Black Mirror
(2011– )
Prime Minister Michael Callow faces a shocking dilemma when Princess Susannah, a much-loved member of the Royal Family, is kidnapped.
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Title: The National Anthem (04 Dec 2011)
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Cast
| Episode cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Rory Kinnear | ... | Michael Callow | |
| Lindsay Duncan | ... | Alex Cairns | |
| Donald Sumpter | ... | Julian Hereford | |
| Tom Goodman-Hill | ... | Tom Bilce | |
| Anna Wilson-Jones | ... | Jane Callow | |
| Patrick Kennedy | ... | Section Chief Walker | |
| Alastair Mackenzie | ... | Martin | |
| Chetna Pandya | ... | Malaika | |
| Alex Macqueen | ... | Special Agent Callett (as Alex MacQueen) | |
| Jay Simpson | ... | Rod Senseless | |
 |
Helen Fospero | ... | Lucinda Towne |
| Lydia Wilson | ... | Princess Susannah | |
| Sophie Kennedy Clark | ... | Lauren | |
| Andrew Knott | ... | Brian | |
| Allen Leech | ... | Pike | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
In a run-up to Christmas the British Prime Minister Michael Callow is woken up and shown a disturbing video. On it he sees that people's princess Susannah of Beaumont has been abducted and will allegedly be murdered unless he has sex with a pig on live television. An effort to trace the kidnapper on a deserted campus proves to be in vain and Michael dismisses his aides' suggestion that a porn star perform the bestiality with the PM's face digitally superimposed. News coverage and Internet tweeters go into overdrive as Michael ultimately does his duty, in a deserted room with one camera man and a seemingly contented pig. Despite being ordered not to look, millions of people tune in though their amusement soon turns to horror at what they see. Written by don @ minifie-1
Plot Keywords:
bestiality | humiliation | performance artist | kidnapping | bare chested male |Certificate:
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Pike: We're not a chat room.
Jack: [entering] It's on CNN. And Fox. And MSNBC, Al Jazeera, NHK...
Pike: All right! Oh, God, this planet!
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Did You Know?
Trivia
There is a Downton Abbey (2010) mention. Allen Leech who plays Pike in this episode plays a main character (Tom Branson) in Downton Abbey (2010). See more »Goofs
In the opening scene, a telephone rings with the single tone used in North America; British phones ring with a double tone. See more »Quotes
Malaika: It's like 911's happened, and we're broadcasting sandwich recipes.Pike: We're not a chat room.
Jack: [entering] It's on CNN. And Fox. And MSNBC, Al Jazeera, NHK...
Pike: All right! Oh, God, this planet!
See more »
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 December 2011 (USA) See more »Filming Locations:
Chesham Broadway, Chesham, England, UKCompany Credits
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Well it's astonishing all the negative review. And yet they watched it all to the end. And that's what this episode is about. We humans feel drawn to the forbidden, the unspeakable. And this episode just showed that. It's not a masterpiece of filming. But the story catches the humane nature perfectly. What happens when you pass an accident? yea right...you don't look??? seriously? We all look and try to get a glimpse. We just can't help ourselves. We are a race with a high curiosity level.
So in that respect... it is an episode to look deep down in ourselves and find out if we can be honest with ourselves.