Black Mirror Twitter Q&A
Jay Platt @jayplattuk
@charltonbrooker Do you think that if he was in the same situation, DavCam would fuck the pig?
In a word, no.
@ljconnor2 did you have a particular politician in mind when conceiving the character of Michael?
@waynelittlewood Where you thinking of David Cameron when you came up with the name Michael Callow? #BMQA
Rachel Ryan @rachovitch Is Callow based on any real-life PM?
Not really – I know some people have assumed he’s supposed to be Cameron, but he’s not, nor is anything in it meant to represent some sort of anti-Cameron statement. The PM in Black Mirror is probably the most sympathetic character in it, together with his wife.
Noz @BeardedGenius
@charltonbrooker Do you worry about going in hard on the public? As in portraying them as essentially fucked in the head & to blame? #BMQA
In National Anthem> Don’t think we did portray them as fucked in the head really – if the ones watching had cheered throughout, they’d have been fucked in the head. As it is, they tuned in and were sickened, which would be the normal response. I was thinking of my own reaction when watching Bushtucker Trials.
@8den
just curious about the infulences of 15m merits both xbox live xfactor and the wii and which twilight zone eps?
15 Million Merits is heavily influenced by Xbox Kinect and the Twilight Zone ep Number Twelve Looks Just Like You
Boomerangutang @boomerangutang
@charltonbrooker Empty London scenes were shut off streets or computer aided? #BMQA
Just very early on a Sunday morning.
Aaron Simmonds @TheRealSimmonds
@charltonbrooker Not strictly about the show, but more the writing in general: What's your process when writing? #BMQA
It varies. First draft of The National Anthem was written very very quickly; others sometimes take a long time. Then there’s an incremental process of rewriting and rewriting again and again, sometimes to fix problems, or reduce length; sometimes to accommodate production changes etc etc. EG originally the hospital gang in National Anthem were videogames developers watching in an office; they became hospital staff late on. Malaika was supposed to show up there at the end with her shot leg, where they’d ignore her in favour of watching the TV. But that idea got dropped which is just as well as it’s a bit on the nose.
Michael Glasper @michaelglasper
@charltonbrooker How was it writing with the missus? #bmqa
Easier than writing alone by about a factor of about twenty.
Benny Lowrie @lowrieb
Is the pig a metaphor for something? #BMQA
THE NHS. No. Not really. A bushtucker trial if anything.
Harrison Kees @FatHarryKees
@charltonbrooker why "black mirror" as the title? #BMQA
A plasma screen, when switched off, resembles a black mirror, as does an iPhone.
M Britton @thepigeonpost
@charltonbrooker #BMQA Still don't understand how the artist knew about Rod Senseless to be honest. Care to explain?
An electrician spotted him on his way in to the studio, recognized him, took a photo, and tweeted it. As Alex says “the online hivemind did the rest”. Ppl online were speculating (correctly) that Senseless might be being used to fake the act. The artist got wind of it. Yes, that’s far-fetched, but hey. I only care about plot holes up to a point. See also: the finger, which is Carlton Bloom’s little finger, and was dropped off by himself personally dressed as a courier. That would never happen. But it did in this work of fiction. I know some people are knocked out of the story by things like that, but so what? They can watch something else.
Jack Anniky @janniky
@charltonbrooker Where did you get that poor pig from? And whats her name? #BMQA
Not sure where she came from, but her name is Madge, and everyone loved her. Not literally.
@DPMcCullough What was the deal with the random west-asian guy who was lying in bed during the entire ordeal? #BMQA
He was the boyfriend of one of a hospital receptionist. He was so glued to the set he couldn’t get out of bed. We’ve all been there.
Jordan Hicks @MightyJordan
@charltonbrooker Did you originally plan to create more than three episodes? #BMQA
Yes. There are more ideas in storage. There’s an entire finished script for one episode called ‘Inbound’ that we didn’t make, which would’ve made National Anthem look like an upbeat knockabout comedy. The National Anthem was actually written to replace that episode in fact. Be nice to make ‘Inbound’ at some point, though there are also other ideas.
@MichaelKerr94
Was the 15 million merits/X Factor time slot a coincidence or did you deliberately chose it to follow?
Weird coincidence
Patrick Lickman @PatrickAureus
@charltonbrooker What does the third episode concern? #BMQA
From a thing I wrote t’other day:
"3. The Entire History of You - Anyone who's ever nosed through the Facebook profile of a potential lover will feel right at home here. Today, most of us routinely leave a trail of personal information behind us – from emails to idle thoughts on Facebook, to images of ourselves grinning at parties. Go to a live event and instead of lighters in the air, you'll see the glow of people recording proceedings on their smartphones. This final episode, starring Toby Kebbell and Jodie Whittaker, and written by Jesse Armstrong of Peep Show, Fresh Meat and The Thick of It fame, explores the logical outcome of this, something many might consider a fantasy scenario: what if you had a kind of Sky Plus system for your head, so you could rewind and replay memories at will? You'd never forget where you left your keys again, for one thing. And it would be great for winning arguments. But it might not be brilliant news for the health of your relationship. After all, how much do you actually want to know about each other?"
Peter Andrews @Luffay
@charltonbrooker #BMQA are you at all involved in the 3rd episode?
Yes, totally, I exec produced it so I'm all over that shit, but Jesse Armstrong wrote it and a damn good job he's done too: it’s fantastic.
Aaron Reeve @aaronreeve
@charltonbrooker What made you decide to make this series? #BMQA
A combination of confidence after Dead Set, and determination to make a programme that, even if it totally failed, was at least different to everything else on at the moment, and was about ideas rather than detectives or doctors fucking each other.
