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Inside Black Mirror
The first official companion to the Netflix cult-hit sci-fi television series that's fascinated millions of fans worldwide
What becomes of humanity when it's fed into the jaws of a hungry new digital machine? Discover the world of Black Mirror in this immersive, illustrated, oral history.
This first official book logs the entire Black Mirror journey, from its origins in creator Charlie Brooker's mind to its current status as one of the biggest cult TV shows to emerge from the UK. Alongside a collection of astonishing behind-the-scenes imagery and ephemera, Brooker and producer Annabel Jones will detail the creative genesis, inspiration, and thought process behind each film for the first time, while key actors, directors and other creative talents relive their own involvement.
What becomes of humanity when it's fed into the jaws of a hungry new digital machine? Discover the world of Black Mirror in this immersive, illustrated, oral history.
This first official book logs the entire Black Mirror journey, from its origins in creator Charlie Brooker's mind to its current status as one of the biggest cult TV shows to emerge from the UK. Alongside a collection of astonishing behind-the-scenes imagery and ephemera, Brooker and producer Annabel Jones will detail the creative genesis, inspiration, and thought process behind each film for the first time, while key actors, directors and other creative talents relive their own involvement.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 20, 2018
128 people are currently reading
1336 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Brooker
20 books549 followersCharlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism.
He presents TV shows Screenwipe, Gameswipe and Newswipe, wrote a review column for The Guardian newspaper, and is one of four creative directors of comedy production company Zeppotron.
His five-part horror drama Dead Set for E4 earned him a nomination for a BAFTA and he is also the host of the Channel 4 comedy panel show You Have Been Watching. Brooker won Columnist of the Year at the 2009 British Press Awards for his column, and the Best Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards 2009.
He presents TV shows Screenwipe, Gameswipe and Newswipe, wrote a review column for The Guardian newspaper, and is one of four creative directors of comedy production company Zeppotron.
His five-part horror drama Dead Set for E4 earned him a nomination for a BAFTA and he is also the host of the Channel 4 comedy panel show You Have Been Watching. Brooker won Columnist of the Year at the 2009 British Press Awards for his column, and the Best Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
February 28, 2019
This is a must, MUST read -- must own actually -- for any fan of Black Mirror. Review to come!
February 27, 2019
First of all, I highly recommend rewatching earlier episodes before reading this book (especially the lesser loved eps like the Waldo moment).
This book breaks down the black mirror series episode by episode, with a running dialogue between Charlie Brooker, Annabel Jones and the ever rotating team of directors, actors, costume designers, production teams and set designers. Of course, this is packed with trivia, but I found it more fascinating to read about the creative process behind each episode.
Perhaps the most interesting thing is that Brooker is not as brooding and cynical as his show might paint him to bee - he sees weird shit in the world and is constantly evolving these stories before they are finally produced as episodes. Admittedly, I’ve been describing the show as “what happens when tech goes too far” but that’s not his intention at all - it’s just simply not that deep.
Anyway, what a great read. As a trivia nerd, it ticked all my boxes.
This book breaks down the black mirror series episode by episode, with a running dialogue between Charlie Brooker, Annabel Jones and the ever rotating team of directors, actors, costume designers, production teams and set designers. Of course, this is packed with trivia, but I found it more fascinating to read about the creative process behind each episode.
Perhaps the most interesting thing is that Brooker is not as brooding and cynical as his show might paint him to bee - he sees weird shit in the world and is constantly evolving these stories before they are finally produced as episodes. Admittedly, I’ve been describing the show as “what happens when tech goes too far” but that’s not his intention at all - it’s just simply not that deep.
Anyway, what a great read. As a trivia nerd, it ticked all my boxes.
April 19, 2019
I bought this right when it came out and then put off reading it for forever because I skimmed through the pages and thought “this just looks like the transcript of an interview, how boring!” Oh how wrong I was. I loved learning about each episode and the accompanying behind-the-scenes stories! So many previous concepts and ideas and issues they faced, it was all fascinating! The photos included just added to the whole experience and were a beautiful addition. If you love black mirror and wanted to know the origin story of the show and each episode, this is a must-read!
