Top 10 Most Savage Cunk Moments

#10: The Romans

One of our favourite things Cunk frequently does is stubbornly telling an expert they’re wrong about their own field. In this interview, she’s asking novelist and historian Tom Holland about Roman Britain. She’s not at all impressed by the idea that Romans weren’t British, confusing Holland with her intentionally dimwitted response. Another notable example of savagery towards a Roman expert occurred when she created a trivia quiz for Dr Nigel Spivey. It’s impressive how much patience these scholars have for Cunk, who is about as patronising as an interviewer can be.

#9: Most Political Thing

You’re probably already familiar with Robert Peston, who is the political editor for ITV News and also hosts the political talk show “Peston”. Cunk has interviewed him quite a few times, and in every one, each question looks like it’s noticeably reducing Peston’s lifespan. The hardest for him to ever answer was this absurd question, which he was pondering for ridiculously long. It took him so long that Cunk completely checked out, not caring at all for his response. Finally, you can see something inside of him die when she asks her follow-up question.

#8: Soviet Union

Something we love seeing in a Cunk show is when she intentionally butchers reading a word, then doubles down when the expert points it out. One example comes from her discussion with historian Ashley Jackson. Cunk insists it’s the Soviet Onion, not Union. Jackson puts a comical amount of effort into explaining her error, but Cunk just isn’t having it. She thinks he’s being condescending and mansplaining to him, forcing him to chat solely about onions, not the real union. Every single Jackson interview is worth a watch, but we find this one the most patronising.

#7: King Arthur

Another Cunk tactic we love is when she brings up something hilariously inappropriate, making a researcher clearly uncomfortable. One of the most memorable examples came from her time with medieval historian Laura Ashe. Cunk is clearly confused about the implications of the name Camelot, and after having her error explained, she doubles down, resulting in one of the most stunned looks in TV history from Ashe. While the interaction looks painful for her, Ashe has been interviewed by her on a few occasions, implying she must have had fun with the ridiculous questions Cunk bombarded her with.

#6: Gravity

The way Cunk intentionally misunderstands basic concepts is comedy gold, and then it gets even funnier when she sticks to her guns, refusing to understand her error. One of the greatest examples comes from when she interviewed Dr Shini Somara about gravity. The mechanical engineer responds with some of the most bemused expressions Cunk has ever worked out of an interviewee. It’s impressive that she manages to come up with genuine answers, as most of her questions were made to bemuse her. Another funny moment between this pair was when Cunk compared legendary Victorian engineer Brunel to Nick Knowles from “DIY SOS.”

#5: Elvis Stroke

Cunk’s questions are so stupid that they rarely fail to crack us up. Sometimes, the interviewees end up finding them amusing too, but Cunk isn’t happy when this happens. Here, we see her interviewing Dr Ruth Adams about Elvis, asking her questions so outlandish that Adams breaks. Cunk doesn’t hesitate to criticise Adams for her perceived lack of sensitivity, but the look on Adams’ face implies she’s not taking her too seriously. So far, Adams has appeared in 3 separate Cunk productions, so she must enjoy her time with the Mancunian immensely.

#4: Beyoncé

Another beloved Cunk tactic of ours is when she asks questions with clear-cut answers, then when she gets the expected response, she flips it on its head and makes them look a fool. One sidesplitting example was when discussing whether Beyoncé was more influential than the Renaissance. She’s expecting him to say the Renaissance, which results in a scathing conclusion to the interview. It gets funnier when you learn Beyoncé released an album called Renaissance a few months prior, implying she’s confused a decades-long historical period with an American pop record.

#3: Greg Dart

Professor Gregory Dart specialises in English at UCL, meaning you can expect him to know loads about poets. Cunk put his affection for our bards to great lengths, asking him one of the most blunt questions ever. Dart seems to be easy pickings for Cunk, as every time they’re in the same room together turns into quality television. That’s probably because of how calmly he responds to her, but his confused expressions tell us how he truly feels. Aside from their brief Romantics discussion, the time when Cunk compared Jane Austen to Mr Men is another top-tier TV moment.

#2: Brian Cox

It’s obvious that Cunk’s personality is a parody of Brian Cox, primarily on account of her manner of speaking. The whole time they’re in the same room together, you can see Cox doing his best to keep a friendly face, but we can tell on the inside he’s screaming. We’ve only seen them together for a few minutes, but we’d love to watch the complete, unedited interviews. Every second they’re together is iconic, but one of our favourite moments was when Cunk went off on a tangent about her mate Paul, prompting Cox to break his friendly persona.

#1: Van Gogh

During his life, the Dutch painter Van Gogh failed to find fame for his artwork. Now, he’s considered one of the greatest artists in history, meaning his fans get quite upset if you say he’s rubbish. Cunk decided to go to an art expert, then absolutely rip into a Van Gogh painting right in front of him, resulting in one of the most appalled expressions of Cunk’s career. The majority of her brutal ramblings about art are top quality, like her discussion about The Scream by Edward Munch, a few minutes earlier in the documentary.

Do you have a favourite savage Cunk moment, and did it make it onto your list today? Let us know down in the comments below!