Diane Morgan Revives Philomena Cunk in ‘Cunk on Cinema’ for BBC, Netflix

Philomena Cunk will soon be asking cinephiles the hard-hitting questions as she turns her inquisitive eye toward the big screen in a new series for BBC iPlayer and BBC Two, Cunk on Cinema.

The deadpan documentarian is set to dive into the world of film, offering her uniquely baffling takes on Hollywood, iconic movies, and the people who make them, all while posing the kinds of questions no one else would dare to ask. Or want to ask.

As reported by Variety, dark comedy masterminds Diane Morgan and Charlie Brooker are reuniting to bring Philomena Cunk back to telly, as Morgan will once again portray the matron of faux documentaries with her signature straight-faced delivery of the most bizarre questions ever put to paper.

Here is everything we know about the series thus far, including a little refresher if you never heard of Ms. Cunk and her signature style.

When will Cunk on Cinema premiere?

Cunk on Cinema is a three-part BBC and Netflix mockumentary series that is currently in production. Please check back for any developments regarding the premiere date.

So, who exactly is Philomena Cunk?

Philomena Cunk is a fictional British mockumentarian portrayed by comedian Morgan. Known for her deadpan delivery, Cunk is played as a woefully ill-informed investigative reporter who asks absurd questions to real-world experts posing as a host of a serious documentary.

For example, in the past, she has asked historians questions such as “Is the Renaissance more culturally significant than ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyoncé?” and “If Jesus was born 2,000 years ago, why didn’t people at the time realize they were living in the past?”

She rose to prominence thanks to her shows, 2018’s Cunk on Britain and 2022’s Cunk on Earth. 

What is Cunk on Cinema about?

According to Variety, the series will follow Cunk as she questions film experts, filmmakers, and industry leaders about the history of cinema, spanning everything from the industry’s humble beginnings to major film movements and the rise of CGI and AI.

The official logline is as follows: “Cunk will attempt to demystify it all while sitting in lumpy seats with stale popcorn, asking herself, ‘Where did cinema come from? And why? What does it want? And why can’t it tell us?’”

“Cinema has given the world some of the most profound, memorable and moving visual moments in its unswerving depiction of the human condition: the shower scene in Psycho, Death playing chess in that Swedish thing, and Tom Selleck‘s glistening moustache in Three Men And A Little Lady, to name but all three of the only examples I can think of at the moment,” said Cunk in a statement. “There will, unfortunately, be some bits in black and white, but we’ll keep that to the barest minimum.”

Related

Best Shows on Netflix According to Rotten Tomatoes