Black Mirror

Original title : The National Anthem
First Aired : 04.12.2011 (UK)
Director : Otto Bathurst
Writing credits : Charlie Brooker
Cast : Rory Kinnear (Michael Callow), Lindsay Duncan (Alex Cairns), Donald Sumpter (Julian Hereford), Tom Goodman-Hill (Tom Blice), Anna Wilson-Jones (Jane Callow), Patrick Kennedy (Section Chief Walker), Alastair Mackenzie (Martin), Chetna Pandya (Malaika), Alex Macqueen (Special Agent Callett), Jay Simpson (Rod Senseless), Helen Fospero (Lucinda Towne), Lydia Wilson (Princess Susannah), Sophie Kennedy Clark (Lauren), Andrew Knott (Brian), Allen Leech (Pike), Johann Myers (Noel), Sophie Wu (Jamie), Rakie Ayola (Shelly), Amit Shah (Jack), Nick Hendrix (Andrew), Justin Edwards (Jon), Jeany Spark (Camilla), Aymen Hamdouchi (Kieran), Julian Rivett (Damon Brown), Jonathan Forbes (Browne), Madeleine Bowyer (Sonia), Jeffrey Wickham (Sir Harold Mount), Shazad Latif (Mehdi Raboud), Eleanor Wyld (Young Actress), Wolf Wasserman (Spark), Mickell David (Son), Dominic Le Moignan (Prince), Josh Wichard (Hospital Patient), Allin Kempthorne (Traumatised Man), Matthew David McCarthy (News Room Staff)

The Story : The least sci-fi, in that it's set very much in the present day. Inspired by news events that get whipped up in the social networks and Twitter, and everything feels like it's rattling slightly out of control...

Original title : Fifteen Million Merits
First Aired : 11.12.2011 (UK)
Director : Euros Lyn
Writing credits : Charlie Brooker, Konnie Huq
Cast : Daniel Kaluuya (Bing), Jessica Brown Findlay (Abi), Paul Popplewell (Dustin), Rupert Everett (Judge Hope), Julia Davis (Judge Charity), Ashley Thomas (Judge Wraith), Isabella Laughland (Swift), David Fynn (Oliver), Colin Michael Carmichael (Kai), Hannah John-Kamen (Selma Telse), Kerrie Hayes (Glee), Eugene O'Hare (Hammond), Jaimi Barbakoff (Anna), Matthew Burgess (Botherguts Host), Laura Power (Interviewer), Matt Stokoe (Guard), Chloe Driver (Cleaner), Alan Lambie (Rude Dancer), Bryony Neylan-Francis (Sex Worker)

The Story : Set in a dystopian, sarcastic version of the future, in which everyone is compelled to live a life of physical drudgery, and the only real means of escape is by entering a kind of talent show, of a type which may seem familiar to visitors...

Original title : The Entire History of You
First Aired : 18.12.2011 (UK)
Director : Brian Welsh
Writing credits : Jesse Armstrong
Cast : Toby Kebbell (Liam), Tom Cullen (Jonas), Jodie Whittaker (Ffion), Amy Beth Hayes (Lucy), Rebekah Staton (Colleen), Rhashan Stone (Jeff), Phoebe Fox (Hallam), Jimi Mistry (Paul), Daniel Lapaine (Max), Karl Collins (Robbie), Elizabeth Chan (Leah), Mona Goodwin (Gina), Kemal Sylvester (Airport Security Guard), Bryony Neylan-Francis (Sex Worker)

The Story : You know when you have an argument, and everyone's fantasised about being able to rewind and go, ‘Here's what you said earlier,' or ‘Look how you embarrassed me' or what have you? Well, this is set in a world where everybody has got the ability to do that--you've got the equivalent of Sky+ for your head, so that you can rewind and replay your visual feed...