Bingham 'Bing' Madsen (Psychoville's Daniel Kaluuya) decides to help out new friend Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay) get her chance to become a singing star on X Factor style talent show Hot Shot, with judges Judge Hope (Rupert Everett) and Judge Charity (Julia Davis) and Judge Wraith (Ashley 'Bashy' Thomas). pornography from Wraith Girls, they must constantly ride on exercise bikes, and they lose merits for buying food and skipping entertainment. Episode 2: Fifteen Million Merits, sees a bleak automated Britain where people are forced to live inside a place where to earn credits for food, and enjoy visual entertainment, e.g. After many attempts to solve the problem with alternatives, such as locating the kidnapper hideout, this disgusting act is forced to happen, but the Princess was released before the deadline, and even though Michael's career continues his social and home life is less good. Episode 1: The National Anthem, sees Princess Susannah (Lydia Wilson) kidnapped, and as ransom for her safe return the demands are that Prime Minister Michael Callow (Quantum of Solace's Rory Kinnear) must have sexual intercourse with a live pig and it must be broadcast on all news channels.
I saw the adverts for this series, and it was after seeing that it was repeated that I noticed Charlie Brooker was the creator, and being a huge fan of his last drama Dead Set I was certainly going to watch the three episodes. I can't wait to see more in the future, Please Charlie :-) How on Earth do you pick a favourite episode, so many outstanding contenders, a few of the best include White Christmas and San Junipero, but the variety is so rich everybody will have a different favourite. The show has definitely changed, and improved for my money, episodes like Playtest and Metalhead are downright scary, while episodes like Hang the DJ and San Junipero tug at the heart strings.
I will admit I feared when the Channel Four arrangement ended, The Americanisation of the show did worry me a lot, but how wrong was I. The more bleak they are, the more I tend to enjoy them, and the more an episode has that feeling of 'well that could really happen,' the more I love them still. What I wouldn't give to sit down and talk with Charlie Brooker, to find out where his ideas come from, and what plans he has for the future of the show. Imaginative, dark, bleak, often cynical, but always absorbing, incredible viewing. Black Mirror has been for me one of the highlights in drama over the last decade.