"Basically, it’s about a Prime Minister who has to have sex with a pig."
That’s how most people describe the Black Mirror 1st episode, titled "The National Anthem." It’s a brutal, blunt elevator pitch that usually ends with a friend looking at you like you’ve lost your mind. But if you think the episode is just about shock value or "PigGate," you’ve kinda missed the point entirely.
Honestly, it’s not even a sci-fi story.
When it first aired on Channel 4 back in December 2011, audiences weren't prepared for what Charlie Brooker was about to do to them. Most of the series now is known for grains in people's heads or digital clones trapped in Christmas cookies, but the pilot? It was grounded. It was sweaty. It felt like it could happen on a Tuesday.
The Ransom That Broke the Internet
The setup is deceptively simple. Princess Susannah, a beloved "People's Princess" figure (played by Lydia Wilson), is kidnapped. The ransom isn't money. It isn't political prisoners. It’s a demand that Prime Minister Michael Callow (Rory Kinnear) perform a "full unsimulated" sexual act with a sow on live television.
The kidnapper, an artist named Carlton Bloom, isn't looking for a payday. He’s looking for a spectacle.
✨ Don't miss: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
What makes the Black Mirror 1st episode so stressful isn't the act itself—it’s the clock. Brooker writes this like a twisted version of 24. You’ve got the government frantically trying to find a loophole. They try to use a body double with a green-screened head (the "Rod Senseless" plan), but Twitter ruins it. Someone snaps a photo of the porn star at the studio, posts it, and the kidnapper responds by sending what appears to be the Princess’s severed finger.
The shift in public opinion is the real horror here.
At first, everyone is on Callow’s side. They think the demand is insane. But as the hours tick by and the media frenzy builds, the "bovine populace"—as Brooker has called them—start to demand he do it. They want the princess saved, sure, but mostly? They want to see if he’ll actually do it.
Why "The National Anthem" Still Matters
Most people focus on the pig. They shouldn't. The real punch to the gut happens in the final ten minutes.
Here’s the detail that most viewers forget: Princess Susannah was released 30 minutes before the broadcast even started.
🔗 Read more: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
She was left on the Millennium Bridge, walking around in a daze. Nobody noticed. Why? Because every single person in the country was glued to their screens, waiting for the Prime Minister’s humiliation. The streets were deserted. It’s a literal manifestation of the title; the "National Anthem" is the sound of a country coming together for all the wrong reasons.
The Real-World "PigGate" Coincidence
We have to talk about David Cameron. In 2015, four years after the Black Mirror 1st episode aired, allegations surfaced in an unauthorized biography that the then-UK Prime Minister had performed a similar "initiation rite" with a dead pig during his university days.
Charlie Brooker’s reaction? He was genuinely freaked out.
"I did genuinely for a moment wonder if reality was a simulation," Brooker told The Guardian.
He hadn't heard any rumors. He didn't have inside info. He just picked the most humiliating, "straddling the line between comic and horrifying" thing he could think of. The fact that reality caught up to his fiction is probably the most Black Mirror thing to ever happen.
💡 You might also like: Is Lincoln Lawyer Coming Back? Mickey Haller's Next Move Explained
A Technical Masterclass in Discomfort
Director Otto Bathurst didn't play this for laughs. That’s why it works. If it felt like a sketch, the ending wouldn't hurt so much.
- Rory Kinnear’s Performance: He plays Callow with a mounting, quiet desperation. You see the toll it takes on his marriage to Jane. By the time he’s in that room with the pig, he isn't a politician anymore; he’s a broken man.
- The Sound Design: There’s a specific, nauseating hum played during the broadcast to discourage people from watching. It doesn't work.
- The Epilogue: One year later, Callow’s approval ratings are up. He’s "won" politically. But behind closed doors, his wife won't even look at him. He traded his soul for a poll jump.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Viewer
If you’re revisiting the Black Mirror 1st episode or watching it for the first time, look past the "gross-out" factor. It’s a critique of us, the audience. We are the ones in the pubs holding our breath.
Watch for the media’s role: Notice how the news networks (like the fictional UKN) start by being respectful and end up being the primary drivers of the chaos. It’s a direct commentary on how 24-hour news cycles need "the event" to survive.
The Artist’s Intent: Carlton Bloom hanging himself during the broadcast is his final "statement." He died to prove that we’d rather watch a man suffer than look out the window and see the person we were supposed to be saving.
Don't just watch it for the shock. Pay attention to the silence in the room after the broadcast ends. That silence is the point.
The best way to experience the legacy of this episode is to follow it up with "15 Million Merits" immediately. You’ll see how Brooker moves from the literal screens of today to the digital prisons of the future. The transition is jarring, but it shows the range the series was aiming for from day one.