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''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by
Charlie Brooker Charlton Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English television presenter, writer, producer and satirist. He is the creator and co-showrunner of the sci-fi drama anthology series ''Black Mirror'', and has written for comedy series such as ''Bras ...
. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future
dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...
s with science fiction technology—a type of
speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...
. The series is based on ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'' and uses technology to comment on contemporary social issues. Most episodes are written by Brooker, with heavy involvement by the executive producer Annabel Jones. There are 22 episodes across five series and one special, in addition to the
interactive film An interactive film is a video game or other interactive media that has characteristics of a cinematic film. In the video game industry, the term refers to a movie game, a video game that presents its gameplay in a cinematic, scripted manner, ...
'' Black Mirror: Bandersnatch'' (2018). The first two series aired on the British network
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
in 2011 and 2013, as did the 2014 special " White Christmas". The programme then moved to
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, where three further series aired in 2016, 2017 and 2019. A sixth series on Netflix has been greenlit and is in active production as of July 2022. Two related webisode series were produced by Netflix, and a companion book to the first four series, ''Inside Black Mirror'', was published in 2018. Soundtracks to many episodes have been released as albums. The series has received critical acclaim and is considered by many reviewers to be one of the best television series of the 2010s. The programme won the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie, which is awarded since 1992. The category was originally called Outstanding Drama or Comedy Special. In 1991, Outstanding Drama or Comedy Specia ...
three times consecutively for "
San Junipero "San Junipero" is the fourth episode in the third series of the British science fiction anthology television series ''Black Mirror''. Written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by Owen Harris, it premiered on Netflix o ...
", "
USS Callister "USS Callister" is the first episode of the fourth series of the dystopian anthology series ''Black Mirror''. Written by series creator Charlie Brooker and William Bridges and directed by Toby Haynes, it first aired on Netflix, along with the re ...
" and ''Bandersnatch''. However, some critics consider the morality of the series obvious or cite declining quality over time. ''Black Mirror'', along with ''
American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...
'', has been credited with repopularising the anthology television format, and a number of episodes have been seen by reviewers as prescient.


Episodes

The series was originally commissioned by
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
in the United Kingdom and premiered in December 2011. A second series ran during February 2013. In September 2015,
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
purchased the programme, commissioning a series of 12 episodes later divided into two series of six episodes. The first six episodes were released simultaneously on Netflix worldwide as the overall third series on 21 October 2016. The fourth series of six episodes was released on 29 December 2017. A fifth series consisting of three episodes was released on 5 June 2019. The first four series, as well as the special " White Christmas", have been released on DVD.


Premise


Genre and themes

As ''Black Mirror'' is an
anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...
, each episode is standalone and can be watched in any order. The programme is an instance of
speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...
within science fiction: the majority of episodes are set in
dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...
n near-futures with novel technologies that exaggerate a trait from contemporary culture, often the internet. An example is " Crocodile", where the Recaller device used to view a person's memories is the main difference from the modern world. Many such technologies involve altering the human body or
consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
, with little in-universe concern for the morality of these actions. They provide convenience or freedom to the user, but exacerbate problematic personality traits. Adrian Martin of ''
Screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...
'' wrote that many episodes depict "basic human emotions and desires" that "intersect with, and get twisted by, a technological system that invariably spins out of control and into catastrophe". The settings are generally patriarchal and
capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
, and most episodes explore topics associated more with masculinity than femininity. Recurring themes throughout ''Black Mirror'' include
data privacy Information privacy is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, contextual information norms, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. It is also known as data pr ...
and surveillance,
virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
,
individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...
and
consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the su ...
. Many episodes have
plot twist A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction. When it happens near the end of a story, it is known as a twist or surprise ending. It may change the au ...
s. However, individual episodes explore varying genres.
Crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
episodes include the police procedurals "
Hated in the Nation "Hated in the Nation" is the sixth and final episode in the third series of the British science fiction anthology series ''Black Mirror''. Written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by James Hawes, it premiered on Net ...
" and " Smithereens" and the
Nordic noir Nordic noir, also known as Scandinavian noir or Scandi noir, is a genre of crime fiction usually written from a police point of view and set in Scandinavia or Nordic countries. Plain language avoiding metaphor and set in bleak landscapes results ...
"Crocodile". Horror and
psychological horror Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subge ...
are features of " Black Museum" and "
Playtest A playtest is the process by which a game designer tests a new game for bugs and design flaws before releasing it to market. Playtests can be run "open", "closed", "beta", or otherwise, and are very common with board games, collectible card games, ...
", respectively. The first episode, " The National Anthem", contains
black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
and
political satire Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where s ...
. Some episodes employ features of lighter-hearted genres, such as romance in "
San Junipero "San Junipero" is the fourth episode in the third series of the British science fiction anthology television series ''Black Mirror''. Written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by Owen Harris, it premiered on Netflix o ...
" and " Striking Vipers",
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
in "
Hang the DJ "Hang the DJ" is the fourth episode of the fourth series of the British anthology series ''Black Mirror''. It was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by Tim Van Patten. The episode first aired on Netflix, along with the rest ...
", or
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...
in "
USS Callister "USS Callister" is the first episode of the fourth series of the dystopian anthology series ''Black Mirror''. Written by series creator Charlie Brooker and William Bridges and directed by Toby Haynes, it first aired on Netflix, along with the re ...
". Other genres include drama ("
Fifteen Million Merits "Fifteen Million Merits" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction anthology series ''Black Mirror''. It was written by the series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and his wife Konnie Huq and directed by Euro ...
"),
psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...
('' Black Mirror: Bandersnatch''),
post-apocalyptic fiction Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
(" Metalhead"), and
war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...
("
Men Against Fire "Men Against Fire" is the fifth and penultimate episode of the third series of British science fiction anthology series ''Black Mirror''. Written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by Jakob Verbruggen, it premiered on ...
"). ''Black Mirror'' can be seen to demonstrate a negative view of unending pursuit of scientific and technological advancement. The majority of episodes end unhappily. However, characters who carefully consider the risks of technology with which they engage are met with happy endings, as in "San Junipero". Juliana Lopes of ''Via Panorâmica'' argued that the dystopian settings resemble the French Marxist Guy Debord's concept of the
spectacle In general, spectacle refers to an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates. Derived in Middle English from c. 1340 as "specially prepared or arranged display" it was borrowed from Old French ''spectacle'', itself a reflection of the ...
, wherein mass media create alienation and an unattainable
utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
for individuals to pursue. For instance, in "Nosedive", the protagonist Lacie strives for a utopian life through superficiality and performativity, in a society where social media success contributes to high socioeconomic status. Academics writing in '' Quarterly Review of Film and Video'' found that ''Black Mirror'' episodes fall into a genre of "mind-game films", wherein protagonists are disoriented and narratives are non-linear or fragmented. Films in this genre include ''
Inception ''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infiltr ...
'' (2010) and '' Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004), and these works often show the unreliability of the state, technology or family. Some critics believed that episodes produced under Channel 4 had a more British tone or shared aesthetic qualities not found in later series. In contrast, Netflix episodes including " Nosedive", "San Junipero", "USS Callister" and "Hang the DJ" evidence pastel aesthetics, use of 1980s or 1990s nostalgia and lighter-hearted tones than Channel 4 episodes. The frequency of happy endings and positive uses of technology increase in later series.


