* Rescaled indices of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) for use with the PISA 2012, 2015 and 2018 datasets, available in CSV only.
As the narrative moves from the Cretaceous period to the dawn of man, Episode 1 focuses on the discovery of fire. In standard documentaries, fire is the catalyst for civilization—cooking, warmth, protection. For Philomena Cunk, fire is viewed through a modern, consumerist lens.
She then visits a fossil site and asks a paleontologist: “Do you have any evidence of the first fart? Is it preserved in amber, like a Jurassic Park situation?” The expert, to his credit, keeps a straight face and explains flatulence does not fossilize. Cunk looks genuinely disappointed. Cunk on... Earth - Episode 1
For those searching for an analysis of Cunk on Earth - Episode 1 , look no further. Here is a comprehensive look at how the episode deconstructs history, mocks the documentary format, and establishes Philomena Cunk as the philosopher of the absurd for a new generation. As the narrative moves from the Cretaceous period
“For a billion years, nothing happened. The Earth was just a wet, boring rock. Then, life arrived. The first creature was probably a single strand of slime, which had one job: to divide. And it did. It divided so much that eventually, its descendants invented central heating and the Bee Gees .” She then visits a fossil site and asks
In the pantheon of modern satire, few characters have captured the zeitgeist of performative ignorance quite like Philomena Cunk, the deadpan investigative reporter portrayed by Diane Morgan. The premiere episode of her 2022 BBC mockumentary series, Cunk on Earth , titled “In the Beginning,” is a masterclass in comedic deconstruction. The episode ostensibly aims to trace the origins of human civilization, from the Paleolithic era to the rise of the first empires. However, its true purpose is far more subversive: it weaponizes stupidity to dismantle our reverence for history, culture, and intellectual authority. Through a relentless barrage of malapropisms, pseudo-profundities, and awkward interviews with baffled academics, the first episode argues that the grand narrative of human progress is, from a certain blissfully ignorant perspective, an incomprehensible and slightly ridiculous mess.
No discussion of Cunk on… Earth - Episode 1 is complete without the "first fart" sequence. Cunk hypothesizes that the first land animal was not driven by evolution, but by indigestion.
* see PISA2018 Technical Report Annex K for details.
** Rescaled indices of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) for use with the PISA 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012 datasets
For PISA 2012, Data are available in TXT format. SAS and SPSS Control Files are available to recreate the dataset in selected format.
For PISA 2009, Data are available in TXT format. SAS and SPSS Control Files are available to recreate the dataset in selected format.
For PISA 2009 ERA, Data are available in TXT format. SAS and SPSS Control Files are available to recreate the dataset in selected format.
Navigation Indices file (SPSS format only)
For PISA 2006, Data are available in TXT format. SAS and SPSS Control Files are available to recreate the dataset in selected format.
Data file with abilities on the Computer-Based Assessment of Science (CBAS) for students from three countries
For PISA 2003, Data are available in TXT format. SAS and SPSS Control Files are available to recreate the dataset in selected format.
For PISA 2000, Data are available in TXT format. SAS and SPSS Control Files are available to recreate the dataset in selected format.
ESCS SPSS and SAS data Files for Economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) data files.