Ty Watches "Cunk on Life"

A week or so back I wrote about the character Philomena Cunk, played by Diane Morgan. I adore this character. I loved "Cunk on Earth". It is one of the funnier series I've watched on Netflix. I wanted more Cunk material, and Netflix recently released "Cunk on Life", a 70 minute long documentary that is very similar, if not the same, as "Cunk on Earth".

This time around it was one long extended episode masquerading as a movie. It started the same and had the same vibe to it. But, after 22 minutes, the documentary just kept going, and I loved it. This is one of the best short movies to come out in 2025. Like I said, it has all the elements of the show that I like, it's just an extended version. They still did chapters, but with each new chapter the movie kept going. Cunk was there asking her questions, as straightforward as possible, and the experts were trying to answer them to the best of their ability. And these questions were riotous. When she talks to the sex expert, and the faces she makes and the stuff she says about her ex, I was howling. When she is looking at paintings and talking about how much she dislikes them, and then asking a question to the expert, who we don't know is on screen until they're spoken to, genius. When she goes on and on calling DNA d and a, and the expert has to constantly correct her, that was a dynamite bit. And some of the scenes that she had actors come on and shoot that seemingly lasted forever, I'm thinking of Thomas Hubble and his wife being intimate, it was the best kind of squirming in my chair humor. All along though, and the thing I adore about Cunk, she kept a straight face. She never broke. She has to know that what she is saying ois outrageous, but she just plows ahead, and it is all the better for it.

I really loved this movie. My only true gripe is that I wanted it to be longer, but that isn't the British way when it comes to content. I feel like they just want to give you a tiny little taste, and then have you begging for more. And I like that. I don't always need my appetite to be sated by shows and movies. I can sit and think about all the hilarious stuff Philomena Cunk can do in the future. And Diane Morgan may very well be done with this character. Maybe this was the last we will see of Philomena. And if that's the case, what a way to go. I mean, she has cornered the market on cringe interviews. She has surpassed Ali G. She is better than anyone at "The Daily Show", which is a show I also adore. She does this better than anyone in the game. I do hope this doesn't pigeonhole her, but there are much worse outcomes for someone who works in television and movies.

"Cunk on Life" is brilliant and a must watch for fans of her work. I was late to Morgan's stuff as Cunk, but I'm glad I found it and was told by friends and family to watch. Watch this movie, but also watch her other work. Morgan is one of the better minds working in comedy tv and movies right now, and "Cunk on Earth" and "Cunk on Life" more than prove that. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Cunk on Earth"

Over the past week I watched the show "Cunk on Earth". I loved it. It was that dry British humor that I really enjoy when done right. Let’s discuss.

I like the whole idea of making a serious talk show, then flipping it on its head. This is akin to a prank show. Philomena Cunk is there to ask some of the dumbest questions one could hear on subjects like the renaissance or religion or social media to experts. She does all of this with a very straight face too. That makes it even funnier. But I'm not here to talk about the show today. As I said, I think the show is great and everyone should watch it. If it didn't have swear words I'd recommend they show it in schools. It's very informative. What I want to talk about today is the character of Philomena Cunk.

The actor that portrays Cunk is named Diane Morgan. I don't know of anything else she has ever done. This character is the first thing I've seen her perform in. But this is one of the most memorable and funny characters I've ever seen on tv. Philomena Cunk wants to be an expert in certain fields. She has all the questions one could want the answer to, if one was a child. She goes out there and asks some of the dumbest questions I've ever heard, but the way she phrases them, and how straight of a face she can keep, it is a true work of art. She is stoned faced the entire time. She never, ever breaks character. There was a moment in an episode I watched yesterday where she made the expert and the crew laugh, but the whole time she kept asking why everyone was laughing and this was a serious thing. She kept that going for a full minute before they went to the next shot. She kept it going so much that I felt that the expert felt bad for laughing. And this is what she does in every episode. She was talking with a gentleman that was playing music out of a phonograph, and the questions that followed were uproarious. She asked a line of questions that were all about sending a message to the singer of the song coming out of the phonograph. The gentleman seemed so frustrated and confused. But Cunk kept at it. She wouldn't let up. It was great. I like when she asked about Lincoln continuing to be president after he was shot at Forbes Theater. The expert there seemed annoyed, but she never let up. Stuff like that cracks me up. Another thing she did in every episode was make some kind of joke when they were doing shots of her "thinking". She would look at her phone from time to time, only to rush to put it away when she realized the camera was on her. She would read a book and complain about how boring it is. She would make up an entire scenario and act it all out, which was fantastic to see. But I think the thing that made me like this character so much was how hard Morgan commits. She never lets up. She seems destined to have this be what she's remembered for in her career. I don't think she cares about being pigeonholed. I believe she has created something unique and damn near perfect.

If you're contemplating watching the show, do it, simply for Morgan's transformation into Philomena Cunk. It is a sight to behold. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.