Black Mirror creator promises more horror in season 6 in "f**k you" to critics

Speaking at a Q&A and preview of Black Mirror season 6 episode Beyond the Sea at BFI Southbank, Brooker said: “This season I started out doing some with a very different take – a Red Mirror film, and almost like a crime and horror-led sister label, so to speak. And in doing that, I thought, ‘I’ll shake up what I think a Black Mirror episode is’.”

Brooker acknowledged the fact that some episodes of this season are set in the past (which is different for the Black Mirror universe, where stories are usually set in the present or future), and explained that comedy fans will be in luck with one of the first episodes of the new season.

When asked whether it's fair to say that this upcoming season has more horror than previously, Brooker said: “This season overall, we’ve also got probably one of our most overtly comic ones that we’ve ever done, which is Joan Is Awful. But certainly, there’s quite a lot of horror."

Joan Is Awful is the first episode of season 6 and sees Annie Murphy and Salma Hayek Pinault star in the Netflix parody episode which features streaming service Streamberry.

Talking about the other episodes in the season, Brooker said: "I started out and thought, 'I'm going to write some under the label Red Mirror for a while', that was where my mind was going. It’s just the way they fell, it’s just the way they came out was really unpleasant.

"I was aware at the back of my head, some people had said, ‘The last season was a bit frothy, wasn’t it?’ or ‘A bit too cheerful’ – well, f**k you."

Read more:

• Black Mirror season 6 rejected a ChatGPT script – Charlie Brooker explains why
• Black Mirror creator "disappointed" Netflix didn't object to parody episode

He added: "It's just the way they came out, I guess. From the start, we set a tone in Black Mirror – the pig was one of the cheerier moments. That was always our tone to start with.”

Eagle-eyed fans of the series will of course have noticed the "Red Mirror presents" label in the official season 6 trailer, where it presents Demon 79.

Not much is known about the retro-looking episode, aside from the fact it stars Paapa Essiedu and Anjana Vasan, who seems to be murdering people. The synopsis for the episode reads: "Northern England, 1979. A meek sales assistant is told she must commit terrible acts to prevent disaster."

So far, Netflix has already billed this season of Black Mirror as "the most unpredictable, unclassifiable and unexpected yet", with other season 6 titles including Loch Henry, Beyond the Sea and Mazey Day.

The star-studded Black Mirror season 6 cast also boasts Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Monica Dolan and Rory Culkin, to name a few.

Read our interview with Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, as well as season 6 stars Salma Hayek, Aaron Paul and Rob Delaney, in the latest issue of Radio Times magazine – out now.

Black Mirror season 6 will be available to stream on Netflix on 15th June 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.