In this deeply profound and important mockumentary series from Charlie Brooker, Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) tells the entire story of Human Civilisation from prehistoric times to the present day, covering all the main bits of History, Science, Culture and Religion.
Or at least that's how the BBC press information describes it. But if you've seen Cunk (Diane Morgan) before you'll know what to expect. Long-suffering experts are asked dumb questions by Cunk with a completely straight face. One here gets asked if the Romans invented anal bleaching, another is asked if flesh had a brand name in the olden days.
It's certainly funny, as you would expect from something with Charlie Brooker among the writers, but the first episode quickly gets to feel quite repetitive, wih Cunk purposely coming across as bored whenever something intellectually or historically interesting comes up. Only Cunk could refer to "the tragic invention of maths".
Hunting animals, for example, was apparently a "pain in the arse". I never heard Kenneth Clark (not the jazz-loving MP), who presented the classic 1969 BBC series Civilisation (thanks Wikipedia) suggest that was the reason why humans started to grow crops and eat plants. But maybe Cunk had a point.
Morgan is still good value though, even if the jokes do start to write themselves pretty quickly in the first of five episodes, entitled In The Beginnings (sic). It's the same joke over and pver again but it' a pretty good joke.
Some of the experts are sporting. At least some presumably realise that this is all a joke and play along with it. Unless they've been living in a prehistoric cave for the last few years and think that TV has plunged so low that Cunk is a serious real-life presenter.
I have to say though that there is a good gag about rap metal, a nice quip about sport being theatre for stupid people and if you like Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic you get a good blast of that. It's no theme from Brushtrokes starring Karl Howman though. Oh, and we learn that Julius Caesar was "the most notorious Roman until Polanski."
Cunk on Earth, Tuesdays from September 20, 10pm, BBC Two. Full series available on iPlayer after first episode is broadcast.
Picture Credit: BBC/Broke & Bones
