Transcript[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby.
A robot is seen playing the tune Bourree in E Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, on a lute. Moby sits on a homemade throne. He wears a sign that says "King of England" and holds a scepter made of a toilet plunger and a baseball. There is an audio speaker on each side of his throne. Tim walks up to Moby.
TIM: Umm, hate to break it to you, Moby, but England already has a monarch.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Off with my head? British kings and queens can't execute people.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Nope, they can't declare war, either. Haven't been able to for four hundred years.
MOBY: Beep!
Moby stops the music, takes off his crown, removes his sign, and throws it face down onto the floor.
TIM: Hey, there's a letter on the back of this.
A letter is taped to the back of the "King of England" sign. Tim reads from the typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, I would like to learn more about Queen Elizabeth II. From, Sophia. Good timing, Sophia! Elizabeth II is the Queen of England, as well as fifteen other independent nations.
An image shows Elizabeth the Second.
TIM: She took the throne in 1952, and has enjoyed the second-longest reign of any British monarch!
An image shows the young Queen Elizabeth's coronation.
TIM: As queen, Elizabeth is the head of the Royal Family. It includes her husband, Prince Philip, as well as four children and eight grandkids.
An image shows the family tree of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, and their children and grandchildren.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Right, she doesn't have any political power. That's because Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy.
An animation illustrates the exchange of power between royalty and government.
TIM: Political decisions are made by Parliament, Britain's legislature.
An image shows the British Parliament.
TIM: The Queen's role is ceremonial. She's the Head of State, not the head of government. She represents Britain by making visits to other countries, where she promotes international cooperation and friendship.
Images show Queen Elizabeth on international visits.
TIM: She also hosts diplomats and other foreign leaders when they visit.
An image shows the queen and prince with the U.S. President and First Lady.
TIM: By donating her time and efforts to more than six hundred charities, she encourages her subjects to give to worthy causes. And she recognizes prominent Britons by giving them knighthoods and other honors.
An image shows the queen knighting a man.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: She was born in 1926. Her dad was King George the Sixth, who reigned from 1936 to 1952. Her mother was also named Elizabeth. Nicknamed the "Queen Mum," she lived to the ripe old age of 101!
An image shows Elizabeth with her sister and parents.
TIM: Princess Elizabeth grew up in wealth and privilege, and she developed a love of horses and dogs.
An animation shows Princess Elizabeth waving to a crowd. Her parents are behind her.
TIM: These passions would last for decades; she still rides horses and dotes on her beloved Welsh corgis.
Side by side images show Elizabeth riding a horse and Elizabeth with her dogs.
TIM: When Elizabeth was just thirteen, World War II broke out. There was a real danger that the Nazis would invade England, but the Royal Family refused to leave the country.
A map shows Nazi territories and the United Kingdom.
TIM: Elizabeth helped raise money for the war effort, spoke to other British kids on the radio, and even joined the women's branch of the British Army!
An image shows Elizabeth in her army uniform.
TIM: She got married in 1947, and her first son, Prince Charles, was born a year later.
Side by side images show Elizabeth on her wedding day, and Elizabeth with her son, Charles, on her back.
TIM: When Elizabeth leaves the throne, he'll become king!
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Well, she became queen after her dad died, and she found herself at the head of a rapidly changing country. Britain once had an enormous empire, controlling territory across the globe.
A world map shows British territories in the 1920s.
TIM: But during the 20th century, it fell apart as most British colonies gained independence.
The map shows flags popping up in British colonies that gained independence.
TIM: In spite of this, more than fifty former British colonies decided to join the Commonwealth of Nations, an organization dedicated to democracy, equality, peace, and trade.
An image shows the Commonwealth of Nations logo.
TIM: As queen, Elizabeth became head of the Commonwealth, giving her the task of promoting unity and cooperation between all these nations.
An image shows the queen next to the Commonwealth of Nations logo.
TIM: Since inheriting the throne, she's visited every Commonwealth nation but two, making her the most well-traveled monarch in history!
