American Reacts to Cunk on Britain - Beginnings

American Reacts to Cunk on Britain - Beginnings
Join me as I react to the first episode of Cunk on Britain. Just how funny is this history mockumentary show?
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[@sargonsblackgrandfather2072]

I actually worked on this show syncing up the audio with the video. I’ve never laughed so much on a job in my life before. Sometimes her delivery is so dry one of the crew will burst out laughing which will set off other people. It’s the only job I’ve done where I had to go home each night with painful ribs from laughing

[@mach2223]

I envy you, lol. I wish I had this much fun at work.

[@rocketrabble6737]

I recall hearing that the experts/academics were advised to treat her like she was a not very bright 10-year old.

[@KBJ58]

It's written by Charlie Brooker, who is a genius. It started as a character on one of his shows, and went on from there. My all-time favourite quote was 'Shakespeare: was he a genius, or just a bald man who could write with feathers?'

[@vinsgraphics]

My favorite line (paraphrasing): Shakespeare had an easier time in school, because he didn’t have to study Shakespeare. 😂

[@simonwinwood]

I could hear Charlie all over this but i didn't want to be mean and say so. Cheers x

[@OTENEBRIS]

mine is: "King Arthur came a lot, didn't he?"

[@mral8145]

The deadpan delivery just tickles my funny bone. The experts know it’s a comedy show, but don’t know the questions in advance. If they laugh, it gets cut out.

[@tsuguminiyamoto6417]

Except for the one with the "Stroke" comment ^_^

[@mral8145]

@@tsuguminiyamoto6417 😂😂😂 and the chef when bread sauce is compared to jizz

[@LordEriolTolkien]

Part of is it her accent, part is her delivery, and a lot is the writing. Listen closely; it is pack with subtle wordplay. A masterclass of English humour

[@TheEclecticBeard]

Yes, you can over pack as well, some spots in this was 3 months of clothes for a 3 hour trip

[@bradfromthewell]

​@TheEclecticBeard I think a lot of it might be familiarity with the content, obviously for us Brits our history is well known to us so the puns and wordplay instantly clicks. Whereas if someone isn't as familiar its probably going to take a bit more thinking about and feel like you're being belt fed. Just my take on that though. I could be wrong.

[@davida.j.berner776]

My understanding is that the experts are told that the interview is for a comedy show, but they aren't given the questions in advance. They are told to answer as if they are responding to a child.

[@carlosdeferrer3585]

thanks for the info,helps explain the strange responses sometimes eg i could tell they knew something was up but i couldn't put my finger on it.

[@katiekatconway1880]

In some clips Robert Peston was obviously biting his cheeks to stop laughing. I much prefer watching whole episodes as opposed to KZbin reactions but thought I’d try. Diane Morgan is brilliant in this role!

[@sparky4878]

If only Harold had taken Ken Dodd’s advice “Keep blinking, H, it’ll work its way out”

[@bethcushway458]

The dumbness is part of why it's funny. I think it helps to know all the British history beforehand, this is all stuff we're taught in primary and juniour school over here, it 100% makes things funnier, plus a lot of the jokes won't make sense to you because they're about British places and people so it's a bit of a tricky one. Actually the original British Horrible Histories is a really good one to watch (not the terrible new cast they've got in now). It's bloody hilarious, super interesting, really educational and has the most incredible musical numbers ever. I've recommended The Monarch's Song to Spence and Dan because it's so funny and such a great way of learning English Monarchy

[@AndyRobby]

Commercialism change all that basic logic for how to abuse great world we live in.

[@ramsey6681]

A couple of gems flew under the radar here. The Baywatch Tapestry, and everything being built by one man - Norman Architecture - had me genuinely laughing out loud!

[@TheEclecticBeard]

No, I caught them. You can kimd of see me groan at Norman Architecture

[@ramsey6681]

​@@TheEclecticBeard Just watched those bits again. Fair play to you. The "Norman" bit is more of a, "Jesus Christ! Really?" face though! 😄

[@paulhammond6978]

Yeah, I liked all the buildings by "Norman Architecture".

[@herstoryanimated]

I think you missed "hills were the best way to send dick pics"!!

[@roberthereandthere4366]

There is an interview with her on Jimmy Kimmel or some show like that. She said that all the experts are just told its a comedy and that's it.

[@barbieblacksheep8440]

Thing I like about Diane Morgan who plays Philomena Cunk is she looks like a late teens / early 20's woman but is in fact in her late 40's... she is awesome !

