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Philomena Cunk Comes for Hollywood
Diane Morgan returns as Philomena Cunk in Cunk on Cinema, a new instalment in the comedy documentary series that follows the character through the history of film. Although interviewees are told in advance that Cunk is a joke, her deadpan manner and unpredictable questions can still leave them unsettled.
The programme features interviews with Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Bay, screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, film historians and academics. Morgan and creator Charlie Brooker say the comedy is aimed at Cunk, rather than at the experts she interviews; the character began in short segments on BBC’s Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe.
In short
- Philomena Cunk explores the history of cinema.
- Interviewees know the show is a comedy.
- The joke is aimed at Cunk herself.
Explained simply
Philomena Cunk is a comic character played by Diane Morgan, presented as a confidently uninformed interviewer. She first appeared in short segments on Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe, a BBC programme combining comedy and comment on current affairs.
The Cunk series uses the style of a serious documentary, with interviews and historical explanations, while Cunk asks deliberately misguided questions. The people she speaks to may know the joke is coming, but the contrast between her solemn delivery and unexpected questions is central to the format.
Charlie Brooker created the character, and Morgan performs her. Their stated aim is for the humour to come from Cunk’s misunderstandings, rather than from making fun of the experts she interviews.