Marina Menezes @marrrina_
@charltonbrooker What is your favorite episode and why? #bmqa
Honestly, it keeps changing. I like the fact that they’re all completely different, but all have similarities.
Thomas Heasman-Hunt @ThommyH_H
@charltonbrooker Were other sex acts considered for ep 1 or did your mind go straight for the pig sex? #BMQA
Actually we did discuss alternatives. One was a supermarket chicken and another a huge block of cheese, for some reason. But we kept coming back to the pig.
Melissa Clough @MelissaNClough
@charltonbrooker sorry its vague. but what in this day and age scares you more than anything? #BMQA
The total breakdown of civilization, or spiders.
Mrs Miller @Topfluffer
@charltonbrooker #BMQA JUST watched it. Completely loved it. Brilliant. Did the pig get fucked in the bum hole or was it a girl?
That’s down to the imagination of the viewer. I’m surprised no-one’s bothered to freeze-frame the kidnappers list of rules for the broadcast yet.
Holly Close @MissHClose
@charltonbrooker What's your actual general opinion on Dogme 95? #BMQA
I love Festen. Restrictions generally can be positives when making anything, as it helps define what you’re doing. Christ I sound like a twat, but that’s true.
Jonathan @Jonny_The_Fist
@charltonbrooker #BMQA <3'd the first, but the royal reaction bit unfeasible, do you not think they would more likely 'sacrifice' their own?
Probably, but as I sort of said above, I’m not hugely interested in making it too real. Terry Gilliam said the film Brazil was “reality, but off by five degrees” which is what I like to think the world(s) of Black Mirror is (are). Grammar gah.
Chris Miller @brokenscience
@charltonbrooker Great timing. #bmqa Would you consider posting a copy of your script for wannabe research purposes?
Maybe, though I’d have to go through it taking out all the foul stage directions first.
robinbellwriter @robinbellwriter
@charltonbrooker #BMQA How hard was it convincing Ch4 to do an anthology show?
Not too hard, though there was some discussion over recurring motifs or cast members.
Fearghas Kelly @tigerdudy
@charltonbrooker Would you say that 1976's Network was an inspiration for the series? #BMQA
Definitely for 15 Million Merits.
@C4insider Can we write one?
Only if you promise to write it in Comic Sans.
@dahaigh What was your favourite track on Neon Bible? #BMQA
The first one.
David Parkin @Daveparkin
@charltonbrooker #BMQA Was it hard to avoid putting some screamingly obvious gags in? The crazy premise treated with such a straight face..
Yes. Then decided it was best to keep them in there as tweets. I wrote pages of tweets, like an exorcism.
Saggydaddy @Saggydaddy
@charltonbrooker Yep. Why did you bother #BMQA
Had time on hands.
Adam Williams @adamwilliams78
@charltonbrooker did you plan to use arcade fire's black mirror as the theme tune? #bmqa
Briefly, then toyed with idea of an opening narration a la Twilight Zone / Outer Limits etc. Finally settled on keeping it simple and stark.
Salinger @J_G_Salinger
@charltonbrooker #BMQA How many times do you rewrite scripts? Whats your process of forming the idea completing the story & writing dialogue
See above re rewrites (constant rewrites). Basically I need a deadline. A tight deadline.
James Tringham @James_Tringham
@charltonbrooker #BMQA Do you wish you'd had a chance to expand on Ep1, or was it your intention to keep it to an hour?
Original script ran to about 100 pages, and was pruned down to around 48. Lots of stuff came out, mainly scenes featuring different groups of viewers.
@adamsonjoe who's idea was it to use Portishead in the adverts? It was a brilliant idea #BMQA
Director Neil Gorringe. I actually suggested a diff Portishead track at one point but they stuck to their guns, and they were right to use The Rip, it was perfect.
@JayRoy Was the 'artistic statement' idea based on Damien Hirst's work and your opinion of it in any way? #BMQA
Bloom's a tad more Chapman Bros but Caitlin Moran nailed it – it was more the KLF really.
@onlinebiteage Loving Black Mirror but on a unrelated note are you doing a review of the year?
Yep: 2011 Wipe, on BBC4 on 30th Dec
@jemimalaing Loved it, truly, just wondering how dopey artist is supposed to have overpowered Princess S' protection team #BMQA
Magic narcotic darts.
@LeeRClements Was the original screenplay of "The National Anthem" different from the episode broadcast? Did C4 impose restrictions? #BMQA
No, didn't differ really at all, apart from a speech from Rod Senseless near end which was cut partly for time. C4 were v supportive throughout.
@stefkaday will there. E repeats / how long will they be on 4OD... Been on holiday...
I’m guessing your autocorrect’s gone mental. There will be repeats soon on air, plus AFAIK it’s on 4OD for ages. DVD released January.
hond01 @tbhond88
Lots of boring questions so far.....so, where you on set throughout the shoot to over see everything? Hardest scene to film etc
Was on-set sporadically. We all hid in a sort of cupboard during the pig scene in National Anthem. That wasn’t necessarily hard, but it was a v strange day as I’m sure you can appreciate.
Jonathan @JonMcA
@charltonbrooker #BMQA Will you consider doing a second series?
Would LOVE to do a second series. There are ideas ready to go.
@standardbrit did you plan for National Anthem to be open to interpretation? or does every episode have a definite message?
Don’t really believe in things having a definite message. They have a general swerve or a fuzzy message, so yes, open to whatever interpretation you want.
