11 Years Ago Today, Black Mirror’s Only Christmas Special Had One of the Series’ Best Twists

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One of the most unsettling episodes of the sci-fi series Black Mirror aired as a Christmas special on Channel 4 in the UK on December 16, 2014. Since its debut in 2011, Black Mirror has become a hugely popular and discussed show, known for its standalone stories that examine how advanced technology impacts everyday life. The Christmas special followed this same format, presenting a self-contained story set in the near future.

The science fiction series Black Mirror released a special Christmas episode, “White Christmas,” on December 16, 2014. Featuring Jon Hamm, Rafe Spall, and Oona Chaplin, the episode tells three interconnected stories revolving around a conversation between Matt (Hamm) and Joe (Spall) in a secluded cabin on Christmas Day. True to Black Mirror‘s style, the episode isn’t a typical holiday story; it’s filled with surprising turns and is considered one of the show’s most unsettling episodes, despite its festive setting.

“White Christmas” Is One of Black Mirror’s Darkest Episodes

Many Black Mirror episodes explore unsettling themes about contemporary society, but “White Christmas” is arguably the most disturbing. The story centers on Matt, a former employee who trained artificial intelligence programs resembling cookies, including one named Greta. He remotely guides Harry in an attempt to impress a woman, Jennifer, at an office Christmas party. However, Jennifer is struggling with significant mental health problems and ultimately kills both Harry and herself, all while Matt and his friends watch through Harry’s implanted “Z-Eyes.” This leads to Matt’s arrest in connection with Harry’s death, but the story doesn’t end there.

In “White Christmas,” we learn about Joe’s past and his relationship with his former fiancée, Beth (Janet Montgomery). They broke up after a disagreement about Beth having an abortion, and she blocked him, making their interactions appear as shadowy figures and cutting off all contact. Joe later sees Beth’s silhouette and discovers she’s pregnant, leading him to obsessively follow her and their child – the block also affecting his ability to interact with the child. After Beth tragically dies, and the block is lifted, Joe finds out the child isn’t his – it’s the result of an affair. He then kills Beth’s father and abandons the little girl in the woods, where she freezes to death, ultimately leading to his own arrest.

After sharing his story, it was revealed that Matt and Joe had been communicating from inside a cookie. Matt had been asked to get a confession from Joe, and in exchange, he avoided jail time but was labeled a sex offender. This caused everyone to block and ostracize him, seeing him only as a shadowy figure. Meanwhile, the Joe-shaped cookie was left decaying inside the machine at an incredibly fast rate – a thousand years every minute. The ending of “White Christmas” is considered one of the bleakest in Black Mirror history, and it remains unmatched. The episode’s tight storytelling and strong performances by Jon Hamm and Tim Spall make it a standout among Black Mirror episodes.

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2025-12-16 18:10