Black Mirror needs to die. After six years, 19 episodes and two broadcasters, it's time for Charlie Brooker's tech-centric anthology series to call it a day.
Now, let's be clear, this is not some anti-Black Mirror hate rant. We've loved the show since it first exploded onto our screens in 2011, with a tale of a Prime Minister forced to get jiggy with a piggy, and we continue to do so – the taut terror of 'Metalhead' and twisted romcom 'Hang the DJ' were particular highlights of its latest fourth season.
Brooker is far from exhausted creatively, and while retiring gracefully before the show strays too far into repetition and self-parody wouldn't be the worst idea (the show *is* getting easy to spoof), we're not suggesting that Black Mirror has already gone off the boil.
No, our reasoning is this: it's obvious that writing and producing Black Mirror is taking up the majority of Brooker's time. This year just gone, he even had to abandon his annual Wipe show – in which he casts a caustic eye over the events of the past 12 months – admitting that he'd simply "ran out of road".
This galling news came after the earlier announcement, back in January 2016, that Brooker would no longer be producing Wipe as a regular series, opting instead for one special a year. This year, he couldn't even commit to that.
If Black Mirror were to go out on a high, it might mean we get Wipe back. But more than that, it would also gift Brooker more time to devote to new projects. The big reason we want Black Mirror to end is because we so desperately want to see what else he has in him.
It's with his anthology show that Brooker's arguably achieved the greatest critical success, notably winning a handful of Emmys for season three standout 'San Junipero'. But take a quick look at his previous writing credits and it's clear he was no slouch before Black Mirror came along.
In 2005, he and Chris Morris co-wrote Nathan Barley – a sitcom based on a character Brooker had originated on his TVGoHome website, which featured fake, outrageous television listings. 13 years later and the show's brutal dissection of hipster culture feels scarily prophetic.
Brooker's first solo writing credit came three years later with the E4 series Dead Set. Quite clearly a precursor to Black Mirror in how it fused his passions for both horror and satire, this darkly comic drama saw the Big Brother house invaded by the undead and was nominated for a BAFTA in 2009.
Then, in 2012, he returned his attention to comedy with A Touch of Cloth, a glorious dismantling of cop-show clichés. Playing like Police Squad! for the '00s, the gag hit rate was absolutely phenomenal.
We love Black Mirror, but after four series, we're super curious about what else Brooker's got in the tank. What's his next big idea? What's the next Black Mirror?
Or... how about Charlie bringing his very particular vision to an established favourite? "I was approached for Doctor Who and I just didn't have time," he told The Independent in 2016. "It was really annoying. I was really busy and they haven't asked me again since."
Way back when Black Mirror launched in 2011, Brooker had voiced his desire to one day type the words "Int. TARDIS", in an interview with Digital Spy.
"If Doctor Who approached you, that's something you'd have to consider, isn't it? That's like getting an invitation to a particular party. That's an interesting one, in that part of the appeal of Doctor Who is that it's so different each week.
"There's a lot of ideas that go on in it, and the scenario changes, so there's a lot of room for creating things within it."
There's no reason either why Brooker should be limited to television. What might his first feature film look like? And we'd absolutely pick up his debut novel.
Black Mirror has been fantastic. But maybe it's time to explore new horizons. Because, while the future he portrays is often unremittingly bleak, a future with Brooker let loose would be an incredibly exciting and bright one for his fans.
