View source for Hang the DJ

{{about|the episode of the television series Black Mirror||Hang the DJ (disambiguation)}}
{{good article}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series         = [[Black Mirror]]
| image          = Black Mirror S04E04 - Hang the DJ.png
| alt            = Man with eyes wide open and woman turned to the side in bed, shown upside-down
| caption        = Promotional poster released as part of the "13 Days of ''Black Mirror''"
| series_no      = 4
| episode        = 4
| writer         = [[Charlie Brooker]]
| director       = [[Tim Van Patten]]
| music          = "[[Panic (The Smiths song)|Panic]]" by [[the Smiths]]
| photographer   = 
| length         = 51 minutes
| release_date   = {{Start date|df=yes|2017|12|29}}
| guests         = * [[Georgina Campbell]] as Amy
* [[Joe Cole (actor)|Joe Cole]] as Frank
* [[George Blagden]] as Lenny
* [[Gwyneth Keyworth]] as Nicola
* [[Jessie Cave]] as Edna
* [[Gina Bramhill]] as Coach
| prev           = [[Crocodile (Black Mirror)|Crocodile]]
| next           = [[Metalhead (Black Mirror)|Metalhead]]
| episode_list   = List of Black Mirror episodes
}}
"'''Hang the DJ'''" is the fourth episode of the fourth series of the British anthology series ''[[Black Mirror]]''. It was written by series creator [[Charlie Brooker]] and directed by [[Tim Van Patten]]. The episode first aired on [[Netflix]], along with the rest of series four, on 29 December 2017. It follows Amy ([[Georgina Campbell]]) and Frank ([[Joe Cole (actor)|Joe Cole]]), who are matched into relationships for fixed lengths of time by an algorithm that eventually determines their life-long partner.

The episode was inspired by the streaming service [[Spotify]], as Brooker considered a system which gives people "playlists" of relationships. The production designer Joel Collins's visit to an expensive holiday area became the basis for the setting.

Critics drew parallels between the episode and [[online dating]] through apps such as [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]], and made comparisons to the series three episode "[[San Junipero]]", among other works. The episode received positive reception according to [[Rotten Tomatoes]] and was nominated for three [[British Academy Television Awards]] (BAFTAs), but critics wrote mixed comments about the storyline and the final twist, though were mostly favourable towards the characters of Frank and Amy.

==Plot==
Frank ([[Joe Cole (actor)|Joe Cole]]) and Amy ([[Georgina Campbell]]) use a circular device called "Coach" that matches them with partners for fixed periods of time. They are matched together for 12 hours. Despite initial nerves, they quickly get on and regret not having sex as they part. Coach (voice of [[Gina Bramhill]]) tells them the system monitors each relationship to assign them a lifelong partner on "pairing day", with a success rate of 99.8%.

Frank's next match Nicola ([[Gwyneth Keyworth]]) immediately disdains him, but they are paired for a year. Meanwhile, Amy finds her nine-month match Lenny ([[George Blagden]]) attractive. Amy and Frank meet again, at an event where a couple talk about their successful pairing. Amy begins to find Lenny's mannerisms tiresome, particularly his heavy exhalations. After the relationship ends, she is repeatedly matched with people for 36 hours; having sex with each match, she begins to [[Dissociation (psychology)|dissociate]] over the matches' pointlessness.

After Frank's match ends, he and Amy are matched again and they agree not to check the time length, to avoid preconceptions. They enjoy having sex for the first time and talk about how the system might work. One night, Frank checks the expiry date. It initially says five years but recalibrates, as Frank's betrayal of their agreement has destabilised it, until it reads 20 hours. Frank is distracted the next day as Amy notices every pebble she [[stone skipping|skips]] hits the water four times; he admits what has happened with an hour remaining. She is furious and he is heartbroken.

They continue matches to no avail. The evening before Amy's pairing day, she chooses Frank for her one permitted farewell session before skipping Coach across a swimming pool. At dinner with Frank, whose pairing day is also tomorrow, she encourages him to leave with her. Recognising that neither of them have memories prior to the system, she thinks the world is a test and they must rebel. A man with a [[taser]] approaches; Amy touches the taser and it stops working, and the people in the restaurant freeze. Frank and Amy run and scale a wall that separates the outside world. They are revealed to be in one of 1,000 simulated realities—in 998 of these worlds, the simulated Frank and Amy rebelled to be together. In the real world, a dating app assigns Frank to Amy as a 99.8% match. They make eye contact for the first time across a bar as "[[Panic (The Smiths song)|Panic]]" by [[the Smiths]] plays.{{efn|The episode's title is drawn from the "Panic" lyric "Hang the DJ".<ref name="Inverse title"/>}}