Side by side images show the queen visiting Commonwealth nations.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Yep, they really like her. In fact, when she toured Australia in the 1950s, three-quarters of the population came out to see her!
An animation shows the queen speaking in front of a very large crowd. Many in the crowd are taking pictures of her.
TIM: Of course, it hasn't always been easy. The British press used to keep the Royal Family's private life private. But starting in the 1970s, tabloid newspapers and gossip magazines began focusing on Royal scandals like romantic affairs and divorces.
An image shows tabloids with sensational headlines about the royal family.
TIM: Although the Queen herself wasn't involved in these scandals, all the negative attention has taken its toll.
An image shows the queen with her back to the press while they are taking pictures of her.
TIM: Nevertheless, according to most polls, the vast majority of British subjects, of all ages and backgrounds, want the monarchy to continue.
Moby sits on his throne and puts the "King of England" sign back on.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: No, like I said, Prince Charles is next in line to the British throne, not you. After him, it's Prince William, and then Prince Harry, and, look, I'm sorry, but you're never going to be King of England.
Moby writes "Spain" over "England" with a red marker.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Ah, nope, they've got King Juan Carlos.
Moby writes "Holland" over "Spain" with a blue marker.
TIM: Queen Beatrix.
Moby crosses out all the countries with a black marker and writes "Robotland" with a yellow marker.
TIM: Not a real place.
MOBY: Beep.
Moby looks annoyed and thumps his fist on a speaker.
TIM: I don't know, we live in America. Maybe you can run for Congress instead?
Moby holds up a poster. It has a picture of him and reads "Vote Moby! If he wins, you'll never have to vote again!"
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Hmm, somehow I don't like the sound of that.
New Transcript[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby.
A robot is seen playing the tune Bourree in E Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, on a lute. Moby sits on a homemade throne. He wears a sign that says "King of England" and holds a scepter made of a toilet plunger and a baseball. There is an audio speaker on each side of his throne. Tim walks up to Moby.
TIM: Umm, hate to break it to you, Moby, but England already has a monarch.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Off with my head? British kings and queens can't execute people!
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Nope, they can't declare war, either. Haven't been able to for 400 years.
MOBY: Beep!
Moby stops the music, takes off his crown, removes his sign, and throws it facedown onto the floor.
TIM: Hey, there's a letter on the back of this.
A letter is taped to the back of the "King of England" sign. Tim reads from the typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, I would like to learn more about Queen Elizabeth II. From, Sophia.
TIM: Good timing, Sophia! Elizabeth II is the Queen of England, as well as 16 other independent nations.
An image shows Elizabeth II wearing a crown. The British flag fills the background.
TIM: She took the throne in 1952, and has enjoyed the longest reign of any British monarch!
An image shows the young Queen Elizabeth's coronation. She sits wears a robe as she sits on a throne and holds two scepters. Men in ceremonial robes surround the throne.
TIM: As queen, Elizabeth is head of the Royal Family. It includes her husband, Prince Philip, as well as four children, and a bunch of grandkids, and great-grandkids!
An image shows the family tree of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, and their descendants, with portraits of each member of the Royal Family.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Right, she doesn't have any political power. That's because Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy.
An animation shows a monarch's hand placing a scepter in a commoner's hand.
TIM: Political decisions are made by Parliament, Britain's legislature.
An image shows the inside chamber of the British Parliament, filled with politicians.
TIM: The Queen's role is ceremonial. She's the head of state, not the head of the government. She represents Britain when she visits other countries. These trips promote international cooperation and friendship.
Images show Queen Elizabeth on international visits. She walks by military troops, gives a medal to a woman, shakes a man's hand, and greets a crowd of people.
TIM: The queen also hosts diplomats and other foreign leaders when they visit.
An image shows the queen and prince with Barack and Michelle Obama.
TIM: And she donates her time and effort to more than 600 hundred charities. That encourages her subjects to give to worthy causes, too. The queen is also responsible for bestowing knighthoods and other honors on prominent Britons.