Connections between episodes

Later episodes include
Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...
allusions—small references to other instalments. For example, the fictional news channel UKN recurs between episodes, and the company Fence's Pizza appears in both "USS Callister" and "Crocodile". A large number of Easter eggs are found in news tickers and social media feeds shown in various episodes. The final episode of the fourth series "Black Museum" includes references to every prior episode of the series. The song "
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)" is a 1964 R&B song written by Jeannie Seely and Randy Newman. It was recorded by Irma Thomas and released as a single the same year, with " Time Is on My Side" as the B-side. The song is about a ...
" (1964) by
Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...
appeared in several episodes: "Fifteen Million Merits", "White Christmas", "Men Against Fire", "Crocodile" and "
Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" is the third and final episode of the fifth series of the anthology series '' Black Mirror''. The episode was written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by Anne Sewitsky; it was released o ...
". Actors rarely re-occur between episodes, but a small number have appeared in unrelated roles.
Hannah John-Kamen Hannah Dominique E. John-Kamen (born 7 September 1989) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Yalena "Dutch" Yardeen in the Syfy television series ''Killjoys'' (2015–2019), Ornela in the sixth season of the HBO series '' Game ...
played the singer Selma in "Fifteen Million Merits" and the journalist Sonja in "Playtest";
Michaela Coel Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson (born 1 October 1987), known professionally as Michaela Coel, is a British screenwriter and actress. She is best known for creating and starring in the E4 sitcom ''Chewing Gum'' (2015–2017), for which she won ...
appeared as an airline check-in agent in "Nosedive" and the crew member Shania in "USS Callister";
Daniel Lapaine Daniel Lapaine (born 15 June 1971) is an Australian stage, film and television actor, currently residing in London. He also works as a writer and director. Career Born in Sydney, New South Wales to an Italian father and an Australian mother ...
had the role of the minor character Max in "
The Entire History of You "The Entire History of You" is the third and final episode of the first series of the British science fiction anthology television series ''Black Mirror''. It was the first episode not written by series creator Charlie Brooker, instead credited ...
" and the doctor Daniel in "Black Museum". Some writers believe that ''Black Mirror'' episodes are set in a shared universe, due to the abundance of Easter eggs, or tonal and thematic connections across the programme as a whole. Fans and journalists have attempted to establish concrete chronologies between episodes. The series creator
Charlie Brooker Charlton Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English television presenter, writer, producer and satirist. He is the creator and co-showrunner of the sci-fi drama anthology series ''Black Mirror'', and has written for comedy series such as ''Bras ...
's comments on this topic changed over time. He initially described the programme's setting as an "artistic universe" or "psychologically shared universe". After the release of the third series, he said that a line in "Hated in the Nation" that references the central crime in " White Bear" established a "canonical" connection between them. Brooker said of "Black Museum" that it "does actually now seem to imply that it is all a shared universe". However, he described the Easter eggs in 2018 as "an extra bit of texture for fans" and not a consideration that limits the design of new episodes.


Production


Conception

The series was created by Brooker, who was previously known as a comedy writer. He wrote video game reviews for '' PC Zone'' in the late 1990s and began writing television reviews for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' and making television in the 2000s. Brooker had completed production of ''
Dead Set ''Dead Set'' is a British zombie horror miniseries written and created by Charlie Brooker and directed by Yann Demange. The show takes place primarily on the set of a fictional series of the real television show '' Big Brother''. The five epi ...
'' (2008), a zombie-based drama series, and while working on '' Newswipe'' (2009–2010) and other programmes, decided to make an anthology drama series. It was modelled in the style of ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'' (1959–1964), '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (1979–1988) and ''
Hammer House of Horror ''Hammer House of Horror'' is a British television series made in 1980. An anthology series created by Hammer Films in association with Cinema Arts International and ITC Entertainment, it consists of 13 hour-long episodes, originally broadca ...
'' (1980). Brooker recognised that Rod Serling had based ''The Twilight Zone'' on contemporary issues, often controversial ones such as racism, but placed them in fictional settings to get around television censors at the time. Brooker realised he could commentate similarly on modern issues, specifically focusing on technology, a topic he explored in producing the series ''
How TV Ruined Your Life ''How TV Ruined Your Life'' is a six-episode BBC Two television series written and presented by Charlie Brooker. Charlie Brooker, whose earlier TV-related programmes include ''How to Watch Television'', '' Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe'' and '' Y ...
'' (2011). He aimed to explore "the way we might be living in 10 minutes' time". Brooker wanted to keep the anthology approach, using new stories, settings, characters, and actors for each episode, as he felt this was a key element of enjoying series like ''The Twilight Zone''. This approach would allow ''Black Mirror'' to contrast with current dramas and serials that had a standard recurring cast. According to Brooker, the production team considered giving the series a linking theme or presenter, but ultimately decided not to.


Writing process

Most episodes are credited solely to Brooker. Many originate with him talking to the executive producer Annabel Jones or others about a "what-if idea", and considering if it could be the consequence of some new technology. Brooker said that like his previous comedy writing, the premise is a "worst case scenario compounded"; the ideas often make him laugh. Episodes generally have only one aspect at a time that requires suspension of disbelief, and characters' actions are designed to feel authentic even if their predicaments are unusual. Brooker avoided reacting to news events or topical subjects, as there was no guarantee of their continued relevance by the release date. In the first two series, Brooker would plan less and write the script as he went along, which led to more dropped subplots and several iterations of rewriting "White Bear" in particular. He would write with advertisement breaks in mind, as motivation to reach the next break, and so that he could insert some
cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...
to make the audience return. After the first two series, Brooker wrote a full outline preceding each first draft, finding that picturing an ending made the process easier even if the ending later changed. The outline could vary substantially in length, from two to twenty-five pages. "San Junipero" was the first episode written for Netflix and came from a conscious decision to experiment with the tone of a ''Black Mirror'' episode. Following this, episodes became more tonally diverse. Brooker would send a brief treatment to Netflix and receive feedback before beginning the first draft. He wrote some material while standing up, as the slight discomfort discouraged time-wasting; he said that the first draft, the "vomit draft", was always terrible, but had to be written. He tried to picture the finished episode while writing and sometimes ran while listening to music as a source of inspiration. Brooker said that emotional speeches were easier to write, while sequences with multiple parts were harder. Feedback came from Jones and a director or cast member could have a large influence on the script. Additionally, Brooker and Jones were involved in all aspects of production process, observing the filming and participating in the editing room where possible. They pointed out logical inconsistencies and worked on the details of technological
user interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...
s. Brooker said that the final edit could allow aspects that were not working to be fixed, or for introduction of overlooked ideas. The episode "The Entire History of You" was written by
Jesse Armstrong Jesse David Armstrong (born 13 December 1970) is a British author, screenwriter, and producer. He is a co-creator of the Channel 4 comedy series ''Peep Show'' (2003–2015) and '' Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016), and the creator of the HBO satirica ...
. William Bridges is co-credited on both " Shut Up and Dance" and "USS Callister" and Brooker's wife
Konnie Huq Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq (; born 17 July 1975) is a British television and radio presenter, screenwriter and children's author. She became the longest-serving female presenter of the British children's television programme ''Blue Peter'', prese ...
received a co-credit on "Fifteen Million Merits". For these episodes, Brooker did not write in the same room as his colleagues, instead generally working remotely. One person would write the first draft and they would then iterate between feedback and re-writing. On "Nosedive",
Michael Schur Michael Herbert Schur (born 1975) is an American television producer, writer, director and actor. He was a producer and writer for the comedy series ''The Office'', and co-created ''Parks and Recreation'' with ''Office'' producer Greg Daniels. ...
wrote the first half of the script and
Rashida Jones Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress. Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series '' Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and ...
wrote the second half, based on ideas and a story outline from Brooker.