==Production==
Whilst series one and two of ''Black Mirror'' were shown on [[Channel 4]] in the UK, in September 2015 Netflix commissioned the series for 12 episodes,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-black-mirror-new-episodes-1201602037/|title='Black Mirror' Lands at Netflix|first=Debra|last=Birnbaum|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=25 September 2015|access-date=12 January 2021|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162641/https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-black-mirror-new-episodes-1201602037/|url-status=live}}</ref> and in March 2016 it outbid Channel 4 for the rights to distribute the series in the UK, with a bid of $40&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/29/netflix-channel-4-charlie-brooker-black-mirror |title=Netflix deals Channel 4 knockout blow over Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror |first=John |last=Plunkett |date=29 March 2016 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=12 January 2021 |archive-date=30 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230021155/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/29/netflix-channel-4-charlie-brooker-black-mirror |url-status=live }}</ref> The 12-episode order was divided into two series of six episodes each, with "Hang the DJ" in the latter group. The six episodes in series four were released on Netflix simultaneously on 29 December 2017.<ref name="RT interview">{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2017-12-07/black-mirror-season-4-netflix-episode-guide/|title=Black Mirror season 4 episode guide: Charlie Brooker reveals new plot and episode details|website=[[Radio Times]]|last=Ling|first=Thomas|date=7 December 2017|access-date=2 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210155309/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2017-12-07/black-mirror-season-4-netflix-episode-guide/|archive-date=10 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> "Hang the DJ" is listed as the fourth episode, but as ''Black Mirror'' is an [[anthology series]], each instalment can be watched in any order.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/watch-the-black-mirror-season-4-episodes-in-this-order-for-the-best-viewing-experience-7690945|title=Watch The 'Black Mirror' Season 4 Episodes In This Order For The Best Viewing Experience|website=[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]]|last=Thomas|first=Leah|date=29 December 2017|access-date=2 September 2018|archive-date=2 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902143829/https://www.bustle.com/p/watch-the-black-mirror-season-4-episodes-in-this-order-for-the-best-viewing-experience-7690945|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Conception and writing===
According to the executive producer [[Annabel Jones]], "Hang the DJ" reflects on the state of dating in the present day and a "general sense of loneliness".<ref name="variety interview">{{Cite web | url = https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/black-mirror-season-4-annabel-jones-interview-1202644294/ | title = 'Black Mirror' Co-Creator Breaks Down Season 4: 'We Want to Be Surprising and Unpredictable' | first = Danielle | last = Turchiano | date = 29 December 2017 | access-date = 1 January 2018 | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | archive-date = 31 December 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171231233828/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/black-mirror-season-4-annabel-jones-interview-1202644294/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The episode originated from series creator and episode writer [[Charlie Brooker]], who conceived of the Coach dating application by analogy with the audio streaming platform [[Spotify]]: it determines a "playlist" of relationships that one should have before settling down with a partner.<ref name="ibm">{{cite book | title=  Inside Black Mirror | date = November 2018 | first1 = Charlie | last1 = Brooker | first2 = Annabel | last2 = Jones | first3 = Jason | last3 = Arnopp | chapter = Hang the DJ | isbn = 9781984823489 | publisher =  [[Crown Publishing Group]] | place = New York City }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-charlie-brooker-reveals-hang-dj-inspiration-1074803 | title = 'Black Mirror': Charlie Brooker Reveals Inspiration for "Hang the DJ" | first = Jackie | last = Strause | date = 15 January 2018 | access-date = 16 January 2018 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | archive-date = 15 January 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180115231423/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-charlie-brooker-reveals-hang-dj-inspiration-1074803 | url-status = live }}</ref> It was not obvious what storyline could be developed when the dating application users' experience was predetermined. Variations were considered and one idea floated was that the app could learn from each relationship. Amy and Frank being driven apart before reuniting was a desired narrative arc, and became possible when the twist was introduced. The script was rushed because of its deadline at a busy point in the production cycle.<ref name="ibm"/>

The episode is similar to series three episode "[[San Junipero]]" in its positivity, in contrast to other instalments. Brooker was concerned about fans disliking the "light and playful comic tone" of "Hang the DJ" and was initially reluctant to write a happy ending. However, he expected people to enjoy Amy and Frank's relationship, having seen positive audience reaction to Kelly and Yorkie in "San Junipero". Both episodes reveal in a twist that the setting is a simulated reality.<ref name="ibm"/> One challenge with "Hang the DJ" was to keep this unclear until the very end while still making the viewer aware that the setting is unusual.<ref name="variety interview"/> In one scene, Frank and Amy suggest that the world is simulated, as a "double-bluff" from Brooker.<ref name="ibm"/>

The writers discussed how long Frank should initially see as his second relationship length with Amy. Brooker said their ultimate decision of five years is "a reasonable amount of time for a serious relationship", but Frank is disappointed to discover this as it means the relationship will end.<ref name="ew interview">{{cite magazine | url = http://ew.com/tv/2018/01/02/black-mirror-season-4-interviews/ | title = Black Mirror season 4, your burning questions answered | first = James | last = Hibbard | date = 2 January 2018 | access-date = 2 January 2018 | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | archive-date = 2 January 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180102200542/http://ew.com/tv/2018/01/02/black-mirror-season-4-interviews/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Frank observing the relationship time caused a structural issue in the script, but the scene was seen as important and so the script was reworked around this idea.<ref name="ibm"/>

Brooker imagined that the simulation would be run using [[cloud computing]].<ref name="ew interview"/> The idea that it runs 1,000 copies of the world simultaneously was first considered for a previous episode "[[White Christmas (Black Mirror)|White Christmas]]". In the episode, a simulated copy of a person confesses to a crime. Someone asked Brooker whether this would be admissible evidence and he replied that the simulation could be repeated, with a slightly different setting each time, to increase reliability.<ref name="ibm"/> For simulated couples who did not rebel, Brooker said "the system has served its purpose and your reality ends".<ref name="ew interview"/>

===Casting and filming===
American director [[Tim Van Patten]] directed the episode. Georgina Campbell was cast as Amy and Joe Cole was cast as Frank. The pair performed a chemistry test before filming, to check they could build a rapport. Campbell found Amy to be "full to the brim with hope", with a "nervous excitement" about dating.<ref name="ibm"/>

