| Cunk on Britain | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Charlie Brooker |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| 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.
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.
| 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 |
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]