[@zetectic7968]

It could be said that the premise of the series originate from the book, 1066 and all that by R.J. Sellar, W.C.; Yeatman published in the 1930's with a humorous look at events through a distortion of the facts. As the subtitle says "A memorable history of England, comprising all the parts you can remember, including 103 good things, 5 bad kings and 2 genuine dates"

[@carolineb3527]

I grew up with that book, which was a Good Thing. I also grew up near Stonehenge which was another Good Thing once they worked out how to turn the stupid chimes off. And I went to university in Colchester, which was not so good but allowed them to cover three major events in my life in one episode of Cunk. 😃

[@petervenkman69]

The joke has been out of the bag for awhile, so the experts are in on the joke, but they don't know the questions in advance, they have simply been told to treat her as if she were a curious child... and it works well.

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

We had to learn history at school in a way they don't today .The references to it are distortions of what everyone knows anyway .Charlie Brooker does a good job keeping it within context and there are lots of references to documentary styles , Dianne wearing the same outfit , something particularly associated with David Attenborough when filming segments in diverse locations .Most of the experts have been on tv and know it's comedy .

[@paulhorgan6152]

This is the best way to show how us Brits love to take the piss out of ourselves. Brilliant ❤😂😂😂

[@TheRattyBiker]

Cunk is fantastically written, just enough episodes to give you a giggle and not over made so leaves you begging for more.

[@JBW27]

I just finished the reaction and I wanna say two things. Firstly, it's great to see that it got some laughs out of you. Secondly, I think the reason you found some of it tedious to watch is simply because of not being British. As you are aware of by now, we tend to really like dry humour and the star of the programme being the down-and-outer, the useless spare part, the aspirational person who gets shat on from a great height. Americans, as a generalisation, tend to prefer the opposite (for example, compare Friends and Modern Family against Gimme Gimme Gimme or The Inbetweeners). As you are aware of, we gravitate towards awkward humour. I know you often find British shows funny, but Cunk is, in my view, an entirely different level of awkwardness, dry/deadpan delivery, and more generally British cultural references. I've waffled on enough now, but I wanna finish by saying that if you stick with it, I think you'll find it funnier as it goes on and you adjust to this type of comedy - which is different to most British shows in several ways.

[@carlosdeferrer3585]

yes, it also helps to have a grounding in the type of history/science type shows of the eighties ,nineties and onwards on UK TV that this parodies the styles of very well.

[@Paul-hl8yg]

Cunk & comedic interview style is very similar to Ali G. I am sure the writer based this on Cohen's work but perhaps adding more detail in comedic value to the subject at hand.

[@TheEclecticBeard]

If it were simply Im not British I would find a lot more of what I watch on the channel, either unfunny or a chore. Its the superfluous amount of words via phrasing used to say EVERYTHING. If every point were funny then it wouldnt be a slog. However thats not the case. There are legit hilarious moments via phrasing however, some of the time between those moments is like listening to someone trying to badly over explain how to let water out of the tub.

[@Sub2GigaChad]

Can't agree. She's genius start to finish. Nonstop expert dumbness- cut through like a diamond razor with an out of nowhere bang-on observation grounded in absolute truth. This is an oddly British humour which was aimed entirely at British people which is why it has obtuse British reference (brush strokes etc) that only British people are going to get. It just happened that it exploded and went kind of global.

[@mlee6050]

@@TheEclecticBeard never! You try to turn the water into wine instead lol

[@Maerahn]

Philomena started off as part of Charlie Brooker's (he also created 'Black Mirror) 'Screenwipe' programme, and it became so successful it was turned into a programme in its own right. The experts are genuine; they're told only that Philomena is interviewing them for a comedy/parody documentary, and advised to treat her like they would a curious and precocious child. However, they're not given any clue as to what questions she might ask them, or how how she might respond to what they tell her, so their responses (ranging from stunned disbelief, to trying to hold back laughter, to wanting to throttle her) are all 100% genuine - which is part of what makes it so hilarious. Some of the humour IS very British-centric though - certain names and references will mean nothing to people who haven't grown up in Britain.

[@leebraden4583]

She's done 2 series. Please watch both. There brilliant

[@nathanfurnival8724]

They’re

[@garethm3242]

The character was created and written by Charlie Brooker. Probably best known over there as the creator and writer of "Black Mirror". [Edit: Interesting that you found her dialog a slog to get through at times. As an Irish person I can't "Brit-splain" but we kind of share a lot of humour with Britain so happy enough to comment; it's the sheer dead pan combined with the obviously puerile and surreal quality of Charlie Brooker's writing that I enjoy so much, personally. Combined with Diane's delivery. As always, love the honesty if something's not for you. Fair play.]

