Cunk on Cunk
Updated: Aug 17
I’m a big fan of the “Cunk on…” TV specials from England. If you’re not aware of them, then (in brief) they’re fake documentaries -- some stand-alone, some limited series – with a clueless, somewhat rude host, Philomena Cunk, played masterfully by comic actress Diane Morgan. (Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers have had her on as a guest, largely to talk about “Cunk.” She also was a regular in Ricky Gervais’ series, “After Life,” as a co-worker, the pessimistic, blunt advertising manager with a terrible dating life.) The “Cunk” shows are sort of parodies of the David Attenborough-type of documentaries. She travels around explaining things dead seriously, much of it correct foundationally, but wrong in explanation, and talks with real-life, world experts in the field.
Only a couple are available here, on Netflix. The best is “Cunk on Earth,” which is five-parts. Highly recommended. (And got Diane Morgan a BAFTA nomination as Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme.)
I mention this because I just came across one I’ve wanted to see but wasn’t available in any streaming service, that I found on YouTube. “Cunk on Shakespeare.” It’s a one-off, only 30 minutes.
In addition to being a joy, it was fun for me, too, because one of the experts she interviews – who delivers a short Shakespeare speech (in a funny bit) – is Simon Russell Beale!! Who was one of my dad’s three favorite British stage actors from all their trips to England.
(I think this video may not be able to be embedded here. If not, just click on the YouTube link.)
As a bonus, after (perhaps) watching this, here’s a very fun interview that Diane Morgan did with Seth Meyers three years ago, soon after “Cunk on Earth” started running on Netflix. (By the way, they talk about the Cunk character walking a great deal and tripping periodically. If you go back and check the clip above , about the 90-second mark, where she enters the Shakespeare Center, you’ll see a very tiny, subtle stumble.)
And one more bonus, an encore perhaps, this time when Diane Morgan was a guest last year on Stephen Colbert’s show when “Cunk on Life” was released. It’s also a lot of fun, but what I like most about it is how clearly shocked she is when she comes on stage to thunderous applause. Not just does she find it unexpected, but so different, as she notes, to low-key British audiences. “They don’t care.”
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