The setting was based on Soho Farmhouse in [[Oxfordshire]], an expensive holiday area where production designer Joel Collins had attended a birthday party. He described how an "electric [[milk float]]" transports people around their cabins and the various clubs and bars. The setting was rewritten around this—having previously been drafted as tower blocks—to resemble Soho Farmhouse, or a holiday village owned by [[Center Parcs UK and Ireland|Center Parcs]]. The geometric design of the world was Collins's idea, intended to resemble the inside of a mobile phone—where various copper and brass lines are arranged on a green plate. Hexagonal patterns and repeated design motifs are used in the scenery as the setting is an algorithmic simulated world. The interface for the Coach app was first designed by Erica McEwan of the graphics department of the production. Further development and animation was undertaken by Painting Practice.<ref name="ibm"/> Collins said that the round design of Coach was made to distinguish the setting from the real world. Its interface was deliberately minimal, with few buttons; Collins called it "just a circular disc, almost like a discus, with a glass screen".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/12/black-mirror-production-designer-joel-collins-interview-season-4-1201911887/|title='Black Mirror': The Stories Behind Every Season 4 Episode's Most Memorable Pieces of Tech|work=[[IndieWire]]|last=Greene|first=Steve|date=31 December 2017|access-date=20 February 2021|archive-date=18 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818221221/https://www.indiewire.com/2017/12/black-mirror-production-designer-joel-collins-interview-season-4-1201911887/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Painshill-Abbey.jpg|thumb|alt=Painshill Abbey|[[Painshill]] was used as a filming location.]]
Some exterior filming took place at [[Painshill]], an eighteenth-century landscape park in [[Surrey]]. In one scene, Amy kicks Frank jokingly. However, Campbell's fake kicks looked unrealistic. Van Patten told Campbell to kick Cole for real and she accidentally kicked him hard enough for him to bleed—this was the shot that was used in the episode.<ref name="ibm"/> Woodland scenes were filmed at [[Bourne Wood]], Surrey.<ref name="Pearson">{{cite news |last1=Pearson |first1=Michael |title=What's the latest filming taking place at Bourne Wood? |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/black-mirror-filming-spotted-taking-11078026 |access-date=3 July 2021 |work=SurreyLive |date=22 March 2016 }}</ref>

The plot twist is revealed in a scene where the simulated world disassembles pixel by pixel to be replaced by 1,000 copies of Frank and Amy in a black void. This was only described vaguely in the script, so the production took inspiration from 2013 science fiction film ''[[Under the Skin (2013 film)|Under the Skin]]'', according to producer Nick Pitt. The cast were confused about the intention during filming for this ending, particularly the footage taken against green screens of characters looking "meaningfully into the middle distance". Jones and Brooker found that their partners did not understand the initial cuts of the ending. To establish that the episode's setting had been a simulation, disembodied voice and text reveal that Amy and Frank had "rebelled" 998 out of 1,000 times, leading to a 99.8% match for the pair, and dialogue in the previous restaurant scene was simplified. Additionally, visual effects developments led to characters "dematerialising" by a "graceful leaving of their body" rather than "being broken, squashed or incinerated", according to Pitt.<ref name="ibm"/>

