Philomena Cunk vs Prof. Ashley Jackson 

When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object

this was like a collection of memories of a stoic father who patiently answers a load of questions from his curious 5 y/o daughter 😆

Best thing is his Wikipedia page now says he is a noted fan of abba

“I think he was able to manage his emotions while engaging with potatoes” Just like our stellar interviewee

This man is a living monument to patience and composure.

I love this guy - his resting face with pursed lips gives the impression of a grump but he comes off as smart with the patience of a saint

"soviet onion" "you probably couldn't read very well" 😂😂

"Stop calling it War 2" - was the only part he seemed genuinely annoyed 😂

Prof. Ashley Jackson was born for this. I hope he's out there, wearing an "I

I like how not just him but all experts keep trying to go until it’s phisically impossible to answer

You'd think his favorite Abba song would be Waterloo.

"A buccaneering character who could take on and manage his emotions when engaging with potatoes at first sight." I love this guy.

"I love ABBA" he says with the sternest face possible. This guy is awesome.

I think they have a great father-daughter dynamic 😂

After he says “deeply agrarian country” you can hear him start to laugh when he says “and so” and they’ve edited in where he’s not laughing. Also would 100% watch a sitcom where they play a married couple with these personalities.

he's easily one of my favourite interviewees in the show. not only is he playing along with the ridiculous questions but he's doing it in the most deadpan way possible xD

Fear, Honor and Interest...nailed it. Couldn´t come up with a better answer.

“I think he was probably able to take on and manage his emotions whilst engaging with potatoes at first sight” That’s a friggin powerful line

He nailed the ABBA comment without missing a single beat LMAOOOO I wish they'd release the BTS and interview what some of these experts feel being asked these questions 😂

Ashley Jackson clearly has a great sense of humor. It was smart of him to go deadpan and play the straight man.

"Lets talk about something more cheerful...do you like Abba?" - I lost it.

"Ashley Jackson (born June 24, 1971) is a professor of imperial and military history in the Defence Studies Department at King's College London and a visiting fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford. Jackson is a specialist in the history of the British Empire.[1] He has featured in various episodes of BBC mockumentaries Cunk on Earth and Cunk on Britain and is a noted fan of Swedish pop band ABBA.[2][3] " His wikipedia page.

The perfect straight man. Also, "I saw it on a piece of paper" instead of "I read it" lmao

6:32. This was actually really sweet. Prof Jackson is absolutely fantastic with Philomena. His description of Raleigh being a swashbuckler and not being afraid when encountering a root vegetable is brilliant. =D

"Have you got an allotment" never gets old 😂

That was the most eloquent way to “no, he wasn’t scared of the potato”

This guy has great comedic timing, the best pairing with Cunk I've seen yet.

“anything you like.” always gets me.

"or you can't read very well" killed me

He sacrificed a part of his soul to maintain his composure !

The embodiment of stoicism. Love this guy

Definitely Emma Stones best performance

I love how he draws the line at Chewbacca 😂

$20 bucks says Professor Jackson has headbutted at least one guy in a pub

Imagine studying these things your whole life, then you agree to be part of these mockumentaries, and now suddenly your Wikipedia page mentions your taste in ABBA and favorite songs of the band, over your, you know, actual work. This is hilarious, and this man deserves to be knighted.

what a legend, best guest on the show

Am I the only person who thinks this professor is a hot hunk? And the perfect straight man in a comic duo? he also quite brilliantly and accurately answered her question with cunning brevity "fear, honor, and interest."

I love how far he goes along with the Star Wars analogy

"fear honor and interest" was a great answer for what was meant to be a comedic gotcha

From what I understand they had to edit a bit around Prof. Ashley Jackson because he was creased from laughing half the time from the interview, to the point he had trouble forming coherent sentences 😂

Prof Jackson should be given an Oscar/Emmy/BAFTA for his performances with Philomena...he makes these interviews. 🤣🤣🤣

“You cannot read very well” SAVAGE

I wish they make an entire episode on just these two...The chemistry is killing..😂😂😂

The duality of these two is legendary

The repartee with this guy is magnificent! The ABBA part is just hysterical. They should have a whole sitcom themselves.

"We lost at Dunkirk? Dont think so." Is wonderfully done

"now that's stretching it" 🤣🤣😂😂💀💀💀

I actually really like his personality. He is being so earnestly patient but also making sure to be accurate in what he is conveying.

