10 Horror TV Shows That Wasted Incredible Characters

Black Mirror has enjoyed five seasons of standalone episode success, rarely dipping anywhere beneath excellence, with guest stars from the entertainment world's highest reaches.

One of the show's rare flops came in the form of interactive, feature-length episode Bandersnatch, which centres around the creation of a fantasy videogame in 1984. Etymologically named after the creature from Lewis Carroll's 1871 novel Through The Looking-Glass, but more recently coined from the unreleased 1980s video game of the same name, it encourages the viewer to participate in the in-universe decision making process, altering the fate of the episode's central characters.

Though many derided Bandersnatch as a gimmick with a forgettable cast, Will Poulter's chain-smoking programmer Colin Ritman is a highlight. With bleach-blond hair and a pair of large, thin-rimmed specs, Poulter brings a quiet mastery to the role, never overselling the geek affectation. With his meta awareness of alternate timelines and realities playing into the episode's select-a-quest format, it also makes him a uniquely intriguing character. He just doesn't have an awful lot to do.

Rumours abound that Colin might return – if Black Mirror ever does – but, given that the character has amongst other things been beaten to a pulp and jumped to his death on acid, that will all depend on which Bandersnatch ending is canon.