===Music===
[[File:Sigur Rós band.jpg|thumb|alt=Sigur Rós|[[Sigur Rós]] worked on two tracks for the episode, "End" and "Match", with the composer [[Alex Somers]].]]
The episode draws its name from a lyric in the Smiths' song "[[Panic (The Smiths song)|Panic]]", which plays in the final scene.<ref name="Inverse title">{{cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/39703-black-mirror-season-4-hang-the-dj-song-the-smiths-panic-tinder|title=Why 'Black Mirror' Standout "Hang the DJ" is Worthy Of that Smiths Reference|work=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]]|last=Britt|first=Ryan|date=29 December 2017|accessdate=22 June 2023}}</ref> The instrumental soundtrack for "Hang the DJ" was created by [[Alex Somers]], with two pieces contributed by the Icelandic band [[Sigur Rós]], "End" and "Match". The two songs are both [[ambient music]]: "End" is a five-minute structured piece featuring vocals by Jónsi, which ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s Ryan Reed described as [[post-rock]]; "Match" is a 90-second segue with a dark tone and use of [[Drone (music)|drones]]. Somers had previously produced music with the band, including on their most recent album ''[[Kveikur]]'' (2013).<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-sigur-ros-two-new-songs-from-black-mirror-w515304 | title = Hear Sigur Ros' Two New Ambient Songs From 'Black Mirror' | first = Ryan | last = Reed | date = 10 January 2018 | access-date = 10 January 2018 | magazine = [[Rolling Stone]] | archive-date = 10 January 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180110225240/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-sigur-ros-two-new-songs-from-black-mirror-w515304 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://diymag.com/2018/01/11/sigur-ros-new-tracks-match-end-listen|title=Sigur Rós share new tracks 'Match' and 'End'|work=[[DIY (magazine)|DIY]]|date=11 January 2018|access-date=20 February 2021|archive-date=13 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913174012/https://diymag.com/2018/01/11/sigur-ros-new-tracks-match-end-listen|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, the soundtrack was released on [[Phonograph record|vinyl]] by [[Invada Records]].<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/sigur-ros-and-alex-somers-black-mirror-songs-coming-to-vinyl/|title=Sigur Rós and Alex Somers' "Black Mirror" Songs Coming to Vinyl|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|last=Yoo|first=Noah|date=12 February 2018|access-date=20 February 2021|archive-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929020432/https://pitchfork.com/news/sigur-ros-and-alex-somers-black-mirror-songs-coming-to-vinyl/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/sigur-ros-share-two-new-songs-written-black-mirrors-hang-dj-soundtrack-2218101|title=Sigur Ros' songs for 'Black Mirror' soundtrack to be released on vinyl|work=[[NME]]|last=Trendell|first=Andrew|date=12 February 2018|access-date=20 February 2021|archive-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621143513/http://www.nme.com/news/music/sigur-ros-share-two-new-songs-written-black-mirrors-hang-dj-soundtrack-2218101|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.invada.co.uk/products/alex-somers-sigur-ros-black-mirror-hang-the-dj-white-vinyl|title=Alex Somers & Sigur Rós – Black Mirror: Hang the DJ [LP]|publisher=[[Invada Records]]|access-date=20 February 2021|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030185205/https://www.invada.co.uk/products/alex-somers-sigur-ros-black-mirror-hang-the-dj-white-vinyl|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Marketing==
{{external media
| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5N_Tq1EtRQ Black Mirror – Hang the DJ]<br />Trailer for "Hang the DJ"
| video2 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h5d0byMthI Black Mirror – Featurette: Hang the DJ]<br />Commentary by Charlie Brooker
}}
In May 2017, a [[Reddit]] post unofficially announced the names and directors of the six episodes in series 4 of ''Black Mirror''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/black-mirror-season-4-episode-titles-directors-charlie-brooker-netflix-jodie-foster-john-hillcoat-a7758786.html|title=Black Mirror season 4 episode titles and directors revealed|work=[[The Independent]]|last=Stolworthy|first=Jacob|date=27 May 2017|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207154218/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/black-mirror-season-4-episode-titles-directors-charlie-brooker-netflix-jodie-foster-john-hillcoat-a7758786.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The first trailer for the series was released by Netflix on 25 August 2017, and contained the six episode titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/black-mirror-season-4-teaser-trailer-episode-titles-directors-stars-drop-video/|title='Black Mirror' Season 4: Teaser Trailer, Episode Titles, Directors and Stars Revealed (Video)|last=Donnelly|first=Matt|work=[[TheWrap]]|date=25 August 2017|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-date=10 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210071818/https://www.thewrap.com/black-mirror-season-4-teaser-trailer-episode-titles-directors-stars-drop-video/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/black-mirror-season-4-netflix-teaser-trailer-youtube-episode-titles-a7912416.html|title=Black Mirror season 4 Netflix trailer teases all six episodes and their titles|work=[[The Independent]]|last=Hooton|first=Christopher|date=25 August 2017|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-date=10 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210074738/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/black-mirror-season-4-netflix-teaser-trailer-youtube-episode-titles-a7912416.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning on 24 November 2017, Netflix published a series of daily posters and trailers for the fourth series, referred to as the "13 Days of ''Black Mirror''".<ref name="THR cast">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-season-4-guide-premiere-date-trailer-cast-episode-titles-1061669|title='Black Mirror': All the Season 4 Details|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|last=Strause|first=Jackie|date=27 November 2017|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-date=10 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210072203/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-season-4-guide-premiere-date-trailer-cast-episode-titles-1061669|url-status=live}}</ref> The poster for "Hang the DJ" was released on 30 November and the trailer premiered the following day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/12/black-mirror-hang-the-dj-trailer-season-4-watch-1201902859/|title='Black Mirror: Hang the DJ' Trailer Introduces A Very Special Kind of Dating App — Watch|work=[[IndieWire]]|last=Miller|first=Liz Shannon|date=1 December 2017|access-date=17 February 2021|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123234140/https://www.indiewire.com/2017/12/black-mirror-hang-the-dj-trailer-season-4-watch-1201902859/|url-status=live}}</ref> On 6 December, Netflix published a trailer featuring an amalgamation of scenes from the fourth series, which announced that the series would be released on 29 December.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://decider.com/2017/12/06/black-mirror-season-4-trailer/|title=Netflix Reveals 'Black Mirror' Season 4 Release Date in New Trailer|work=[[Decider (website)|Decider]]|last=White|first=Peter|date=6 December 2017|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-date=10 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210072211/https://decider.com/2017/12/06/black-mirror-season-4-trailer/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Analysis==
The episode is a [[romantic comedy]]; its subject matter of finding a person their ideal match drew comparisons to other works.<ref name="Vulture S4"/><ref name="DoG Mellor"/> Jacob Oller of ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' and Louisa Mellor of ''[[Den of Geek]]'' compared it to ''[[The Lobster]]'' (2015), a film in which single people are coerced into finding relationships.<ref name="DoG Mellor">{{cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/black-mirror-season-4-hang-the-dj-review/|title=Black Mirror season 4: Hang The DJ review|work=[[Den of Geek]]|last=Mellor|first=Louisa|date=29 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221173446/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/black-mirror-season-4-hang-the-dj-review/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Paste">{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/black-mirror/black-mirror-review-hang-the-dj/|title=''Black Mirror'' Tackles Digital Dating in the Amusing, Frustrating "Hang the DJ"|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|last=Oller|first=Jacob|date=1 January 2018|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221173446/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/black-mirror/black-mirror-review-hang-the-dj/|url-status=live}}</ref> Mellor and ''[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]]''{{'}}s Jen Chaney made comparisons to ''[[The Good Place]]'' (2016–2020), a television programme which begins with characters in the afterlife being matched with their soulmates.<ref name="Vulture S4">{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/black-mirror-season-4-review.html|title=''Black Mirror''{{'}}s New Season Is a Little Light, Until It Gets Darker Than Ever|work=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]]|last=Chaney|first=Jen|date=21 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109004419/http://www.vulture.com/2017/12/black-mirror-season-4-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="DoG Mellor"/> Other comparisons were made to media which revolve around a person being constantly monitored, such as the 1998 film ''[[The Truman Show]]'' and the 1949 novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''.<ref name="Vulture S4"/><ref name="Guardian"/><ref name="AVClub"/> Mellor also saw the ending as like that of the film ''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]'' (1989), as "the couple who met right at the start end up together, and they're a near-perfect match".<ref name="DoG Mellor"/>