April 23, 2025
This year (2025) the seventh season of Black Mirror came out on Netflix, and it is so well-written, and just so much better than anything else on tv, that I wanted to find out a bit more about what goes on behind the scenes.
This is a great book with interviews and commentaries by Charlie Brooker (the main author and creator of the series) and many other people who worked on the show, including directors, actors and producers. Diving into each episode in detail, the book covers the first 4 seasons.
Great to hear about the creative process, the discarded parts and ideas, and all the work that goes into creating these “entertainment” products, that are really great works of art with a philosophical bent.
I also have to admit, the “dark” genre is not my favorite thing, and most episodes of BM are very dark and very intense, sometimes too much for my liking. But what stands out, to me, is the originality and cleverness of the writing, so that I can forgive the bleakness of some episodes for the sake of some really good writing. Oh, and by the way — “good writing” to me means good writing. For example, “Succession” is not good writing, despite what most people say; it’s stupid and crass, like 95% of TV.
This is a great book with interviews and commentaries by Charlie Brooker (the main author and creator of the series) and many other people who worked on the show, including directors, actors and producers. Diving into each episode in detail, the book covers the first 4 seasons.
Great to hear about the creative process, the discarded parts and ideas, and all the work that goes into creating these “entertainment” products, that are really great works of art with a philosophical bent.
I also have to admit, the “dark” genre is not my favorite thing, and most episodes of BM are very dark and very intense, sometimes too much for my liking. But what stands out, to me, is the originality and cleverness of the writing, so that I can forgive the bleakness of some episodes for the sake of some really good writing. Oh, and by the way — “good writing” to me means good writing. For example, “Succession” is not good writing, despite what most people say; it’s stupid and crass, like 95% of TV.
December 25, 2018
A must-read for fans of the show! Enjoyed it immensely and heartily recommend this book.
December 3, 2018
Lots of insights into each episode. Makes you want to see certain ones again — either because you loved them or you realize now you didn’t fully appreciate them.
December 18, 2025
For anyone not familiar with it, Black Mirror is a television series which has been running since 2010, starting life on Channel Four in England, but after the first two series bought by Netflix. Although science fiction, its stories are set only a few years in the future and some of them feel almost contemporary. It’s been, simply, one of my favourite things, of any kind ever, on TV.
Which is why, of course, I was tempted by this tie-in. Inside Black Mirror is beautifully produced: large format and full of colour photos, it covers the first four seasons (nineteen episodes in total), dealing with each story in turn. There are interviews with Charlie Brooker (creator and writer), Annabel Jones (collaborator and executive producer), production staff and many of the actors. It details how each episode took shape—scripts, technical effects—and even includes development drawings of some of the props (buildings, vehicles, costumes, gadgets). What I found particularly interesting was the way the stories came together: some did go more or less in a straight line, from single idea to finished script, but others in a far more zigzag or roundabout way. One other thing: this is a book, obviously, packed throughout with spoilers, so to be read after you’ve watched.
Black Mirror is not so much about the dangers of technology, it’s more about the dangers of the human beings using it. The technical stuff (neural implants, “uploading” minds, and so on) is the means of exploring age-old themes: what “justice” means, the nature of identity, what the phrase “human being” itself means for that matter. And the title? The “black mirror”, I think, is your TV screen a moment before you switch it on; and when we look into it, like any other mirror, what we see is not technology good or bad, but ourselves.
Which is why, of course, I was tempted by this tie-in. Inside Black Mirror is beautifully produced: large format and full of colour photos, it covers the first four seasons (nineteen episodes in total), dealing with each story in turn. There are interviews with Charlie Brooker (creator and writer), Annabel Jones (collaborator and executive producer), production staff and many of the actors. It details how each episode took shape—scripts, technical effects—and even includes development drawings of some of the props (buildings, vehicles, costumes, gadgets). What I found particularly interesting was the way the stories came together: some did go more or less in a straight line, from single idea to finished script, but others in a far more zigzag or roundabout way. One other thing: this is a book, obviously, packed throughout with spoilers, so to be read after you’ve watched.
