Charlie Brooker is a television presenter, novelist, satirist, humorist, screenwriter, and director from England. He is best known as the creator of the extremely popular science fiction drama ‘Black Mirror’. He grew up fascinated with video games, and his passion for them drove him to drop out of college to work as a writer for PC Zone, a gaming magazine. Charlie’s career progressed over the next few years when he entered television as a satirist. He has also served as one of the four creative directors of the company ‘Zeppotron’ and with the leading English publication The Guardian. He has been a science fiction fan since he was a child, and he has always been fascinated by the ‘doomsday’ elements of global destruction. Later in his career, he was inspired to create ‘Dead Set,’ an apocalyptic zombie series. The limited series was nominated for a BAFTA for Outstanding Drama Serial. ‘Black Mirror,’ a science fiction anthology series, premiered on Channel 4 in December 2011 to rave acclaim. After two great seasons on television, Netflix renewed the series for a third, and the fourth and most recent season premiered in December 2017 on the video streaming platform. Charlie’s series has stayed one of the most talked-about science fiction works of modern times.
Youth and Adolescence
Charlie Brooker was born Charlton Brooker on March 3, 1971, in Berkshire, England to a devout Christian middle-class household. In his spare time, his father worked as an electrician and a social worker, while his mother worked as a barmaid in a nearby pub. To supplement their income, his family operated a small company selling knitted goods.
As a child, he was captivated by comedy, particularly surreal comic franchises such as ‘Monty Python’. When Charlie was a kid, the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union was all over the news, and he was sure that the world would end with a nuclear war between the two superpowers. This piqued his interest in the idea of a futuristic dystopian world, which laid the groundwork for ‘Black Mirror,’ his most successful venture.
Charlie began working for ‘Oink!’, a comic book journal for children, in the late 1980s, while still attending Wallingford School. He worked as a writer and cartoonist for comic comics and developed a strong interest in the industry. He became resolved to work in the entertainment industry, but he remained intrigued by working in video games.
In the early 1990s, he attended Central London Polytechnic and spent most of his time high on weed and playing computer games. He was enrolled in the media studies program but dropped out when he realized it would not help him work in the gaming business. Then, at the age of 24, he became actively involved in drinking, and in the mid-1990s, he received a wake-up call when he began working as a writer in the video game industry.
Charlie Brooker’s Career
Charlie Brooker became a columnist for the video game magazine ‘PC Zone,’ where he mainly reviewed new video games. But that was only a small part of what he accomplished. Charlie had his own ideas, which helped him achieve greater success in the future years. Through strips called ‘Cybertwats’ and ‘Sick Notes,’ he penned columns in which he made fun of fan letters to the magazine. He also promised to pay £50 for the best letters.
This dark humor idea was well received by readers, and as a result, magazine sales increased rapidly. In 1998, however, Charlie took his dark humor far too far when he published a controversial comic that was an advertisement for a theme park.
The ad essentially stated that in order to control their violent impulses, the children should direct their aggression toward animals rather than other humans. Charlie’s problems were exacerbated when he included a photoshopped image of a kid smashing a monkey’s skull with a hammer.
Charlie began writing for the satirical website TvGoHome in 1999, mocking the Radio Times’ television listing idea. Their writing style of Charlie was extremely offensive, dark, and surreal in nature and led to some of the writing pieces getting published in the newsletter ‘Need to Know’. Fourth Estate decided to publish a magazine version of the website in 2001, which inspired a TV sketch show.
Charlie worked for TvGoHome while also working heavily in television in the late 1990s. In 1999, he appeared as ‘the Pundit’ on the short-lived show ‘Games Republic,’ and subsequently as a writer on the show ‘The 11’o Clock Show. He also became a host for BBC Knowledge’s show ‘The Kit,’ a low-budget show in which he talked about gadgets and the latest technology in a straightforward way.
He served as a writer for a special episode on pedophilia on the show ‘Brass Eye’ in 2001. He later appeared on ‘The Art Show’ as a writer for the episode named ‘How to Watch Television’. Charlie co-wrote the Channel 4 sitcom ‘Nathan Barley,’ which debuted in 2005. The sitcom was praised by reviewers but got low ratings and was canceled after six episodes. However, when it was published on home video, the sitcom gained cult status.
In 2006, BBC Four approved Charlie’s program ‘Screenwipe,’ in which he criticized mainstream television. The show had many parts, including an animated section and a distinct one where the guests discussed their obsession with a particular television show. The show showed Charlie at his satirical best once more, and it was a success. Other spin-offs of ‘Screenwipe’ were created with titles such as ‘Newswipe’ and ‘Weekly Wipe,’ and the brand was thus established as a successful one.
‘Dead Set,’ a zombie horror series, premiered in October 2008 and garnered widespread critical acclaim. It was inspired by the reality program ‘Big Brother’ and was shot in the same house. The series had a total of five segments.
Charlie released three segments of the science fiction anthology series ‘Black Mirror’ in late 2011.
It was set in a dystopian future and featured three distinct stories, each with a distinctive cast of characters. The series, which contains subtle dark humor, recounts tales about the horrific side of technology. It was initially broadcast on Channel 4, but the channel lost its rights.
It was then purchased by Netflix, and four seasons of the series have since aired, making it one of the most popular and talked about sci-fi series of the modern era. In 2017, for the episode titled ‘San Junipero’ from the third season of ‘Black Mirror’, Charlie won two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Charlie’s Private Affairs
Charlie Brooker dated TV host Konnie Huq before marrying her in 2010. During their time on ‘Screenwipe,’ the pair met. She has also been one of the co-writers for the first season of the series ‘Black Mirror’. Konnie went on to have two boys.
Charlie is an atheist in his personal views, but he has not abandoned his family’s strong Christian beliefs. He considers himself a Quaker.
Estimated Net Worth
Charlie Brooker has an estimated net worth of $8 million as an English satirist, writer, and presenter. Charlie Brooker was born in March 1971 in Reading, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom. From 1999 to 2000, he penned for the television show The 11 O’Clock Show.