The National Anthem
Black Mirror's 2011 series premiere, in which a kidnapper's demand puts the prime minister on live television.
"The National Anthem" is the first episode of Black Mirror. Charlie Brooker wrote it, Otto Bathurst directed, and Channel 4 first broadcast it on 4 December 2011.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Black Mirror
- Writer
- Charlie Brooker
- Director
- Otto Bathurst
- Photographer
- Jake Polonsky
- Editor
- Chris Barwell
- Length
- 44 minutes
- Air date
- 4 December 2011
Lore & Background
A member of the royal family is kidnapped, and the kidnapper will free her only if prime minister Michael Callow, played by Rory Kinnear, has sex with a pig on live television. The episode follows the government's hunt for the kidnapper, the rolling news coverage and the public's reaction. Brooker had carried the idea for years; an early version had the broadcaster Terry Wogan in the prime minister's place.
More in Episodes & Arcs
Elsewhere in Black Mirror
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced