Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Bay set for Netflix’s ‘Cunk On Cinema’

Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk. CREDIT: BBC/Netflix

Philomena Cunk will interview Hollywood icons Michael Bay and Benedict Cumberbatch for her new series Cunk On Cinema .

The character, played by Diane Morgan, originally appeared as a segment on series Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe , before going it alone in the mockumentary series Cunk On Britain (2018), Cunk On Earth (2022) and Cunk On Life (2024). The character is a satire of overly serious documentarians, asking comedically ill-informed questions to unsuspecting experts.

Now, she will turn her deadpan focus to the world of movies in Cunk On Cinema .

A co-production between the BBC and Netflix, the synopsis reads : “The three-part series will uncover the invention of the camera, to the New Wave filmmakers of the 60s, right up to the entrance of CGI and what the future of AI holds. Cunk will attempt to demystify it all while sitting in lumpy seats with stale popcorn, asking herself where did cinema come from?

And why? What does it want?

And why can’t it tell us?”

Philomena Cunk will return in Cunk On Cinema – a new series asking: Where did cinema come from? And why? What does it want? And why can’t it tell us?

Featuring cinematic experts like Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Pemberton, Michael Bay, Steven E. de Souza and more. pic.twitter.com/xZIQIEK5e3

— Netflix (@netflix) September 14, 2026

The show will feature Marvel and Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as action director Michael Bay, Die Hard writer Steven E. de Souza, and Project Hail Mary composer Daniel Pemberton, among others.

The show, which is yet to announce an air date, will consist of three 30 minute episodes and featured an extensive writing team led by Brooker as well as Morgan, who also both serve as executive producers.

Speaking to NME in 2018, Morgan revealed that the secret behind the character’s successful is her inability to be flustered . “Staying in character isn’t difficult for me,” she said. “I enjoy being Philomena and actually feel more comfy as her than me because she’s totally bulletproof. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her.”