Corpsing Corpsing is British theatrical slang for unintentionally laughing during a non-humorous performance or when a role in a humorous performance is intended to be played “straight”. In North American TV and film, this is considered a variation of breaking character or simply “breaking”. Wikipedia Here’s some further examination by Ricky Gervais and crew. Features Sir Ian McKellen and Daniel Radcliffe. Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. Here is a link to the video instead.