Series 1

The series' inception was in 2010. Brooker and Jones had begun to work together on '' Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe'', a television review programme which aired from 2006 to 2008. The first pitch for ''Black Mirror'', to the head of comedy at Channel 4, was for eight half-hour episodes by different authors. Technology was a lesser focus, and the worlds were larger and more detailed, which Jones said was not possible to execute properly in the short runtime. The series was then commissioned for three-hour-long episodes. The first script was "Fifteen Million Merits". The second was "Inbound", an episode that was never produced: it was a science fiction adaptation of what was revealed at the end to be a true story about a boy in the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. Concepts from it were later repurposed for "Men Against Fire". The following script pitched became "The National Anthem", the first episode to air. The third episode is "The Entire History of You". The programme was produced by Brooker's production company Zeppotron, for the Dutch media company Endemol. Joel Collins served as production designer, with his company Painting Practice working on visual effects. In the early stages of ''Black Mirror'', Jones was keen to avoid casting comedy actors, as Brooker was previously a comedy writer, and they wanted the series to not feel like comedy. The production occurred concurrent to that of ''
A Touch of Cloth ''A Touch of Cloth'' is a British television comedy series created and written by Charlie Brooker and Daniel Maier, shown on Sky One. A parody of British police procedural dramas, it stars John Hannah as Jack Cloth, a police detective with per ...
'', a satirical police procedural series that Brooker wrote for. The series aired weekly from 4 December 2011. "The National Anthem" features
Rory Kinnear Rory Michael Kinnear (born 17 February 1978) is an English actor and playwright who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. In 2014, he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of William S ...
as a British prime minister who must have sex with a pig for a kidnapped Princess to be released. In "Fifteen Million Merits",
Daniel Kaluuya Daniel Kaluuya (; born 24 February 1989) is a British actor. Prominent both on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and no ...
plays Bing and
Jessica Brown Findlay Jessica Rose Brown Findlay (born 14 September 1987) is an English actress. She played Lady Sybil Crawley in the ITV television period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama feature film '' Albatr ...
plays Abi, two characters in a society where most people must cycle each day to earn currency. "The Entire History of You" follows the married couple Liam and Ffion, played by
Toby Kebbell Tobias Alistair Patrick Kebbell''Births, Marriages & Deaths: Toby is married to Arielle Wyatt. They got married in 2020 and they have one child together. Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 9 July 1982) is an English ...
and
Jodie Whittaker Jodie Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress who is best known for portraying the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2017–2022) and as Beth Latimer in ''Broadchurch'' (2013–2017). She came to prominence ...
, respectively, as Liam becomes suspicious of Ffion's relationship to a friend.


Series 2

The first series was expensive for Channel 4, as the anthology format meant there were no
economies of scale In microeconomics, economies of scale are the cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to their scale of operation, and are typically measured by the amount of output produced per unit of time. A decrease in cost per unit of output enables ...
, but ''Black Mirror'' was commissioned for a second series of three episodes. Brooker described it as "more epic in scale, but more intimate in scope": the episodes have more understated technologies. Brooker commented that the second series mirrors the first: the former has topics of (in order) "warped political satire", "dystopian hellscape", and "relationship torn apart by technology", while the latter presents episodes of these forms in reverse. Each episode in the first series had a male protagonist, so Brooker deliberately wrote female protagonists for the first two episodes, "
Be Right Back "Be Right Back" is the first episode of the second series of British science fiction anthology series ''Black Mirror''. It was written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker, directed by Owen Harris, and first aired on Channel 4 on 11 ...
" and "White Bear". A trailer for the second series was made by
Moving Picture Company The Moving Picture Company (MPC) is a multinational company providing visual effects, CGI, animation, motion design and other services for the film, TV, brand experience and advertising industries. Their artists have produced Academy Award W ...
and featured a dream sequence, a factory and a large dust cloud, but no extracts of series two episodes. The series aired weekly from 11 February 2013. "Be Right Back" follows Martha (
Hayley Atwell Hayley Elizabeth Atwell (born 5 April 1982) is a British and American actress. Born and raised in London, Atwell studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and made her stage debut in a 2005 production of James Kerr's translation ...
) turning to artificial intelligence for emotional support while grieving over the death of her partner Ash (
Domhnall Gleeson Domhnall Gleeson (; born 12 May 1983) is an Irish actor and screenwriter. He is the son of actor Brendan Gleeson, with whom he has appeared in a number of films and theatre projects. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts from Dublin Inst ...
).
Lenora Crichlow Lenora Isabella Crichlow (born 4 January 1985) is a British actress. She became known for her starring roles as Maria "Sugar" Sweet in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series '' Sugar Rush'', Annie Sawyer in the BBC Three supernatural drama series ' ...
stars as Victoria Skillane, a woman in an apocalypse who has lost her memory, in "White Bear". "
The Waldo Moment "The Waldo Moment" is the third episode in the second series of the British science fiction anthology television series ''Black Mirror''. It was written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by Bryn Higgins, and first air ...
" is a political satire starring
Daniel Rigby Daniel Rigby (born 6 December 1982) is an English actor and comedian. He received a BAFTA TV Award for his leading role as Eric Morecambe in the 2011 television film ''Eric and Ernie''. Early life Rigby was born in Stockport, Greater Mancheste ...
as Jamie Salter, a man who contests a by-election as an animated bear. ''Black Mirror'' was first made available in the US from November 2013 via
DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...
, where episodes aired on
Audience An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...
and were available online.


"White Christmas"

