Cunk on Britain
| Cunk on Britain | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Charlie Brooker |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Lorry Powles |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Matt Hulme |
| Cinematography | Jon Kassell |
| Editor | Damon Tai |
| Production company | House of Tomorrow |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 3 April – 1 May 2018 |
Cunk on Britain is a British mockumentary television series created by Charlie Brooker starring Diane Morgan as the title character Philomena Cunk, an ill-informed investigative reporter, who originated on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe including the 2016 specials Cunk on Shakespeare and Cunk on Christmas.[1] It premiered on BBC Two on 3 April 2018, and concluded on 1 May 2018, after one season of five episodes. It was followed up in 2022 by a similar series, Cunk on Earth.
Plot
[edit]Philomena Cunk, an ill-informed investigative reporter, retells British history through a series of montages and interviews with experts which feature odd or ridiculous questions. The show featured guest appearances from real-life experts, including Robert Peston, Neil Oliver, Howard Goodall and Ronald Hutton.
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Beginnings" | 3 April 2018 |
| 2 | "The Empire Strikes Back" | 10 April 2018 |
| 3 | "The Third Episode" | 17 April 2018 |
| 4 | "Twentieth Century Shocks" | 24 April 2018 |
| 5 | "The Arse End of History" | 1 May 2018 |
Cast and characters
[edit]Main
[edit]- Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk
Filming
[edit]Filming took place in September and October 2017 in Britain and began airing on 3 April 2018.
Reception
[edit]The Guardian's Rebecca Nicholson notes, "It’s Cunk’s interviewing style that is the highlight and potentially one of its weaknesses. Chucking questions that make no sense at experts was a success on Screenwipe, and it works particularly well with British history academics, whose politeness and patience only exacerbates the absurdity."[2] New Statesman's Anna Leszkiewicz states, "The success of Cunk as a character is not thanks to her general persona as an ill-informed pundit, but her bizarre turns of phrase."[3]
References
[edit]- ^ McKay, Alastair (3 April 2018). "Cunk on Britain review". The Standard. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (4 April 2018). "Cunk on Britain review – look out, Philomena's about". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ Leszkiewicz, Anna (23 March 2018). "Philomena Cunk now stars in her own parody history: Cunk on Britain". New Statesman. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