Black Mirror is not so much about the dangers of technology, it’s more about the dangers of the human beings using it. The technical stuff (neural implants, “uploading” minds, and so on) is the means of exploring age-old themes: what “justice” means, the nature of identity, what the phrase “human being” itself means for that matter. And the title? The “black mirror”, I think, is your TV screen a moment before you switch it on; and when we look into it, like any other mirror, what we see is not technology good or bad, but ourselves.
May 4, 2019
i! love! black! mirror!
May 4, 2025
I absolutely love Charlie Brooker's work, back to Brass Eye, Nathan Barley and Screenwipe. I have loved the Black Mirror machine ever since its conception.
This book is a behind the scenes look at all things BM. It is a fan's delight. Brooker and Annabel Jones are really funny in their discussion of the process from the idea that ignites the story to the casting and the design aspects. It's interesting to hear where their ideas come from, everyday fears and ponderings of what if's? Actors, directors, casting, props, make up, clothing and composers are just some of the peeps who have their say on what it has been like to work on Black Mirror episodes.
The book is excellently written, well formatted and edited with great colour photographs, stills of some of the episodes, design elements and costumes etc. I found it highly entertaining from start to finish.
I was like the proverbial 🐷🐷🐖🐖in 💩💩💩💩 with this book! 5 stars all round! And in the words of Brooker, now you've read the review, now go on, fuck off! 😆😆
This book is a behind the scenes look at all things BM. It is a fan's delight. Brooker and Annabel Jones are really funny in their discussion of the process from the idea that ignites the story to the casting and the design aspects. It's interesting to hear where their ideas come from, everyday fears and ponderings of what if's? Actors, directors, casting, props, make up, clothing and composers are just some of the peeps who have their say on what it has been like to work on Black Mirror episodes.
The book is excellently written, well formatted and edited with great colour photographs, stills of some of the episodes, design elements and costumes etc. I found it highly entertaining from start to finish.
I was like the proverbial 🐷🐷🐖🐖in 💩💩💩💩 with this book! 5 stars all round! And in the words of Brooker, now you've read the review, now go on, fuck off! 😆😆
February 22, 2021
A lot of background stories about creative process, film business, tv production and working as a creative team.
July 4, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — saw this book of one of my favourite Netflix series in a bookstore in Bristol for only 4£ and knew I had to buy it, really intriguing insights showing me a lot about the behind the scenes of each episode with all its cinematographic considerations. Fascinating book, the reading experience (and rating) would probably have been even better if not that many years had passed by since I watched these episodes — excited for watching the recently released sixth season with this newly acquired knowledge :)
November 23, 2020
This book takes us on a journey across each and every episode of Black Mirror seasons 1-4, combining a conversation by the key talent behind each episode (producers, director, actors, etc) with high quality imagery (concept art, production materials, episode shots, etc.)
The book offers interesting insight into the creative process involved in each episode - which felt great not only on my personal favourites (San Junipero, The Entire History of You and Shut Up and Dance) but, to some extent, across all episodes (including those which I only vaguely remembered - e.g., Playtest, Waldo moment, Metal Head)
Spoilers are fairly common throughout - but, in any case, this would always be a book only recommended for fans of the show!
The book offers interesting insight into the creative process involved in each episode - which felt great not only on my personal favourites (San Junipero, The Entire History of You and Shut Up and Dance) but, to some extent, across all episodes (including those which I only vaguely remembered - e.g., Playtest, Waldo moment, Metal Head)
Spoilers are fairly common throughout - but, in any case, this would always be a book only recommended for fans of the show!
December 8, 2018
This book is such a great read! It's interviews with various people involved with the show: writers, directors, actors, make-up artists, set designers. There's so much interesting information in this book about the thought process, and inspirations and some insights into discarded ideas. There's also lots about development of ideas and how some episodes arrive fully formed and some are tweaked until they are just right.
The book is chronological by episode so you can see the growth of the shows popularity and how things changed when Netflix took over....they went from filming cheaply in a disused army base to filming in coastal towns in South Africa.
If you're a huge fan of Black Mirror like I am, you need to read this book!
The book is chronological by episode so you can see the growth of the shows popularity and how things changed when Netflix took over....they went from filming cheaply in a disused army base to filming in coastal towns in South Africa.
