To find Philomena Cunk intensely irritating and everything that is wrong with society?

[Sacredhandbag]

She's like that one irritating twat at the back of the class or on a tour that thinks they are the main character and asks stupid endless irritating questions when everyone else just wants to listen and learn something. They are thinking they're funny and clever but they're annoying and stupid AF.
She's admitted that in real life she finds history and science boring so she just mocks it and talks over educated, interesting people with "jokes" that have been done 100 times and the delinquent knuckle-dragging masses lap it up. Just another example of the media contributing to the dumbing down of society.

I'm sick of people saying she's "brilliant". No, professor Brian Cox is brilliant. Diane Morgan's idiotic character is just some knob sat there asking stupid questions to one of those most fascinating people on TV who pretty much has all the answers to life. It's depressing that people like her tbh.

It seems you have watched quite a bit of that programme along with all the 'knuckle draggers'. May I recommend 'In Our Time' on Radio 4 instead? You will feel calmer.

To me, the programme is very funny and well written - both the narration and the bits with the academics. They know they’re not there to educate us ,and they’re in on it. They wouldn’t agree to come on if they didn’t want to be part of it.
That said, in the Brian Cox ones, he does generally look a bit wound up and irritated.

Have Melvin’s adenoids cleared up @Adelstrop ? It was hard listening at the start of this series! I’ve got three or four in the locker but I’m scared to listen! 😬

Not really!

She isn’t meant to be a role model!

it’s better in small doses though - when she was on screen for 15 seconds as part of Screenwipe. It’s a bit cringe as a whole show.

If Cunk is even tangentially supposed to lampooning the dreary likes of Dooley etc al, it's good enough for me.

I thought PC was a parody, but haven’t watched more than a few clips (don’t have British TV). I like Diane Morgan in Motherland.

There are lots of face value TV presenters who annoy me and ask stupid questions.

She's brilliant. Although I much preferred her on screenwipe alongside other sketches.

I love it. It's supposed to be comedy satire.

Am I the only person who is uncomfortable with the "let's laugh at the hoi polloi" vibes? This was my first reaction and I'm really interested to know if anyone else feels the same about it or if it's just me!

@Sacredhandbag it's not her tbf, it's Charlie Brooker (cos he's ever so clever and current, or so he thinks) and his equally irritating wife Konnie Huq 😆

eta; expansion

It’s not laughing at the hoi polloi - it’s laughing at stupid people. The ones who believe in conspiracy theories and “do their own research”

if you are suggesting there is a correlation between the “hoi polloi” and stupid people then that’s your prejudice- not mine. I certainly don’t believe that.

I don't think she's meant to represent the masses? Just the ignorant?

Just my opinion but its the work of genius. I look at it in the same vain as Ricky Gervais ..he was brutal sometimes in Afterlife etc ,however you think of him personally there is no doubt he is outstanding at what he does. Diane I think is the same,very clever and great at their craft.

No, I don't believe that at all - just something about the way it's done makes me uncomfortable. Laughing at "stupid" people isn't exactly fun either. Or at people who don't know/understand things. I haven't seen the people she's supposed to be parodying, which is perhaps why I've read it as a more general mockery.

I’m very comfortable laughing at the type of stupid people who peddle scientific or political (either left or right) nonsense.

the scientific illiteracy of so many - particularly in evidence during covid - is quite shocking. Not understanding how scientific discovery is document reviewed and challenged and thinking that reading a few people’s blogs in the matter makes you an expert is beyond stupid and mocking such people is actually really important. The damage they do to society is significant.

I don't doubt Diane Morgan is talented but I can't bear the whole concept of Philomena Cunk.

I'm going to sound like a horrible snobby person here, and I would never say this out loud, but I feel I get enough general ignorance from people around me in my day to day life. I find it quite hard to have a basic conversation with a lot of people I meet and am obliged to spend time with as they don't want to discuss events and ideas, they just want to discuss people. They don't have the general knowledge to back up a conversation beyond that and I don't try any more because I am bored of the blank looks I get, like I am speaking another language.

I don't want to turn on my TV and see someone doing it on purpose, especially with experts I highly respect. I hear Brian Cox start to talk, and I don't want him to stop. I don't want to hear him interrupted by idiocy even if it is on purpose.

So I get where you are coming from OP even if you did express it somewhat over-dramatically.

There's a big difference between people who don't know something and are willing to learn, and those who are stupid, ignorant and arrogant.

She's meant to represent the ignorant person who thinks they're clever, deep thinking and insightful. The Russell Brand types.

Fwiw I'm perfectly comfortable with laughing at people who refuse to believe they're ignorant (Dave down the pub), I have patience with people who understand their limitations and still want to learn/are happy to leave their knowledge where it is.

Someone once said to me that they are just about intelligent enough to know that they are not that intelligent and that it's a difficult level to be at.

I can imagine it is. I imagine being on either side of that line, be it "ignorant and don't know it" and "intelligent and know it" is much easier.

I was having this exact conversation with my family this morning. I'm the only one that doesn't find her remotely funny, and it's not because I don't get it. I totally understand that she's taking the piss out of vapid TV presenters who feel the need to ask/ state the bleeding obvious. Everyone else seems to fall about laughing, and I just find it really cringey. But I guess it would be boring if we were all the same! I enjoy a lot of wordplay, and think Ronnie Barker was an absolute genius. My kids... not so much, although they acknowledge that some of the Two Ronnies' sketches were brilliant.

Brain Cox was on her latest one and I belly laughed during his part.

My in-laws fall about laughing at Mrs Brown's boys. I hated it from the very first viewing. After a bit, I started pretending to laugh a bit just so I didn't look like a miserable twat.

I was so relieved when the internet collectively decided to come out and say how bad it is. I felt SEEN 😂

I know... does op not realise its a comedy show?