Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker says he was asked to write for Doctor Who

By Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Entertainment Reporter

Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has revealed he was once asked to write for BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who.

The 54-year-old also said he would consider writing for a Star Trek project while speaking on The News Agents podcast.

Asked about the possibility of working on something related to Star Trek, Brooker said: “That would be an interesting one wouldn’t it? I’ve never seen the Next Generation, I’ve only seen the original series when I was a kid.

“I was sort of asked about Doctor Who once, I wasn’t asked to run it, I was asked to write for it, and it felt a bit like the Home Office asking you to do something, like it was my national duty, but I just didn’t have time because I was busy.

“So, if a big behemoth like Star Trek asked me to write for them, you’d at least take that call, wouldn’t you, you’d consider it.

“But with doing Black Mirror, you’ve got control and when you wander into somebody else’s show you’re trying to please them.”

It comes after Brooker’s dystopian Black Mirror series returned to Netflix for its seventh season earlier this month, which features episodes about “mind expanding” technology, violent video games and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as a follow-up to the show’s popular USS Callister episode.

During his interview with The News Agents presenters Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall, the writer went on to say he wished to continue making new episodes of the show.

He added: “I’d love to continue doing it, so it slightly depends on whether people want to keep watching it, that is probably what it boils down to.

“You don’t find any of these things out (if a new series has been commissioned) until the dust settles.

“There is one idea I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years and now I’m worried it will look old-fashioned.”

Black Mirror began on Channel 4 in 2011, where it remained for two series, before being picked up by Netflix in 2016, where it has remained.

Previous series have seen starring roles from Mad Men actor Jon Hamm, Jurassic World actress Bryce Dallas Howard, pop star Miley Cyrus and Black Panther star Letitia Wright.

Brooker’s full interview can be heard on The News Agents podcast on Global Player.