In a long-running series, it’s rare to be able to vividly recall each episode; so often, they bleed into one another in a bingeable blur. That’s never the case with Black Mirror.

Created by Charlie Brooker, the Emmy award-winning anthology series charts the best and worst of humanity through a variety of genres, styles and palettes, and all 28 episodes can be watched in any order.

Each episode is crafted as a standalone story that explores a new and potentially world-shattering form of technology that radically alters the way that people interact with each other and the world around them.

From psychological thrillers and futuristic dystopias to life-affirming love stories, Black Mirror has something for everyone. If you haven’t found the right fit yet, maybe you haven’t found the right episode?

With such a rich archive to choose from and season seven fast approaching, here are the best 10 episodes of Black Mirror to date (in my humble opinion, at least) – all of which are packed with thought-provoking tales, warnings and a star-studded cast. 

Though this black-and-white episode technically has a short run-time, 40 minutes has never felt so long.

Maxine Peake fronts this tense post-apocalyptic tale as a lone survivor fighting for her life, as she’s hunted by a killer drone known as the ‘dog’. It will stop at nothing to annihilate all humankind, and so ensues a classic battle of woman v machine.

It’s got everything: action, thrills and even some stunning slow-motion shots too. An underrated epic, in many ways. 

If you missed Bandersnatch, Black Mirror’s standalone episode, back in 2018, then welcome to the one and only interactive episode of the show that has five different endings. 

Follow Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead), a programmer who is designing a video game where the player’s choices determine the ending (much like your own). It was a revolutionary idea back in the 1980s, which is when this time capsule of an episode is set. 

It’s gaming meets great TV, all wrapped up in a feature-length film. Sure, it might require a few rewatches to see all the possible outcomes, and you definitely can’t be scrolling on your phone for this one, but for Netflix’s first foray into interactive TV, it’s one not to miss. 

There is truly nothing that Jesse Plemons cannot do, including starring in a Star Trek-style spoof as the seemingly adored Captain Robert Daly of the USS Callister.

Sci-fi fans will appreciate this genre-bending episode that exposes a grim side to the seemingly dashing hero of the tale. After all, real life doesn’t play out like a 90s series, and even in this fictional reality, Daly can’t escape his own worst qualities.

The adventures, though jolly and vibrant, expose a power play for attention and affection that culminates in a satisfyingly dark ending. 

Looking for a high-tech whodunnit with a frighteningly futuristic twist? 

The season three finale is a haunting one, as a series of mysterious deaths wipe out people who have recently been ‘cancelled’ on social media.

Two detectives try to uncover the truth behind this sinister plot, and the familiar tropes of a great murder mystery are thrown in for good measure. 

Without spoiling the twist for first-time viewers, it involves a government plot, the extinction of bees (stay with us on this) and progressive technology being hijacked. It’s Black Mirror at its finest. 

Have you ever wanted to freeze a moment in time to be able to picture that memory perfectly in the future and replay it in your mind? Well, you might not want to after watching The Entire History Of You.

In a future crafted by Jesse Armstrong, total recall of your memories is made possible. It introduces a world where an implant records every moment of a person’s life for them to play back whenever they’d like and to whoever they’d like.

Liam (Toby Kebbell) attempts to use this power to scour his memory to see if he can find evidence that his wife (Jodie Whittaker) is cheating on him.

It’s a memorable episode (all puns intended) and the relatable concept alone makes it worthy of a spot on this list. 

Swiping through the apps and lapping up dating reality shows has us questioning what real love is and if we’ll ever find it online. Hang The DJ takes those ‘matches’ one step further.

We see Frank (Joe Cole) and Amy (Georgina Campbell) match on an app, Coach – for a set amount of hours – before they part and have to endure a string of other tepid dates. Some last for weeks, others months. All of which is decided by the app’s algorithm.

But something always draws them back to each other, which makes them wonder if the system has got it wrong. What if they are meant to be together? Throw in a nice twist at the end that feeds on our general distrust of technology, and you’ve got some great TV.

Side note: if you enjoyed San Junipero (see below), then this episode is for you. 

Social media can sometimes feel toxic even outside of a dystopian world, so imagine if every social interaction you made was rated on an app? That’s the premise of Nosedive.

This one isn’t for the faint-hearted. Certain to spike some social anxiety, Michael Schur and Rashida Jones have crafted a cultural examination of influencer culture and our relationship to social media through Lacie’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) story. 

When Lacie is asked to be her childhood friend’s maid of honour, she sees it as an opportunity to capitalise on her friend’s popularity to increase her own social status. Cue several warnings about taking validation from the internet. 

To this day, I cannot forget the scarring details of this, the first episode of Black Mirror.

Brooker kick-started the dystopian series of the century with a political satire where a member of the British royal family has been taken hostage and the kidnappers have demanded that the prime minister have sex with a pig… on live TV. If there’s no video, there’s no release. 

What better way to start the exploration of the flawed systems we find ourselves in than this messed-up conundrum? It’s still one of the best episodes to date. 

Set to the backdrop of 80s bangers, it’s a life-affirming tale that celebrates the best of what life has to offer: love, connection, redemption and hope. 

It follows polar opposites Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) and Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) through various decades in the seaside resort of San Junipero. 

There’s a surprising twist in this seemingly fleeting fling between two strangers, and it’s an ode to finding love in unexpected places and times. Beautifully crafted, acted and executed, it’s one that will stick with you long after it finishes. 

Get the tissues ready for this one. From start to finish, this episode is a beautiful, heartbreaking look at the lengths we’d go to to spend longer with the ones we’ve loved and lost. 

Shortly after moving in together, Ash (Domhnall Gleeson) dies in a car accident, leaving his girlfriend Martha (Hayley Atwell) completely devastated. Desperate for more time with Ash, Martha utilises a new technology to create an AI version of her husband from his online presence. 

Be Right Back might have come out in 2013, but its profound examination of whether our sense of self can ever be captured, truthfully, in digital form feels more relevant than ever. Can AI ever recreate a human personality? Can technology ever soothe the unyielding weight of grief? It contemplates big questions and packages them in a way that makes this episode hard to forget. 

Images: Netflix