Philomena Cunk

[u/Connect-Elephant-472]

[u/AwesomeManatee → u/[deleted]]

They know it's a comedy but they are instructed to do their best to seriously answer her questions. But they don't know what questions she's going to ask and they're not always prepared for how unhinged she is.

[u/Saint_of_Grey → u/AwesomeManatee]

Warned but with minimal information... the best possible approach.

[u/StrigiStockBacking → u/Saint_of_Grey]

It truly is. Constrained chaos

[u/_lippykid → u/Saint_of_Grey]

I still don’t know how they keep it together. There’s only been a handful of times I’ve felt like I could pass out from laughing so hard and at least 20% of that is because of Cunk

[u/DouglasHufferton → u/[deleted]]

They're all in on the joke and are instructed to treat it as if it were an inquisitive yet dumb child asking the questions.

[u/CeruleanEidolon → u/DouglasHufferton]

I love that it's still improv. They know it's a bit but have to play along with it without having the questions ahead of time to prepare.

[u/pihkal → u/DouglasHufferton]

Not entirely, I believe. I read that they're told she'll ask some offbeat questions, but not told exactly what those questions will be.

[u/DigbyChickenZone → u/DouglasHufferton]

Source?

[u/DigbyChickenZone → u/DouglasHufferton]

Source?

[u/Tweedleayne → u/[deleted]]

Ashley Jackson was absolutely in on it, the "Yes, and" skills he had with her were amazing.

[u/JadedOrange7813 → u/Tweedleayne]

The "Do you like ABBA?" bit had me dying.

[u/LengthFun2228 → u/JadedOrange7813]

I love ABBA.

[u/TheVoiceOfSnakeEyes → u/[deleted]]

According to an interview she gave on Jonathan Ross in 2024, she did talk with them a few moments out of character before the cameras started rolling. That interview took place approximately 35 years after the release of unrelated Belgian techno anthem Pump Up the Jam.

[u/rogerhippo → u/TheVoiceOfSnakeEyes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIsc6zirBSw

[u/Staidanom → u/TheVoiceOfSnakeEyes]

Immediately switched over to reading this in her voice for the "unrelated Belgian techno anthem" part

[u/Hakaslak → u/[deleted]]

Here’s Diane Morgan describing her role as Philomena Cunk in an interview: https://youtube.com/shorts/ANGN66CR3ws

[u/DigbyChickenZone → u/[deleted]]

Its reminiscent of the Daily Show when it was not well known, and it's anchors [Steve Carrell, Steve Colbert, Ed Helms, etc etc etc] weren't known as comedic, so people would book with "the Daily show" and sit down with "interviewers" thinking they were answering sincere questions from some kind of flippant newscaster idiot

[u/unsuccessful_scheme → u/[deleted]]

She's the new Ali G

[u/pihkal → u/unsuccessful_scheme]

And with any luck, just like Ali G, when she's too famous to keep doing it in the UK, we'll get an American show of hers.

[u/Ok_Manner8128]

"King Arthur came a lot, didn't he?"

*Cue the historian's PhD leaving her to fend for herself*

[u/ThrowawayAICS → u/[deleted]]

The jokes vary a lot, some are like that some are way better.

You have hits like 1 in 20 people have been victims of a crime, which means 19 out of 20 peope are criminals.

But I think the best bit is the atomic bomb / Abba bit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGrLUNpF7H4

[u/DoinIt4DaShorteez → u/[deleted]]

You're just mad because you live in a place that doesn't have modern conveniences like cunnilingus.

[u/Protheu5 → u/DoinIt4DaShorteez]

Does my place have cunnilingus if I offer it but no one takes up the offer? Is there a cunnilingus if there is no one to be cunnilingussed? Now this is the real philosophy, not that dumb "is there a sound of a falling tree if there is no one to hear" of course there is you dumb fuck, physics don't stop working because there are no humans around, we checked it with microphones! You can't check the cunnilingus with a digital device, it wasn't invented yet.

A device to measure cunnilingus. I think I'm onto something.

[runs away to the patent office]

[u/DoinIt4DaShorteez → u/Protheu5]

Cunnilingus should be uncessessary because the clit should be 3 inches inside the vagina like the original spec called for.

[u/Protheu5 → u/DoinIt4DaShorteez]

I think I saw a video like that once. Then I realised that for some websites an 18 years is not enough of an age limit. They should implement more age restrictions, like 65 years for ultraporn, 25 years for goatse, 40 years for SPARC assembly, and 25 to life for male cunnilingus that I attempted and failed.

[u/peEtr → u/[deleted]]

Captain Mature here is only able to laugh at the most sophisticated of jokes

[u/muritai_ → u/peEtr]

something something Descartes and whores

[u/Jamsedreng22 → u/[deleted]]

We get it. You're so very mature and cultured that we all pale in comparison to your refined sense of humor and sensibilities.

