Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has revealed he was once approached to write for the iconic BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who — but had to turn down the opportunity due to his busy schedule.
Speaking on The News Agents podcast, the 54-year-old writer and satirist also said he would be open to writing for Star Trek in the future, despite admitting limited familiarity with the franchise.
When asked by hosts Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall if he would consider a project related to Star Trek, Brooker replied: “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.”
He went on to reveal that he had previously been asked to contribute to Doctor Who, saying: “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.”
Brooker explained that writing for another major franchise would present a different set of challenges compared to creating Black Mirror. “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,” he said. “But with doing Black Mirror, you’ve got control, and when you wander into somebody else’s show you’re trying to please them.”
The news comes as Black Mirror returned to Netflix for its highly anticipated seventh season earlier this month. The latest episodes explore themes including “mind-expanding” technology, violent video games, and the ever-growing influence of artificial intelligence. The new series also features a follow-up to the much-loved USS Callister episode, a fan-favourite from season four that itself paid homage to classic space-faring adventures.
During his interview, Brooker confirmed that he would like to continue producing new episodes of Black Mirror, though he admitted the future of the show would depend largely on audience appetite. “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,” he said.
He added: “You don’t find any of these things out — like 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 originally launched on Channel 4 in 2011, with two critically acclaimed series and a Christmas special starring Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm. In 2016, Netflix picked up the show, offering a bigger budget and a wider global audience. Since then, Black Mirror has attracted an array of high-profile stars including Jurassic World’s Bryce Dallas Howard, pop icon Miley Cyrus, and Black Panther actress Letitia Wright.
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Praised for its darkly satirical exploration of modern society and technology, the anthology series has cemented Brooker’s reputation as one of Britain’s most distinctive television voices. Each standalone episode serves as a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences of innovation, often leaving audiences reflecting uneasily on the direction of contemporary life.
Despite his success with Black Mirror, Brooker has previously explored other formats, including interactive storytelling. The 2018 film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch allowed viewers to make decisions that shaped the story’s outcome, earning both critical acclaim and an Emmy Award.
Fans of both Doctor Who and Star Trek may now wonder what a Charlie Brooker-penned episode could look like — sharp, satirical, and unsettlingly plausible. For now, though, Brooker seems content continuing to craft his own dystopian visions on his own terms.
The full interview with Charlie Brooker is available on The News Agents podcast via Global Player.
