Since 2011, Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror has been entertaining us with unforgettable, often unnerving sci-fi dystopias. Now back for its seventh run, the Netflix anthology series is treading scarily close to reality, delving into topical concepts like AI-generated filmmaking and subscription-based, ad-revenue-driven healthcare.
Starring Issa Rae, Paul Giamatti, Cristin Milioti and many others, the new season delivers all the usual sleek sci-fi storytelling and retro-futuristic aesthetics. Brace yourself for another surreal, mind-bending journey into the Brooker’s The Twilight Zone.
What is Black Mirror season 7 about?
The new season pays several nods to previous episodes, building some sort of shared universe. For instance, episode 4 (titled Plaything) follows Peter Capaldi’s ageing gamer who has past connections with Bandersnatch – the 2018 standalone interactive film that allowed audiences to choose multiple endings. Similarly, the season finale USS Callister: Into Infinity acts as a direct sequel to the season 4’s USS Callister.
This season is also heavy on the human side of technology with the moving opener Common People. The episode follows a married couple struggling with finances as they face a healthcare tech plan that keeps on rolling out more and more premium features, each update followed by a higher subscription fee. Then there’s the Severance-style workplace dramedy Bête Noire which has a chocolate company executive’s life turning upside down as the reality around her starts distorting. Episode 5, Eulogy, is more hard-hitting with a man revisiting his past by literally stepping into photographs.
There are echoes of fan-favourite episode San Junipero in the third episode – Hotel Reverie – as an A-lister actress gets the opportunity to act in a black-and-white Hollywood classic. The catch? She’s thrown inside the film through AI-assisted methods, communicating with the Golden Age characters in real-time. Think of it as a reverse Truman Show.
Where was Black Mirror season 7 filmed?
As with most of Black Mirror, the majority of season 7 was filmed in England – mainly London, Kent and Buckinghamshire. The season opener Common People, filmed in Canada, is the exception…
Vancouver, British Columbia
In Common People, Vancouver was used as the workplace for both episode leads Mike (Chris O’Dowd) and Amanda (Rashida Jones). Mike can be seen working a construction job at North Vancouver’s Allied Shipyards, while Amanda is a school teacher at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Elementary.
Coquitlam, Canada
Despite their professional and financial tussles, Mike and Amanda make time for an anniversary visit to their favourite haunt, Juniper Inn. Coquitlam’s Swiss Canadian Mountain Range Association doubles as the inn in the episode.
Bath Road, Slough
Bête Noire was mostly filmed in Slough. The office of Savorita, an international chocolate company where the lead character Maria (Siena Kelly) works as a top executive, was shot here.
Finchampstead, Wokingham
While Maria’s flat is decent enough, her former classmate-turned-co-worker Verity (Rosy McEwen) lives in a palatial gated mansion known as Woolcombe Manor. The fictional manor is an actual property at Finchampstead, a parish in the Borough of Wokingham.
Kingston upon Thames, London
The third episode Hotel Reverie is the most stylish chapter in the season. While the episode’s hotel is based in Cairo in a Casablanca-style vintage film, Kingston upon Thames provided the locales for the hotel rooms and reception. The interiors are furnished lavishly to match the setting of a black-and-white period piece as Brandy Friday (Issa Rae) tries to woo yesteryear actress Dorothy (Emma Corrin).
Chenies Manor, Hertfordshire
Another fancy location in Hotel Reverie is Chenies Manor, which features in an exterior shot. A Tudor country house dating back to the 15th century, Chenies has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including Enola Holmes, Killing Eve and The Crown.
Thamesmead, London
South east London’s Thamesmead is the Brutalist backdrop to Peter Capaldi episode Plaything. One scene finds him walking past a Bazalgette Way underpass.
Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum, London
The life of Capaldi’s ageing game takes a turn when he gets addicted to a life-simulation video game and psychedelics. A drug-fuelled tube ride was filmed in one of the 1967 Victoria Line carriages at the Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum. The retro carriage is available for hire, and also hosts dinners.
Epping Forest, Snaresbrook Road, London
When Capaldi’s character hides some evidence in the woods, he’s actually in Epping Forest, 2,400 hectares of woodland on the outskirts of London and Essex.
Heinz Headquarters, Hayes Park, London
You’ll find the Tuckersoft building in the old Heinz building in west London. Inaugurated in 1962 and designed by American architect Gordon Bunshaft, its haunting aura is perfect for establishing exterior shots of the Tuckersoft office. Tuckersoft will need a new HQ, however: the site is currently being converted into a residential complex.
Beacon House, Whitstable
In Eulogy, it’s implied that ageing loner Phillip (Paul Giamatti) lives in the US. In reality, you’ll find his home in the pretty Kentish town of Whitstable. The wooden clapboard abode, Beacon House, is on Tankerton Beach and you can rent it for a weekend by the sea with a sci-fi twist.
Herne Bay Pier, Kent
As Phillip steps into the photographs from his past, on them takes him to a pier in Massachusetts’s Cape Cod. That memory is replicated at Herne Bay Pier, a tourist attraction in Kent.
The Shacklewell Arms, London
One of London’s most beloved live music venues, east London’s Shacklewell Arms cameos in Eulogy. Looking back at a photo from 1991, Phillip recollects the time when his band played an underground gig (shortly before splitting up, like all great bands do).
The Victoria, London
The Queensridge Road pub appears in one of the several photographed scenarios in Eulogy. Renamed The Undervault, the pub is the setting of an eventful Halloween party where tensions between Phillip and Carol start to show.
1 Lombard Street Brasserie & Restaurant, London
Phillip and Carol’s strained relationship finally breaks down at a tense dinner. This culinary tragedy plays out at 1 Lombard Street, an elegant brasserie in the City of London.
Sheraton Hotel, Heathrow
The episode pivots on the revelation of a long-ago romantic rendezvous. The sequence takes place at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel near Heathrow Airport.
West London Crematorium, Kensal Green Cemetery
True to its name, Eulogy ends on a funeral. A teary Phillip attends the service at this London crematorium.
Primrose Street, London
Season finale USS Callister: Into Infinity is a direct sequel to season 4’s USS Callister. Primrose Street was used for the exteriors of video game giant Callister Inc.’s offices.
Black Park, Buckinghamshire
While USS Callister shifted between the human offices and the eponymous spacecraft, the sequel takes the action to different planets inside the game. One of them is the densely forested Pixie Planet – actually Buckinghamshire’s Black Park.
Mynnd Parys, Wales
Like their Star Trek inspirations, the crew of the USS Callister journeys to distant planets. One of them was filmed at this suitably alien-looking copper mine in Wales. The mine’s rugged exterior was perfect for the episode’s other-worldly nature. In fact, Mynnd Parys dates back to the Early Bronze Age – making it more than 4000 years old.
Who stars in Black Mirror’s new season?
Black Mirror doesn’t hold back on A-list ensembles and season 7 is no exception. Chris O’Dowd and Rashida Jones star as married lovebirds in the first episode, reuniting after their 2014 romcom Cuban Fury. Elsewhere, Hotel Reverie is led by Issa Rae (Insecure) and Emma Corrin (The Crown) as actresses from different eras.
Eulogy is mostly a two-person affair, fronted by emotional performances by Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti and Spanish-British actress Patsy Ferran (Mickey 17). Peter Capaldi leads Plaything as a gaming genius gone rogue with cameos from Bandersnatch’s Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry.
USS Callister: Into Infinity also brings back faces from its prequel, from Cristin Milioti (The Penguin) to Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness).
Where can I watch Black Mirror season 7?
All six episodes are streaming on Netflix now. Watch the trailer below.