Comparisons were also made to other ''Black Mirror'' episodes, particularly series three's "San Junipero". Kathryn VanArendonk of ''Vulture'' found that both episodes were intended as hopeful, and showed "love enabled by technological advancement and two people choosing one another over the world they know".<ref name="Vulture">{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/01/black-mirror-season-4-episode-4-ending-explained.html|title=Let's Talk About the Ending of ''Black Mirror''{{'}}s 'Hang the DJ'|work=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]]|last=VanArendonk|first=Kathryn|date=10 January 2018|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=16 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116005731/https://www.vulture.com/2018/01/black-mirror-season-4-episode-4-ending-explained.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Shirley Li of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' saw similarities like "the star-crossed couple" and "the impossible parameters set around them" but also found "Hang the DJ" to be "more absurd, more sinister, and less optimistic and warm in its conclusion".<ref name="EW">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/recap/black-mirror-season-4-episode-4/|title=''Black Mirror'' recap: 'Hang the DJ'|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|last=Li|first=Shirley|date=29 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=9 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209234958/https://ew.com/recap/black-mirror-season-4-episode-4/|url-status=live}}</ref> Sophie Gilbert of ''[[The Atlantic]]'' saw the twist as also relating to other episodes featuring simulated people, including "[[USS Callister]]" and "White Christmas".<ref name="Atlantic">{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/12/black-mirror-hang-the-dj/549371/|title=''Black Mirror'': 'Hang the DJ' Explores Dystopian Dating|work=[[The Atlantic]]|last=Gilbert|first=Sophie|date=30 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|url-access=limited|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215183647/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/12/black-mirror-hang-the-dj/549371/|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, ''The Atlantic''{{'}}s Hannah Giorgis later compared it to the television anthology series ''[[Soulmates (TV series)|Soulmates]]'' (2020), which also stars Campbell and was co-created by ''Black Mirror'' writer William Bridges. It follows a near-future in which there is a scientific basis for determining one's "soulmate" with complete accuracy. Giorgis wrote that in both works, "romantic tension is just a proxy for larger questions about safety, security, and belonging".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/10/soulmates-amc/616728/|title=Would a Soul Mate Fix Your Anxiety Right Now?|work=[[The Atlantic]]|last=Giorgis|first=Hannah|date=15 October 2020|access-date=19 February 2021|url-access=limited|archive-date=7 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107163124/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/10/soulmates-amc/616728/|url-status=live}}</ref>

During "Hang the DJ", Frank suggests to Amy that they are in a simulation, which turns out to be correct.<ref name="Thrillist"/> The setting initially presented to the audience raises many questions: Oller said that there are "so many strange and seemingly contradictory hints at the way the world works".<ref name="Paste"/> Relevant initial questions, according to Gilbert, are: why the characters seem to "live inside some kind of sealed dome"; what happens if they opt out of the system; and "Why, given that Frank and Amy have so much obvious chemistry, isn't the system pairing them up for longer?" She described the location as having an "artificial-world sheen" similar to that seen in series three's "[[Nosedive (Black Mirror)|Nosedive]]".<ref name="Atlantic"/> ''[[The Verge]]'' reviewer Lizzie Plaugic saw the setting as "flat and neutral" and suggested that its display of characters who "generally have nothing to do but kill time" was like that of "a Victorian-novel romance".<ref name="Verge">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16851520/black-mirror-hang-the-dj-review-joe-cole-georgina-campbell|title=The dating-app future of Black Mirror's Hang The DJ doesn't seem that implausible|work=[[The Verge]]|last=Plaugic|first=Lizzie|date=4 January 2018|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204164857/https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16851520/black-mirror-hang-the-dj-review-joe-cole-georgina-campbell|url-status=live}}</ref> Mellor saw this "simplicity" and "stylish emptiness" as logical for a "virtual world".<ref name="DoG Mellor"/>

[[File:TinderLogo-2017.svg|thumb|alt=Tinder|[[Tinder (app)|Tinder]] is an example of a [[dating application]] compared to the dating system in "Hang the DJ".]]
The episode relates to [[online dating]]. A [[Pew Research Center]] study around the time of the episode found that about a quarter of Americans in the age range 18–24 used dating applications.<ref name="Verge"/> ''[[Vox (website)|Vox]]''{{'}}s Abad-Santos listed [[Bumble Inc.|Bumble]], [[Grindr]], [[Hinge (app)|Hinge]], [[Scruff (app)|Scruff]] and [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]] as popular dating applications.<ref name="Vox">{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/12/29/16791192/black-mirror-hang-the-dj-recap-season-4-review|title=In Black Mirror's bittersweet "Hang the DJ," it's technology versus loneliness|work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|last=Abad-Santos|first=Alex|date=29 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=2 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902220733/https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/12/29/16791192/black-mirror-hang-the-dj-recap-season-4-review|url-status=live}}</ref> Plaugic saw Coach as "not unlike" the world of dating applications, which "collect enough data to effectively push products at users, or predict human behavior", including apps "that collect data about your dates to determine whether you actually like them".<ref name="Verge"/> Christopher Hooton, writing in ''[[The Independent]]'', saw a parallel between Frank and Amy's dating and "people who put themselves on a conveyor belt of Tinder dates though they are still not truly over their exes".<ref name="Independent">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/black-mirror-season-4-hang-dj-review-netflix-episode-4-dating-app-tinder-spoiler-a8131466.html|title=Black Mirror season 4 episode 4 'Hang the DJ' spoiler review: Takes Tinder to the extreme in unexpected ways|work=[[The Independent]]|last=Hooton|first=Christopher|date=28 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221173446/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/black-mirror-season-4-hang-dj-review-netflix-episode-4-dating-app-tinder-spoiler-a8131466.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Gilbert found Amy's "sped-up montage of different relationships and sexual encounters as if outside her own body, detached and dehumanized" to be a possible "critique of Tinder".<ref name="Atlantic"/>

