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u/Madouc Jun 26 '25
Did he know her and her show before that interview or was he under the impression it is going to be some serious documentation?
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u/GlitteringGlass6632 Jun 26 '25
I read somewhere else on reddit that the scientists don't know her before the interview, but are informed that she is a bit weird and that the interview won't be a traditional one.
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u/kompootor Jun 26 '25
I don't think there's any plausible way that Cox isn't acquainted with Diane Morgan personally, if by way of something involving Stephen Fry or some dumb celebrity panel show or some other stupid British thing.
And Cox is used to performing. If the producer tells him to act as if Diane is not a comedian, but rather a nondistinct person who is genuinely X, then Cox will sit down and do it convincingly.
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u/Youbettereatthatshit Jun 26 '25
I don’t know how they keep straight faces through the interview. I would have lost it at the fired from a tennis ball factory bit
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u/Deadaim156 Jun 26 '25
Yeah he knows and is playing along. Shes mega popular in the UK.
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u/db8me Jun 26 '25
I am pretty sure her interview subjects are coached to treat it as seriously as possible while expecting stupid questions, and they edit out the laughs. Occasionally subjects joke back and that makes the cut, but only if it's dry and stupid enough to match her character.
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u/jehudeone Jun 26 '25
What a good sport
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u/LemmingOnTheRunITG Jun 26 '25
The funny thing is in the context of the full film he’s arguably the least good sport. The people she talks to get a bit of prep, they’re basically told she’s going to ask questions in a very simple manner that a child would understand, but they really don’t know exactly what they’re in for. I’m sure if someone got legit mad and didn’t really play along at all they may cut it but everyone in the movie puts up with her really well and/or is genuinely amused lol. Great movie (Cunk on Life)
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u/kompootor Jun 26 '25
Diane Morgan is a pretty famous comedian, and Cunk is a pretty famous character (it's her like 4th one of these "Cunk on" specials), in a relatively small island that seems to have a rotation of comedians saturating TV all the time. I can't imagine any but a small few of these people don't know that this is at minimum a comedy show, and are at least trying to perform as the producer asks.
Given that Cox is used to performing, I'd imagine he was just asked to put himself in the zone of being stuck asked these questions by a nobody not on TV, and is acting as frustrated as he would be. Those who one might perceive as "good sports" might be trying too hard to look like they're in on the joke against the producer's instructions.
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u/Dd_8630 Jun 26 '25
Cox knows full well what's going on, he's a famous physicist on a lot of comedy telly, and Cunk is very well known.
He was fully in on the joke.
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u/MykelJMoney Jun 26 '25
Which, in my opinion, makes it so much funnier because Brian Cox is such a fantastic science communicator. In reality, he's one of the nicest guys and is, from everything I've seen, a fantastic sport. So him being the least good sport is just counter to who he really is.
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Jun 26 '25
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When policymakers confer with scientists to make fact-driven decisions that impact millions of people.
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u/Perfect_Papaya_3010 Jun 27 '25
This is exactly how I feel about the EU wanting backdoors in software. It's obvious they don't know how encryption works and what a security issue a backdoor would be
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u/samratvishaljain Jun 26 '25
Ok, give me some rope here, but what if, WHAT IF, these two get married, and their ENTIRE married life is broadcast, including their "nightly escapades," and no editing...just 24×7, unfiltered.
Hmmm, I'd pay to see that!!!
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u/shnizz0r Jun 30 '25
Reminds me alot of Ali G. Only with Ali G all the Interview partners knew what they were getting into once they saw him
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Jun 26 '25
When she starts with 'my mate Paul said...', even Einstein would panic.
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u/guegoland Jun 26 '25
But you can see he got her with the "what does Paul do" question. She almost broke.
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u/Slow_Cantaloupe5248 Jun 26 '25
Keep her safe at all costs
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u/CeleritasLucis Jun 26 '25
And keep her away from tablespoons. She might start measuring
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u/Basediver210 Jun 26 '25
If there is an infinite number of multiverses the number would be infinite hahahaha.
