Hi there.

Have you watched Black Mirror: Bandersnatch yet?

If you said ‘yes’, then you’ll know that Bandersnatch is an interactive episode of Black Mirror which has just arrived on Netflix. The feature-length tale adopts a ‘choose your own adventure’-style narrative, whereby you (yes, YOU) can determine the course of the story through a series of on-screen options.

If you said ‘no’, then you’re missing out on an interactive episode of Black Mirror which is currently sat waiting for you on Netflix. The feature-length episode… yadda, yadda, yadda… is creepy, kind of insane, but also extremely inventive.

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What is Bandersnatch?

As well as being the title of this episode, Bandersnatch is the title of a computer game featured within the story. The central character, Stefan Butler, is developing a new text-based game, which becomes the subject of the story.

Over the course of the episode, viewers follow Stefan’s journey as he attempts to take the game from initial concept to a fully fledged product. Along the way, Stefan encounters a series of problems (that’s putting it mildly) which hinder the game’s development in very dramatic ways.

There’s a lot more to it, but I really don’t want to spoil anything. Just know this: Bandersnatch is something you’ll want to watch.

Where can I watch Bandersnatch?

Bandersnatch is EXCLUSIVE to Netflix and due to the interactive elements it must be watched on the streaming platform. Putting it bluntly, if you try to watch it on a dodgy website you’ll be unable to interact with the story, making the whole thing pretty pointless.

If you’re still not quite sure what Bandersnatch is, here’s the trailer…

If you have already watched the episode, what options did you pick? Let me know in the comments section below.

By all accounts there are many, many different outcomes depending on the choices you make – although I’m not sure all the choices are significant (Frosties or Sugar Puffs etc). My husband and ran into a few dead ends along the way, but some of these problems could have easily been avoided if I wasn’t so trigger happy with the remote.

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For those who haven’t watched the episode yet, free up a couple of hours and give it a go; not only is the episode a nostalgic trip back to the 1980s, it is also incredibly involving. Sure, it’s a little gimmicky, but it’s just another example of how creative Black Mirror can be.

Speaking of which, earlier today I posted a rundown of ten great episodes of Black Mirror. Bandersnatch wasn’t on that list, but the list contains ten other fantastic episodes of the show you SHOULD watch when you’re done with this one.

Read more:

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