Before we can talk about The National Anthem, let’s flashback to when this episode was first released, December 4, 2011. Things were a little bit different back then…

Politically, the West was feeling strong. Barack Obama was still president. Britain was still a part of the EU. Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi have just been eliminated from the global chessboard. However, the American government was entrenched in the Wikileaks scandal, and the seeds of mistrust were sprouting. 

2011 was also a year of celebration. Prince William and Kate Middleton got married and the Royal Wedding was viewed by 72 million people on YouTube.

Many big social media platforms were going public or were in the process of it in 2011. Rebecca Black’s “Friday” went viral, and we saw how quickly fame can happen and how the world can relish in a person’s humiliation. 

For those already in the spotlight, social media revealed a lot, Anthony Weiner’s sexting scandal and Charlie Sheen’s #Winning meltdown proved that once the news leaked, there was nowhere to hide. Public shaming became ever more prevalent.

Yes, it was a big transition year, full of optimism, suspicion, and schadenfreude. 

Now that we recall the climate of 2011, let’s jump into Black Mirror (episode one of season one): The National Anthem.

How has this episode aged? Are the themes still relevant? Did any predictions in the show come true? If not, is it still plausible? Let’s find out.

Social Media and the Spread of News

When the Prime Minster, Michael Callow first discovered the kidnapping and demands, his instinct was to stop the news from spreading by putting a D-notice, a request to broadcasters to hold publishing a piece of news for national security reasons. While a measure like that would have worked in a simpler time, it might not work in a social media age. 

Quickly, we see Callow turning into a dictator in an effort to protect himself from embarrassment. While there was pressure to find the princess, he was more concerned with having intercourse with a pig on national television. 

It’s been said that journalism is what keeps a democracy honest and functioning. When a ruler prevents the information from being released to the public, one must wonder how far he will go to tell his version. Today, we see leaders hiding news, censoring social media, and locking up people who speak up. 

If the public never knew the princess was kidnapped, and that there was an ultimatum, then there wouldn’t be any pressure on the Prime Minister to act. Keep the public ignorant, and he keeps the power. We see this all over the world, all the time, from China to the United States. The conflict between government and journalism is a good thing. Trouble starts when both sides are forced to agree with each other completely. 

Our Relationship with Politicians

Now that the news leaked, Michael Callow needs to confront this new form of terrorism. One specifically targetting him. Because this terrorist wasn’t endangering a large population of people, the public as the mass of influence, motivated by self-preservation, can be easily manipulated. 

His wife tells him that they were already picturing it. It’s already happening in their minds. If he allows the princess to be murdered, it would be on his hands. He was so worried about his own shame that he didn’t even acknowledge his wife’s. Even if he could control the public’s opinion, he could never repair his partner’s impression of him in those dire moments. Failing to rise up, regardless of the outcome, he was already ruined.

The boss is the boss, and when shit hits the fan, we expect them to take responsibility. We want a leader who will make the right choices for the people, not just for themself. But rarely do politicians fall on the swords for others. And Callow is no different, even though he finds himself in a damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t scenario — sacrificing himself is the absolute last choice. 

When the kidnapper appeared to cut off the princess’s finger on television, the mood shifted to 86% believing that Callow should have intercourse with the pig. His last hope was to catch the kidnapper and save the princess himself. But, he failed miserably, demonstrating how the government and the press often cross each other up, resulting in friendly fire. 

Today, our political leaders fail us pretty consistently. That’s why in this episode, it’s almost surprising seeing the route that Callow took. In the end, he wasn’t tyrannical. He did the deed instead of amassing more power to defend himself or risk the princess. This leaves us with optimism, maybe there is some good once you peel away all the onion skins of politics. It might be a struggle, but perhaps given the right amount of time and information, they will come to the right conclusion. Yet, perhaps that’s what separates tv shows from reality.

Our Appetite for Humiliation 

If the world is a stage, we want to see the performers miss a line, fall, and completely embarrass themselves. Not much has changed, except now social media has amplified the shame, and everyone has an opinion. 

If you put yourself in the spotlight, you risk the wrath of the world. Name any politician, and you can find a scandal. From Justin Trudeau’s black face to the Finnish Prime Minster caught dancing at a party to Rudy Guliani in the Borat movie, we love seeing those in power in trouble. 

Perhaps no event is closer to the plot in The National Anthem than the David Cameron #piggate scandal in 2015. During the former Prime Minster’s time at Oxford, he allegedly placed his privates into the mouth of a dead pig. This scenario was so similar to the Black Mirror episode that the show’s creator, Charlie Brooker, had to make a statement saying that he knew nothing about the #piggate incident prior and that it was purely a coincidence.  

Politically, the world today is more divided than ever. We have dealt with far more traumatic events than the Prime Minister having sex with a pig. We live in a world where politicians have undoubtedly screwed us over. When this episode was first released, the plot of The Nation Anthem might have seemed laughable. But today, such an event would feel light. It’s not an invasion, a mishandling of a deadly virus, or the non-actions after a school shooting. 

The kidnapping of a princess isn’t so crazy either. Women go missing all the time, regardless of their status. From the death of heiress, Eliza Fletcher earlier in 2022 to Kim Kardashian being tied up and robbed in 2016 to the recent abduction fear of Holland’s Princess Catharina-Amalia, women getting kidnapped, bound, robbed, tortured, and murdered are still very much a reality. 

Overall, I feel The National Anthem stood the test of time, but the impact it once had is significantly dulled. Even though it was meant to be a parody of the TV show 24, it’s now an old joke, somewhat funny, but lacks the timeliness to have any effect. And with comedy, timing is everything. This episode barely fazed me this rewatch, perhaps I’m too desensitized to the bullshit of journalism, politics, and social media. 

This episode reminds us that the government we put so much of our faith in are people — simple people — and they are vulnerable. Like all vulnerable animals, they’ll protect themselves first. So it’s up to us to keep them accountable, regardless of who we are… medical workers, the bloke at the bar, or even their husbands and wives. 

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