According to Brooker, the series was still taking its budget from the comedy department of Channel 4, and there was discussion of whether it should fall under the drama department instead. Shane Allen, head of comedy for Channel 4 at the time, stated in 2018 that someone had been taken aback by the budget for ''Black Mirror'', which was well above the standard for a comedy. The new head of comedy did not have an existing relationship with Brooker and Jones. Brooker reported in 2018 that Channel 4 agreed on a third series of four episodes, but requested detailed synopses of the episodes in advance. Brooker came up with an episode "Angel of the Morning", which would later become a story in "White Christmas". He also conceived of an episode based on the earlier script "Inbound" which would have been similar to the later "Men Against Fire". Another episode was named "Crocodile", which overlapped in parts with the series four episode of the same name. After a lengthy wait, Brooker and Jones were told that the ideas "weren't very ''Black Mirror''". Though Channel 4 may have suggested making a one-off special, Jones said that she felt a lack of clarity from them. Jones and Brooker worked on other projects for the next year, such as ''A Touch of Cloth''. They set up House of Tomorrow, a division of Endemol under which later ''Black Mirror'' content would be produced. After bumping into a Channel 4 staff member, Brooker emailed the channel to ask how to continue with ''Black Mirror''. Channel 4 had the budget for an hour-long Christmas special, but Jones and Brooker pushed for a 90-minute episode. "White Christmas" was a portmanteau of three stories, inspired by works such as the 1983 science fiction film '' Twilight Zone: The Movie''. It starred
Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televis ...
as Matt and Rafe Spall as Joe throughout. Actors in the individual stories include:
Rasmus Hardiker Rasmus Hardiker (born 31 January 1985) is a British actor, best known for voicing Scott and Alan Tracy in the reboot animated television series '' Thunderbirds Are Go''. He played Raymond in Steve Coogan's sitcom ''Saxondale'' and Ben in the Ja ...
as Harry,
Natalia Tena Natalia Gastiain Tena (born 1 November 1984) is a British actress and musician. She is known for playing Nymphadora Tonks in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2007-2011), and the wildling Osha in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011-2 ...
as Jennifer,
Oona Chaplin Oona Castilla Chaplin (; born 4 June 1986) is a Spanish-Swiss actress. Her roles include Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series ''Game of Thrones'', Kitty Trevelyan in the BBC drama '' The Crimson Field'', and Zilpha Geary in the series ''Taboo' ...
as Greta,
Janet Montgomery Janet Ruth Montgomery (born 29 October 1985) is an English film and TV actress. She first gained attention for her role as Ames in the second season of the television series ''Human Target'' (2010–11), and also for her appearance in the 2009 ...
as Beth, and Ken Drury as Beth's father. The episode aired on 16 December 2014.


Move to Netflix

On the day of the press screening for "White Christmas", Brooker and Jones had a meeting with Channel 4 executives, who told them that they wanted to continue the series but due to budget constraints, it would need to be a co-production. The pair had travelled to Los Angeles a few months prior to try to secure co-production funding but were unsuccessful. The channel also suggested that Brooker could write an episode of '' Electric Dreams'' (2017–2018), an adaptation of short stories by Philip K. Dick. They also considered a five-episode series with an overarching storyline, at the suggestion of a US network, nicknaming the plan ''Game of Drones''. On 1 December 2014, the first two series of the programme were released on Netflix in the United States after they bought exclusive streaming rights, leading to increased audience attention for the programme. In a bidding war between channels, which included the American companies
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
, Syfy and HBO, Netflix led with a commitment of two series of ten episodes each. Brooker and Jones reported in 2018 that although they and Netflix were both keen to have Channel 4 as equal partners, Channel 4 were evasive. They eventually got a meeting without discussion of a co-production with Netflix, where the channel suggested a renewal for three episodes. The channel later offered six episodes if full treatments could be given in advance, but Brooker and Jones were concerned due to past rejection of ideas. They had a limited time to reply to US offers and chose to make a deal with Netflix. In September 2015, Netflix commissioned 12 episodes of ''Black Mirror''. By this point, the series was available in around 80 territories. In March 2016, it outbid Channel 4 for the rights to distributing the third series in the UK, with a bid of . Endemol released a statement saying that Channel 4 had "had the opportunity to recommission 'Black Mirror''since 2013 and passed on this and subsequent co-production offers put to them. ..Further efforts were made to try to reach a settlement regarding a UK window for Channel 4, but these were also sadly to no avail". In a press release, Channel 4 stated that they "offered to recommission ''Black Mirror''". This marked the first time that an online streaming service had gained the rights to a series when the original network had wished to renew it.


Series 3

In developing the third series' stories, Brooker had looked at previous episodes and recognised that all of the stories were about characters becoming trapped in a situation from which they could not escape. With the third series, Brooker wanted to explore different formats, adding more conventional stories like a romance and a police procedural. The producer Lucy Dyke commented that Netflix expected the series to become "bigger and better" and "more international", while production designer Joel Collins said that Netflix was happy to support ideas on the same scale or on a larger scale than previous episodes. The first episode that Brooker wrote for the series was "San Junipero", and it was an intentional departure from previous episodes as well as a "deliberate raspberry-blow" at fans who were concerned at the series' potential Americanisation. The titles of the six episodes that make up series three were announced in July 2016, along with the release date. A trailer was released in October 2016. The series was released on Netflix worldwide on 21 October 2016. "Nosedive" is an episode starring
Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard (born March 2, 1981) is an American actress and director. Howard was born in Los Angeles and attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, initially leaving in 2002 to take roles on Broadway but officially graduati ...
as Lacie, a woman pursuing social media popularity in a world where individuals assign ratings to every interaction with each other. "Playtest" is a horror story starring
Wyatt Russell Wyatt Hawn Russell (born July 10, 1986) Retrieved December 31, 2016Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2013. is an American actor and former ice hockey player. Russell portrayed Corporal Lewis Ford in Julius Avery's 2018 horror film ''Overl ...
as Cooper, a
playtest A playtest is the process by which a game designer tests a new game for bugs and design flaws before releasing it to market. Playtests can be run "open", "closed", "beta", or otherwise, and are very common with board games, collectible card games, ...
er for a new virtual reality game. "Shut Up and Dance" is about a teenager blackmailed anonymously over the internet, starring
Alex Lawther Alexander Jonathan Lawther (born 4 May 1995) is an English actor. He made his professional acting debut originating the role of John Blakemore in Sir David Hare's ''South Downs'' in the West End. He made his feature film debut playing a young ...
as Kenny and
Jerome Flynn Jerome Patrick Flynn (born 16 March 1963) is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as Paddy Garvey of the King's Fusiliers in the ITV series ''Soldier Soldier'', Bronn in the hit HBO series '' Game of Thrones'', and Benn ...
as Hector, and written by Brooker and William Bridges. "San Junipero" is a science fiction love story starring
Gugu Mbatha-Raw Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw (; born 21 April 1983) is a British actress who is known for her performances on stage and screen. In 2017 she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama ...
as Kelly and
Mackenzie Davis Mackenzie Rio Davis (born April 1, 1987) is a Canadian actress, producer, and model. She made her feature film debut in '' Smashed'' (2012). In 2013, she appeared in ''Breathe In'' and '' The F Word'' (for which she was nominated for the Canadia ...
as Yorkie. "Men Against Fire" is a war story starring
Malachi Kirby Malachi Kirby is a British actor and writer. He gained prominence through his roles in the 2016 ''Roots'' remake and the ''Black Mirror'' episode " Men Against Fire". He earned a BAFTA for his performance in '' Small Axe'': ''Mangrove''. Early ...
as Stripe. "Hated in the Nation" is a police procedural, with
Kelly Macdonald Kelly Macdonald (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish actress. She is known for her roles in '' Trainspotting'' (1996), '' Gosford Park'' (2001), '' Intermission'' (2003), '' Nanny McPhee'' (2005), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), ''Boardwa ...
as Karin Parke and
Faye Marsay Faye Elaine Marsay (born 30 December 1986) is an English actress. Her notable roles include Anne Neville in '' The White Queen'' (2013), the recurring character Candice in '' Fresh Meat'' (2013), Steph in the film ''Pride'' (2014), Amy in ''Need ...
as Blue Coulson exploring the role of robot bees in a series of deaths.


