An average woman is stunned to discover a global streaming platform has launched a prestige TV drama adaptation of her life – in which she is portrayed by Hollywood A-lister Salma Hayek.

Charlie Brooker opens the new season of Black Mirror with a sly look at streaming TV, content creation and the T&Cs we all sign up to without actually reading them. It’s not so much a cautionary tale as a fun ‘What if…’, borrowing a few ideas from The Truman Show and throwing in contemporary tech fears. It’s also very funny.

Annie Murphy (Schist’s Creek) is Joan, who discovers that her life has been turned into a computer-generated show called Joan is Awful, starring Salma Hayek. Her life falls apart around her and she decides to take control of her life by fighting back. Brooker is clearly biting the hand that feeds, and while the streaming service isn’t called Netflix, we know what he’s doing!

Verdict: A strong start to the season that poses a few tech-specific questions that are certainly very relevant. 8/10

Nick Joy