Guest
Philomena Cunk takes us from 1945 to the present day. She travels the world and meets top experts to examine the Cold War, the space race, globalisation and social media. The world’s recent history is one of polarisation and division, as humanity divided itself down the middle – communism v capitalism, Apple v Microsoft, Beatles v Stones. Is humanity doomed to repeat the mistakes of history? Cunk does her best to find out. Cunk on Earth is a British mockumentary television series produced by Charlie Brooker. The series stars Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk, an ill-informed investigative reporter, a character who previously starred on Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe and Cunk on Britain. The series was acclaimed by critics, with many praising Morgan’s deadpan delivery. It premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 19 September 2022, and was released in the United States on Netflix on 31 January 2023. For her performance in the series, Morgan was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance. Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) travels around the world, interviewing (real-world) experts such as Paul Bahn, Martin Kemp, Nigel Spivey, and Shirley Thompson about world history. The series introduces subjects such as the development of agriculture and early civilization, the rise of Christianity and Islam, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, the First and Second World Wars, and the Cold War and Space Race. With an eye to the future, Cunk concludes the series with a speculative comment on the possibility of AI takeover.