[@makaveliuk86]

"Walliam Willis" too👀👏👏😂😂😂💜

[@898cookie5417gurl]

The density of jokes per minute is just amazing

[@DermotKieran1]

I strongly suspect that the annoying bits are deliberate, because the funny bits are too well timed. They arrive at just the right point to perfectly hit you in the funny bone, and stop you from switching channels. Also the contrast between them makes the funny bits stand out more, which makes them seem funnier. A prime example of comedic timing.

[@stamfordmeetup]

This guy is good, he is the only American sharp enough to pick up the Fork in a crossroads line.

[@loireloire482]

An English comedian who’s just seen one too many historical documentaries, that’s all it is and I love it ❤️😂

[@carlosdeferrer3585]

Baywatch tapestry, just the best show sometimes :)

[@bethcushway458]

That made me lose it🤣

[@Chopper894]

Reminds me of Ali G and his interviews.

[@Stannington]

The Baywatch Tapestry 😂😂😂

[@clarenceflam]

It is funnier as it makes fun of the style of BBC documentaries and the strange camera effects these kinds of films create. It is brilliant.

[@jonathanbrowne9538]

Hey man. New Canadian subscriber here. Haven't watched this video yet, but I've been going through some of your older videos, and I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your reactions. Your laugh is terrific, and I'm looking forward to watching more. Keep up the great work!

[@robertcreighton4635]

Brilliant show

[@stevehartley7504]

Hard Ian's Wall! I won't be able to call it anything else now!

[@Vatnikenrager]

My parents owned a shop in Dorset that sold post cards and the ones of the Cerne Abbas Giant used to get hidden behind things by customers who felt it was rude..some would even complain about it!

[@susanhill2110]

I’ve watched a lot of American historians react to her and they have been absolutely in hysterics but they knew a lot of British history so they got it. British humour is sarcastic, dry, deadpan, awkward and self deprecating which obviously Americans who are extremely patriotic won’t get that kind of humour. The people she’s interviewing know it’s a comedy and are well aware she’s an actress but they don’t know what questions she’s going to ask. The thing is with Americans they tend to take things literally so sarcasm kinda goes over their heads for example the Gluten joke you took it literally like she didn’t know it wasn’t a diagnosis at the time.

[@batintheattic7293]

Philomena Cunk reminds me of an old book called '1066 And All That'. The book is a bit of a riff on how history was taught in schools but it frequently lurches into Pythonesque absurdity (I can never not giggle at 'Imitate the action of a tiger', or the diagram of the battle of Bannockburn which includes 'the spider', or Horsa being Hengist's wife (or horse)). And, yes, I'm guessing the experts on this know that they are being interviewed for comedy. Was it Brass Eye, or The Day Today, that this spoof interviewing started (some of those mock interviews are really hair raising)? Oh, and the pedigree of the Egg Kings (1066 AAT) with King Eggbreath being one. Cunk is a bit 'marmite', I think. It's part of a long tradition of laughing at our imperfect, but enthusiastic (maybe not that enthusiastic), interest in history. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

[@gary.h.turner]

Eggbreath🌬️, Eggfrith🥚 and Eggfroth🍳! Oh - and not forgetting Hardicanute, Hardlycanute and Halfacanute! 😂🤣

[@MRB-19]

"...at a fork in its cross-roads.."🤣 had me from the start

[@roberthereandthere4366]

That's the Natural History Museum in London. I've been there several times.

[@Waynegee7]

Diane Morgan (Philomena) is from Bolton UK-same place as Peter Kay and me...

[@JBW27]

I'm currently living about half an hour from Colchester and can confirm that it's a complete hellhole 😅

[@williamdonaldson2822]

There is only one thing funnier than P. Cunk, and that’s watching an American watching P.Cunk OMG😊

[@rubikclockweights]

Bro, you are starting to get British humour, banter and dry comedy....love it. !

[@shaksper]

The academics know this is a BBC show made by a comedian, but they approach the interviews as a kind of intellectual game - can they answer Cunk's brand of questioning and deal with her thought process and still maintain their own professionalism. The results vary...

