BBC Two to show Philomena Cunk special
- Diane Morgan will play clueless presenter Philomena Cunk in a new TV special
- Cunk On Shakespeare - A Moments Of Wonder Special will form part of the BBC's Shakespeare Festival
- The half-hour spin-off from Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe will be broadcast in April
BBC Two has ordered a spin-off from Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe, which will form part of its 'Shakespeare Festival' season of programming.
Cunk On Shakespeare - A Moments Of Wonder Special will see Diane Morgan reprise her role as Philomena Cunk, her clueless TV documentary presenter character, to look at the life of William Shakespeare.
Morgan first appeared on TV as Cunk in the spoof talking heads segments of Charlie Brooker's 2012 Wipe, and has since gone on to appear in subsequent Year Wipes, plus Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe and Charlie Brooker's Election Wipe. Over time, the character has been used to present Moments Of Wonder, short investigative mock-documentaries, as part of the programmes.
The new Cunk On Shakespeare special, on which Charlie Brooker will act as an Executive Producer, will see the spoof documentary premise extended to a half hour special.
The BBC says: "Unrivalled wordsmith. Unequalled genius. Scholar of the Human Condition. Philomena Cunk is the ideal candidate to give the BBC Two audience a comprehensive guide to William Shakespeare."
Producers add: "A regular contributor to Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe, Philomena has proven herself a shrewd interviewer, an insightful critic, and a voice of wisdom for our troubled times. She'll bring all of these considerable talents to bear as she authors a documentary about the Bard, across 30 factually accurate minutes. So without Much further Ado About Nothing, we present Cunk On Shakespeare. No doubt wherever he is, Shakespeare can't wait to watch it."
The BBC's month-long celebration of Shakespeare will be broadcast in April to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death. Also included in the BBC Shakespeare Festival will be a Horrible Histories special, and Upstart Crow, a new sitcom series from Ben Elton starring David Mitchell as the Bard.