David Farnor | On 21, Dec 2020

“So will this be on Quibi?” That’s the sound of Netflix preparing to say Death to 2020, as it unveils the first trailer for Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones’ mockumentary looking back at the past 12 months.

Featuring Hugh Grant, Samuel L Jackson, Lisa Kudrow, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Leslie Jones, Cristin Milioti and Joe Keery – plus Diane Morgan – the comedy special will weave together some of the world’s most (fictitious) renowned voices with real-life archival footage spanning the past 12 months to tell the story of the dreadful year that was.

The special premieres on 27th December. Here’s the trailer:

 

Death to 2020 is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

Death to 2020: Netflix announces comedy event from Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones

7th December 2020

Netflix has declared Death to 2020 with the announcement of its new comedy event from Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones.

The special first come to light last week, when Hugh Grant mentioned in an interview that he was taking part in a mockumentary and playing a “repellant” historian. Now, Netflix has confirmed that not only is the show happening, but Grant won’t be the only big name on the bill: he will be joined by Samuel L Jackson, Lisa Kudrow, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Leslie Jones, Cristin Milioti and Joe Keery. Diane Morgan is also involved, which means you can likely expect Philomena Cunk to make an appearance.

“Even the creators of Black Mirror couldn’t make it up” is the tagline Netflix is using for the mockumentary, adding that they do “have a little something to add”.

Weaving together some of the world’s most (fictitious) renowned voices with real-life archival footage spanning the past 12 months, the special promises to “tell the story of the dreadful year that was — and perhaps still is?”

There’s no release date yet, but a new teaser for the special sets the mood as firmly in the same vein as Charlie Brooker’s annual Wipe programmes for the Beeb and Black Mirror, which moved to Netflix from Channel 4 several years ago. Stay tuned for more as soon as we have it.

 

Hugh Grant and Charlie Brooker team up for Netflix 2020 mockumentary

1st December 2020

Hugh Grant and Charlie Brooker are teaming up for a mockumentary about 2020 for Netflix.

The star of Paddington 2 and The Undoing, speaking to Vulture in a recent interview, revealed that his next project was the faux documentary, which is filming this week.

“Charlie Brooker has written a mockumentary about 2020,” he explained. “It’s for Netflix and I am a historian who’s being interviewed about the year. I’m pretty repellent,”

Brooker, who is best known around the world for creating the hit dystopian anthology Black Mirror, has also been a veteran presence on the BBC over the past decade with his sarcastic Wipe series, which started focusing on video games (Gameswipe) and has since moved on to current event and news (Newswipe, Weekly Wipe) before also doing yearly satirical overviews, such as 2016 Wipe. This year, he also presented Antiviral Wipe in the spring, covering the outbreak of coronavirus.

Brooker’s Wipe programmes have otherwise been shelved due to his other commitments, notably Black Mirror for Netflix. Indeed, his production company, Broke & Bones, which he formed with Annabel Jones this year and produced Antiviral Wipe, has now been invested in by Netflix. This untitled mockumentary will mark his first producer for the streamer since that deal.

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