[@matthewfitzpatrick4290]

The bit about Richard III in the carpark refers to the fact that his grave was recently found in a carpark

[@WolfkingSybren]

In Dutch we call this lady's talent 'een woordenkunstenaar' - a words artist. They love to play with words in a way tyhat is admirably funny and smart. I know only one great word artist in the Netherlands..his name is Herman Finkers and this lady reminds me a lot of Herman. Anyway, great topic and I'd love to see you react to some more of Cunk

[@vezhopkins714]

bay watch tapestry XD XD XD

[@piotrpytlik]

From what I've heard, the scientists she is interviewing were told to treat her as she was a five year old asking the questions.

[@watafumx]

10:55 oh boy, you are going to love the Pump Up the Jam bit.

[@WallieTheRed]

It's much funnier if you grew up in England and learnt the hodgebodge history we were all taught at school. I can see how some of the subtle stuff can get missed. For me its the best british comedy in years

[@jeanneale9257]

I love this show Puts humour into history Shes a fantastic actress The kids love her show as its informative and funny 😂 Pea ce lov3 from the U.K

[@rlawrence9838]

I think the interviewees are told before hand its for kids tv or something so the questions will be very simple, then she just starts asking complete bollocks and they're not sure how to take it.

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

Lol … I think Philomena has got the better of you EB … it’s not meant to be taken seriously in any way … enjoy the bits you like and dismiss what you don’t as fluff … 😅 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@TheEclecticBeard]

Wasnt taking it seriously. Theres genuinely funny and interesting stuff. Just getting to some of it is a slog with the superfluous wordage thats akin to over explaining how to drain bath water.

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

@@TheEclecticBeard I could sense your growing frustration , THATS cool , we all have differing opinions and red lines and that’s a good thing , if we were all card cut outs of each other it would be a mighty dull world .. as we say here ,, Keep calm and carry on 👍 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@markrichardson3421]

I'm hanging in for the cunk on America reaction, I think you'll appreciate that one.

[@SuperClarky666]

genuinely don’t understand what you have a problem with it’s just comedy no different than ali g .

[@Stannington]

Just watched this again. I don't know how she does it without pissing herself laughing

[@caroljshepherd3848]

I think you may be taking this just a tiny bit too seriously. 😂 every second of this is a joke. A lot of it is maybe too subtle for some people's taste. . . . Especially the bum jokes . . . . 😜

[@DevonRex116]

Only a genius could ask such clever stupid questions. I love the way the talking heads play along too. I wonder how many takes it took for Prof Brian Cox to say he could imagine what it was like to be sucked off through a hole without cracking up. 🤣

[@lextex3280]

It can seem a bit of a struggle to get through at times, but it's worth it for the hilarious moments. How she keeps a deadpan face while asking ridiculous questions is pretty funny in itself.

[@somehighlights2851]

It's just UN-xxxxx-believable that they took out the Doomesday Book for a comedy bit.

[@roshi98]

I approach Cunk like old Monty Python. You kind of just have to go along for the ride and keep your wits about you enough to catch the truly brilliant bits.

[@charlieinslidell]

She tells the experts that they are going to do a comedic bit, but she spends a huge portion of the interviews with serious questions and then asks the ridiculous questions far later and separate from the other serious questions to gain the expert's trust and to catch them off guard.

[@Halli50]

Cunk is a bit like Ali G going with a script that could have been written by a not-quite-sober Terry Pratchett. It probably take a lot of talent to be able to be dead-pan through it all!

[@jsmithmultimediatech]

The word (or expression rather lol) my friend is for her thick as two short planks 😂🤣(if she's dumb that is). Oh how you made me laugh watching this haha, hope you're doing well?

[@jsmithmultimediatech]

Yeah is a mockumentary and Diane's among a few things a comedian lol

[@KingFahtah]

It's funny but also depressing because this is the standard of modern journalism maybe even better

[@TUUK2006]

As far as I understand, the people in interview were told to answer questions like they were talking to a child, but they weren't warned in advance it was a character. Just like Ali G before he couldn't get away with it any more.

[@matthewjamison]

Braveheart is definitely worth sitting down & watching all the way through man. Great film

[@thescotchsonnet5614]

21:15 Got to love a Skyrim guard reference 😂

[@highpath4776]

All the right words, not necessarily in the right order

[@Oddballkane]

21:18 . Is this a skyrim joke. I was an adventurer like you until I took an arrow to the knee. 😂 love it

[@oskarprotzer3000]

I love her

[@mlee6050]

I'm trying to eat dinner but I am laughing along with you

[@mentalmendes9367]

The thing is, there is little nuggets information in there.

