Last weekend, I got hooked on this mockumentary series called ‘Cunk on Earth’ that makes history seriously funny. I enjoyed it so much that I watched it twice, and then I watched it the third time to write this piece. I watched it a fourth time as well. Maybe I will watch it one more time if my husband wants to watch it too after I read this article to him.
So, what’s the buzz around this series? Well, for one, it’s the first time that the history of the world has been explained in a style where those who found themselves dozing off during a historical documentary might find it more engaging and entertaining.” It might also include some punch lines which can offend people. And we should never ignore controversial stuff, should we?
Philomena Cunk, brought to life by the talented Diane Morgan, takes us on a wild ride through civilizations. She asks some academic experts the wildest, sometimes silly, and other times mind-boggling questions about how things came to be.
Let’s dive into the side-splitting jokes that even experts found puzzling, and explore the genuine history that accompanies these laugh-out-loud moments.
EPISODE 1 “In The Beginnings”
Early Men and Agriculture
Cunk starts by asking Archaeologist Dr. Paul Bahn whether early men were made of the same meat as us. She refers to ‘Agriculture’ as an invention of early men due to laziness, suggesting that hunting animals was too much work.
Mesopotamian Civilization and Early Inventions
While walking through the ruins of the first-ever city, she candidly admits it’s merely a set, joking that the real ruins are in Iraq, “miles away and … dangerous.” She contends that someone anonymous in Mesopotamia ‘invented’ civilization.
When she asks Dr Irving Finkel of the British Museum whether the Mesopotamians had any of the same things that we have today and receives the answer – ‘Weapons, jewellery, temples, animals’, she interrupts and adds that she meant ‘things like Feet and eyebrows and that sort of thing’; she has only started to show her silly side. But then Dr Finkel strikes back with the same deadpan delivery, ‘They had the whole set of organs, holes, bits that work together, bits on the outside and bits on the inside”.
It can leave viewers in stitches.
Cunk refers to wheels as the ‘killer app’ that propelled human progress forward by pushing and rolling the entire planet, creating the illusion of walking forward.
She humorously calls math a tragic invention and humorously insists that 700 is the largest number, citing a YouTube video as her source.
Adding an interesting take on money, she cites a tweet, claiming that ancient people invented currency to ease life but inadvertently birthed capitalism, which she believes will doom humanity.
Her statement about writing stands out: “Writing changed the World. Suddenly, ideas didn’t have to disappear just because the person whose head they were trapped in had died.”
Egyptian Civilization
Cunk comically refers to emojis as the invention of the ancient Egyptians, whom she believes were obsessed with death. When Prof. Joyce Tyldesley explains mummification, Cunk humorously compares it to a spa treatment.
Greek Civilization
Then she comes to the Greek civilization and states quite hilariously ‘the birth of civilization was born’ in Greece. She also adds that ancient Greece had a lot of things we have today like medicines and olives but also had things that have died out like democracy and pillars.
She further adds that Greece started the Olympic Games without inviting other countries to ensure Greece would win. She believes sports are for stupid people. She pokes fun at athletes competing naked due to the unavailability of Lycra.
The best part that comes under her topic on Greece is however when she says, “Philosophy is thinking about thinking, which sounds like a waste of time because it is…”
Well, I don’t think of Philosophy in that way but she almost sounds so convincing!
Roman Empire
We know a lot about Rome, as per Cunk, because of Pompeii.
What an ignorant and yet amusing statement is this- ‘Pompeii was so advanced it had its volcano!’
One of the insightful interviews in this section is where she asks Dr Nigel Spivey, Senior Lecturer in Classics from the University of Cambridge whether Romans invented or perfected some of the things she speaks about. Cunk suddenly drops another tongue-in-cheek question by giving him the last item on the list but I am afraid I can’t write it here for fear that it might be seen as sensitive or controversial in the region I am currently residing.
Well, whatever she spoke about was overwhelming for Dr. Spivey and a bit cringy too.
But there is more to what she can bring to the table in terms of comedy. And sometimes it can hit the wrong note with certain communities. And that is what happens in Episode 2.
The Real History– Cunk, though comical, is often factually accurate about historical events. Today’s world owes its evolution to significant civilizations. Our understanding of history begins with exploring ancient and scientific discoveries, tracing human evolution from early civilizations that emerged around 4000 to 3000 BC in modern-day Egypt, India, China, Peru, and Mexico.
