Black Mirror creator defends move to Netflix after criticism
Charlie Brooker says any change in tone has never been mandated by the streamer.
This year saw the long-awaited return of Black Mirror, the sixth season of which was released on Netflix in June after a four-year break.
Season 6 was notable for straying quite considerably from anything the show has done before, setting most of the episodes in the past and including one which had no connection to technology whatsoever.
However, this isn't the first time some fans have commented on the show's apparent divergence from its original selling point - ever since it moved from Channel 4, after 2014 Christmas special White Christmas, to Netflix in 2016, some have complained that the once firmly British anthology series has become Americanised, and the storylines have become less overtly dark.
Now, the show's creator, Charlie Brooker, has responded to these criticisms, noting that any changes to the series's tone have never been a mandate from Netflix, but have instead been determined by his own preferences.
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Speaking at a SXSW Sydney event (as reported by The Guardian), Brooker said: "One of the criticisms we sometimes get is, 'I prefer the show when it was British and everyone in it was miserable and everything smelled a little bit of s**t and all the stories were horrible.'
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"And then it’s gone to Netflix and suddenly everything's sunny and happy and everyone has wonderful teeth, and it's full of Hollywood stars and it’s lost that edge."
The writer said that while he understands these complaints, any change in tone has always been his own idea, noting that "arguably the happiest [episode] I’ve ever written was San Junipero, and I just did that off my own back".
He continued: "I was aware we're going on a global platform now, so we've got to make these stories a bit more international. And I wanted to mix it up a bit, as in not just keep doing bleak-a-thons."
Brooker also made the point that season 6's Loch Henry, was "f**king nasty – nasty as anything we've ever done", to make the point that the show has not left darkness behind.
Ahead of the debut of season 6, Brooker said that he started writing this season with the intention to "shake up what I think a Black Mirror episode is", adding that it included "one of our most overtly comic ones that we’ve ever done, which is Joan Is Awful", but also "quite a lot of horror".
Black Mirror season 6 is streaming now on Netflix. 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.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
