Black Mirror: Demon 79
by Charlie Brooker & Bisha K. Ali; dir. Toby Haynes (Netflix, 2003)
Gloriously dark yet laugh-out-loud funny, even while tackling such topics as racial prejudice (in Britain immediately post- the Winter of Discontent), just murder, and Fight Club–reminiscent mental imbalance. Anjana Vasan, Paapa Essiedu and Shaun Dooley bring impressive truth to their characters.
Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall
by Stephen Thompson; dir. Toby Haynes (BBC, 2012)
Another clever (if frenetic) script, reworking Conan Doyle’s ‘The Final Problem’ and cramming a whole series of character arcs into one episode. While Andrew Scott (Moriarty) positively steals the show, Rupert Graves (Lestrade) proves subtly effective, grounding the mad turn of events.
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
by Steven Moffat; dir. Toby Haynes (BBC, 2010)
A successful transplanting of Dickens’s novella into the Doctor Who universe, using science fiction to clever effect and adding a twist to the tale. Moffat captures both the Doctor’s exuberant childlike aspect and the seriousness beneath. Matt Smith is in top form.