Shut Up and Dance (Black Mirror)

"Shut Up and Dance"
Black Mirror episode
The mysterious hacker blackmailing Kenny tells him to wait until he is "activated".
Episode no.	Series 3 Episode 3
Directed by	James Watkins
Written by	Charlie Brooker William Bridges
Original air date	21 October 2016 (2016-10-21)
Running time	52 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Alex Lawther – Kenny Jerome Flynn – Hector Susannah Doyle – Blackmailed Woman Frankie Wilson – Tom Jimmy Roye-Dunne – Red Hannah Steele – Melissa Sarah Beck Mather – Restaurant Mother Beatrice Robertson-Jones – Restaurant Daughter Maya Gerber – Lindsay Camilla Power – Sandra Ivanno Jeremiah – Moped Man Mariam Haque – Petrol Station Attendant Natasha Little – Karen Nicola Sloane – Bank Clerk Paul Bazely – The Man in the Woods Leanne Best – Penny
Episode chronology
← Previous "Playtest" Next → "San Junipero"
List of Black Mirror episodes

"Shut Up and Dance" is the third episode of the third series of British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror. It was written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and William Bridges, and premiered on Netflix on 21 October 2016, together with the rest of series three.

The episode tells the story of Kenny (Alex Lawther), a teenager who is suddenly blackmailed by a mysterious hacker who owns a compromising video of him. One day, the hacker gives him strange tasks to do; as he follows orders, Kenny realizes that many other people, including an older man named Hector (Jerome Flynn), are also blackmailed into strange actions by the hacker.

The episode received very positive reviews.

A woman (Susannah Doyle) drives a car into a car park, nervously leaving the keys in one of the wheel arches, before receiving a text and leaving.

Kenny (Alex Lawther), a teenager, installs a malware remover on his laptop after his sister has borrowed it without permission. Using the first search link, to a website called "Shrive", he manages to remove a virus. However, an unseen hacker gains access to the laptop's webcam and records Kenny masturbating in front of the laptop. The hacker emails Kenny, telling him to provide his phone number, or the video of him masturbating will be released to everyone in his contacts list. Kenny complies.

The hacker tells him to keep his phone on and charged at all times, and to keep his location services enabled so that the hacker knows where he is. The hacker also tells Kenny to wait until he is "activated".

At work, Kenny receives a text from the hacker, instructing him to go to a rooftop car park at noon, or his video will be released. Feigning sickness to his boss (Hannah Steele), Kenny manages to get there just in time, meeting a motorcyclist (Ivanno Jeremiah), also a victim of the hacker, who gives Kenny a box with a cake inside. The motorcyclist takes a photo of Kenny. Kenny is instructed to text a code number to verify delivery and is told to deliver the cake to a man in a hotel room. When the hotel room door is eventually opened, Kenny meets Hector (Jerome Flynn), who is also texted by the hacker. After vomiting and drinking a bottle of spirits, Hector accepts the situation. Kenny is told to take Hector's photo to confirm the delivery. The pair are then told to go to the hotel car park and use the car that the woman had earlier left.