2014-10-15
Explanation
The Joke
A child excitedly tells her father that there is a doorway in the closet to another world (echoing the premise of C.S. Lewis'''s "The Chronicles of Narnia"). The father declares this incredible news and says he must tell the Prime Minister. The scene then cuts to the father, now at a podium, announcing to the British public that nuclear waste disposal is no longer a problem -- implying that they plan to dump their nuclear waste through the magical portal into the other world.
The Humor
The comic subverts the classic Narnia-style fantasy trope where discovering a portal to another world leads to wonder, adventure, and moral growth. Instead of being enchanted by the magical realm, the pragmatic adult immediately sees it as a solution to one of the most intractable real-world problems: nuclear waste disposal. The joke highlights how an adult (and particularly a government) would cynically exploit something magical for purely utilitarian purposes. There is also dark humor in the implication that the inhabitants of this magical other world are about to receive a very unwelcome surprise.
References
The comic references "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis, in which children discover a portal to the magical land of Narnia through a wardrobe in a spare room. The mention of the Prime Minister and "the British public" places this in a British context, consistent with the original Narnia stories being set in England.