Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker almost worked on Doctor Who

"I was approached for Doctor Who and I just didn't have time,” Brooker told The Independent, describing the job as a “really good gig.”

We can only imagine the brilliant bleakness of a Brooker-written Doctor Who episode – perhaps a chilling tale about how the Doctor has become too reliant on the Tardis’ technology in a way that sort of references Facebook – but unfortunately it seems like it probably won’t happen, as Brooker says he’s not been given a second chance at the flagship BBC series.

“It was really annoying,” he said. “I was really busy and they haven't asked me again since. It was a bit like the Home Office asking you to do something."

Still, not to worry – at the moment Brooker has his own international success to focus on, as well as the already-confirmed fourth season of Black Mirror which he confirms he is “halfway through” writing.

And beyond that, he says there’s always scope for more one-off Black Mirror specials…

“I wouldn’t mind doing a Halloween one,” Brooker said. “I’ve been thinking about that.

“One of the reasons we shot [new Black Mirror episode] Playtest up in the running order is because we knew Halloween was coming and we thought it was perfect for that. And the PlayStation VR was being launched.

“But yeah, I want to do a Treehouse of Horror; the Christmas special [White Christmas starring Jon Hamm] is kind of that. So I’m toying with the idea of doing another one with several interweaving stories.”

Sounds like Doctor Who’s loss is seasonal sci-fi’s gain.

Black Mirror is available to stream on Netflix now