WTF did I just watch? Cunk on Britain

[TooManyAnimals94]

So wasn't really watching the TV...was scrolling on here but this came on after the Olympics highlights and I liked her in Motherland so left it on.
I don't understand her delivery style at all. I'm all for using comedy to engage people with history (Blackadder, Horrible Histories and others are brilliant) but my jaw actually dropped when she made an awful pun about No Man's land being a place for people called Norman 😑. Also, did they know World War One was the 'start of a franchise' and 'shells don't hurt, I've found little ones at the beach'. It was actually DH who turned it off in disgust and he has a very black sense of humour but we both agreed this was horrendously offensive.

Have I missed something? Was this just a bad episode?

I find the in between talk to camera bits very funny, but I can’t watch any comedy where a comedy character interacts with real people, it just isn’t my thing, whether it is Mrs Merton, Borat or Cunk.

@Cattitudes

I particularly loved the archivist Dr Jessica Nelson talking about the Doomsday Book, I like to think she is here somewhere on Mumsnet chuckling away at it.

Yes yes! How these presenters manage to keep a straight face through all of Cunk's deadpan. It's brilliant. Love it. An academic historian friend points out that the more you know your history, the more you get out of her shtick. Perhaps you need to revise a bit more, Op 😁

An academic historian friend points out that the more you know your history, the more you get out of her shtick. Perhaps you need to revise a bit more, Op

As a person really interested in history I absolutely loathed this programme when I watched it by mistake, while DH and DS (less interest) were cracking up, so I don't actually agree with this comment.

I agree OP but am clearly in the minority. Different strokes I guess. My DBIL puts it on every time we visit and I pretend to be amused as he finds it hilarious.

I find all the quotes that people have posted here quite cringe and a bit like GCSE comedy or Xmas cracker jokes.

But appreciate that plenty of people love her. Just be glad you can switch it off!!

I love her! I loved her quoted Churchill as saying "we will fight them bitches" and asking why the minors strike was considered minor

@Yondergoat

An academic historian friend points out that the more you know your history, the more you get out of her shtick. Perhaps you need to revise a bit more, Op

As a person really interested in history I absolutely loathed this programme when I watched it by mistake, while DH and DS (less interest) were cracking up, so I don't actually agree with this comment.

I don't think that it was suggested that you'd be more likely to find it funny if you had more history knowledge, merely that you'd be more likely to get the references.

I do think the point is right. If you get the references, the cringe is stronger, but then I do like this style of comedy.

I love Cunk on Britain, it is hysterical.. Husband hates it through, but then he doesn't get The Office either...but he loves Mrs Brown's Boys, which in my view is appalling.

It's satire. You not getting that it's a joke is also very funny.

I can't watch her either as I find her quite excruciating but am not a fan of characters like cunk or shitpeas. I hate hate Alan Partridge and all the Sacha Baron Cohen stuff. Some of the PC misunderstanding quotes included here do make me smile though.

I don't mind whatsisname newsreader who rants at the camera, his character is very good.

@Pumpkinstace

I love her but couldn't get into 'mandy'

Me neither, the mouth thing was so annoying.

@ZenNudist

It's satire. You not getting that it's a joke is also very funny.

I can't watch her either as I find her quite excruciating but am not a fan of characters like cunk or shitpeas. I hate hate Alan Partridge and all the Sacha Baron Cohen stuff. Some of the PC misunderstanding quotes included here do make me smile though.

I don't mind whatsisname newsreader who rants at the camera, his character is very good.

Jonathan Pie, he’s very good!

I love it. Brave of the experts to take part, though. Hope they are paid well.

I don’t find it funny either. Not because it’s offensive or because she isn’t skilful at what she does, but just because I personally find the playing dumb thing a bit wearing. I feel the same way about Ali G and Borat. She was ok as a brief interlude on Charlie Brooker’s programme with Barry Shitpeas, but as soon as she got a full segment on there I lost interest.

I think it falls into that wider type of comedy which is about getting the tone wrong. Alan Partridge and Tim Key are in this vein too, but I find them hilarious. It’s just down to personal taste.

OytheBumbler

Also

Wordsworth wrote, 'I wandered lonely as a cloud' but clouds don't have legs so how was he allowed to get away with that stuff

Saw this thread and decided to watch,

It was made all the more hilarious because dd would say something like this.

Love it. DH is just confused. Dd & ds loves it.

I DO understand satire 😂 I didn't think she was a real historian, I just don't think it's good satire.

I also have a pretty good grasp of British history so I don't think that was the issue either. It just didn't tickle my funny bone.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=TQafqIufnNw

I can never watch Brian cox after this...

She's brilliant!

I always wonder to if the interviews with the historians etc are scripted and, if not, what they think is going on.

It's just... not funny.

@TheYearOfSmallThings

I always wonder to if the interviews with the historians etc are scripted and, if not, what they think is going on.

I expect they will know. I imagine press offices - and the experts - enjoy the opportunity to bring glimpses of history into an entertainment/ comedy programme and potentially a slightly different to normal audience.

One of the experts looked so angry

I've actually wondered in the past whether some of the interviews are spliced together - i.e. they do their bits separately and the clips are then edited together. I think I came to this conclusion after watching a particularly awkward interview and wondering how the hell else she could could keep a straight face and the expert could not storm off in disgust!

I love it. I can understand why some don’t.

Comedy is funny like that