Shut Up and Dance 

When withdrawn Kenny stumbles headlong into an online trap, he is quickly forced into an uneasy alliance with shifty Hector, both at the mercy of persons unknown.

Director:

James Watkins

Writers:

William Bridges (as Will Bridges), Charlie Brooker

Stars:

Alex Lawther, Jerome Flynn, Susannah Doyle

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Alex Lawther	...	Kenny
Jerome Flynn	...	Hector
Susannah Doyle	...	Blackmailed Woman
Frankie Wilson	...	Tom
Jimmy Roye-Dunne	...	Red
Hannah Steele	...	Melissa
Sarah Beck Mather	...	Restaurant Mother
Beatrice Robertson-Jones	...	Restaurant Daughter
Maya Gerber	...	Lindsay
Camilla Power	...	Sandra
Ivanno Jeremiah	...	Moped Man
Mariam Haque	...	Petrol Station Attendant
Natasha Little	...	Karen
Nicola Sloane	...	Bank Clerk
Paul Bazely	...	The Man in the Woods

Storyline

When withdrawn Kenny stumbles headlong into an online trap, he is quickly forced into an uneasy alliance with shifty Hector, both at the mercy of persons unknown.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to kevin bacon | toy | hacked computer camera | speeding | bicycle riding | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlie Brooker stated in an interview that this episode went through many different versions, some not including the final twist and some with Hector being the one to harbour a dark secret.

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Goofs

While cycling to the multi-storey car park, Kenny receives a text that reads "DON'T BE LATE. YOU HAVE 90 SECONDS". When he arrives and texts "I'm here", the preceding text now simply says "DON'T BE LATE".

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Quotes

Kenny: [sobbing] They filmed me.
Hector: Filmed you...
Kenny: Through my computer camera.
Hector: What, like, filmed you?
Kenny: Yeah, like, you know, doing it.
Hector: Like sex?
Kenny: No. Like, you... you know.
Hector: Jerking off. Jerking off to porn or something? Well, everyone does that. The fucking pope probably does that.

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Connections

References Black Mirror: Fifteen Million Merits (2011)

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Soundtracks

Exit Music (for a Film)
Written by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, Phil Selway
Performed by Radiohead

User Reviews

Heart breaking

It's unfair to give this episode less than 10, I also give the whole crew of actors a full mark as it's probably the best show episode I've ever seen in my life. It broke my heart in a way that showed me how life can become a horrible place in one day and how a cyber blackmail can turn your life upside down. Some reviewers say this episode lacks the purpose but to me it was more than enough to get the point behind it at the ending scene. Cyber blackmailing is an important issue these days because it can happen to anybody as we all do wrong sometimes but we should be aware that these kind of people prey on fearful victims and we should open our eyes, take the proper precautions and not do what they say because you cannot guarantee they won't publish what they are blackmailing. You can never trust a person who is blackmailing you, a strong statement behind this episode.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shut Up and Dance

Filming Locations:

Wittenham Clumps, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

House Of Tomorrow

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.90 : 1