If you're a huge fan of Black Mirror like I am, you need to read this book!
September 6, 2023
If you’re a Black Mirror fan, this book is a must! I was always so intrigued about the thinking that went into making each episode - and this book offers heaps of insight & helps to understand some of the concepts. One of the most interesting things I learned was the show was originally made under the comedy department at Channel 4 and although the show is played straight for the most part, there is a comedic aspect built in. Very pitch black comedy!
December 2, 2018
The most insightful stuff here is about the challenges of moving from Channel 4 to Netflix. The rest can skewer toward Charlie Brooker hagiography, but if you’re a fan of the show who bought this book, you’re in the target market anyway. The interviews are fun and it made me want to re-watch the show all over again.
May 4, 2021
Surprisingly in-depth. When I saw that it was just interviews with production about the episodes I was worried it would just be people congratulating themselves but all the contributors take a decent step back to really talk about how the show was created. It offers insight not only into how the scripts came about and thinking of certain narrative choices but also delves into production on set and in the edit to the point you can really imagine how these stories are being created.
Overall a great read, not only as a great source of information and inspiration about the first 4 seasons of Black Mirror. This book is also hugely entertaining as the personalities of each contributor shine through.
Overall a great read, not only as a great source of information and inspiration about the first 4 seasons of Black Mirror. This book is also hugely entertaining as the personalities of each contributor shine through.
May 11, 2020
Magnífico libro que, en formato de entrevista con el equipo creativo de la serie, analiza episodio por episodio todos los capítulos de las temporadas 1 a 4 de esta magnífica serie. Aporta información interesante sobre origen de las historias, aspectos alternativos del guión que se descartaron, información sobre dirección, efectos especiales, fotografía, etc, acompañado de fotografías del rodaje y otros elementos gráficos interesantes. Muy recomendable si, como yo, sois fans de Black mirror. Ideal acompañar su lectura con la revisión de los episodios de la serie.
December 30, 2021
A solid 3.5 stars (obviously only if you're a fan of the show), though it is remarkable how literally every single person included in this book goes out of their way to praise Charlie Brooker effusively. He must be a hell of a guy.
December 22, 2018
It was like reading a commentary of each episode, so much insight I completely missed before!
January 3, 2019
Inside Black Mirror is, unsurprisingly, the story of TV series Black Mirror, told in oral history fashion by its creators, directors and actors amongst others. Due to the anthology format of the series, the book goes through each episode individually, with relevant people's comments and discussion, and it is all held together by the voices of Charlie Brooker (creator, writer, executive producer etc) and Annabel Jones (co-show runner and executive producer). The writing is combined with stills and design images, which form a useful way of remembering key elements of the wildly differing episodes whilst reading the book.
TV tie-in books can be a bit naff. The sort of thing that make an easy gift. However, this one is less naff. Basically, it is very interesting, an in-depth look at both the process of creating an anthology show and fighting to get further series made, and how the cast and crew managed to actualise the weirdness that is Black Mirror. Brooker's comments on the ideas and how plot lines evolved are particularly good, showing how much editing, rethinking, collaboration, and being forced by circumstance can make amazing narrative elements. It's also worthwhile to read about the issues with getting Channel 4 to keep making episodes, for something that so notably moved to Netflix. Naturally, the book can veer towards self-congratulatory (all these famous actors wanting to be in it, oh look at the Emmys we won, etc, etc), but is kept from going too far due to Brooker's trademark self-deprecation and the banter between him and Jones, who are longtime collaborators.
Seeing as the world has "gone a bit 'Black Mirror'" (as Brooker says in the book), it's nice to remember that the series is created as an entertaining art form, playing with genres and characters, rather than a collection of predictions we should all be worrying about.
TV tie-in books can be a bit naff. The sort of thing that make an easy gift. However, this one is less naff. Basically, it is very interesting, an in-depth look at both the process of creating an anthology show and fighting to get further series made, and how the cast and crew managed to actualise the weirdness that is Black Mirror. Brooker's comments on the ideas and how plot lines evolved are particularly good, showing how much editing, rethinking, collaboration, and being forced by circumstance can make amazing narrative elements. It's also worthwhile to read about the issues with getting Channel 4 to keep making episodes, for something that so notably moved to Netflix. Naturally, the book can veer towards self-congratulatory (all these famous actors wanting to be in it, oh look at the Emmys we won, etc, etc), but is kept from going too far due to Brooker's trademark self-deprecation and the banter between him and Jones, who are longtime collaborators.