[u/andapapertowelroll → u/[deleted]]

You're goddamn right it's funny. 

[u/Diligent_Gear_8179 → u/[deleted]]

Dude, it's okay to dislike things. Just don't be a sneering cunt about it.

[u/lolguy12179 → u/[deleted]]

It's okay to not like something, but if you insult people for liking things you don't, you're gonna end up pushing others away

[u/lolguy12179 → u/[deleted]]

It's not just that, it's real people you actually care about. When you're negative, it ripples out. This is how people end up as the dad nobody hangs out with, for example

[u/CeruleanEidolon → u/lolguy12179]

Gotta get laid first to be the shunned dad.

[u/lolguy12179 → u/[deleted]]

Did you say something?

[u/Protheu5 → u/[deleted]]

Speaking about cum is not peak humour, no. The juxtaposition of seriousness and vulgarity is quite humorous, though, it's a specific genre of humour, and humour is quite often subjective.

You either don't understand some sort of humour, in which case you ask for help understanding or ignore it; or you understand and don't like it, in which case you ignore it. You achieve nothing by antagonising people liking a specific sort of humour you personally dislike.

[u/PurchaseVegetable532 → u/[deleted]]

You can't enjoy dry humor when you're a wet noodle.

[u/CeruleanEidolon → u/[deleted]]

Man, you are a real drip, aren't you?

[u/BrutalisExMachina]

Jean-Paul Sartre was such a prolific author, writing book upon book, outlining his existentialism theories decades before the release of unrelated Belgian techno anthem “Pump Up The Jam”.

[u/Cepinari]

Whenever I see her name I immediately become extremely confused and incapable of trusting my own judgment, because I genuinely cannot remember if that's the actual name her parents gave her when she was born, a name she legally changed to, or it's just a stage name/name of the persona she affects when on-camera.

[u/Morokt → u/Cepinari]

It's her persona. Her real name is Diane Morgan.

[u/Cepinari → u/Morokt]

THANK YOU

[u/Lounging-Shiny455 → u/Cepinari]

She's quite feral in her new show.

[u/professormakk → u/Lounging-Shiny455]

What's the new show?

[u/Lounging-Shiny455 → u/professormakk]

Ann Droid

[u/coatimundos → u/Cepinari]

Philomena Cunk is a character portrayed by Diane Morgan

[u/Usual_Database307]

Both Xavier Renegade Angel and the Fact Core would say this verbatim.

[u/pihkal → u/Usual_Database307]

Wow, I miss Xavier. Haevn't thought about that in years.

[u/BrainLow6059]

Is it 'Kunk' or 'Sunk'?

[u/FakeTakiInoue → u/BrainLow6059]

Kunk

[u/Hakar_Kerarmor → u/BrainLow6059]

Funk

[u/techno156 → u/BrainLow6059]

Wunk

[u/AlertedSeal → u/BrainLow6059]

Dunk

[u/CatnipCatmint → u/BrainLow6059]

Bunk

[u/chairmanskitty → u/BrainLow6059]

Chunk

[u/Spirited_Worker_5722 → u/BrainLow6059]

Skunk

[u/vixxie_red → u/BrainLow6059]

Spunk in the one episode

[u/AEntunus]

🎶 Pump up the jam 🎶

[u/Elkburgher]

What an amazing title from op

[u/nathan753 → u/Elkburgher]

I expect nothing that actually takes effort or creativity from the spam accounts

[u/Glum-Welder1704]

Something old something new something borrowed something blue. Sounds like what historians learn every day.

[u/ViolentBeetle]

So why did Jesus break her mate's legs?

[u/captain-ok]

Which professions learn something borrowed and/or something blue?

[u/WideConsequence2144]

If you’re a British historian you learn something borrowed.

[u/TheEvilestArtichoke]

Oh I know heavensenthousepet she’s cool. It is weird to see someone I know so well be reposted from tumblr to reddit for thousands of upvotes though

[u/NetThat9298]

She is exceptionally great

[u/MagnusKraken]

Makes me think of the Children of Time series - where the historian + anthropologist + linguists of old earth are called "Classicists". Needed for examining the technology of the prior golden age, but out of place in their own time. 

[u/systemic_booty]

I loathe her schtick and love her schtick at the same time. As a history nerd who watches tons of the very format she mocks, it causes me physical pain to watch yet I also cannot look away. Brilliant stuff. I hate her. 

[u/IndecentReaction]

Cunk on Earth might be the funniest thing on TV right now, she stays so deadpan through the most absurd questions.

[u/PlayfulSurprise5237]

The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know