Fifteen Million Merits

"**Fifteen Million Merits**"
"Fifteen Million Merits"
Black Mirror episode
	Bing (Daniel Kaluuya) awakens in his screen-covered cell every morning. A key inspiration for the episode was Konnie Huq's remark that her technology-obsessed husband, Charlie Brooker, would be content in a room which was covered in iPad screens.
Episode no.	Series 1; Episode 2
Directed by	Euros Lyn
Written by	Charlie Brooker; Konnie Huq;
Featured music	"Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)" by Irma Thomas
Original air date	11 December 2011
Running time	62 minutes
Guest appearances
	Daniel Kaluuya as Bingham "Bing" Madsen; Jessica Brown Findlay as Abi Khan; Rupert Everett as Judge Hope; Julia Davis as Judge Charity; Ashley Thomas as Judge Wraith; Paul Popplewell as Dustin; Isabella Laughland as Swift; Hannah John-Kamen as Selma Telse; Kerrie Hayes as Glee;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The National Anthem"	Next →; "The Entire History of You"
	List of episodes

"Fifteen Million Merits" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror. It was written by the series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and his wife Konnie Huq^{[note 1]} and directed by Euros Lyn. It first aired on Channel 4 on 11 December 2011.

Set in a world where most of society must cycle on exercise bikes in order to earn currency called "merits", the episode tells the story of Bing (Daniel Kaluuya), who meets Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay) and convinces her to participate in a talent show so she can become famous. The episode was inspired by Huq's idea that her technology-obsessed husband Brooker would be happy in a room covered by screens; it additionally drew motivation from the narrative of talent shows leading to fame. "Fifteen Million Merits" incorporates elements of dystopian fiction, science fiction and drama, and offers commentary on capitalism.

The episode received a positive critical reception. The relationship of Abi and Bing drew comparison to that of Julia and Winston in Nineteen Eighty-Four, whilst Abi's objectification was compared to that of female media figures. The episode's ambiguous ending led to discussion about the commodification of dissent. The visual style and music of the episode were praised, as was the romance between Abi and Bing. The acting received a mixed reception, as did the world-building, but the depressing humour and bleak tone of the episode garnered positive reviews. "Fifteen Million Merits" was nominated for a British Academy Television Craft Award, but did not win; while on critics' lists of Black Mirror episodes by quality, it generally places middling or poorly.

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[note 1]