How To Watch Cunk on Life Online
| Released: Monday, December 30 (UK) | Thursday, January 2 (US, CA, AU) |
| Free Stream: Stream on catch-up on BBC iPlayer now (UK) |
| International Stream: Netflix |
| Watch anywhere: Stream from anywhere with NordVPN |
Watch Cunk on Life: Synopsis
A hilarious highlight of any festive schedule, Diane Morgan (also lending her voice to this Christmas’ Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl) is back as deathly dry documentarian Philomena Cunk, this time exploring the big question: “what’s the point of it all?” So read on to find out how to watch Cunk on Life online, now available on catch-up for free on BBC iPlayer from anywhere with a VPN.
The Cunk character was an instant stand-out when she debuted in Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe a decade ago, and with various specials and series under her belt, it seems the faux-documentarian now delivers her magnum opus in this 70-minute special. Set to attempt to get to the bottom of why we’re all here, the mockumentary, co-written by Brooker, tackles some big concepts, including quantum physics, existentialism and hedonism. It’ll also look at those ground-breaking thinkers throughout history who’ve posed similar questions, such as Dostoyevsky, Van Gogh, Nietzsche and whoever came up with the "Live, Laugh, Love" slogan.
But don’t expect anything too academic here as, through Cunk, Morgan approaches all topics with an air of nonsense. It’s a pitch perfect satire of the self-seriousness delivered by so many science and history documentaries, particularly those put out by the BBC themselves. But the real genius move is the Nathan Fielder-like approach of confronting real people with the deadpan character. Countless academics are tortured by Cunk’s ridiculous responses, and the fun is trying to figure out when they twig.
In an in character interview, Cunk said of the new special: “What does it mean to be human? What is the Human Conditioner? Do they sell it at Superdrug? And would humans watch a TV show about all this stuff if we put it on between Christmas and New Year when everyone is bored out of their tiny minds, and just might watch a show that’s not about celebrities dancing, or how to make the perfect roast potato?” If you read that in Morgan’s classic deadpan delivery, then you already know what you’re in for, and if not but it raised a smile? You’ll be rolling on the floor by the end of the episode.
After a few days of festive fun and frolics, Cunk’s nihilistic brand of humour might be just the ticket to send the more morose of us into the new year, so check out our guide on how to watch Cunk on Life online anywhere now.
How to watch Cunk on Life online in the UK for free on BBC iPlayer
Cunk on Life aired on Monday, December 30 on BBC Two in the UK. It's now available to stream on-demand for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer, the BBC’s online platform, is 100% free to use. Simply go ahead and sign-up for a BBC iPlayer account. All you need is an email address and a UK postcode (e.g. W12 7FA) and a valid TV licence.
Abroad? Use a VPN using the instructions below to access BBC iPlayer like you would at home.
How to watch Cunk on Life online from anywhere
If you're a UK citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch Cunk on Life online just as you would at home.
While services like BBC iPlayer block access from IP addresses outside of the UK, there's a handy piece of software called a VPN that can change your IP address, allowing you to watch UK TV online by making it look like you're accessing streaming services from any country in the world.
For example, UK citizens overseas can subscribe to a VPN, join a UK-based server and access their subscription from anywhere in the world, just like they would back home.
Step-by-step of using a VPN to unblock:
1. Choose your ideal VPN and install – our go-to recommendation for unblocking is NordVPN.
2. Connect to a server - for BBC iPlayer, for example, you'll want to connect to a server based in the UK
3. Go to the live stream you wish to access - for Cunk on Life, head to BBC iPlayer
How to watch Cunk on Life online in the US, Canada, Australia, and beyond
As with previous Philomena Cunk outings, Netflix will be the international home of Cunk on Life online. The new mockumentary from Diane Morgan's deadpan diva will arrive globally on the platform on Thursday, January 2.
There are a number of subscription tiers on Netflix, and prices vary from region to region, but we’ve provided some of these below:
US: Standard with Ads: $6.99 / Standard $15.49 / Premium $22.99
CA: Standard with Ads CA$5.99 / Standard CA$16.49 / Premium CA$20.99
AU: Standard with Ads AU$7.99 / Standard AU$18.99 / Premium AU$25.99
For more on Netflix pricing and plans, head to our guide.
A UK citizen currently away from home? Use a VPN to port yourself back home and connect to BBC iPlayer.
Cunk on Life Trailer
Who is in the cast of Cunk on Life?
- Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk
- Michelle Greenidge as Jacqui Flink
- Charles Aitken as Waylon Jackalope
- Rory Bray as Edwin Hubble
- Atlanta Johnson as Eve
- Eleanor Seeley as Mrs Hubble
- Jerry Wilder as Adam
- Genevieve Gaunt as Binko
Who is Philomena Cunk?
Diane Morgan's Philomena Cunk first appeared as a talking head in Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe series. The character has since gone on to lead two specials – Cunk on Shakespeare (2016) and Cunk on Christmas (2016) – and the five-episode series' Cunk on Britian (2018) and Cunk on Earth (2022).
The mockumentaries, written by Morgan and Charlie Brooker, among others, serve as a satire of high-brow documentaries, particularly the BBC's brand of science and history programming and can all be streamed for free on BBC iPlayer right now.