"Fear, honor, interest." Nailed it!

Call off the search. We’ve found the world’s most patient man.

"horror show nelson" 😂😂😂😂

The Soviet Onion fucking kills me

lol, this girl makes me cry with laughter. shes a real national treasure.

5:20 is the moment he gives up

"The waves?" Best line

It never occurred to me that she may interview the same expert in multiple different programs. This, of course, brings about the question: Does Prof. Ashley Jackson ever see her and think “ugh not this lady again”

i'd probably cry too if i just found out there are nuclear weapons

The fact that he's an actual professor & could come up with these hilarious answers spontaneously is mind-blowing 😂😂

Ashley Jackson is very much "in on it" and totally gets the dynamic Diane Morgan (Philomena) is going for. He's a super funny guy that clearly understand the style of humor being attempted here.

I just love his seriois face when he said he loves ABBA. 😂 Omg, love this guy!❤

She just keeps going. 🤣 When you think ‘okay, it’s over’ - she strikes!

The heroes of this are the professors who play it straight.

I kinda like how intense Prof. Ashley looks.

"Fear, honour and interest." 👏man 👏 understood 👏 the 👏 assignment 👏

1:49 "I don't think anyone has ever invented a root vegetable " He's beginning to doubt his own knowledge now. 😂

he's my fave person she Interviews. So funny

the clown student wanting a challenge when the teacher says "there's no such thing as a stupid question" not expecting the teacher to actually stand by the statement no matter what:

She's philomenal. ALMFAO! Her dead pan energy is just perfection. ❤

All the expert interviewees do a wonderful job of playing straight to Diane Morgan's inventive wackiness, and Professor Jackson does it exceptionally well!

They're made for each other

So we all know the professor knows this is a put on, and the way he plays along is awesome. Well done!

He has the patience of a dad explaining questions from his 3 year old daughter.

Absolutely love this man. The way he just goes along with it and goes into a full conversation about soviet vegetables makes me laugh every time.

You know, of the Cunk series, I prefer Britain over Earth, but this moment about nuclear weapons just walloped me when I saw it - and it did it again here, even when I knew it must be coming. It has to be one of my most favorite moments. We can all empathize with Philomena's realization - and this guy we've seen over and over just be a stern hard-ass unexpectedly does the simplest, most caring thing for her (and us). It's just an absolutely wonderful moment. (And I'm not even an Abba fan!)

In the context of this interview "The Winner Takes it all" would have been the perfect answer.

I hope they get these two back ,real soon and talk about everything and of course Abba new virtual tour.

His patience is phenomenal

He's my favorite guest on the show 😂😂 him and came a lot lady. They are so patient😂😂

Now I can't stop thinking of this stern-faced professor losing his shit to Dancing Queen

As stoic as Prof Jackson tries to be, you can almost see him begin to crack up at points.

This guy is miraculous. I love him. Ms. Cunk meets her match! He's brilliant, well-informed, and profoundly patient. Is he... Is he in on the joke, or is he just really too good for this world???

Ok but who wouldve been the darth vader of the british empire is actually a pretty interesting question

How did they do this without falling off in hysterical laughter?

I love how straightforward he is in the face of her silliness. It makes it very nice to watch.

Being ridiculous with a straight face is the english humor's trademark.

He is the one to power through Philomena. I love him. “Or u dont read very well”

Who is this guy, he is fantastic

All I’m saying is that I hope this man wins every award for his research and he can look back at this with a little bit of humor many years from now. Also, holy fuck, I love him, with or without this amazing intercourse of ideas.

He's so good. I'd love to see the outtakes from these interviews just to see if he was so deadpan throughout.

I can't believe he engaged in the question of the soviet onion

This guys such a good sport lmao. Best interview since frost Nixon.

I just LOVE how Prof. Ashley Jackson talks! So well spoken. Awesome to listen to.

Press F to pay respects to those affected by War 2

Me as a child: "The column with Nelson is way too high. You can't really look at him. Who had this idea? Isnt it weird? I guess its ok." Philomena Cunk:

The deep inhale before each answer is everything 🤣

The serious face she has while asking those questions is legendary.

If a professor has to explain in the sriousness and the words he used why someone was not afraid of potatoes, he should receive a "Doctors Honoris Causa" from every university in the world

I love how they keep such a straight face throughout all of this!

THIS is the best interview!!!

I struggle to imagine how the prof did not burst out in laughter 😂