Critics offered various suggestions of the episode's meaning. Abad-Santos saw the episode as embodying that "humans will put themselves through anything for that promise of being loved forever".<ref name="Vox"/> Plaugic wrote that its "anxieties are related to social acceptance, loneliness, and the blank unknown of the future".<ref name="Verge"/> Though Hooton saw the system as positive, saying the episode is "about how absolutely ingenious they could be in the future without us even really knowing exactly how they come to their conclusions viz. dating algorithms", Devon Maloney of ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' said that the system is "intentionally depressing for us as an audience", but marketed to characters "as a solution to the problems that plagued single people of yesteryear".<ref name="Independent"/><ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/story/black-mirror-hang-the-dj/|title=Black Mirror's Dating-App Episode is a Perfectly Heartbreaking Portrayal of Modern Romance|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|last=Maloney|first=Devon|date=29 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111203420/https://www.wired.com/story/black-mirror-hang-the-dj/|url-status=live}}</ref> Li opined that the episode shows dating applications both positively and negatively, as the romance of Frank and Amy "has already started off artificially".<ref name="EW"/> Zach Handlen of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' thought that the audience feels a "tension between the fantasy of a world where someone else makes the messy decisions for you, and the reflexive concern that this has to be a trap".<ref name="AVClub">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/big-brother-is-love-on-a-satisfying-black-mirror-1821634659|title=Big Brother is love on a satisfying ''Black Mirror''|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|last=Handlen|first=Zack|date=29 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=10 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210202135/https://www.avclub.com/big-brother-is-love-on-a-satisfying-black-mirror-1821634659|url-status=live}}</ref> Writing in ''Den of Geek'', Alec Bojalad found Amy and Frank to be "perfect for each other", as they share a sense of humour and "a clear physical connection".<ref name="DoG Bojalad">{{cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/black-mirror-season-4-episode-4-review-hang-the-dj/|title=Black Mirror Season 4 Episode 4 Review: Hang the DJ|work=[[Den of Geek]]|last=Bojalad|first=Alec|date=29 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=7 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607033618/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/black-mirror-season-4-episode-4-review-hang-the-dj/|url-status=live}}</ref> Catherine Gee of ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' saw them as similarly "sweet" and "goofy" with a fondness for "bad jokes".<ref name="Tele">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/black-mirror-season-4-hang-dj-review-new-san-junipero/|title=Black Mirror, season 4, Hang the DJ, review: is this the new San Junipero?|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|last=Gee|first=Catherine|date=29 December 2017|access-date=19 February 2021|url-access=subscription|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127232708/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/black-mirror-season-4-hang-dj-review-new-san-junipero/|url-status=live}}</ref> Abad-Santos interpreted their reaction to each other in the real world as "a wink and a smile, and the flicker of true love".<ref name="Vox"/> VanArendonk analysed the lyrics "hang the DJ" as "a celebration of fighting the power and doing it for yourself".<ref name="Vulture"/>

==Reception==
Though rated highly according to some metrics, the episode received mixed reception for its storyline and final twist, along with acclaim for the acting and characterisation of Frank and Amy. On the review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the episode has a 92% score based on 24 critics, reflecting universal acclaim. The site's summary describes it as "surprisingly sweet and satisfyingly slight" and with "a welcome dose of optimism".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black_mirror/s04/e04|title=Black Mirror – Season 4, Episode 4 – Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=23 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423120955/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black_mirror/s04/e04|url-status=live}}</ref> It received a five-star rating in ''Den of Geek'', a four-star rating from ''The Telegraph'' and ratings of A− in ''Entertainment Weekly'' and ''The A.V. Club'', but a more ambivalent rating of 6.2 out of 10 in ''Paste''.<ref name="Paste"/><ref name="AVClub"/><ref name="EW"/><ref name="DoG Bojalad"/><ref name="Tele"/> Maloney praised that it "perfectly captures the modern desperation of trusting algorithms to find us love" and found it moving enough to cry at the ending.<ref name="Wired"/> Handlen and ''[[Thrillist]]''{{'}}s Sean Fitz-Gerald experienced the ending more positively, calling it "a happy ending that still manages to be slightly unexpected" and a "refreshing dose of optimism{{nbsp}}... that shows this anthology is still at its best when it dares to take risks", respectively.<ref name="AVClub"/><ref name="Thrillist">{{cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/black-mirror-season-4-hang-the-dj-meaning-explained|title=The Wild Ending of 'Black Mirror' Season 4's 'Hang the DJ,' Explained|work=[[Thrillist]]|last=Fitz-Gerald|first=Sean|date=4 January 2018|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031192017/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/black-mirror-season-4-hang-the-dj-meaning-explained|url-status=live}}</ref>

The storyline received ambivalent reception. Abad-Santos found it "a testament to the episode's storytelling" that the viewer is "attuned" to "the rhythms and structure of the dating app" by the time Frank and Amy choose not to view their expiry date.<ref name="Vox"/> Gee said that "without being preachy", the story "is more than what it first appears".<ref name="Tele"/> Writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'', Bakare praised the sex scenes as "easily the funniest thing" in the fourth series.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2018/jan/03/black-mirror-season-four-step-away-from-your-smartphone-discuss-with-spoilers|title=Black Mirror, season four: step away from your smartphone! Discuss with spoilers|work=[[The Guardian]]|last=Bakare|first=Lanre|date=3 January 2018|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=12 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112223024/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2018/jan/03/black-mirror-season-four-step-away-from-your-smartphone-discuss-with-spoilers|url-status=live}}</ref> While Gilbert thought it "sagged a little in the middle", Mellor found it "develops into a strong story" over its runtime and Gee thought it was too short, at 51 minutes in length.<ref name="DoG Mellor"/><ref name="Atlantic"/><ref name="Tele"/> Plaugic critiqued it as "intriguing, amusing, and sweet" but "not nearly as insightful" as the previous episode "[[Be Right Back]]".<ref name="Verge"/> Hooton said the "in-app world doesn't feel very rich and fully realised".<ref name="Independent"/>

