People overlook humour of Black Mirror, says creator Charlie Brooker
Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has said people often overlook the dark humour in his series, and that the ideas he develops into episodes are the ones that make him laugh.
The writer and broadcaster said that while he was not ashamed of being labelled “morose”, he thought people did not notice the comic nature of his work.
Brooker, 48, said: “I think it’s often easy for people to overlook the dark humour that is in Black Mirror.
“Certainly when the ideas come about, it’s an idea that makes me laugh. But then we play it really straight.”
He was speaking at the Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Awards in London, where his Netflix choose-yourown-adventure drama Black Mirror: Bandersnatch won the award for innovation.
Brooker said he had learnt how to code for the project, which he said had helped him flex his creative muscles.
He said: “It was quite a challenge. It was like trying to solve a puzzle. It wasn’t a normal writing experience. I literally had to learn to code to write the story treatment.
“It was a very different process. We knew it was experimental. We tried lots of things to flex the muscles of the situation. It’s gratifying that people enjoyed it - and that it worked.”
Killing Eve and A Very English Scandal were the big winners at the awards. Both shows picked up three gongs each, with Killing Eve’s breakout star Jodie Comer being named best actress.
The BBC series, penned by Fleabag star Phoebe Wallerbridge and based on Luke Jennings’s Codename Villanelle novella series, was voted best drama series and also won the best online first/streaming prize. A Very English Scandal was named best single drama/ mini series and Hugh Grant, who played former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe, was named best actor. Russell T Davies, who penned the script, won the best writer award.
BBC Two’s Grenfell won best single documentary while Patrick Melrose won the best of multichannel award, given to a show not shown on a public service broadcaster.