Series 4

Brooker said that the fourth series of six episodes has more variety than the third. He began writing in July 2016 and continued throughout the
2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...
, telling '' Digital Spy'' that he did not know what demand there would be for "nothing but bleak nihilism" and thus included "more hope" than in previous series. The first episode made was " Arkangel", which was filmed in Canada in November 2016. The Netflix budget allowed them to set and film "Crocodile" in Iceland and make the special effects-intensive episode "Metalhead". Filming concluded in June 2017. In May 2017, a
Reddit Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, imag ...
post unofficially announced the names and directors of the six episodes in series 4 of ''Black Mirror''. The first trailer debuted on 25 August 2017 and two promotional photos were released in September. Beginning on 24 November, Netflix published a series of posters and trailers for each episode in the fourth series of the programme, referred to as the "13 Days of ''Black Mirror''", concluding on 6 December with the announcement of the release date, 29 December 2017. "USS Callister" is a space epic based around a video game company, starring Jesse Plemons as CTO Robert Daly and
Cristin Milioti Cristin Milioti (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for playing Tracy McConnell in the CBS sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'' from 2013 to 2014, and for her work in theater productions such as ''That Face'', ''Stunning'' ...
as the new programmer Nanette Cole. "Arkangel" is an episode about a mother implanting an invasive technology in her daughter, starring Rosemarie DeWitt as Marie and
Brenna Harding Brenna Harding (born May 19, 1996) is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Sue Knight in the television series '' Puberty Blues,'' and her role in " Arkangel", an episode in the anthology series ''Black Mirror''. Career Harding' ...
as Sara, and directed by
Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the ho ...
. "Crocodile" is about the consequences of a
hit-and-run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...
, starring Andrea Riseborough as Mia. "
Hang the DJ "Hang the DJ" is the fourth episode of the fourth series of the British anthology series ''Black Mirror''. It was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by Tim Van Patten. The episode first aired on Netflix, along with the rest ...
" is a love story between Amy, played by
Georgina Campbell Georgina Alice Campbell (born 12 June 1992) is an English actress and model. She won the 2015 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for '' Murdered by My Boyfriend'' (2014). Her other television credits include ''Flowers'' (2016), ''Broadchurch'' (20 ...
, and Frank, played by
Joe Cole Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as on ...
, centred around an artificial intelligence that selects people's partners for them. "Metalhead" is a black-and-white apocalypse episode starring
Maxine Peake Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her roles as Twinkle in the BBC One sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000), Veronica Ball in the hit Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'' (2004–2007), Mart ...
as Bella, a woman trying to escape a robotic "dog", and directed by
David Slade David Aldrin Slade (born 26 September 1969) is a British film and television director and actor. His works include the films ''Hard Candy'', ''30 Days of Night'' and '' The Twilight Saga: Eclipse''. Slade is also a director for television, dir ...
. "Black Museum" is an anthology of three stories, one of which was written by the magician
Penn Jillette Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller. The duo has been featured ...
. Focused around a crime museum, the episode stars
Douglas Hodge Douglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who has had an extensive career in theatre, as well as television and film where he has appeared in '' Robin Hood'' (2010), '' Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return'' and '' Diana'' (2013), '' ...
as Rolo Haynes and
Letitia Wright Letitia Michelle Wright (born 31 October 1993) is a Guyanese-British actress. She began her career with guest roles in the television series '' Top Boy'', '' Coming Up'', '' Chasing Shadows'', ''Humans'', ''Doctor Who'', and '' Black Mirror''. ...
as Nish. According to ''
Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editori ...
'' and '' Gizmodo'', as a means of
viral marketing Viral marketing is a business strategy that uses existing social networks to promote a product mainly on various social media platforms. Its name refers to how consumers spread information about a product with other people, much in the same way tha ...
Netflix sent private messages to users of the Turkish website
Ekşi Sözlük Ekşi Sözlük (; "Sour Dictionary", stylized as ekşi sözlük) is a collaborative hypertext dictionary based on the concept of Web sites built up on user contribution. However, Ekşi Sözlük is not a dictionary in the strict sense; users are ...
. The messages were sent from the account "iamwaldo" and read, "We know what you're up to. Watch and see what we will do." Although the advertising was met with positive reception from some users, others were concerned by distress that the messages may have caused.


''Bandersnatch''

After much media speculation sparked by social media reports of filming, a quickly-deleted Twitter announcement by Netflix and foreign film board certifications, Netflix announced on 27 December 2018 that the film ''Black Mirror: Bandersnatch'' would be released the following day. Set in 1984, the film follows Stefan, portrayed by
Fionn Whitehead Fionn Whitehead (; born 18 July 1997) is an English actor. He portrayed the lead role in the 2017 film '' Dunkirk'' and the 2018 film '' Black Mirror: Bandersnatch''. His first acting credit was in the 2016 ITV miniseries '' Him''. Life Whitehe ...
, a young programmer who begins to question reality and experience deteriorating mental health as he adapts a sprawling fantasy novel into a video game. ''Bandersnatch'' is an
interactive film An interactive film is a video game or other interactive media that has characteristics of a cinematic film. In the video game industry, the term refers to a movie game, a video game that presents its gameplay in a cinematic, scripted manner, ...
, regularly prompting the viewer to select one of two choices on screen that affect how the storyline continues; there are over one trillion potential paths to view the work and five distinct endings. Other main cast include
Will Poulter William Jack Poulter (born 28 January 1993) is a British actor. He first gained recognition for his role as Eustace Scrubb in the fantasy adventure film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (2010). He received critical ...
,
Craig Parkinson Craig Parkinson (born 11 March 1976) is an English actor and podcaster. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Shaun in the E4 series '' Misfits'', twins Jimmy and Johnny Kray in the ITV series ''Whitechapel'', and DI Matthew "Dot" Cottan ...
, Alice Lowe, and
Asim Chaudhry Asim Chaudhry is a British comedian, writer, director and actor best known for playing Chabuddy G in the BBC mockumentary series ''People Just Do Nothing'', which he co-created. For this role, he won a Royal Television Society Award and was nom ...
.


Series 5

Netflix announced the fifth series on 5 March 2018. The complexity of ''Bandersnatch'', which was originally part of the fifth series, delayed production, although Netflix still committed to its release in 2019. The first episode, "Striking Vipers", had been filmed prior to ''Bandersnatch''. On 15 May 2019, a trailer for the fifth series was released, indicating it would comprise three episodes. On 5 June 2019, the series was released. "Striking Vipers" sees Danny (
Anthony Mackie Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his pe ...
) and Karl (
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (; born July 15, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Black Manta in the superhero films ''Aquaman'' (2018) and '' Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'' (2023), Bobby Seale in the Netflix historical legal drama ...
) exploring a virtual relationship despite Danny's marriage to Theo (
Nicole Beharie Nicole Beharie is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles in films such as the drama '' American Violet'' (2008), the psychological drama '' Shame'' (2011), the biographical sports drama '' 42'' (2013), and the independent ...
). "Smithereens" follows Andrew Scott as Chris through his kidnapping of a social media company intern. "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" stars the two titular sisters (
Angourie Rice Angourie Rice ( ; born 1 January 2001) is an Australian actress. She began her career as a child actress, coming to attention for her roles in ''These Final Hours'' and ''The Nice Guys''. She is known for her portrayal of Betty Brant in the Mar ...
and
Madison Davenport Madison Danielle Davenport (born November 22, 1996) is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Kate Fuller in '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series''. She also appeared in '' Kit Kittredge: An American Girl'' as Kit's best friend ...
) co-operating with a doll cloned from the pop star Ashley O (
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
).


