Both a TV series and an annual event, British anthology Black Mirror has grown from its humble beginnings as a modest Channel 4 player to a Netflix global phenomenon — with marquee episodes earning three consecutive Emmys for best TV movie. Brooker, 48, and Jones are adored by their peer group, and Netflix is said to be making a big pitch for their first overall deal.

The recent show I couldn't stop watching

Jones: "A comedy on BBC2 in the U.K. called Mum. The writing is small, beautiful, funny and painfully poignant."

One industry trend I can't wait to see go away

Brooker: "It's not really part of our industry, but any TV manufacturer who doesn't disable "motion-smoothing" by default should have its factory burned to the ground and the embers spat and shat on."

The one thing I don’t miss about having an agent …

Jones: "What's an agent?"

The best piece of writing advice I've ever received ...

Brooker: "I interviewed Russell T Davies for a TV show I was doing about writers. He said something about how dialogue between characters should often actually consist of two monologues clashing, and I felt something click in my head."

Jones: "Are you not quite sure what he said because you weren’t really listening? Just working on your own monologue?"