Overview

• Common People follows a couple using a lifesaving brain-streaming service whose tiered subscription fees spiral into dystopian penalties.
• Brooker built the episode around Cory Doctorow’s enshittification concept to critique how growth-driven platforms degrade over time.
• Planned storylines featuring intrusive privacy monitoring and sadistic tier punishments were cut to avoid iconic parallels and maintain pacing.
• The creative team set Rivermind’s price tiers to mirror real U.S. economic pressures, making its subscription stakes believable for American viewers.
• While no sequel is confirmed, Brooker said he wouldn’t rule out revisiting Rivermind’s world or characters in future Black Mirror stories.