Upcoming sixth series

Around January 2020, Brooker and Jones announced their departure from House of Tomorrow. ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' reported that intellectual property issues were at the centre of this change, with the series' rights held by Endemol. By February 2020, Brooker and Jones had established Broke and Bones, a new production company. Netflix had arranged a long-term contract for series and other production rights with the Broke and Bones company by July 2020, although rights for ''Black Mirror'' still remained with Endemol. According to ''Variety'', this left Brooker and Jones unable to produce additional series unless new agreements were put in place. In a May 2020 interview with ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
'', Brooker questioned whether the public mood would suit a sixth series of ''Black Mirror'' and said that he had been working on more comedic projects. A sixth series was announced by Netflix in May 2022. The series will be produced by Broke and Bones, rather than House of Tomorrow. However, House of Tomorrow's new owners
Banijay Banijay (formerly Banijay Entertainment and later Banijay Group) is a French television production and distribution company which is the world's largest international content producer and distributor with over 120 production companies across 22 ...
retain ownership of the programme (Banijay bought the Endemol Shine Group in 2020). It is planned to have more than three episodes—the length of each previous series. According to ''Variety'', cast for the first three episodes includes
Zazie Beetz Zazie Olivia Beetz ( ; ; born June 1, 1991) is a American actress. She stars in the FX comedy-drama series ''Atlanta'' (2016–22), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy ...
, Paapa Essiedu,
Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor and producer. He first came to attention in 1997 for his role as Michael Fitzgerald in the television crime drama series '' Cracker''. He made his feature film debut in 1998 in th ...
,
Aaron Paul Aaron Paul (born Aaron Paul Sturtevant; August 27, 1979) is an American actor best known for portraying Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which he won several awards, including the Critics' Choice Television ...
,
Kate Mara Kate Rooney Mara ( ; born February 27, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for work in television, playing reporter Zoe Barnes in the Netflix political drama ''House of Cards'' (2013–2014; 2016), computer analyst Shari Rothenberg in t ...
, Danny Ramirez, Clara Rugaard, Auden Thornton and Anjana Vasan. In August and September 2022, ''Deadline Hollywood, Deadline'' reported that Rory Culkin and Rob Delaney had been cast in the series. Zazie Beetz said that her episode was filmed in June 2022. ''Variety'' reported that the series was in production as of July 2022.


Suggested spin-offs

Several sequel episodes or spin-offs have been suggested, though none have been produced. In 2013, Robert Downey Jr. Option (filmmaking), optioned the episode "The Entire History of You" to potentially be made into a film by Warner Bros. and his production company Team Downey; in 2018, the episode's writer Jesse Armstrong said that the project was in "development hell". In 2016, Brooker said that he had ideas for sequels to both "White Bear" and "Be Right Back" that were unlikely to be made. He said in 2017 that there were no plans for a sequel episode to "San Junipero". Brooker has suggested that some characters in "Hated in the Nation" could potentially recur, as could Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), a ''Bandersnatch'' character with awareness of alternate timelines and realities. The director of "USS Callister", Toby Haynes, expressed interest in 2018 in a spin-off to the episode as a television series.


Reception


Critical response

''Black Mirror'' has been met with critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first series received a 98% rating, the second received an 87% rating and "White Christmas" received an 89% rating. Series three received an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 82 on Metacritic, series four received an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 72 on Metacritic, ''Bandersnatch'' holds a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 61 on Metacritic, and series five holds a rating of 68% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 65 on Metacritic. According to Víctor Cerdán Martínez of ''Vivat Academia'' in 2018, ''Black Mirror'' was one of China's five most-watched Western television series. Series one garnered praise. David Sims of ''The A.V. Club'' gave the first episode—"The National Anthem"—an A rating, viewing each character decision and plot revelation as natural. Jim Goodwin of ''Bleeding Cool'' complimented the acting. However, the episode received 145 complaints to the television regulatory body Ofcom, the eighth-largest figure for the year. Reviewing "Fifteen Million Merits", Ryan Lambie of ''Den of Geek'' extolled the romance between Bing and Abi, as well as the production quality, music and acting. Sam Richards of ''The Daily Telegraph, The Telegraph'' rated it four stars, praising the "acerbic humour". Critical reaction to "The Entire History of You" was more mixed. Sims believed that Liam's actions escalated too quickly, but found the central premise of memory recording plausible. Richards thought that the memory technology was not necessary to the story, but James Hibberd (writer), James Hibberd of ''Entertainment Weekly'' said that the episode's execution was "sophisticated and flawless". The series two opener, "Be Right Back", received critical acclaim. Morgan Jeffery of ''Digital Spy'' rated it four stars, praising the characters and emotionality, but criticising the ending. ''Flickering Myth''s Luke Owen lauded the acting of Hayley Atwell as Martha and Domhnall Gleeson as Ash, as well as the directing. "White Bear" was well-received, with Simon Cocks of ''Screen Anarchy'' and Sims praising the plot twist and Tuppence Middleton's role as Jem. However, Lambie criticised the passiveness of the main character, Victoria. "The Waldo Moment" was considered the worst ''Black Mirror'' episode of the series by a number of reviewers, and criticised for poor writing and characterisation. "White Christmas" garnered positive reception, including praise of the acting and the connections between narrative threads by ''The A.V. Club''s Zack Handlen and ''The Independent''s Ellen Jones. The third series received positive reception. Benjamin Lee of ''The Guardian'' and Emily St. James of ''Vox (website), Vox'' rated it four stars. Writing in ''Vulture (magazine), Vulture'', Jen Chaney analysed that it had an increased variety in setting and tone, as well as longer episodes. Chaney found that four episodes are "very good to great", while the other two are "merely decent". Lee praised "Nosedive" and "San Junipero" for their cinematography, acting, increased budget and narrative ambition. Richard Lawson of ''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair'' reviewed the episodes as "all engrossing in their way", but thought "Men Against Fire" had the weakest premise and production quality. St. James wrote that the series was, as with previous series, equal parts "brilliant,... pretty good, and... kinda stupid", praising "San Junipero" but finding that other episodes should have been shorter and were "constrained" in their shared social media theme. The production and acting in series four were praised, as were some episodes. Writing in ''Variety'', Sonia Saraiya commented that four of the six episodes explore human consciousness inside technology. She viewed "Black Museum" as a demonstration of the series' flaws, with its artificial consciousness technologies, use of violence and storylines that require characters to "be stupid and/or evil". However, Saraiya said that the production and acting was "beautiful" and praised "USS Callister" and "Metalhead" for diverging from ''Black Mirror''s "typical austere futurism". Sophie Gilbert of ''The Atlantic'' identified the same theme and praised "USS Callister" and "Hang the DJ", but saw the writing as the biggest weakness of the series. Similarly, ''The Sydney Morning Herald''s Brad Newsome praised the series' casting, and highlighted "USS Callister" as well-directed and well-acted. Reception to ''Bandersnatch'' and series five was more ambivalent. Linda Holmes of ''NPR'' praised ''Bandersnatch''s technical design but criticised the narrative and the repetition of scenes. Holmes said that the audience are not given a reason to care about the main character, Stefan. In ''The Guardian'', Lucy Mangan rated the fifth series four stars, finding that the episodes are disparate in content but share "a new air of calm authority" that could reflect "an increasing confidence" of the producers. Lucy Pavia of the ''Evening Standard'' said that the episodes "still pack a punch", with "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" as the highlight. However, Hugh Montgomery of the BBC said that the programme's "variable quality is more starkly evident than ever" with "one good episode to two middling-to-bad ones". Montgomery praised "Striking Vipers" as "among the finest and most soulful" episodes. Additionally, ''Vulture''s Kathryn VanArendonk reviewed that though they are well-produced and well-acted, the instalments lack suitable premises. Critics of ''Black Mirror'' often view the show as self-righteous, with obvious morals in each story. Norman Wilner of ''Now (newspaper), Now'' commented that the first three series are "rigidly formulaic" in its presentation of a worst-case scenario and a "sardonic twist" in each episode, with "San Junipero" as the only exception. Chris Taylor argued for ''Mashable'' that the show should be viewed as more comedic and non-serious than prophetic, as it employs "nightmare logic" and concepts that require suspension of disbelief. In a satirical article for ''The Toast'', Daniel M. Lavery used the phrase "what if phones, but too much" to describe a parody episode plot. This became a common refrain for criticism, encapsulating the paranoia, pessimism or predictability of the programme. Some reviewers found that ''Black Mirror'' decreased in quality over time. ''Vulture'' critics categorised the show as hit-and-miss, and worsening throughout time. LaToya Ferguson wrote in ''Paste (magazine), Paste'' that later series saw a "creative downfall" and increasing Americanisation, with their lengthier episodes, higher-profile actors and more "polished" style not compensating for a decline in quality.


