Over the last few years, Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror series has become one of the most looked forward to shows on Netflix. Using science fiction tropes to reflect the state of the world and society in which we live, audiences often cannot wait to see how Black Mirror deals with the various goings-on around the globe. That is until there is something really, very serious happening, such as the current situation we all find ourselves in, which has left Brooker thinking that perhaps now is not the time for more existential dread.

"I've been busy doing things. I don't know what I can say about what I'm doing and not doing. At the moment, I don't know what stomach there would be for stories about societies falling apart, so I'm not working away on one of those ['Black Mirror' episodes]. I'm sort of keen to revisit my comic skill set, so I've been writing scripts aimed at making myself laugh."

So, Brooker does not feel that people need reminding about societies falling apart, and honestly, he's probably right. People need escapism right now, and that is not really what Black Mirror is all about. Black Mirror is more about taking a long hard look at yourself and the world around you until you feel yourself become entombed in a cloud of darkness that only an episode of a silly sitcom can alleviate. Clearly, the mind behind the anthology smash hit is correct in thinking that that is not really what everyone is looking for right now, and has instead made the decision to go back to his comedic roots.

For those who have yet to discover it, Black Mirror is a Netflix anthology series that revolves around a group of people's personal lives and how technology manipulates their behavior. The first season consisted of three episodes the first of which was entitled The National Anthem. The episode begins when a member of the British royal family is kidnapped, with the kidnapper declaring that they will only be released if the British prime minister Michael Callow (Rory Kinnear) has sexual intercourse with a pig on live television. That summary should let you know what you're in for. The series brings in various different writers alongside Brooker including Konnie Huq, Jesse Armstrong, Rashida Jones, and Michael Schur.

The most recent run of Black Mirror episodes was released onto Netflix back in June 2019 and featured high profile actors like Miley Cyrus and Anthony Mackie. The fifth season's June release date actually makes it eligible for the upcoming 2020 Emmys, so even though we might not be getting any new episodes any time soon, expect to see the series' name crop up when the award season comes around. Black Mirror has won the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie for three years in a row thanks to standout episodes such as San Junipero, USS Callister, and the recent Bandersnatch, an interactive feature-length episode that followed the release of season five and starred Fionn Whitehead and Will Poulter.

The BBC recently confirmed that Brooker is returning to our screens with an Antiviral Wipe special on Thursday 14th May. All episodes of Black Mirror are now streaming on Netflix. This comes to us from Radio Time.