To compare Cunk’s findings to real history you can further read this article on History.com
EPISODE 2 “Faith/Off”
There is so much Cunk has to say in this episode about Jesus Christ, Christianity, Islam, Prophet Muhammad (saw), Crusades, etc. But I am going to delete the 400-word description I had written for this topic because my assistant in writing suggested to me that while the style of humour might resonate with some audiences, I must approach these topics with care and sensitivity to avoid causing offence or misunderstanding.
While I have never intended to offend anyone, I can be easily misunderstood. So, I would rather not take the risk.
The style of humour might resonate with some audiences, but considering the sensitive nature of the topics discussed, it’s crucial to approach these subjects with care and sensitivity to avoid causing offence or misunderstanding.
One of the most beautiful theatrical performances by her in this episode is when she walks into a medieval castle and enacts a particular scene from the life of medieval times, and it is just her narrating and the sound effects that add to the masterpiece. It’s truly ingenuous! And commendable.
She looks at the painting of Monalisa and asks ‘Is this painting good or Is it one of those things that we only think is good because we’re told it’s good, like seafood?’
The Real History– I’ll skip this due to potential sensitivity or controversy in my current region. Yet, it’s just real history, right? You probably know by now, especially if you’re over thirty, how people can have their interpretations, not always accepting your version, regardless of how respectfully it’s presented. So, let’s focus on how Cunk presents it.
And to know the rest of the sensitive stuff Cunk said all you have to do is ‘Netflix and Chill!’
EPISODE 3 “The Renaissance Will Not Be Televised”
“What was the Renaissance?
In 1440, a groundbreaking invention emerged, delivering a crucial message: the Chinese had pioneered printing long before Gutenberg’s printing press. It highlights that while Gutenberg’s press was historically groundbreaking, it wasn’t the first in history – that honour belongs to Chinese history.
The initial printed book was the Bible, but soon ancient Greek philosophy found its way into print.
Playfully, Cunk likens the Renaissance to a ‘Renai-sauce’ of the 16th century and wonders if it was a ketchup. She critiques Botticelli’s painting ‘Birth of Venus’, labelling it as filled with mistakes and deeming it fake.
Additionally, she humorously points out an anatomical omission in Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of David – the absence of an anus.
The undisputed Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci, is discussed by Cunk for his studies in human body proportion and primitive sketches for modern inventions like the helicopter. About the painting of Monalisa, she humorously comments, ‘Like all women, you simply can’t tell what’s going on in her head.’
Galileo Galilei
She marvels at Galileo Galilei’s telescope, humorously exaggerating its magnifying capabilities. Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for challenging the Bible and introducing the theory that the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around.
America and the War of Independence
Regarding American independence, she jests about the tensions between Britain and the colonies due to the sudden taxation levied on the American colonies by the British. The 13 colonies renounced their British identity in the famous Declaration of Independence.
Humorously describing the British Troops’ attire during the war, she remarks about their vulnerability due to the lack of camouflage. That is because the British troops wore striking red uniforms.
George Washington crossed the Delaware River and became America’s first president, and she playfully compares this revered role to later events, possibly hinting at Donald Trump’s presidency in 2016.
On the subject of slavery, she satirically criticizes its onset, poking fun at the colonists’ laziness and their shift to enslaving Africans.
French Revolution
Touching upon the French Revolution, she amusingly mentions the guillotine and King Louis XVI’s fate.
Napoleon’s costly wars are funnily deemed to be too expensive to reenact in a historical documentary. That is why its story is told just with pictures and jazz music.
The Real History- Ignore the silly jokes but hold on to the serious ones, and you will find that what Cunk narrates is indeed, close to real history. You can skip this section if you want to read Cunk’s descriptions.
So, If you ask Google, you will find that according to Wikipedia printing in East Asia originated in China, evolving from ink rubbings made on paper or cloth from texts on stone tablets, used during the sixth century. [Source- History of printing]
However, we know Johannes Gutenberg, (born in the 14th century) the father of printing introduced printing to the world with the invention of the printing press.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is considered the father of modern science and made major contributions to the fields of physics, astronomy, cosmology, mathematics and philosophy. Galileo’s advocacy of a heliocentric universe brought him before religious authorities in 1616 and again in 1633 when he was forced to recant and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life.
The American Revolution—also called the U.S. War of Independence—was the insurrection fought between 1775 and 1783 through which 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies threw off British rule to establish the sovereign United States of America, founded with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. British attempts to assert greater control over colonial affairs after a long period of salutary neglect, including the imposition of unpopular taxes, had contributed to growing estrangement between the crown and a large and influential segment of colonists who ultimately saw armed rebellion as their only recourse.
Do you know about the Boston Tea Party?
