Here’s the fifth and final episode of “Cunk on Earth,” this one called “War(s) of the World(s)?” (That title, of course, comes from the H. G. Wells novel.) Here Philomena gets a lot of stuff wrong (the first Soviet missile is called “Spunk”) and deals with Karl Marx, the Russian Revolution, World War II , the Cold War, the space race (she’s particularly saddened by the death of Laika, the first dog in space), and rock and roll, which she of course screws up completely. She also subscribes to a number of conspiracy theories, including “the Moon is not real.”
Finally, she takes on computers, smartphones, and the Internet, baffled by the possibility that we’re all in a big simulation.
“Pump Up the Jam” makes its last appearance at 21:35.
In the end, it’s a good series but not a great one. and, I think, not nearly as good as the segments of Philomena in Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe. Diane Morgan is great (I love the Bolton accent) but she needs better material to work with. Five half-hour segments are simply too much.
I agree. Her persona in this series wears thin after a while. (I haven’t seen her other work to compare. She does seem inherently funny.)
Spunk, British word that usually applies to semen, so probably deliberate regarding the Russian space craft.
I’m just starting Cunk on Britain now, before I move on to Cunk on Earth. There are so many corrupted references, and British history is not my strong suit. She’s describing the Battle of Hastings depicted in the Baywatch Tapestry… except it’s the Bayeux Tapestry. It’s entertaining, but I have to take notes on what I want to look up. Fortunately, subtitles. There are also a few easter eggs for sharp-eyed viewers.