An animation shows the queen knighting a man who kneels before her. She taps a scepter on both of his shoulders.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: She was born in 1926. Her dad was King George VI, who reigned from 1936 to 1952. Her mother was also named Elizabeth. Nicknamed the "Queen Mum," she lived to the ripe old age of 101!
An image shows a young Elizabeth with her sister and parents outside Buckingham Palace.
TIM: Princess Elizabeth grew up in wealth and privilege, and she developed a love of horses and dogs.
An animation shows Princess Elizabeth waving to a crowd. Her parents are behind her. They are all wearing crowns.
TIM: She still rides horses today, and dotes on her beloved Welsh corgis.
Side by side images show Elizabeth riding a horse and Elizabeth with her dogs.
TIM: When Elizabeth was just 13, World War II broke out. There was a real danger that the Nazis would invade England. But the Royal Family refused to leave the country, in a show of unity with their subjects.
A map of Europe shows Nazi territories in mainland Europe highlighted in black and marked with a swastika. The United Kingdom is highlighted in red.
TIM: Elizabeth helped raise money for the war effort and spoke to other British kids on the radio. And she even joined the women's branch of the British Army, where she trained as a mechanic and truck driver!
An image shows Elizabeth in her army uniform.
TIM: She got married in 1947, and her first son, Prince Charles, was born a year later.
Side by side images show Elizabeth on her wedding day, and Elizabeth with her son, Charles, on her back.
TIM: When Elizabeth leaves the throne, he'll become King.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Well, she became queen after her dad died, when she was just 25 years old. She found herself at the head of a rapidly-changing country. Britain once had an enormous empire, controlling territory across the globe.
A world map shows British territories in the 1920s. There are British territories on every continent, with the largest in Canada, Africa, India, and Australia.
TIM: But during the 20th century, it fell apart as most British colonies gained independence.
The map shows flags popping up in British colonies that gained independence, including Australia, Malaysia, India, and Egypt.
TIM: In spite of this, more than 50 former British colonies decided to band together. They formed the Commonwealth of Nations, an organization dedicated to democracy, equality, peace, and trade.
An image shows the Commonwealth of Nations logo, a yellow globe encircled by a yellow "C" against a blue background.
TIM: As queen, Elizabeth became Head of the Commonwealth. It's up to her to promote unity and cooperation between all of these nations.
An image shows the queen next to the Commonwealth of Nations logo.
TIM: She's visited every Commonwealth nation but two. That makes her the most well-traveled monarch in history!
Side by side images show the queen visiting Canada, Australia, and India.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Yep, they really like her. In fact, when she toured Australia in the 1950s, three-quarters of the population came out to see her!
An animation shows the queen speaking in front of a very large crowd. Many in the crowd are taking pictures of her.
TIM: Of course, England has changed a lot since Elizabeth took the throne. Some people believe that the monarchy is an outdated institution; that taxpayers shouldn't still be responsible for supporting a Royal Family. And that any leader should be elected by the citizens.
An animation shows protesters holding anti-monarchy signs in London.
TIM: But by and large, the Queen's popularity has endured through the decades. The vast majority of British subjects, of all ages and backgrounds, want the monarchy to continue. The Royal Family is an essential part of their national pride and cultural tradition.
MOBY: Beep.
Moby sits on his throne and puts the "King of England" sign back on.
TIM: No, like I said, Prince Charles is next in line to the British throne, not you. After him, it's Prince William, and then Prince George, and.... Look, I'm sorry, but you're never going to be King of England.
Moby writes "Spain" over "England" with a red marker.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Ah, nope, they've got King Felipe VI.
Moby writes "Holland" over "Spain" with a blue marker.
TIM: King Willem-Alexander.
Moby crosses out all the countries with a black marker and writes "Robotland" with a yellow marker.
TIM: Not a real place.
MOBY: Beep.
Moby looks annoyed and thumps his fist on a speaker.
TIM: I don't know, we live in America. Maybe you can run for Congress instead?
Moby holds up a poster. It has a picture of him and text that reads "Vote Moby! If he wins, you'll never have to vote again!"
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Hmm, somehow I don't like the sound of that.