INSIDE BLACK MIRROR
Charlie says
This scrupulously researched volume takes a deep dive on Charlie Brooker’s anthology show, unearthing countless fascinating facts. Did you know that the second script written was abandoned for being “heavyhanded”? Or that the composer on “15 Million Merits” sampled exercise bikes for a rhythm track? Or that in “Metalhead”’s first draft, the killer robot was controlled by a drone operator?
Other revelations are more eye-opening. Thought the Black Mirror team left Channel 4 in the lurch, lured away by a suitcase of Netflix cash? In fact, a month before the series blew up in the States, the UK broadcaster dropped the show due to its cost.
The story’s told via oral history, with around 15 pages on each episode. It’s a format that looks simple but can be tricky to pull off, and Jason Arnopp does a first-rate job. Brooker and fellow producer Annabel Jones are the lead voices; their self-deprecation and mutual mockery are hugely endearing, and the former’s accounts of the sometimes tortuous evolution of his scripts are particularly insightful. But Arnopp casts his net wide, interviewing cast, directors, production designers and more; this is very much a portrait of a team effort. Cleanly designed, with concept art treasures spotted throughout, it is, as Making Of books go, a flawless exemplar. Ian Berriman
Lost script “Inbound” was a war story in which people think aliens are attacking Britain – but they’re actually Norwegians!