End-of-decade lists

A number of publications named ''Black Mirror'' on their lists of the best television programmes of the 2010s: * 5th – ''NME'' * 6th – ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' * 7th – ''The Independent'' * 15th – Darren Franich of ''Entertainment Weekly'' * 25th – ''Consequence of Sound'' * 57th – ''The A.V. Club'' * 80th – ''Paste (magazine), Paste'' * Top 100 (unranked) – ''IGN'' ''Den of Geek'' included it as one of the 13 "Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Shows of the 2010s" and though ''Vanity Fair'' did not include it in their top 10, it listed the episode "White Bear" as one of 15 "honourable mentions". At the end of 2019 and 2020, a number of publications also created lists of the best television shows of the 21st century to date: readers of ''Digital Spy'' voted that ''Black Mirror'' was 13th-best, ''The Guardian'' included it in 23rd place and ''Deadline Hollywood'' reported that it was one of the 21 "most influential" programmes.


Accolades

In November 2012, ''Black Mirror'' won International Emmy Award for best TV movie or miniseries, Best TV Movie/Miniseries at the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, International Emmy Awards. Bryce Dallas Howard received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her performance in the episode "Nosedive". At the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, ''Black Mirror'' received three nominations with two wins, including Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Television Movie for "San Junipero". "USS Callister" received three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie, and four Emmy nominations in 2018. ''Bandersnatch'' won two Emmys in 2019, including Outstanding Television Movie, making it the third consecutive win for ''Black Mirror'' in that category.


Cultural impact


In fiction

Along with ''
American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...
'' (2011–), ''Black Mirror'' has been credited with repopularising the anthology format, which was rarely used in the 1990s and 2000s. Changing profit incentives from increased streaming television consumption has been attributed to this success. A The Twilight Zone (2019 TV series), 2019 reboot of ''The Twilight Zone'', the primary show to inspire ''Black Mirror'', can be seen as an example of this. It was described by the creator Jordan Peele as broader than ''Black Mirror'' in that its themes do not have to be technological, and Sophie Gilbert of ''The Atlantic'' suggested that it may have avoided darker themes or explorations into human nature to avoid overlap. Other anthology series that were part of this phenomenon include ''Room 104'' (2017–2020) and ''Solos (TV series), Solos'' (2021). Additionally, Adam White of ''The Independent'' stated that ''Black Mirror'' and Brooker's other works spawned an era of horror and fantasy that explores modern technology. Science-fiction television that critics have compared to ''Black Mirror'' includes ''Humans (TV series), Humans'' (2015–2018) and ''Upload (TV series), Upload'' (2020–). The anthology ''Electric Dreams'' was widely compared to ''Black Mirror''. Reviewers found ''Electric Dreams'' to be less violent and more understated than ''Black Mirror'', but contain some similar plots. For instance, the episode "Real Life" is a story about virtual reality. The settings are further in the future and more allegorical. Another example is ''Inside No. 9'' (2014–), a British anthology series that critics saw as more comedic than ''Black Mirror'', and known for intricate plot twists. The creators Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have a larger role in the show than Brooker does in ''Black Mirror'', as they star in most episodes and direct some in addition to writing them. The serialised British dystopia ''Years and Years (TV series), Years and Years'' (2019) follows a family from 2019 to 2034, and drew many comparisons to ''Black Mirror'' in themes and its near-future technology. ''The Verge'' Liz Shannon Miller called it "''Black Mirror'', but with a full and beating heart". Simon Cellan Jones, who directed the first four of six episodes, saw it as less dystopian than ''Black Mirror'', and with less emphasis on technology. The science fiction film ''Friend of the World'' (2020) was arranged like a ''Black Mirror'' episode. The creator Brian Patrick Butler said he wanted a sequence of stories with escalating tension, to create a "creepy and thought-provoking experience". There was critical consensus that the anthology series ''Soulmates (TV series), Soulmates'' (2020–) is inferior to ''Black Mirror''. Its central conceit—that a company can determine its customers' perfect partner—is similar to the series four episode "Hang the DJ". ''Soulmates'' was created by William Bridges, a writer for two ''Black Mirror'' episodes, and Georgina Campbell—who has a starring role in "Hang the DJ"—is a main character in one episode. ''The One (TV series), The One'', a science-fiction programme with the same premise, was also seen as lesser than ''Black Mirror'' by critics. The romantic comedy ''Made for Love (TV series), Made for Love'' (2021) stars Cristin Milioti of series four episode "USS Callister" and its technological premise of a woman whose ex-husband implanted a monitoring device in her body was compared to ''Black Mirror''. Milioti saw both stories as about "a woman trying to find herself".