The Boston Tea Party took place on the night of December 16, 1773, a few years before the start of the American Revolution in 1775. It was an act of protest in which a group of 60 American colonists threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to agitate against both a tax on tea (which had been an example of taxation without representation) and the perceived monopoly of the East India Company.
Hundreds of thousands of Africans, both free and enslaved, aided the establishment and survival of colonies in the Americas and the New World. However, many consider a significant starting point to slavery in America to be 1619, when the privateer The White Lion brought 20 enslaved Africans ashore in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The crew had seized the Africans from the Portuguese slave ship Sao Jao Bautista.
Throughout the 17th century, European settlers in North America turned to enslaved Africans as a cheaper, more plentiful labour source than indentured servants, who were mostly poor Europeans.
After the American Revolution, many colonists—particularly in the North, where slavery was relatively unimportant to the agricultural economy—began to link the oppression of enslaved Africans to their oppression by the British, and to call for slavery’s abolition.
The French Revolution was a watershed event in world history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. During this period, French citizens radically altered their political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as the monarchy and the feudal system. The upheaval was caused by disgust with the French aristocracy and the economic policies of King Louis XVI, who met his death by guillotine, as did his wife Marie Antoinette. Though it degenerated into a bloodbath during the Reign of Terror, the French Revolution helped to shape modern democracies by showing the power inherent in the will of the people.
EPISODE 4: “Rise of the Machine”
When we ponder modernity, the Industrial Revolution looms large. It’s like when Americans were grabbing land from Native Americans and bandying about this theory called ‘Manifest Destiny.’
So, what’s this whole Manifest Destiny thing, right? Cunk grills Dr Brian Klaas, Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London, who explains that it’s this 1840s and 1850s idea in the U.S. asserting that America had a God-given right to conquer the continent and spread its ideals, from sea to shining sea.
Bagging territory wasn’t a walk in the park, you see. The Americans unleashed steam trains into the wild, totally tilting the power scales. The irony? They’d just won independence from Britain, and now they were wrestling with Native Americans.
Then, there are guns. They moulded America, but Cunk takes a jab at the excessive shootings, quipping, “Using firearms is an integral part of their national identity. Even today.”
But isn’t it ironic that America hailed itself as the ‘land of the free’ while slavery lingered? Yet, things changed up North when they realized each enslaved person was, well, a human being.
It escalated into the Civil War, a time when America was as divided as it is now. Pictures started speaking volumes, as the first modern war embraced photography.
After a gruelling four years, the North emerged victorious, with Abraham Lincoln reigning as the undisputed king. But his victory was short-lived. Just five days later, he was gunned down at an opera.
Cunk then takes us to the discovery of electricity, thanks to Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison’s groundbreaking inventions and then to the aircraft! The Wright brothers managed to defy gravity’s laws.
Then came the automobile, synonymous with Henry Ford, who kick-started the American dream. Ford put folks to work and revved up the need for bigger vessels, leading to the grand ol’ Titanic. Spoiler alert: it didn’t float very long.
Cunk is fascinated by radiation, crediting Marie Curie for discovering radioactivity. But she finds it funny how something so powerful can’t be seen.
Albert Einstein gets a nod too, with Cunk playfully calling him a physicist and professional tongue model reminding him that his theory of relativity is still a head-scratcher for most.
World War I marked a technological shift, introducing aeroplanes, machine guns, and tanks – all aimed at each other. The final score? Twenty million for weaponry, zero for humanity.
When she asks an expert to answer the question ‘What makes us turn on one another like that’ in just three words, the response she gets is- Fear, honour, and interest.
The early 20th century finally let women vote which as per Cunk meant they could now pick which man would boss them around.
She says, ‘Women began to escape their traditional uniforms, dressing less like haunted furniture and more like camp young boys. They drank, smoked and danced at high speed, at an appalling frame rate.’
For the first time, I got an imposing defence to book lovers when Philomena differentiates between book lovers and movie lovers and why it’s so much more to read a book (well, mostly). Cunk says- Unlike with a book, you didn’t have to concentrate or use your imagination to enjoy a movie. Anyone, even very lazy or stupid people could enjoy themselves by simply sitting down and staring at a screen, like you’re doing now.”
Einstein’s theories paved the way for the Manhattan Project, birthing Little Boy, a nuclear bomb that made a big boom. And when Cunk realizes that Britain has nuclear weapons, she’s shell-shocked, hoping they’re just blanks. Unfortunately, they’re not, leaving her emotionally rattled, much like how we all should feel about the looming threat of nuclear destruction.
