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Christmas-adjacent · 2014

Black Mirror: White Christmas

26/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 26 ↓
UK certificate 1573 min · TV special
Drama · Thriller

The bleakest thing we cover, and one of the cleverest.

On Netflix · UK subscription →
Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 10 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

A different kind of Christmas.

Two paper elves inspect a miniature teal kitchen with a table set for two, a snow globe and a frosted window on their workbench.

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas is only the occasion.10/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for about half.10/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details2 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.3/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: not at all.0/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

9/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Cold or hostile in tone. Grim. A bleak ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked

Netflix

Included with a subscription
In the catalogue

Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Availability data by JustWatch.

The story

About Black Mirror: White Christmas

On Christmas Day, in a remote snowbound outpost, two men who have shared the place for years without really talking finally swap stories about how they ended up there. Their three linked tales, about eye implants that let strangers watch and block you and about digital copies of people's minds, grow steadily darker. The last story turns the whole evening inside out, and the festive setting only makes the chill worse.

The CineClaus verdict

The bleakest thing we cover, and one of the cleverest.

A pair of men in a snowed-in outpost trade stories on Christmas Day, and Charlie Brooker threads them together so tightly that the final turn makes you replay everything before it. Jon Hamm is superbly slippery and Rafe Spall matches him.

The season is used as a weapon, not a comfort, which is the point, and also the problem if you came for cheer. Keep it for the dead days after Boxing Day, when you want something to chew on besides another chocolate.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

15

Our take: rated 15 for strong language. Psychological cruelty, a killing, the death of a child and an ending with no comfort in it make this one for older teenagers and adults who can handle something properly unsettling.

BBFC advice: Strong language.

Content advice & accessibility
Where the advice comes from
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
Our age guidance
Editorial, separate from the official 15 certificate, and never looser than it.
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
Close portrait of a smiling man with swept-back dark hair, wearing a houndstooth waistcoat and tie, in front of a red curtain.Jon Hammas Matt Trent
Head and shoulders photograph of a man with short brown hair and light stubble, in a black dinner jacket and bow tie at an evening event.Rafe Spall
Portrait of a smiling woman with dark hair in a bun and fringe, wearing a blue checked shirt, in front of a sponsor backdrop.Oona Chaplinas Greta
Portrait of a woman with long auburn hair and light eyes, wearing a red shirt and black leather jacket.Natalia Tenaas Jennifer
Close portrait of a dark-haired woman speaking at a panel microphone, hands raised to her neck, wearing a black top.Janet Montgomeryas Beth Grey

Behind the camera

Directed by
Carl Tibbetts
Original score
Jon Opstad
Writing & production credits
Writer
Charlie Brooker
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Jon Hamm · Dominick D · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Rafe Spall · Sean Reynolds from Liverpool, United Kingdom · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Oona Chaplin · enoxonique (Ruben Olmedo) · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Natalia Tena · Eva Rinaldi · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Janet Montgomery · Original: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / Derivative work: Danyele · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Keep the Christmas feeling

Music & soundtrack

That tune you recognised. That score you loved. Take a little of the film into the rest of your Christmas.

The original score album, track by track.

Behind the music. Jon Opstad composed the score.

About this music list

These are the songs and soundtrack we hold for the film, not a complete cue sheet, and they give no scene timings. Album track lists and durations come from MusicBrainz. Spotify and Apple Music links open the matched recordings; links marked Search open a search on that service. Album covers are each release's own, from the Cover Art Archive, credited under the cover.

Jon Opstad on Bandcamp ↗ (opens in a new tab) MusicBrainz release ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind Black Mirror: White Christmas. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapTwickenham Film Studios

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

Open larger map ↗ (OpenStreetMap, opens in a new tab)

Map shows the selected place. Drag to explore; use + and − to zoom.

Location sources

Twickenham Film Studios · Wikipedia (filming), citing Inside Black Mirror (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more Black Mirror: White Christmas

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

A cut scene was too bleak even for this episode

An early draft gave Greta a young son, and a scene where her digital copy watched the real Greta with the child. Charlie Brooker removed the child because the thread was so bleak it swamped everything else in the story.

Reveal the story · spoiler

Source: SlashFilm ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Movie magic

Why the name Greta

Brooker has said the lead character got her name as a small joke: there are two of her, and the pair share a single mind, so they think alike.

Reveal the story · spoiler

Source: SlashFilm ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

The Christmas in it
Snow on screen. Much of the story is a Christmas meal in a remote snowy outpost.
Releases and certificates
: First on TV. First shown on Channel 4 as a feature-length Christmas special.
On television
: Channel 4. First UK showing, as a Christmas special.
Past showings, not tonight’s listings.
Awards
Nominated: International Emmy Awards 2015, Best Performance by an Actor (Rafe Spall).
Nominated: RTS Craft & Design Awards 2015, Best Sound: Drama.
Nominated: Broadcast Awards 2016, Best Single Drama.
Nominated: RTS Television Awards 2016, Best Single Drama.
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

Good to know

Questions about Black Mirror: White Christmas

When did Black Mirror: White Christmas first air in the UK?

It first aired on Channel 4 on 16 December 2014, as a feature-length Christmas special.

Who wrote and directed Black Mirror: White Christmas?

Charlie Brooker wrote it and Carl Tibbetts directed it. Jon Hamm, Rafe Spall and Oona Chaplin lead the cast.

Who composed the music for Black Mirror: White Christmas?

Jon Opstad composed the score, which was released as an album on 18 December 2014.

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In this collection

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Black Mirror: White Christmas is in this collection

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Stay for another story.All collections · The Christmas Edit