Black Mirror’s highly-anticipated seventh season is just around the corner, featuring new stars including The Crown’s Emma Corrin, Chris O’Dowd, and BAFTA-nominated Siena Kelly.
The show’s first season, which dropped in 2011, took a look at the dark side of technology. Each episode focused on a different fear of the digital world, from a political scandal in ‘The National Anthem’, to the creepy effects of mind control in ‘Fifteen Million Merits’. The new series, meanwhile, will continue to offer its standalone episodes spanning different genres.
But what’s happened to the original cast of the show? From up-and-coming actors to well-known faces, the first season included a host of talent. Let’s take a look at where those stars are now and what they’ve been up to since their Black Mirror days.
The 47-year-old London-born actor played Prime Minister Michael Callow in the very first episode of Black Mirror, titled ‘The National Anthem’.
Already a rising star in theatre, Rory soon became a familiar face on the big screen too, appearing as MI6’s Bill Tanner in four James Bond films, including Skyfall and No Time to Die.
He later took on darker roles, including the eerie Creature in Penny Dreadful, and a haunting turn in Alex Garland’s 2022 horror film Men, where he played multiple characters. Rory lives with partner Pandora Colin, and the couple share two children. In May 2020, Kinnear’s sister Karina, who was quadriplegic, sadly died from coronavirus.
Lindsay also appeared in Black Mirror’s very first episode in 2011 as the no-nonsense Home Secretary Alex Cairns. Her film career includes roles in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), and Birdman (2014). On television, Duncan played Lady Smallwood in Sherlock (2014–2017) and Anjelica Hayden-Hoyle in The Honourable Woman (2014). In 2024, she starred in the Channel 4 drama series Truelove, which received critical acclaim for its exploration of assisted dying.
In her personal life, she has been married to fellow actor Hilton McRae since the mid-80s after meeting at the Royal Shakespeare Company. The couple live in North London and share one son, Cal, born in 1991.
Daniel appeared in Black Mirror in 2011 as part of the episode ‘Fifteen Million Merits’, playing the role of Bing, a man living in a dystopian world where people earn ‘merits’ by cycling on exercise bikes to power their surroundings. Bing becomes disillusioned with the system after meeting a woman named Abbey, played by Jessica Brown Findlay, and attempts to help her escape the cycle of exploitation by entering a reality show.
Daniel’s career has since skyrocketed. In 2017, he starred in horror film Get Out, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His other credits include roles in Black Panther (2018), Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), and Nope (2022), which have earned widespread critical acclaim. His accolades to date include an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
The actor is known to keep his personal life private. However, he has been linked to producer Amandla Crichlow.
The 37-year-old TV star is perhaps best known for playing Lady Sybil Crawley in Downton Abbey from 2010 to 2012. She appeared in Black Mirror’s first season, where she played the troubled and tragic character Abi alongside Daniel Kaluuya in ‘Fifteen Million Merits’. The episode explored the dark side of reality TV and society’s obsession with fame.
The star then went on to appear in films like The Riot Club (2014) and Winter’s Tale (2014), as well as TV roles in Harlots (2017-2019) and Brave New World (2020).
In 2014, Jessica was the victim of a phone hacking incident when intimate photos and videos were stolen, and she later spoke bravely about online harassment. She began dating actor Ziggy Heath in late 2016, and the couple tied the knot on September 12, 2020.
The British actor has a career that spans decades, with standout roles in films like My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), An Ideal Husband (1999), and St. Trinian’s (2007). He starred alongside Daniel Kaluuya and Jessica Brown Findlay in Black Mirror.
In 2004, Rupert released his memoir Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins, which candidly explored his career, struggles with fame, and personal life. An outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, he’s been open about his experiences as a gay man in the public eye.
As of 2020, Rupert has lived with his partner Henrique, a Brazilian accountant. They married in 2024.
Toby has shown off his acting skills in a number of blockbuster films like War Horse (2011), Fantastic Four (2015), and Kong: Skull Island (2017), as well as more dramatic roles in The Counselor (2013) and Dead Man’s Shoes (2004).
He appeared in the Black Mirror episode ‘The Entire History of You’, which is set in a future where a ‘grain; technology records people’s audiovisual senses, allowing a person to re-watch their memories.
In his personal life, the 42-year-old movie star has remained relatively low-key. He was previously in a relationship with American entrepreneur Ruzwana Bashir before the couple parted ways.
Jodie Whittaker is best known for her groundbreaking role as the Thirteenth Doctor in the iconic BBC series Doctor Who (2017-2022), making history as the first woman to take on the role of the Time Lord.
Before her time as the Doctor, Jodie starred in popular shows like Broadchurch (2013-2017), where she played Beth Latimer. She appeared in Black Mirror alongside Toby Kebbell in ‘The Entire History of You’.
Jodie has been married to actor Christian Contreras since 2008,. They share two children together, a daughter born in April 2015, and a second child in 2022.
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