Seeing as the world has "gone a bit 'Black Mirror'" (as Brooker says in the book), it's nice to remember that the series is created as an entertaining art form, playing with genres and characters, rather than a collection of predictions we should all be worrying about.
November 17, 2020
It’s hard to believe that the first episodes of Black Mirror were released ten years ago. I was still studying then, Facebook just started to climb to the peak of popularity, and Instagram was just a beginner… It’s hard to recall what I was doing to kill free time because there weren’t so many social media then. I didn’t read as much as now. Maybe I was focused on analogue life? I don’t know, I can’t remember. And that's when Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones were starting to create their futuristic, fascinating and dystopian ideas about changes and social dilemmas, that could be caused by advanced technology. That was the time when they began to see in the future of the world and think about what could probably happen. They were quite successful at this because some scenarios are (unfortunately) fulfilling now.
I truly love their visions and the way they are talking about it, so after the first glance at this book, I knew that it’s a must-have for me and I really want to read it. It’s just because I really miss their twisted imaginations. The premiere of the very recent episode, Bandersnatch, was over two years ago, so in this situation, the book with reviews with the authors seemed to be a great idea. I hoped that inside of it I’ll find a short reminder of every episode and I wasn’t disappointed. The only one little sad thing is related to the fact that the book ends in the fourth season, so there weren't any texts about the last four episodes. But it’s just nothing because there is still a lot of information about previous parts, and it’s a load of goodies!
Important ideas
This book doesn’t have a plot. It’s just the set of the interviews with Charlie Brooker, his right hand Annabel Jones and the rest of the series authors and actors from every episode. It’s kind of a crowd because every part it’s the almost separate staff and the original story.
In these interviews Brooker and Jones tell us about the backstage of the series: the beginning with Channel 4 and why this cooperation needed to end and they started filming with Netflix. They often talk about their limited budget because of which they needed to be very flexible to make ends meet. They claim that they were lucky to have great actors. But it’s a part of a true only, because the series is simply great so everyone wanted to work on it.
And the series is great because it’s about technology but also about the people. The technology was only the catalyst for showing general problems, dilemmas and emotions: fear, helplessness, inertia, good intentions, bad intentions, jealousy, uncertainty, hate, betrayal, failure and many many more. Every episode is a volcano of emotions.
There are also many technical things here about shot actions and details that are doing the job. For example they explain how they designed graphic projects for buildings and places, or usability and the user interface of gadgets that were used by the characters. Authors did the best to use all the reasons why we are in love with technological toys, we want to have them and use them. They made an effort to show all details.
They were also experimenting with the music and incorporated into it the particular sounds like this signature sound for new messages or this specific sound for interference in your headphones caused by the mobile call. I haven’t noticed most of it at all while watching the series for the first time. I need to watch it again!
The genius of the chaos
Brooker and Jones talk a lot also about the coordination of the work, that wasn’t, to say the least, very well-organized. It happened sometimes that the ending of the episode was changed while filming or even the work on the scenes started without a full scenario. So now, when I know, from what chaos the series was created, a lot more I appreciate the eventual effect. Especially that the authors told many times that they couldn’t afford this and that. Despite dollars from Netflix, their budgets were still limited.
So, how to make a movie and create interesting characters and plots to attract people? This book is all about it. It’s interesting too that Brooker shows himself as a total pessimist, who always is thinking that his success was partly gained by chance. But Jones has the opposite attitude, she moderates his rough behavior.
All the stories from Brooke and Jones show that every moment in our life, every experience, even the smallest and dumbest, could inspire new, great ideas. For example, it could be the device from Legoland, that for an additional fee is telling you where there aren’t queues to amusements or device from the toilet where you can tell how pleased you are (because the toilet was clean or wasn’t clean enough), that inspired Brooker to create a user interface for the teddy bear from the Black Museum episode.
