The genius is in its stupidity.

By seeming to take everything and nothing too seriously, the mockumentary Cunk on Earth is one of the smartest shows on streaming. You’ll actually learn things! About the world! While laughing!

 

Created by Charlie Brooker of Black Mirror fame, Cunk on Earth features actor Diane Morgan as a documentary host named Philomena Cunk. Over five episodes, the witless Cunk traverses the history of civilisation and imparts wisdom about the Greeks inventing democracy and olives, the Crusades, and Galileo Galilei.

Like any other earnest TV personality, she stares down the camera, preferably against a sweeping backdrop that showcases this planet’s vastness and addresses the viewer.

“This is our planet, planet Earth. It’s a planet I’m literally on right now. And unless you’re watching this on a long-haul flight or falling off a building, chances are, you are too.”

 

It’s hard to argue with that point. By commandeering the documentary style, Cunk on Earth rattles through a list of the major touchpoints in Western history with surprising finesse, considering it is ultimately a comedy series.

The character originated on Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe and has since gone on to feature in other formats, including an earlier BBC series Cunk on Britain. Cunk on Earth is her first truly global debut. Fitting, really.

 

Boluwatife Adesina
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Boluwatife Adesina is a media writer and the helmer of the Downtown Review page. He’s probably in a cinema near you.