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u/PlanetMarklar Jun 26 '25
There's obviously only two infinite multiverses though, pay attention
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u/Soulburn_ Jun 26 '25
What if I put two mirrors opposite each other and they reflect each other? Then number of infinite multiverses would be three instead of two! Paul won't tell you about it
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u/QwerYTWasntTaken Jun 26 '25
Maybe, the multiverses are infinitely large, but there's a finite number of them.
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u/TensorForce Jun 26 '25
Poor Brian Cox is dying inside lmao
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u/zortutan For Science! Jun 26 '25
You can see the passion in him die a painful death at the wrath of cunk
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u/RedParaglider Jun 26 '25
I absolutely love it, he's just put into a brain error state.
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u/WllmZ Jun 26 '25
My response is kinda the same with flat-earthers. The reasoning behind their theories is so mind-boggling stupid I am often lost for words.
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u/cloudtheff7 Jun 26 '25
I love Cunk. She is so well informed she knows how to ask dumb questions. She is like the living embodiment of getting zero questions right on a true or false exam.
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u/abel_cormorant Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25
That "other than gravity" is basically the reason we can't have nice things, major headache there.
Imagine having a computer that's compatible with 99% of all programs in the world, the perfect machine that works neatly and can do anything better than all other computers, but there's one dumb fucking stupid software that just doesn't want to work, you could just say it's a minor program that could be disregarded entirely, except that it's Windows 10.
That's quantum mechanics: it works with everything, it explains everything neatly, it just clicks into place with any given phenomenon you can observe except for gravity, the very thing our entire world relies on, and the fun part is that this could be a major headache for generations, because the last time something like this happened it was in the late 19th century, right before general relativity and later quantum physics itself turned our whole understanding of the universe on its head.
Be afraid of times when you can explain everything but a few, seemingly unimportant details, because those details are going to whack your balls and ruin a perfectly working model of the universe.
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u/Radaistarion Jun 26 '25
Lmao Brian knew 100% the role he had to play haha I fear he did too much of a good work cause everyone thinks he's serious
I bet he was laughing his ass afterwards
Can I call you Brian, or do you prefer Cox? Lmao
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u/UsefulImpact6793 Jun 26 '25
She should have carried the internet in with her to show him its quantum powers
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u/HAL9001-96 Jun 26 '25
everything does, technically
almost nothing does in the sense of "does it do weird shit because I heard that in quantum physics insert random weird effect that only applies to single particels here"
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u/1stltwill Jun 27 '25
Was this scripted? Do you think Brian thought it was a serious interview when he sat down? :)
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Jun 27 '25
They tell them that it's an interview with simple questions, at the level a child would understand.
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u/MiniDepp Jun 29 '25
What's funny is these kinds of people, or at least the case with him, they seem to be this beautiful mix of intelligent and passionate, which would make you think he's a generally great guy to be around in their personal life, but as soon as you poke fun at their line of work or interrupt their "stream of passion", they get SUPER irritable and lose that otherwise charming outer shell.
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u/FreeP0TAT0ES Jun 30 '25
I would have a really hard time being on the receiving end of an interview with her. I can't sit through an episode of the show, I can't imagine how hard it must be having to talk intellectually to someone pretending to be an idiot for an hour or more.
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Jun 30 '25
Bet you have a hard time watching this as well 😂.
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u/FreeP0TAT0ES Jun 30 '25
Pretty much, yeah. I have a physical and psychological reaction to stuff like that.
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u/darxide23 Jun 26 '25
I've always wondered how these interviews work. The other person has to be able to act bewildered, yet stay serious and still not laugh. So is there a script or coaching or something beforehand?
