15 Best British TV Shows Of The Decade

For fans of cynicism and the state of modern culture, Charlie Brooker has been a household name for a while now. He has at last ascended to the mainstream through Black Mirror, which he achieved using much the same technique of unerring bleakness, only with an increasingly whopping great budget behind it. Now one of the jewels in the Netflix crown, this technologically inspired anthology series has been creating some of the most debate-worthy TV of recent years.

Initially taking the form of a couple of limited runs on Channel 4, what looked destined to be forever a critically acclaimed cult hit has gone stratospheric, enticing big name talent on both sides of the camera, from Jon Hamm to Jodie Foster to - surprisingly - Miley Cyrus. Its ambition is limitless and its storytelling possibility is similarly uninhibited.

From a lavishly created Star Trek spoof to a grimy (and, allegedly, prescient) episode about the Prime Minister committing unspeakable acts with farm animals, Black Mirror runs the gamut from claustrophobic horror to classic sci fi. It even managed to fit in a genuinely heartwarming episode (San Junipero, an awe inspiring, tear jerking virtual reality love story). Brooker has transitioned from lacerating celebrity put downs to making some of the most thoughtful and creative TV going, and it’s a joy to see.

Naturally, when making anthology TV not every idea is going to work, and there are some duds in the mix, but it’s a small price to pay with a TV show that by its nature has a surprise waiting around every corner. They even made an interactive film, Bandersnatch, a throwback to Choose Your Own Adventure books brought to your telly in glorious gory detail. Black Mirror is a reminder of the boundless possibilities the medium allows.