“You don't have the economy of scale of building a set once and casting once. You blow up the world, basically, at the end of each episode.” WorldEndsEconomyBuildingBlowScalesEpisodesCasting Author:Charlie Brooker
“On the other hand [making a string of one-off episodes], there's a real freedom, because you're kind of reinventing the show every week.” KindRealShowsHandsWeekStringsEpisodesReal FreedomReinventing Author:Charlie Brooker
“[British television series] Hammer House of Horror. I used to really enjoy these one-off stories where often there would be an incredibly cruel twist. A good example is the episode with Burgess Meredith and there's a nuclear war and he drops his glasses. To this day, you can show that to anyone and they'll go "Bwrrrrrrrr!" You know, sort of wander away shuddering.” KnowsWarStoriesShowsWould BeUsedHouseEnjoyExampleTelevisionHorrorSeriesGlassesBritishNuclearWanderThis DayEpisodesTwistsHammersNuclear WarGood ExamplesShudderingBritish Television Author:Charlie Brooker
“'Waldo' was one episode I always felt I didn't quite crack. And weirdly, now that feels like one of the more prescient ones.” FeelsFeltCracksEpisodes Author:Charlie Brooker
“A sort of angry populism here in the UK and across Europe, a sort of anti-political mood and what then steps into that place? In one episode [of Black Mirror] you won't have seen, there's a very simple gaming gadget that turns out to be a monstrous idea, which I suspect we will end up doing for real.” IdeasRealEndsPoliticalTurnsBlackSimpleStepsEuropeMirrorsAngryMoodSuspectsEpisodesMonstrousGamingGadgetsPopulismAnti Political Author:Charlie Brooker
“"National Anthem" was just a funny idea I'd been knocking about. I initially thought about a beloved celebrity having to do that - and then I watched an episode of 24. In my head, I was writing almost a parody of a 24-style president woken in the middle of the night with a crisis. It seemed more interesting to play it ultrastraight and to have the viewer's initial reaction be one of laughter and disbelief - and just have the whole thing become progressively more uncomfortable.” WritingIdeasPlayWholeNightPresidentInterestingMiddleStyleLaughterCrisisReactionsBelovedUncomfortableEpisodesViewersInitialsDisbeliefKnockingParodyMiddle Of The NightAnthemNational Anthem Author:Charlie Brooker
“What are people going to expect when they sit down to watch a new episode of Black Mirror? And what you're going to expect is somebody with a translucent TV in a drone strike and a robot walking by... or frowning at a phone and going 'aaah! Oh no! I've just deleted my own leg!' or whatever. So I thought well, let's not do that.” PeopleWellsBlackMy OwnWatchesTvsWalkingMirrorsPhonesLegsStrikesEpisodesRobotsDronesFrowning Author:Charlie Brooker
“I kept saying I want to do an episode that's set in the past, how do we do a period episode of Black Mirror? And simultaneously there was another idea we were thinking about and the two things sort of gelled and became San Junipero.” ThinkingWantTwoIdeasPastBlackPeriodsMirrorsTwo ThingsEpisodes Author:Charlie Brooker