The twist received mixed reception. Critics such as Bakare praised it.<ref name="Guardian"/> Gilbert said it made the episode "more intriguing" and praised a "masterfully structured" set of hints "at a larger conspiracy" throughout the episode.<ref name="Atlantic"/> Mellor concurred that it was "cleverly seeded", such as with Amy's comment about stones skipping four times, and enjoyed the "impressive and poetic visual moments" with the endless ladder and 1,000 copies of Frank and Amy.<ref name="DoG Mellor"/> However, VanArendonk saw a contradiction between the storyline and the message of rebellion: "The characters who actually make a choice{{nbsp}}... get destroyed" and "in real life, Amy and Frank looked down at their phones and trusted an algorithm{{nbsp}}... We have to root for them to blindly do whatever their phones tell them to do".<ref name="Vulture"/> Bojalad saw this not to be a negative, writing that "the best part" of the episode "is how the tonal and thematic experiences remain the same before and after its twist", because "in both realities{{nbsp}}... falling in love is the same. It's the experience of rebellion".<ref name="DoG Bojalad"/> However, more negative reception to the twist came from Oller, who said it is "undermining its own reveal with its very nature".<ref name="Paste"/> Handlen found it "a little too neat" and "closed off" for not questioning the feelings or rights of the simulated people.<ref name="AVClub"/> Maloney said it was "admittedly clever" but "can't quite bury the despair" of the work.<ref name="Wired"/>

Campbell and Cole's acting garnered praise. Fitz-Gerald called their acting "stellar".<ref name="Thrillist"/> Gilbert praised them for a "genuine rapport" and Bojalad for "excellent onscreen chemistry"; Mellor wrote that the "chemistry between two very likeable and charismatic leads" is "what really sells this episode".<ref name="DoG Mellor"/><ref name="Atlantic"/><ref name="DoG Bojalad"/> Abad-Santos reviewed that they "anchor the story" and show a vulnerability to each character.<ref name="Vox"/> Handlen saw the writing, acting and directing as combining to "immediately, but not forcefully, [establish] that these two make a good match".<ref name="AVClub"/> However, Hooton saw that some of the dialogue "dials up the awkwardness way too much" so that the characters "feel more like parodies of millennials than actual ones".<ref name="Independent"/> Additionally, the soundtrack was praised: Hooton lauded it as "incredible", while Maloney wrote that it was used to enhance "the tenderness" between Frank and Amy in their second relationship.<ref name="Independent"/><ref name="Wired"/>