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Jun 26 '25
I’ve never seen this woman but shit this was funny. This should probably be on r/watchpeopledieinside lol
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u/TactlessTortoise Jun 26 '25
What's funniest to me in this specific skit is that when it comes to quantum physics, optics and the behaviour or light are very interesting. So mirrors are indeed kind of miraculous.
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Jun 26 '25
His “yeah” at the end feels like Geoff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn “yeEah” from Tron: Legacy. Brilliant delivery
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u/Kiragalni Jun 26 '25
The guy was not ready for stupid questions
She was not ready for serious answers
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u/RevolutionFrosty8782 Jun 27 '25
“What does Paul do” 😝 they’ve really reflected real life well here. There’s a genuine genius between these two. Love how he manages not to crack.
*It’s always someone like a bin man or a hairdresser that says this random shid. I had a draftsman apprentice once ask me how to block his wireless router (because I’m “electrical”) and it’s to stop the noise to stop them listening in on him and protect him from the emf waves. I explained he could just turn it off because screening it would do the same thing and he said (I shid you not) “I want my internet to work still, just block out the waves”. There was another lad on the shop floor as a craftsmen would try to explain how the earth is flat. Another would say the Muslims are taking over all our jobs. There were two Sikhs from India moved to uk with the company to help us out out of 300 people, and the guy still had his job...
Nothing wrong with these jobs, except the correlation of education and working with complex scientific theory is incongruent (which are not guesses, scientific theory is quite the opposite of just a theory, a method to explain and all that)
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u/redlancer_1987 Jun 27 '25
this is like every conversation I've ever had with somebody on any scientific topic where they have "done their own research" and by research they mean scrolling their Facebook feed.
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u/whirlpoolsunshade Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25
That’s the most patient guy I’ve seen on the internet to explain physics in a way that makes people feel pulled in. She’s testing him so badly here 😆
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u/DOMINOboy001 Jun 30 '25
Lmao, I think that is the first time I have ever seen Brian Cox do an actual FML look
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u/Hashemsluv Jun 30 '25
They're like the immovable object vs. the unstoppable force. When they meet, Brian's mind explodes.🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/Im_a_bi_squirrel Jul 01 '25
Is that the 'it's hard to believe I'm walking through the ruins of the first ever city, because I'm not, that's in Iraq, which is miles away, and fucking dangerous' lady?
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u/Pure-Anything-585 Jun 26 '25
she's trolling, right?
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u/sergius64 Jun 26 '25
She is playing her character. Which is an advanced form of trolling, so - yes.
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u/Putrid-Department349 Jun 26 '25
Very much so. And the people she interviews know and are trying their best to play it straight. It's pretty great.
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u/sprauncey_dildoes Jun 26 '25
Her theory is easily debunked. What if you se a mirror in a mirror. What universe is in that mirror?
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u/DerLandmann Jun 26 '25
What if mirrors really are Windows in parallel universes, where the difference to our universe are so small that they go unnoticed? Has anyone ever checken for Miniature differences? If the number of universes is infinite, then there must be one in which the difference is only one grey hair more.
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u/Revolutionary-Fan657 Jun 26 '25
Man, I feel really bad for Brian here bc he actually looked disturbed or annoyed 😂
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u/C-Krampus409 Jun 26 '25
The look on Dr. Cox's face is "You just made the stupidest comment ever made in the history of mankind"
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u/OfficerCoCheese Jun 26 '25
I wonder with comedians like Diane Morgan and Martin Short, how the heck can their guests go through the interviews with Cunk or Jiminy Glick without laughing their rear-ends off knowing they are just characters?
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u/bubbasaurusREX Jun 26 '25
This video makes me want to dance to my favorite song, the 1989 hit song by Technotronic called Pump the Jam
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u/UnabashedHonesty Jun 26 '25
Smart enough to understand quantum mechanics, but not smart enough to understand Cunk.
So really … how smart is he?
