Behind the Laughs with Philomena Cunk
You could be like me, who only recently caught the BBC mockumentary Cunk on Earth on Netflix, hosted by Philomena Cunk, a fictional character portrayed by British actress, writer, and director Diane Morgan. Filipino historian Ambeth Ocampo, through a Facebook post, highly recommended the show and floated the idea of a Philippine version, featuring either Rufa Mae Quinto or Eugene Domingo interviewing him, which seems like a hilarious concept.
As I have found out, Cunk has over the last decade appeared in various programs and series conceptualized by writer and presenter Charlie Brooker. Cunk made her debut in Brooker's Screenwipe series, where she caught attention for her unique and funny takes in various segments.
Her dry humor earned fans in another series called Weekly Wipe, where she presented the mockumentary-style segment "Moments of Wonder," exploring philosophical questions in a hilariously ignorant way.
"[The experts] play along, but they don't know what I'm going to ask. It's nice to sort of back people into a corner and watch them struggle," says Morgan.
Cunk's popularity eventually blew up spawning its own full series. These are Cunk on Britain, where she explores the history of the United Kingdom; Cunk on Shakespeare, where she offers her unique perspective on the life and works of William Shakespeare; Cunk & Other Humans on 2019, a mini-series where she and other comedic characters comment on the events of the year 2019; and Cunk on Earth, where she humorously details the history of human civilization.
What distinguishes Cunk is her ability to provide absurd yet surprisingly thought-provoking commentary on significant historical, philosophical, and scientific matters with a deadpan delivery and flawless comedic timing.
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Like most history documentaries, she uses the signature trope of talking while "walking through the woods" or "staring off into the middle distance."
Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk
In an interview with the British Film Institute, Brooker says they thought of creating Philomena Cunk in response to critics saying they are mocking the working class through Barry Shitpeas. The fictional character, which appeared on Brooker's Weekly Wipe was portrayed by Al Campbell, who's also director of the show.
Thus, they developed a middle-class persona in the form of Cunk. The original idea was that she's a "cupcake blogger," reveals Brooker. Many auditioned for this role, among them was the British comedian, Morgan.
"It turns out they wanted a posh character, and I'm not posh," Morgan shares in an interview with Seth Meyers. "So, I went into the audition for Philomena, did my best posh. But I knew it would be better to do it in my own accent because it's so flat and depressing, it just adds something." And sure enough, that did the trick!
"Philomena is, on some unknowable level, like a horse or something," Brooker jokingly describes Cunk's character. "It's hard to know what her inner life is."
Morgan says she's actually a lot like Cunk in real life. Her partner, Ben Caudell, thinks Morgan is 50% Cunk. "But I sort of think she's the real me," she quips.
Brooker adds that like Cunk, the English comedian is "remarkably unemotional as a human being."
Is she fond of history? "No, I hate it. Boring. Unless it's something really weird, like the Bermuda Triangle," says Morgan.
Laughs and Lady Macbeth
Morgan, who hails from Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, shares that becoming a comedienne has been her dream since she was 15. "I grew up watching Harold Lloyd in Laurel and Hardy, and I became obsessed; that's what I wanted to do," she says. Her passion for acting might run in the family, with relatives on her father's side including Julie Goodyear, Frank Finlay, and Jack Wild.
At 20, Morgan attended the East 15 Acting School in Loughton. "I told the head of the school that I only wanted to do comedy, that I wanted to get better at it. And then he started casting me as Lady Macbeth. Surprisingly, I got big laughs playing Lady Macbeth. So, I was really proud," she reminisces.
Before making her mark in the comedy scene, Morgan played Dawn in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights and juggled various odds jobs, including as a dental assistant, telemarketer, potato peeler at a chip shop, Avon salesperson, and boxing up worming tablets in a factory.
She ventured into stand-up comedy at the age of 30, and flourished in it, securing second place in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year award in 2006 and becoming a runner-up in the Funny Women Awards the same year.
But for Morgan, doing stand-up was no laughing matter—especially traveling around late at night and having to deal with difficult crowds. "I hated it. I just felt physically sick every time I did it," she admits. It was a great relief to have passed that phase in her career. "Fingers crossed, I might not have to go back at some point," she laughs.
Brooker says like Cunk, Morgan is "remarkably unemotional as a human being."
Serious About Comedy
Is she fond of history, as her character, Philomena Cunk, suggests?
"No, I hate it. Boring," Morgan says, maintaining her usual deadpan expression. "Unless it's something really weird. I like weird stuff...like the Bermuda Triangle. If it's not weird, I'm not interested."
Audiences might be wondering if the subject-matter experts know the questions she's going to ask. "Well, they know that it's a comedy," says the English actress. "They play along, but they don't know what I'm going to ask. It's nice to sort of back people into a corner and watch them struggle."
While she follows a script, the comedienne also makes use of her improvisational skills to make the conversation as natural as possible. "I always like to try and predict how the guests will answer and then have a response ready for their answer," she says.
And yes, the guests do break into fits of laughter during filming. "The editors just cut it out," says Morgan, smiling.
Two of her favorite interviews were with renowned British philologist and assyriologist Irving Finkel and Cambridge philosophy professor Douglas Hedley.
Like most history documentaries, she uses the signature trope of talking while "walking through the woods" or "staring off into the middle distance."
A little bit of physical comedy doesn't hurt. In other words, Morgan isn't shy about taking a tumble to liven up a lackluster moment. "One time, I was at this top of a sand dune and thought, 'This is going to be quite boring', so I decided to just fall over. No one came to help! I was rolling. Just kept rolling. And they were just filming," she recounts, finally letting out a laugh.
Do all British folks get her kind of comedy? Well, surprise, surprise, the answer is no. "On Twitter, I still have people saying, 'This presenter is terrible,' 'She doesn't know what she's talking about,' 'She's getting all these facts wrong,' 'The BBC is dumbing down,'" she reveals.
As Morgan flips between being herself and playing her alter ego, Philomena Cunk, it's clear that her contribution to comedy has been as thought-provoking as it has been entertaining.