Comparisons to reality

Brooker has often been described by commentators as prescient in his scripts for ''Black Mirror''. In 2015, G. Clay Whitaker of ''The Daily Beast'' called the show a Magic 8-Ball. The first episode, "The National Anthem", features the UK prime minister blackmailed into having sexual intercourse with a pig. Four years later, the ''Daily Mail'' published allegations that the then-prime minister David Cameron had placed a "private part of his anatomy" into the mouth of a dead pig as an initiation rite at university. Brooker later said that after hearing the news, he "did genuinely for a moment wonder if reality was a simulation, whether it exists only to trick me". In "The Waldo Moment", a 2013 episode, the animated cartoon Waldo places second in a UK by-election. The US presidency of Donald Trump, presidency of the media personality Donald Trump (2017–2021) and the Ukrainian presidency of the comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2019–) were compared by journalists to the platform of Waldo. Brooker described Trump as "an anti-politics candidate who's raucous and defensive" and "offers nothing", like Waldo. Adrian Karatnycky of ''Politico'' stated that as with Waldo, Zelenskyy had few clear policy positions prior to his election. The 2016 episode "Nosedive" presents a society in which citizens rate interactions with each other from one to five stars and receive an overall rating that largely determines their socioeconomic status. This has been compared to China's Social Credit System, where local governments collect data on citizens to assign them an overall score. Example data points include publicly criticising the government, defaulting on a loan or having high-rated friends. Like the system in "Nosedive", a low score can limit a person's access to transport. "Be Right Back" shows an artificial intelligence technology designed to mimic a deceased loved one. Chatbots with similar functionality and personalisation have been compared to this premise, as has a 2022 announcement that a future Amazon Alexa feature will imitate voices of dead loved ones. "Shut Up and Dance" is about a man who is blackmailed after footage of him masturbating is recorded through his webcam. Computer viruses can allow for covert recording through an unsuspecting person's webcam, and similar real-life blackmail has been reported. More minor facets of episodes have also been seen as prescient. Ten days after "Crocodile" depicted a self-driving pizza delivery truck, Toyota and Pizza Hut presented plans for a driverless pizza delivery vehicle at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show. "Fifteen Million Merits" features a talent show with a virtual animated audience based on ''Britain's Got Talent''. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 pandemic, ''Britain's Got Talent'' had a virtual audience, which had an aesthetic resembling that of "Fifteen Million Merits". Other real-life technologies have been described as progress towards those seen in ''Black Mirror'', such as the motion capture animation of Waldo in "The Waldo Moment", the augmented reality military system from "Men Against Fire" and the artificial bees in "Hated in the Nation".


Spin-off media

A number of ''Black Mirror'' tie-in products have been released. A Nosedive (board game), ''Nosedive'' board game based on the episode of the same name was produced by Asmodee. Released on 25 November 2018, the game requires between three and six players and is designed to last for roughly 45 minutes. The fictional game ''Nohzdyve'', which is featured in ''Bandersnatch'' and named after the episode "Nosedive", was created by Netflix for a ZX Spectrum emulator and released on a ''Bandersnatch'' tie-in website. A 2017 museum exhibit at the Barbican Centre, entitled ''Into the Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction'', included an installation based on "Fifteen Million Merits". A number of mock "Tucker's Newsagent and Games" storefronts, designed after the fictional ''Bandersnatch'' shop of the same name, were erected in Birmingham and London shortly after the film's release in 2018.


Soundtracks

Soundtracks to 12 of the 23 instalments have been released on online streaming services: "Be Right Back", "White Bear", "White Christmas", "Nosedive", "San Junipero", "Men Against Fire", "Hated in the Nation", "USS Callister", "Arkangel", "Hang the DJ", "Black Museum" and "Smithereens". Brooker also released a 42-track Spotify playlist of songs that were either featured in "San Junipero" or planned for inclusion at some stage. The "Hang the DJ" soundtrack, credited to Alex Somers and featuring Sigur Rós, was additionally released on phonographic record, vinyl. The song "On a Roll" from "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" is based on the Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like a Hole". It was released by the performer, Miley Cyrus, under her character's name Ashley O and went on to chart in multiple countries. The B-side "Right Where I Belong" was another Nine Inch Nails adaptation featured in the episode.


Webisodes

A series of webisodes, titled ''Little Black Mirror'' (Polish language, Polish: ''Czarne Lusterko''), was produced for Netflix Polska by Jacek Ambrosiewicz, in collaboration with Polish YouTubers. Released on 19 January 2018, the four shorts vary between eight and twenty-one minutes in length. ''69.90'' explores "loneliness and gaming", according to the creators Huyen Pham and Marcin Nguyen; they discussed 20 different ideas before deciding on a computer simulation which is indistinguishable from real life. ''The Breakup'' features Krzysztof Gonciarz and Kasia Mecinski: it used realism and ordinary technology, such as a Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 that emulates vlog aesthetics. ''The Sum of Happiness'' was posted on Martin Stankiewicz's YouTube channel and focuses on a neurological implant and a relationship app, previously explored ''Black Mirror'' topics. ''1%'', filmed by Groupa Filmowa Darwin, and is about a violent piece of obstetrics technology. A second series of webisodes, initially announced as ''Little Black Mirror'' but eventually renamed ''Stories From Our Future'', was directed for Netflix América Latina by American YouTuber Rudy Mancuso. Initially planned for release on Netflix América Latina's YouTube channel, as part of promotion for the programme's fifth series, the original trailer for the project was removed by Netflix. The shorts were released on 10 June 2019 on YouTube channels of those involved. ''Cure for Loneliness'' was released on Mancuso's channel; ''Getting to Know You'' was released on Lele Pons' channel; ''The Healthy Alternative'' was released on Juanpa Zurita's channel. Also featured in the series is Australian actor Maia Mitchell.


Literature

In June 2018, the oral history companion book ''Inside Black Mirror'' was announced. Brooker, Jones and Jason Arnopp are the credited writers. The book features sections on the 19 episodes in the first four series, each consisting of conversational interviews from cast and crew along with stills and behind-the-scenes images. The book was released in the UK on 1 November 2018 and in the US on 20 November 2018 from Penguin Random House. ''Starburst (magazine), Starburst'' rated the book ten out of ten stars, praising its "wonderfully-comprehensive format" and summarising it as "blunt, brittle, often killingly funny and lavishly-illustrated". In June 2017, Brooker announced a series of prose stories based on ''Black Mirror''. The first volume was to be published on 20 February 2018 and scheduled to be edited by Brooker; two further volumes were planned for later in 2018 and in 2019. Planned writers included the science fiction authors Cory Doctorow, Sylvain Neuvel and Catherine Webb, under the pseudonym Claire North. The project was postponed indefinitely in 2018 as Brooker and Jones could not dedicate enough time to it, with Brooker saying "I'm not sure when or if [the series] will appear. Probably not".


Black Mirror Labyrinth

In mid-2019, Thorpe Park Resort in Chertsey, United Kingdom, announced that it was to open a walkthrough maze, the "Black Mirror Labyrinth". The maze was scheduled to open in March 2020, but this was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It opened on 21 May 2021 and is themed around artificial intelligence. The subject's name and a photo taken of them are used to personalise the maze.


References


External links


''Black Mirror''
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* {{authority control Black Mirror, 2010s British anthology television series 2010s British black comedy television series 2010s British drama television series 2010s British satirical television series 2010s British science fiction television series 2010s British television miniseries 2011 British television series debuts 2019 British television series endings Artificial intelligence in fiction Channel 4 television dramas Dystopian television series English-language Netflix original programming International Emmy Award for Best TV Movie or Miniseries Existentialist television series Fiction about consciousness transfer Lesbian-related television shows Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie winners Science fiction anthology television series Soft science fiction Television series by Endemol Television series by Zeppotron Television series created by Charlie Brooker Television shows set in England Television shows set in London Television shows filmed in South Africa