The Shacklewell Arms in north London is planning a special screening of Black Mirror season seven’s first episode, Eulogy — because it was filmed here.
The pub is featured fairly heavily in the episode, and as such it celebrating by putting it on the big screen on Saturday April 12 at 7pm.
Black Mirror is a British anthology series exploring the dark, often dystopian side of technology and its impact on modern society.
Here’s what you need to know about Eulogy.
What is Black Mirror season 7’s Eulogy episode about?
Starring Paul Giamatti, the episode follows a man who needs to commemorate a loved one.
Giamatti’s Philip uses old Polaroids and half-remembered memories with an immersive AI — voiced by Patsy Ferran — that turns the old images into interactive experiences, meaning those who use it can virtually step into still images.
Directed by Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor, the episode embraces a realistic style rather than relying on CGI, with much of it filmed on location at the Shacklewell Arms.
Dancers coached by Polly Bennett travel through the web of Philip’s memories, revisiting concerts, rooftop gatherings and other intimate moments.
While Black Mirror is known for its standalone episodes that expose the darker sides of technology, it seems that Eulogy will focus more on human failings, with AI used to illuminate them, judging from interviews with the stars.
“There’s always some fallout with seemingly benevolent technology, although less so with Eulogy, which is more a human story of potential regret and sadness,” Ferran told Radio Times. “You could trigger something you didn’t want to remember with this.
“But as technology goes, it’s probably the least harmful. I might use it.”
The seventh season of Black Mirror will air on Netflix on Thursday April 10. Other star-studded episodes in the upcoming season include Common People, which stars Rashida Jones and Chris O’Dowd; Bête Noire, featuring Siena Kelly and Rosy McEwen; and Hotel Reverie, where Issa Rae and Emma Corrin take the helm.
Season 7 will also include two episodes that return to past characters, with Plaything starring newcomers Peter Capaldi and Lewis Gribben alongside Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry as their Bandersnatch characters. USS Callister: Into Infinity is a sequel to season 4’s USS Callister.
Is the Shacklewell Arms famous?
Carolina Faruolo
Found in Dalston — and since 2004 named for the road it’s on, Shacklewell Lane — the pub is thought to have opened in its current form in the 1870s, though there was a free house before than, the Green Man, that dates back to around 1789.
But for most of its life, the Shacklewell was little more than an unremarkable boozer, until it transformed in the early 2000s. Later, in 2011, local Hackney residents revamped the establishment, and it has since become a hub of live music, regarded as one of the capital’s most respected grassroots music venues.
Known for its intimate back room, it has played host to early performances from artists such as Wolf Alice, The Horrors, and Florence + The Machinem, but is particularly well regarded for supporting emerging talent. It often features acts before they achieve mainstream recognition. With London hard ground to break these days, with fewer and fewer independent venues offering up-and-coming acts a chance, the Shacklewell is increasingly seen as a champion of the underdogs.