Some drawbacks
One of the very few things that were interfering in this book that was this sweet, exaggerated tone - puff pieces from each other. I didn’t know also that they were sitting together or those are separate interviews, and only Brooker and Jones are in the same place and comment on others. It’s hard to say because sometimes their parts are ragged and sometimes smooth. Maybe it’s because of my Polish translation? I regret a bit that I haven’t read the English version, but it doesn’t matter, to be frank, because this book is still full of interesting information and it has also summaries all episodes, and this was the most important for me.
And there is something more in this book that I really appreciate - indexes. In the Black Mirror Behind the scene, there are two indexes - alphabetical index of inspirations and the list of the names, so you can check where the authors say about budgets for example. WOW. Great work. Great series. Great people. They have totally f*cked minds. I love it.
I truly love their visions and the way they are talking about it, so after the first glance at this book, I knew that it’s a must-have for me and I really want to read it. It’s just because I really miss their twisted imaginations. The premiere of the very recent episode, Bandersnatch, was over two years ago, so in this situation, the book with reviews with the authors seemed to be a great idea. I hoped that inside of it I’ll find a short reminder of every episode and I wasn’t disappointed. The only one little sad thing is related to the fact that the book ends in the fourth season, so there weren't any texts about the last four episodes. But it’s just nothing because there is still a lot of information about previous parts, and it’s a load of goodies!
Important ideas
This book doesn’t have a plot. It’s just the set of the interviews with Charlie Brooker, his right hand Annabel Jones and the rest of the series authors and actors from every episode. It’s kind of a crowd because every part it’s the almost separate staff and the original story.
In these interviews Brooker and Jones tell us about the backstage of the series: the beginning with Channel 4 and why this cooperation needed to end and they started filming with Netflix. They often talk about their limited budget because of which they needed to be very flexible to make ends meet. They claim that they were lucky to have great actors. But it’s a part of a true only, because the series is simply great so everyone wanted to work on it.
And the series is great because it’s about technology but also about the people. The technology was only the catalyst for showing general problems, dilemmas and emotions: fear, helplessness, inertia, good intentions, bad intentions, jealousy, uncertainty, hate, betrayal, failure and many many more. Every episode is a volcano of emotions.
There are also many technical things here about shot actions and details that are doing the job. For example they explain how they designed graphic projects for buildings and places, or usability and the user interface of gadgets that were used by the characters. Authors did the best to use all the reasons why we are in love with technological toys, we want to have them and use them. They made an effort to show all details.
They were also experimenting with the music and incorporated into it the particular sounds like this signature sound for new messages or this specific sound for interference in your headphones caused by the mobile call. I haven’t noticed most of it at all while watching the series for the first time. I need to watch it again!
The genius of the chaos
Brooker and Jones talk a lot also about the coordination of the work, that wasn’t, to say the least, very well-organized. It happened sometimes that the ending of the episode was changed while filming or even the work on the scenes started without a full scenario. So now, when I know, from what chaos the series was created, a lot more I appreciate the eventual effect. Especially that the authors told many times that they couldn’t afford this and that. Despite dollars from Netflix, their budgets were still limited.
So, how to make a movie and create interesting characters and plots to attract people? This book is all about it. It’s interesting too that Brooker shows himself as a total pessimist, who always is thinking that his success was partly gained by chance. But Jones has the opposite attitude, she moderates his rough behavior.
All the stories from Brooke and Jones show that every moment in our life, every experience, even the smallest and dumbest, could inspire new, great ideas. For example, it could be the device from Legoland, that for an additional fee is telling you where there aren’t queues to amusements or device from the toilet where you can tell how pleased you are (because the toilet was clean or wasn’t clean enough), that inspired Brooker to create a user interface for the teddy bear from the Black Museum episode.
Some drawbacks
One of the very few things that were interfering in this book that was this sweet, exaggerated tone - puff pieces from each other. I didn’t know also that they were sitting together or those are separate interviews, and only Brooker and Jones are in the same place and comment on others. It’s hard to say because sometimes their parts are ragged and sometimes smooth. Maybe it’s because of my Polish translation? I regret a bit that I haven’t read the English version, but it doesn’t matter, to be frank, because this book is still full of interesting information and it has also summaries all episodes, and this was the most important for me.