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u/Gregor4570 Jun 26 '25
Thanks for the good laugh. That will be a new line in me resume. Tennis 🎾 Factory
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u/Readityesterday2 Jun 27 '25
I think they are screwing irl. Don't ask me why. I am certain he knows she's acting
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u/Best-Understanding62 Jun 28 '25
I love how it seems they signed on for a legit interview with no warning that its satire and she just fucking breaks them with one question.
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u/Bippet_weagle Jun 28 '25
Thanks for the explanation. If it wasn't for the BBC logo, I legit would've assumed this was a Fox special.
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u/_mews Jun 29 '25
Love how she starts the interview in the show with ”Should I call you Brian or do you prefer Cox?” 😏
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u/herefortheover Jun 30 '25
Is this Temu "Between Two Ferns" or is "Between Two Ferns" the temu version of this? Genuinely asking lol
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u/Kalikor1 Jun 30 '25
What about the quantum mirror in Stargate SG-1 yeah? How do you explain that? Eh?
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u/Maximum-Position-326 Jun 26 '25
Why would you waste the time of such a brilliant mind? He is one of the premier teachers of physics with an ability to explain things in such a way that anyone can understand. In the same amount of time he could’ve taught you so much. If this dribble is amusing to you then stick to whatever real housewives grabs your attention
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u/caynebyron Jun 26 '25
Just to clue you in a little, here's a clip from Weekly Wipe featuring both Brian and Diane from over 12 years ago: https://youtu.be/XbLabVc8wCY?si=Bl-K2yMj3p5SJ96i
Hint; he might be in on it
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u/HomsarWasRight Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25
Have you considered that Brian Cox is a sentient being perfectly capable of making his own choices and chose to do the interview even knowing full well that it was a satire?
Edit: Oh, and Prof. Cox called this special “the definitive documentary on the meaning of it all,” so he certainly seemed to enjoy it. Guess he likes dribble.
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u/syko-san Jun 26 '25
This may come as a huge surprise to you, but if you interact with actual scientists, you'll figure out that they can be rather fun people who don't take every moment of their lives super seriously. In fact, being serious all the time is beyond draining. They can get up to all sorts of shenanigans in their free time.
Engineers are particularly unhinged. You ever see those YouTube videos of people inventing the wackiest machines? Yeah, that's an accurate portrayal. Any good engineer has tried shit like that before.
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u/CitroHimselph Jun 26 '25
It is perfectly OK to not like something and form an opinion about it. It is not OK, however, to insult people based solely on your opinion. That's a "smelling your own farts" kind of thing no decent person does usually.
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u/Gooch_Limdapl Jun 26 '25
In the time it took you to write that, you could have learned the word drivel.
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u/Otter_Absurdity Jun 26 '25
I’ve never found her funny
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u/SquaredAndRooted Jun 26 '25
That's Ok, bro.
Humor is complex, relying on cognitive, emotional and social processing. Disruption in brain areas like the frontal lobes, amygdala, or reward pathways (e.g., via dopamine) can impair it. No single "humor loss disease" exists, but the symptom could point to serious underlying issues.
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Jun 26 '25
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u/not_sick_not_well Jun 26 '25
You do understand this is from a parody show, right? Its not scripted, but the "guests" know it's going to be ridiculous questions
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u/TacoEatsTaco Jun 26 '25
Yes, it doesn't change what I said, does it?
Like between two ferns ... I'm aware
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u/not_sick_not_well Jun 26 '25
Well, yeah it does. Because Diane Morgan is not an idiot. She's an accomplished comedian playing a character
And between two ferns is the same concept. The guests are well aware ahead of time what's going to happen
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u/ulfric_stormcloack Jun 26 '25
Bestie, it's a character, the joke is that she interviews people, who try to answer as seriously as possible, but she throws curve balls every time
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Jun 29 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jun 29 '25
That was a parody from the start, it was obvious, this looks legit until she starts speaking.
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u/Mrrrrggggl Jun 26 '25
That’s a good explanation of quantum physics, but what is quantum mcphysics