English humor - I dont get it?

I don't think it is fair to say that there isn't a market for 'intelligent' humour in the US. Shows like Family Guy and South Park, while puerile, take all of their material from politics and sociological observation. The Big Bang Theory makes jokes about Schrodinger's cat and cognitive conditioning... you wouldn't get the jokes without being pretty switched on.

The OP talked about people saying 'mean' things. I don't think this is a sign of English humour... I've been doing it since I was a kid and I was born and raised in rural America. Some people can easily laugh at themselves and others can't. It isn't a cultural thing or a good or bad thing. As someone who takes the piss out of my friends all the time I can say in all honesty that if your husband's joking bothers you, just say so. For those of us who enjoy sarcasm it's often mixed with self-deprecation so we don't see the big deal about a mock insult. But on the few occasions I've had someone react badly to one of my jokes I've always felt really crap and made a mental note to put them on my 'do not make fun of' list. Hurting someone's feelings is never the intention and I'm sure your husband would take it down a notch if he knew how much it bothered you. (My husband is English and when we first got together I think he thought I was a total wench because I took the piss out of him all the time and he had to pull me aside and ask why I was so mean. When we discussed it, I realised he just didn't get that I was joking so I toned it down quite a lot. Now after 9 years together he takes the piss out of me infinitely more than I him!).

I think you mean Stewart Francis and he's actually Canadian 

He is, hands down, my UK-DH's favourite when he appears on Mock the Week. I prefer Dara and Frankie Boyle. I think humour is cultural, but even more than that, it's personal.  I have a circle of close friends where taking the piss is an acknowledged sign of affection, and a separate (but still British) group of friends that would be uncomfortable with that sort of humour. I like hanging out with both of them.

I also love Red Dwarf, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, and Black Books and adore Outnumbered (oooh, and 15 Storeys High, which is possibly the cruelest show EVER). I cannot stand Mr. Bean and usually get a bit bored during Little Britain.

He is, hands down, my UK-DH's favourite when he appears on Mock the Week. I prefer Dara and Frankie Boyle. I think humour is cultural, but even more than that, it's personal.

To be honest, I like most of the regulars on MTW (Frankie Boyle, Dara O'Briain, Hugh Denis, and Andy Parsons -- basically I don't really care for Russell Howard) as well as a few of the recurring guests (Stewart Francis, Ed Byrne, David Mitchell, Chris Addison, and Milton Jones). They each have their own style of comedy and funny in their own ways. I think Stewart Francis' runs are great because even though they're one-liners, he still uses them as running jokes (e.g. when his father takes him somewhere which always turns out to be throwing him into the water and running off) which seems to me to be slightly more difficult than having a straight up funny story (on the downside, Stewart Francis seems to only have one or two sets of jokes, making it easy to have seen/heard everything he's ever said).

I also love Red Dwarf, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, and Black Books and adore Outnumbered (oooh, and 15 Storeys High, which is possibly the cruelest show EVER). I cannot stand Mr. Bean and usually get a bit bored during Little Britain.

Exactly the same for me (ok, so I'd add Monty Python to the list of loves, but isn't that a given for nearly everyone?).

I also love Red Dwarf, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, and Black Books and adore Outnumbered (oooh, and 15 Storeys High, which is possibly the cruelest show EVER). I cannot stand Mr. Bean and usually get a bit bored during Little Britain.

DH and I love Outnumbered! He has all of the Red Dwarf dvds(although I've never watched them, yet), and Blackadder on VHS. He wants the dvd set that's digitally re-mastered, though. I used to dig Mr. Bean, but, last time I tried to watch it, it didn't make me laugh as much. The guy who made the Monty Python shows was on Great British Home Movies Road show last Thursday, and he had lots of films where he practised his techniques, and films with him hanging out with the guys. That was cool to see.

I think you mean Stewart Francis and he's actually Canadian 

Yeah, I found this out recently.  Still can't stand him

I miss Frankie Boyle.  MTW is just not the same with out him.