Cunk On...

Preview - Cunk on Christmas

Following a previous episode where Cunk "examined" the life of Shakespeare, this time around she looks at everything to do with Christmas, from the birth of Jesus and the pagan origins to Santa Claus and "Sir Charles Dickings".

Philomena Cunk explains everything about Christmas

"It's illegal to sing carols at any other time of year, so people make the most of it at Christmas by coming round your house and singing at you until you give them stuff"

TV preview: Cunk on Christmas, BBC Two

Following a one-off on Shakespeare earlier this year Philomena Cunk returns with a seasonal sequel exploring the meaning and traditions of Christmas. It's an important time of the year, she tells us. In fact as Cunk explains at the start of the programme in her distinctive flat northern tones, "Christmas is such a big deal even Richard Dawkins probably does it."

The gormless Cunk gives the viewer a survey of Christmas and tries to work out the meaning of it all. She is ruthless in dismantling the religious aspects of the season. Indeed, when she wants somewhere quiet to film she chooses a church. There's no chance that'll be busy. We also learn about Britain's greatest Prime Minister, "Charles Dickings", and she meets various historians to discuss past Christmas traditions. As ever, they seem sufficiently awkward that we're never sure if they're in on the joke.

Diane Morgan: 'Playing an idiot is easy'

Diane Morgan on Philomena Cunk, Motherland and being miserable.

Preview: Cunk on Christmas

It's material that could fall down in the hands of a less capable performer, and quite often, Morgan sells a punchline without saying a single word.

Philomena Cunk on Christmas food

The other star of Charlie Brooker's 2016 Wipe casts her eye over festive food, from sprouts to rubbish advent calendar chocolate

Cunk on Shakespeare saw the curious alter ego of comedienne Diane Morgan attempt to discover exactly why The Bard's plays are as well-loved as they are. As a character Cunk is a brilliant creation; a presenter who has no actual idea about the subject she's covering but one who won't let this fact stop her at all. As is the way with all these faux-documentaries the most interesting parts are the ones in which the character interviews real experts in the topic. It's always great to try and work out whether or not the experts were taken in by Cunk or not and for the most part I feel they were. I felt that poor Simon Russell Beale probably had the worst of it as he had to complete the famous soliloquy from Hamlet which Cunk described as 'a speech about bees'. Meanwhile Educating Yorkshire's Mr Burton were as a little bemused by the presenter's pronunciation of iambic pentameter and theatre director Iqbal Khan who attempted to explain what the audiences were like in Shakespeare's day. The structure of the show was also expertly laid out with Cunk's idiocy being perfect exploited through several clever segments where she discussed Shakespeare's most famous works. I personally enjoyed the way in which Cunk drew comparisons between Shakespeare's work and the plot of the film Taken with the presenter taking the view that the latter was a more entertaining experience. However the most hilarious moments came at the programme's end when Cunk almost made us believe that Shakespeare's final work was Game of Thrones. Diane Morgan must be given credit for creating a believable character whose presenting style and way with words makes her utterly convincing as a ditzy documentarian. If Cunk on Shakespeare is a sort of pilot to see if a series of shows featuring Philomena would work then I would say it was a success. As long as the scripts are as sharp as they were here, I think a full Philomena Cunk series would be a welcome return to the sort of shows that Sacha Baron Cohen used to make when he was funny. Overall I found Cunk on Shakespeare to be the better of the two comic looks at The Bard's work in comparison to Upstart Crow and it's a shame that it's only a one-off. But that being said I think if the show had been over thirty minutes it may have worn out its welcome rather than being the sharp, witty mockumentary that it ultimately turned out to be.

Shows like Cunk on Shakespeare are spectacular one-offs. This programme was commissioned as part of the TV tributes for Shakespeare's birthday but, unlike the others, you needed no prior knowledge of the playwright to enjoy it.

In fact, a slight bewilderment at his language, or some tortured memories of being force-fed Shakespeare at school, would actually be of use because then you'd be in perfect harmony with Philomena Cunk as she tries to understand just what all the fuss is about.

On the surface this was a cheeky, disrespectful look at Shakespeare but, of course, the joke is on dullards who refuse to appreciate him, and also on those who faint and fawn at his genius without questioning a single thing.

I made this... Cunk on Shakespeare

Giving Charlie Brooker's comedy character Philomena Cunk her own BBC Two 'documentary' - producer Sam Ward offers his take on creating a "narrative, factual entertainment" comedy hybrid.