[@ZombieATAT]

Don't worry about Bravehearr, it's a work of fiction. Brush Strokes is far more realistic by comparison.

[@laughingachilles]

The Bayeux Tapestry is truly remarkable. There are lots of reasons why but just the idea something that large and intricate, made from natural fibre could survive over 600 years, is incredible. I know some think it's older but there is a lot of argument about it's exact age so I'm going with the minimum as it's still impressive.

[@2eleven48]

Alan...you're right. We need, at any time, just a small chunk of Cunk. I wearied after a while, going from laughing to gritting my teeth, and left about half-way through. Robert, UK.

[@Oddballkane]

I guess that expert hasn't heard about komodo dragons. Maybe someone bought it back as a pet when it was a baby, but it soon grew, and the person then hired george to kill his now very dangerous pet? It's happened in america when a python got out and killed a neighbours dog. There is alwats an ounce of truth in a legend.

[@matthewprice2626]

I went to bath on a school trip and all of my pocket money fell through the grills on the viewing platform down into the water when I was doing my shoes up. Devastated. 🤦‍♂️

[@kevinchester0533]

I understand what you're saying but I don't mind the incessant nature. It does work better in shorter segments but I can find humour writ throughout.

[@bitfenix90]

These shows - like I suppose every stand-up comedic performance - gets dulled by the shotgunning of jokes. And then after a few minutes of 'going numb' - she strikes back with another zinger. Those are the treasures. And upon rewatching a year later, I hear new ones that I'd probably 'dulled over'.

[@bitfenix90]

There are running gags, too. She's supposedly a big fan of the mid-80s BBC comedy, BRUSH STROKES. She hates plays and the theater is a form of agony and torture. And she of course disliked Gwenyth Paltrow. There are a few other 'running gags' or 'digs' she carries forth.

[@Karl-Benny]

they are also very funny people they have a good sense of Humor

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

The guests are in on the joke and are told to just play along. It's brilliant anyway lol

[@johnkyle2877]

The Historians were on on it all

[@nephtys369]

They’re aware it’s comedy and told to treat her like a child. But that’s it 😂

[@wullie3907]

This show sums up British comedy you either love it or you hate it.

[@seansmith7939]

Loved your wee skyrim reference! 😂😂😂

[@makaveliuk86]

Wahey Colchester!!big up Essex!👊🏻🤷‍♂️😂 And yeh, Colchester castle still stands, used to love visiting when I was a kid 💜

[@vomgrady]

Your confusion is my sustenance ! I laughed doubly. It's a shame you didn't like it as much as I thought you would.

[@susanpatterson5412]

Oh God I ❤ her

[@makaveliuk86]

"Tyrannical saurus rex"🤦🏻‍♂️👏👏😂😂😂💜

[@susanpatterson5412]

A sitcom about roses

[@Sparks127]

Alan, we had History Lessons three times a week in basic school. I loved it but most of my Peers were...WTF. We all did enjoy the Day trips to York or Dinosaur Digs. Charlie Booker perfectly captures my mates in little school looking at History.

[@adrianstabbinsartistinresi9875]

It's just the English language stretched to it's limits. Like hysterical poetry. Really clever.

[@penningtonlfc]

guy with the beard is on timeteam.hope you and family are well e.b.

[@markkettlewell7441]

The experts are told it’s a comedy but they have no idea what she’s going to say 😅

[@jordanbooth3748]

I love this show 😂

[@matthewjamison]

"What's the most political thing to happen in Britain" 😅😅😅

[@Pi_r8]

Here's a historical one to check-out. Bisley Boy Theory

[@danilopapais1464]

It somehow fits the short attention span of many people.

[@mike5d1]

From what I've heard, the experts were told to just answer whatever question she asked without laughing and those were the only instructions they were given.

[@danielgardecki1046]

26:52 I'm not sure if I've seen *Dances with Wolves* (1990) all the way through. I always get it mixed up with *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992) for some reason, which is another film I'm not sure if I've seen it all the way through. *Braveheart* (1995) however, I've seen multiple times (I'd say at least 5 times), as its one of those films which gets played on TV every single year, most likely on *ITV.* *ITV* also repeat many more films every single year, mainly entire film series which they own the rights to in the UK like the *Carry On* films, the *Star Wars* films, the *Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts* films, the *Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit* films, the *James Bond* films etc.

[@Mintgumery]

Love living in the United Britain of Great Kingdom for this lol

[@xashfordx]

I love it all.