The Real History– Not needed. Because Philomena is almost on point in this episode. But if you must, then here are some relevant reference links: –
Industrial Revolution-, American civil war- , Benjamin Franklin-, Thomas Edison-, Marie curie-, Albert einstein- ,Henry Ford-,Titanic-, Wright brothers-,Women’s right to vote-,Early movies-,Little boy-
EPISODE 5 “War(s) of the World(s)”
It’s 1945. The atomic bomb has just gone off. The world lies in ruins.
Russia and the Cold War
Philomena points out that while the Russian peasant lived in poverty, the rich lived in St. Petersburg.
The top Russian was called Czar Nicholas, which is Russian for King Nicholas. He was allowed to rule the country like a dictator, which Cunk has been advised to say isn’t how Russia works today. This is a dig at the current dynamics in Russia.
One man who went against the established rule was Karl Marx and he wrote his ideas in a book called the Communist Manifesto. Cunk spells it as ‘The Commonest Man in Festo’.
Back then it was a hit particularly popular amongst the 18-to-35 anti-capitalists.
One Russian who read the book was the man, John Lenin. Lenin imagined a world with no possessions which would according to Philomena leave us with nothing to kill or die for.
Paradoxically, Lenin chose to bring his revolution with a violent uprising.
In 1917, he got his chance. Cunk states that Lenin and his followers hacked into the Winter Palace and uploaded a communist government.
Russia changed its name to USSR or Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
She asks the expert,’ What was the Soviet onion?’ to which he corrects her and responds that it is not an onion but the Union.
In 1924, Lenin died and his place was taken by Joseph Stalin.
Cunk points out how although Capitalism and Communism are natural enemies, Russia and America had put aside their differences, thanks to a mutual interest in winning the Second World War.
Cunk calls the construction of the Berlin War a sort of divorce made of bricks.
Russia and America had proxy wars where they would use other countries to fight with.
Space Wars
Russia launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite into the Earth’s Orbit. Then Cunk narrates how in November 1957, Sputnik 2 was launched along with a soviet space dog named Laika who died in space because the rocket blasted as soon as it reached orbit.
Competition to win over the space wars started rising and both Russia and America started building nuclear weapons enough to destroy the entire planet several times over.
On 20th July 1969, men landed on the moon. Cunk questions the reality of Project Apollo.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cunk describes it this way-‘In 1959 there was a communist revolution in Cuba. A man called Fidel Castro rose to power and made friends with Russia. In 1962, America discovered the Soviets were going to use Cuba as a base for nuclear missiles and those missiles could make it to Florida in just 20 minutes if the wind was fair and they could find somewhere to park.’
American President John Kennedy demanded that the Russians remove the missiles otherwise, war was inevitable. Or worse still, possible. For six days, the world held its breath.
In the end, the Soviet emperor backed down and Kennedy was victorious. Afterwards, he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963.
Cunk amusingly highlights, ‘It’s ironic that he was so concerned about Cuban missiles when it was a gun in Texas he should have been worried about’.
Environmental damage
Cunk explains the emission of CO2 from industries and how it damages the environment. She states- ‘One solution to all this environmental damage was to build nuclear power stations, which don’t emit anywhere near as harmful material. Unless they blow up, which never happens.
Until it did in 1986 at Chernobyl.
Computer
The smaller microchip was made for more accessible computers. Silicon Valley was born and Cunk calls it a computer heartland that would be defined by the rivalry between two men: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Gates founded Microsoft. Jobs created the Apple Macintosh, which is named by Cunk as the world’s first inherently smug computer.
Then came the WWW or World Wide Web, followed by the most popular invention of the century, the iPhone.
And now we have AI. Cunks questions whether we may be living in a simulation.
The Real History- Let’s Skip this one because very few people care about Russia and US space wars. The rest of this section is not history but where we are headed in the future. It mostly talks about things happening now, like the rise of new technology. If you want to learn more about Chernobyl, it is extensively covered in a dedicated series for a more profound impact.
LET’S CONCLUDE-
Cunk on Earth will make you laugh, chuckle, wonder, learn, and even think. Oh, wait! I completely forgot to mention ‘Pump up the Jamb’, a video clip of a song album from 1989, appearing in every episode, something I just couldn’t stand and you have to watch the series to find out why! But it is super funny.
Overall, the series is engaging and informative, especially for those interested in a lighter take on historical moments. It caters well to those seeking a humorous approach to history.
For a more traditional documentation of real events, a series like “World War 2 – from the Frontlines” is recommended. This alternative provides a factual account without the comedic musings, ideal for those seeking a more serious exploration devoid of whimsical queries like,
‘Will computers learn to delete us?’ and
‘How would we escape the recycle bin if they did?’