And there is something more in this book that I really appreciate - indexes. In the Black Mirror Behind the scene, there are two indexes - alphabetical index of inspirations and the list of the names, so you can check where the authors say about budgets for example. WOW. Great work. Great series. Great people. They have totally f*cked minds. I love it.
January 20, 2022
4.5 stars.
Black Mirror is an excellent TV show. Probably the best science fiction show in the last ten years alone. The concepts are always higher and the content is richer. One will almost walk away from an episode feeling reflective and albeit, a little terrified. I was very excited to read more about Black Mirror and these interviews with the two creators and crew as well as cast were so enlightening and added extra depth to the episodes. It did take me a while to read because I took a break, but once I got back into reading the interviews I flew through the last 100 pages of Inside Black Mirror. This is a book every fan should want to add to their collection.
Black Mirror is an excellent TV show. Probably the best science fiction show in the last ten years alone. The concepts are always higher and the content is richer. One will almost walk away from an episode feeling reflective and albeit, a little terrified. I was very excited to read more about Black Mirror and these interviews with the two creators and crew as well as cast were so enlightening and added extra depth to the episodes. It did take me a while to read because I took a break, but once I got back into reading the interviews I flew through the last 100 pages of Inside Black Mirror. This is a book every fan should want to add to their collection.
June 23, 2020
BLACK MIRROR is the twilight zone of this generation, at least the first four seasons... Mercifully, this book stops there. It's a bit of a slap on the back AREN'T WE CLEVER and not much more behind the scenes which would have been nice - but if you've been through the series, it will make you want to do a rewatch.
March 19, 2019
Simply amazed at how Charlie Brooker and his team were able to conceptualize and turn the problem of technology into an opportunity.
Certainly not to be missed is the huge list of Black Mirror influences and references! Certainly added to my To-Watch and To-Read Lists in life.
Certainly not to be missed is the huge list of Black Mirror influences and references! Certainly added to my To-Watch and To-Read Lists in life.
October 29, 2022
Rozmowy i przemyślenia twórców i aktorów o wszystkich odcinkach z sezonów 1-4. Zawiera ciekawe anegdoty czy poznanie pracy niektórych aktorów wcielających się w różne postaci. Dla fanów serialu obowiązkowa pozycja.
April 16, 2022
must read dla wszystkich fanów :)
January 7, 2019
I loved the insight into the creative process. I would have loved more interviews with some of the other participants and actors in the episodes as well.
January 1, 2019
A great insight into the creative process, challenges and development of one of my favourite TV shows. Obviously, you will enjoy this only if you are a fan of the series. The book also has some amazing photography and design apart from the fact that your fingerprints remain showing on it.....but maybe that's on purpose :D
May 26, 2019
This is pretty much an oral history of every Black Mirror episode through Season 4 so it already needs an update. I was worried it would make this a collection of vague redundant dithering but I was happy to find this to be very well edited. I was also worried about my eyes glazing over when reading about the few episodes that are duds. Happily, even reading about those is interesting and in one case, even the filmmakers seem to sort of agree with me. It was also refreshing to hear about all the wrong turns they made along the way. If you love the show, then this will be fascinating. Duh.
July 3, 2025
Black Mirror by Charlie Brooker you can find another look at this show on my blogs, where I also have more than five thousand reviews of The Greatest Books of All Time, and other, lesser oeuvres, if you want to check them, here is the link https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
9 out of 10
I have written another note on Black Mirror https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and there may be a couple more, in the days or weeks to come – or perhaps none, how about asking my large audience, four friends on Goodreads now, since I fell from grace recently, and maybe an average of 30 clicks on the surviving blog, what do they want, and they will say in unison:
- Enough already!
