Charlie Brooker

Charlie Brooker: 'The more horrible, the funnier'

'The more horrible an idea, the funnier I find it'. As the anthology series Black Mirror returns, its creator explains what fuels the show's twisted tales - and tells us where we're going wrong with technology.

Got a question for Charlie Brooker? We want to hear it

Ahead of the third series of Black Mirror, Charlie is returning to The Guardian to answer readers' questions.

Black Mirror enlists the best composers for series 3

Some of the best names working in the business are to lend a creative hand for the new series.

Pokémon Go + Black Mirror = dark comedy?

Fans of the spooky, Twilight Zone-inspired British sci-fi series Black Mirror might appreciate this dark bit of parody that takes one of the most disturbing episodes of the show, "White Bear," and mashes it up with the world we presently live in in which bizarre, zombified humans are all wandering around with their cell phones raised, seeming to record everything and randomly congregating in random places because of some rare Pokémon.

The new series of Very British Problems began this week but seems to have lost its purpose. The show began life as a very witty, observant Twitter account which would blurt out panicked and appalled little tweets about the difficulties of being a repressed British person who's trying frantically to avoid embarrassment in a world full of boors and idiots.

The humour lay in not knowing who was sending the tweets and so we could imagine it was an uptight Englishman in a suit and bowler hat, catching the 8.09 to Waterloo, perhaps resembling a stern-faced John Cleese. Or maybe it's a kindly old lady who makes jam for the Women's Institute and crochets bootees for the church jumble sale, and is quietly horrified at the manners of today's young people. We could imagine what we liked, or slot ourselves into the situations described. But transferring the concept from Twitter to TV has ruined that. Our imaginary and oh-so-typical Brit has been replaced by celebrities. James Corden, Catherine Tate and David Tennant now share their awkward moments and social embarrassments, and there is no longer room for us. We've become observers not awkward, agonised participants.

We all love Christmas but wouldn't like it every day - contrary to what the song says. The luxury of all that food, wine and excitement would soon wear off and leave us longing for an uneventful day at work or a quiet potter around the supermarket. We can only take so much wonder and joy - and that must be the reason why Charlie Brooker is relatively rare on TV.

If I was in charge, he'd be on TV constantly. BBC News 24 would be Brooker 24 and watching would be mandatory. But, as with too much turkey and Prosecco, maybe we'd soon start to groan and wilt: no more, please. I'm full! I can't take another joke. I'm woozy with these witty observations. Another gag will make me gag.

I made this... Cunk on Shakespeare

Giving Charlie Brooker's comedy character Philomena Cunk her own BBC Two 'documentary' - producer Sam Ward offers his take on creating a "narrative, factual entertainment" comedy hybrid.

How comedy became a language of democratic politics

Like all forms of resistance, comedy can both shore up and legitimate existing political structures, yet it can also, in certain moments, work to encourage revision. Here, James Brassett looks specifically at the critical nature of radical British comedy by the likes of Russell Brand, Charlie Brooker, and Stewart Lee and writes that it raises questions about the nature of resistance and reveals the deeply political nature of the British public.

Netflix deals C4 knockout blow over Black Mirror

Channel 4 has lost the right to show Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror in the UK six months after the acclaimed drama was snapped up by Netflix in a reported $40m deal.

Channel 4 fights to keep Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror

Relations between broadcaster Channel 4 and production group Endemol Shine have almost broken down over the right to broadcast Charlie Brooker's show Black Mirror in the UK.