, and not quite managing to say exactly what they really mean is another. But one talent which is really very British is the ability to mock and laugh at ourselves. And this book is really quite a good example of this.
Reading it I really laughed quite a lot, it was really not too bad at all. In fact it was pretty good considering that it was about the British after all.
If you are British then this book is worth a read to recognise just what it is about us that makes the British worthy of being part of Great Britain. If you aren't British you might want to give it a read too if you want to stand any chance of ever understanding the oddities of us British. Give it a go... what's the worst that could happen!
Reading it I really laughed quite a lot, it was really not too bad at all. In fact it was pretty good considering that it was about the British after all.
If you are British then this book is worth a read to recognise just what it is about us that makes the British worthy of being part of Great Britain. If you aren't British you might want to give it a read too if you want to stand any chance of ever understanding the oddities of us British. Give it a go... what's the worst that could happen!
April 5, 2016
I grabbed the kindle edition, so these notes are particular to that release:
* Formatting: bleh. Not a single consistent font though the book. Pages that have two lines of text. At least the formatting made for a quick read (I see goodreads lists the book as having 200+ pages? More like 50. I read the bulk of it in an hour.)
* Content: I (mistakenly) expected something with a bit more discussion. This book is to Britain what Foxworthy is to Red Necks - largely a collection of "you know you're British if..." punchlines without any actual framing discussions.
Somewhat disappointing, to be honest. In chapter 3 there's a quiz for how British you are - I came out decidedly British, which was fun/amusing, but that was really about as deep as the book got.
* Formatting: bleh. Not a single consistent font though the book. Pages that have two lines of text. At least the formatting made for a quick read (I see goodreads lists the book as having 200+ pages? More like 50. I read the bulk of it in an hour.)
* Content: I (mistakenly) expected something with a bit more discussion. This book is to Britain what Foxworthy is to Red Necks - largely a collection of "you know you're British if..." punchlines without any actual framing discussions.
Somewhat disappointing, to be honest. In chapter 3 there's a quiz for how British you are - I came out decidedly British, which was fun/amusing, but that was really about as deep as the book got.
January 27, 2015
I suspect the funniest situations have been shared on the Twitter feed, but if you want them all in one place, this is a sharply accurate insight into the British psyche. At least, I identified with it, so I'm relieved this book suggests I'm not alone in getting off a bus too early (having rung the bell in error) or apologising to someone who's bashed my ankle with their supermarket trolley.
On a minor note, I was disappointed that a mainstream publisher would allow a book to be distributed with easy-to-catch typos. Perhaps Hachette should invest more of their ample resources in quality control and less in public scuffles with Amazon.
On a minor note, I was disappointed that a mainstream publisher would allow a book to be distributed with easy-to-catch typos. Perhaps Hachette should invest more of their ample resources in quality control and less in public scuffles with Amazon.
December 6, 2015
Ich nehme an es wäre lustiger, wenn mein Tag nicht so traurig gewesen wäre und das Buch nicht nur aus Clippings bestanden hätte. Sieht bestimmt nett aus im Regal, aber der Twitter Account macht mehr Spass.
April 13, 2015
A great wee book, perfect to dip in and out of but it's very easy to binge read in one sitting like I just did.
August 22, 2016
Made me chuckle.
February 7, 2017
Review to follow...
December 17, 2025
A fun little collection of things us Brits say and do.
Feeling weird asking
someone to take their shoes
off, so just letting them ruin
your carpet.
The collective despair when someone
raises their hand after the room is asked,
‘So, any questions?’
The overwhelming dread which accompanies the sentence: ‘Before we start, let’s just go round the table and say a bit about ourselves.’
Feeling weird asking
someone to take their shoes
off, so just letting them ruin
your carpet.
The collective despair when someone
raises their hand after the room is asked,
‘So, any questions?’
The overwhelming dread which accompanies the sentence: ‘Before we start, let’s just go round the table and say a bit about ourselves.’
April 1, 2017
This was just what I needed to put a smile on my face. Very funny and oh so true!
June 13, 2019
Hilarious! I’m not British, but I’m an introvert, so I relate to much of the book.
December 22, 2019
Don't mind me trying to meet my reading challenge goal
January 3, 2022
This is a nice 'stocking filler' book to dip into for five-ten minutes at a time if you need a smile. The book is mainly a collection of Twitter posts, so you have probably read them if you follow @soverybritish.
A couple of chapters are in a different, more lengthy format, which were not as funny, and I found myself skimming over these; I think the original tweets work best. Some of the chapters especially resonated with me and made me laugh out loud (offices, restaurants), and others not so much, but overall the book made me smile.
A couple of chapters are in a different, more lengthy format, which were not as funny, and I found myself skimming over these; I think the original tweets work best. Some of the chapters especially resonated with me and made me laugh out loud (offices, restaurants), and others not so much, but overall the book made me smile.
May 16, 2022
A funny book, but the jokes feel repetitive after a while, as most of them are about being a socially awkward introvert. I also didn't love the format, most of the chapters consist of tweets, something I wasn't aware of before I started reading. The chapters containing longer texts instead of tweets were the best parts. Overall, it's a funny book, but best in small doses. I’m not British, so perhaps that also plays a role in my perception of the book.
July 21, 2014
As I read for myself I'd rate it 2 stars, but I'd rate it as 4 stars to give as a gift, so I settled on 3.
I bought this book after seeing a list of quotes from it that had me doubled over with laughter going 'That's me! That's SO me!' Unfortunately that list turned out to be all the best quotes from the book, so I gained little more from actually reading the whole thing. Another disappointment was that within the book itself there are many lines or ideas that are repeated multiple times, and this is a huge downfall for a humour book where many of the laughs come from seeing some quirk you identify with in print for the first time; the second time is never quite so funny.
Overall, I could highly recommend this as a funny little gift for a British friend, but as a read for yourself I'd say you're better off just checking out the Twitter feed from which this book was born.
I bought this book after seeing a list of quotes from it that had me doubled over with laughter going 'That's me! That's SO me!' Unfortunately that list turned out to be all the best quotes from the book, so I gained little more from actually reading the whole thing. Another disappointment was that within the book itself there are many lines or ideas that are repeated multiple times, and this is a huge downfall for a humour book where many of the laughs come from seeing some quirk you identify with in print for the first time; the second time is never quite so funny.
Overall, I could highly recommend this as a funny little gift for a British friend, but as a read for yourself I'd say you're better off just checking out the Twitter feed from which this book was born.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 332 reviews