Black Mirror is an impressive series, they have streamed a new season, and there are two episodes that I enjoyed more, the one with the brain issue, and then the likes in one of the last, the latter has been debated by
- Yuval Harari https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
The brain segment had this woman with an accident, offered a solution, she can use the part of her mind that was affected with help from this company, only they are in not just for a lot of money, but they keep changing the plan, coverage and all, seeing as the poor couple are dependent on their service and access…
Another very insightful episode is about the…Likes, that already control so much – indeed, I have read that in China, the state has this system and those citizens who do not ‘behave’ are listed – or blacklisted – and then they cannot get some (or any) benefits, which appears to be very close to what happens in the segment
Everybody rates others, service and all – Uber and more use the same system, I have been aghast at losing all those likes on Goodreads, and I was going to fume here, but hey, I do not want to repeat the banishment, just because some MAGA fella is offended – and the world belongs to those who have high scores
In fact, I have just checked in it in fact episode 1 in the third series, and it is called Nosedive, wherein Lacie Pound is the protagonist – she tries to get a good place, but it all depends on ‘ratings’, ergo she tries hard, and artificially (everybody is false in here, and maybe everywhere) to change her status, which is moderate
It is also funny to see her in the elevator and other circumstances trying to apply the rules from How to Win Friends and Influence People https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... offering a cake, almost going into a curtsy, but then there is the Nosedive, which gives the title
She had a friend in high school – I think it was – Naomi is the ultimate phony, as is my habit, I put her in the MAGA group – I keep asking for it, getting complaints and then a good, cataclysmic kick, so if we do not see each other again, it was nice ‘it must have been love, but it’s over now’ the line in that once famous song
Naomi is getting married, and she wants Lacie to be her bridesmaid, or maid of honor, I can’t remember what it was, nevertheless, this seems to be the perfect opportunity for Lacie to increase her score, only everything goes wrong…
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – I am on Goodreads as Realini Ionescu, at least for the moment, if I keep on expressing my views on Orange Woland aka TACO, it may be a short-lived presence
Also, maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the benefits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
9 out of 10
I have written another note on Black Mirror https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and there may be a couple more, in the days or weeks to come – or perhaps none, how about asking my large audience, four friends on Goodreads now, since I fell from grace recently, and maybe an average of 30 clicks on the surviving blog, what do they want, and they will say in unison:
- Enough already!
Black Mirror is an impressive series, they have streamed a new season, and there are two episodes that I enjoyed more, the one with the brain issue, and then the likes in one of the last, the latter has been debated by
- Yuval Harari https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
The brain segment had this woman with an accident, offered a solution, she can use the part of her mind that was affected with help from this company, only they are in not just for a lot of money, but they keep changing the plan, coverage and all, seeing as the poor couple are dependent on their service and access…
Another very insightful episode is about the…Likes, that already control so much – indeed, I have read that in China, the state has this system and those citizens who do not ‘behave’ are listed – or blacklisted – and then they cannot get some (or any) benefits, which appears to be very close to what happens in the segment
Everybody rates others, service and all – Uber and more use the same system, I have been aghast at losing all those likes on Goodreads, and I was going to fume here, but hey, I do not want to repeat the banishment, just because some MAGA fella is offended – and the world belongs to those who have high scores
In fact, I have just checked in it in fact episode 1 in the third series, and it is called Nosedive, wherein Lacie Pound is the protagonist – she tries to get a good place, but it all depends on ‘ratings’, ergo she tries hard, and artificially (everybody is false in here, and maybe everywhere) to change her status, which is moderate
It is also funny to see her in the elevator and other circumstances trying to apply the rules from How to Win Friends and Influence People https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... offering a cake, almost going into a curtsy, but then there is the Nosedive, which gives the title
She had a friend in high school – I think it was – Naomi is the ultimate phony, as is my habit, I put her in the MAGA group – I keep asking for it, getting complaints and then a good, cataclysmic kick, so if we do not see each other again, it was nice ‘it must have been love, but it’s over now’ the line in that once famous song
Naomi is getting married, and she wants Lacie to be her bridesmaid, or maid of honor, I can’t remember what it was, nevertheless, this seems to be the perfect opportunity for Lacie to increase her score, only everything goes wrong…
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – I am on Goodreads as Realini Ionescu, at least for the moment, if I keep on expressing my views on Orange Woland aka TACO, it may be a short-lived presence
Also, maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the benefits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
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