===Episode rankings===
"Hang the DJ" was ranked as follows on critics' lists of the 23 instalments of ''Black Mirror'' by quality, from best to worst:
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* 4th – Corey Atad, ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]''<ref name="esquire ranking">{{cite web | url=http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a49919/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/ | title=Every Episode of ''Black Mirror'', Ranked | date=24 October 2016 | author=Atad, Corey | website=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] | access-date=17 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815171949/http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a49919/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/ | archive-date=15 August 2017 | url-status=live}}</ref>
* 6th – [[James Hibberd (writer)|James Hibberd]], ''Entertainment Weekly''<ref name="ew ranking">{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/gallery/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/?slide=5828291#5828291 | title=Every ''Black Mirror'' Episode Ranked (including season 5) | author=Hibberd, James | author-link=James Hibberd (writer) | date=23 October 2016 | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | access-date=17 February 2021 | df=dmy-all | archive-date=21 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221173451/https://ew.com/gallery/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/?slide=5828291#5828291 | url-status=live }}</ref>
* 6th – Morgan Jeffery, ''[[Digital Spy]]''<ref name="ds ranking">{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/feature/a780434/black-mirror-episodes-ranked-charlie-brooker/|title=Ranking all 23 episodes of Charlie Brooker's chilling Black Mirror|website=[[Digital Spy]]|last=Jeffery|first=Morgan|date=9 April 2017|access-date=17 February 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806110935/http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/feature/a780434/black-mirror-episodes-ranked-charlie-brooker/|archive-date=6 August 2018}}</ref>
* 8th – Ed Power, ''The Telegraph''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/black-mirror-every-episode-ranked-rated/|title=Black Mirror: every episode ranked and rated, from Striking Vipers to San Junipero|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|last=Power|first=Ed|date=28 December 2017|access-date=17 February 2021|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101030556/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/black-mirror-every-episode-ranked-rated/|archive-date=1 January 2018}}</ref>
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* 9th – Matt Donnelly and Tim Molloy, ''[[TheWrap]]''<ref name="wrap ranking">{{cite web | url=https://www.thewrap.com/all-19-black-mirror-episodes-ranked-from-good-to-mind-blowing-photos/ | title='Striking Vipers' to 'National Anthem': Every 'Black Mirror' Ranked, From Good to Mind-Blowing (Photos) | author=Donnelly, Matt | author2=Molloy, Tim | website=[[TheWrap]] | access-date=17 February 2021 | df=dmy-all | archive-date=17 February 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217192830/https://www.thewrap.com/all-19-black-mirror-episodes-ranked-from-good-to-mind-blowing-photos/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
* 10th – Aubrey Page, ''[[Collider (website)|Collider]]''<ref name="collider ranking">{{cite web | url=http://collider.com/black-mirror-episodes-ranked | title=Every 'Black Mirror' Episode Ranked From Worst to Best | date=28 October 2016 | last=Page | first=Aubrey | work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] | access-date=17 February 2021 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202134910/http://collider.com/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/ | archive-date=2 February 2018 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>
* 12th – Travis Clark, ''[[Business Insider]]''<ref name="insider ranking">{{cite web|url=http://businessinsider.com/every-black-mirror-episode-on-netflix-ranked-from-worst-to-best-2018-5|title=All 23 episodes of Netflix's 'Black Mirror,' ranked from worst to best|work=[[Business Insider]]|last=Clark|first=Travis|date=10 September 2018|access-date=17 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911115114/https://www.businessinsider.com/every-black-mirror-episode-on-netflix-ranked-from-worst-to-best-2018-5|archive-date=11 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 14th – Charles Bramesco, ''Vulture''<ref name="vulture ranking">{{cite web | url=http://www.vulture.com/2016/10/every-black-mirror-episode-from-worst-to-best.html | title=Every ''Black Mirror'' Episode, Ranked | author=Bramesco, Charles | date=21 October 2016 | website=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]] | access-date=17 February 2021 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312082859/http://www.vulture.com/2016/10/every-black-mirror-episode-from-worst-to-best.html | archive-date=12 March 2018 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>
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''[[IndieWire]]'' authors ranked the 22 ''Black Mirror'' instalments excluding ''[[Black Mirror: Bandersnatch|Bandersnatch]]'' by quality, giving "Hang the DJ" a position of 7th.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/best-black-mirror-episodes-worst-netflix-ranked-1201897973/2/|title=Every 'Black Mirror' Episode Ranked, From Worst to Best|last1=Greene|first1=Steve|last2=Nguyen|first2=Hanh|last3=Miller|first3=Liz Shannon|work=[[IndieWire]]|date=24 November 2017|access-date=17 February 2020|archive-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228022045/http://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/best-black-mirror-episodes-worst-netflix-ranked-1201897973/2/|url-status=live}}</ref> Eric Anthony Glover of ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'' found the episode to be 14th-best of the 19 episodes from series one to four.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etonline.com/every-black-mirror-episode-ranked-worst-best-93082|title=Every 'Black Mirror' Episode Ranked, From Worst to Best|website=[[Entertainment Tonight]]|last=Glover|first=Eric Anthony|date=22 December 2017|access-date=17 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801004027/https://www.etonline.com/every-black-mirror-episode-ranked-worst-best-93082|archive-date=1 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Instead of by quality, Proma Khosla of ''[[Mashable]]'' ranked the episodes by tone, concluding that "Hang the DJ" is the least pessimistic episode of the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2018/01/05/black-mirror-pessimism-ranking-dread|title=Every 'Black Mirror' episode ever, ranked by overall dread|work=[[Mashable]]|last=Khosla|first=Proma|date=5 January 2018|access-date=17 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308090919/https://mashable.com/2018/01/05/black-mirror-pessimism-ranking-dread/|archive-date=8 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other reviewers ranked "Hang the DJ" against other series four episodes:
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* 1st – Christopher Hooton, Jacob Stolworthy, ''The Independent''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/netflix-black-mirror-season-4-review-ranked-uss-callister-arkangel-hang-the-dj-crocodile-back-museum-a8133676.html|title=Netflix's Black Mirror season four: Every episode ranked|website=[[The Independent]]|last1=Hooton|first1=Christopher|last2=Stolworthy|first2=Jacob|date=29 December 2017|access-date=17 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120143414/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/netflix-black-mirror-season-4-review-ranked-uss-callister-arkangel-hang-the-dj-crocodile-back-museum-a8133676.html|archive-date=20 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{col-2}}
* 1st (grade: A) – ''[[TVLine]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvline.com/gallery/black-mirror-review-season-4-netflix-episodes-ranking-photos/black-mirror-season-4-hang-the-dj/|title='Black Mirror' Season 4 Episodes, Ranked|work=[[TVLine]]|date=29 December 2017|access-date=17 February 2021|archive-date=12 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112222954/https://tvline.com/gallery/black-mirror-review-season-4-netflix-episodes-ranking-photos/black-mirror-season-4-hang-the-dj/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{col-end}}

===Accolades===
{{See also|List of awards and nominations received by Black Mirror}}

"Hang the DJ" was nominated for four awards: three [[British Academy Television Awards]] (BAFTAs) and a [[Black Reel Award]].<ref name="BAFTA"/><ref name="Black Reel"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; width:99%;"
|+ {{sronly|Awards and nominations received by "Hang the DJ"}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Award
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Recipients
! scope="col" | Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4" style="text-align: center;" | 2018
| rowspan="2" | [[2018 British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA Awards]]
| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Single Drama|Best Single Drama]]
| "Hang the DJ"
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" align="center" | <ref name="BAFTA">{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2018/television |title=Bafta TV Awards 2018 |publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] |access-date=15 May 2018 |archive-date=15 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515185208/http://awards.bafta.org/award/2018/television |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[Joe Cole (actor)|Joe Cole]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[2018 British Academy Television Craft Awards|BAFTA Craft Awards]]
| Writer: Drama
| Charlie Brooker
| {{nom}}
| align="center" | <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-04-23/bafta-craft-tv-awards-2018-winners-list-full/ |title=Three Girls and Game of Thrones lead Bafta TV Craft Awards 2018 |last=Allen |first=Ben |date=23 April 2018 |website=[[Radio Times]] |access-date=29 April 2018 |archive-date=29 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429221957/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-04-23/bafta-craft-tv-awards-2018-winners-list-full/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Black Reel Awards of 2018|Black Reel Awards]]
| [[Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series|Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series]]
| [[Georgina Campbell]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" | <ref name="Black Reel">For the award nominations, see {{cite web|url=http://blackreelawards.com/historic-night-for-queen-sugar/|title=Voters Are "Sweet" On Queen Sugar|date=15 June 2018|publisher=Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=3 July 2018|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/70d4GiC7F?url=http://blackreelawards.com/historic-night-for-queen-sugar/|url-status=live}}<hr>For the award winners, see {{cite web|url=http://blackreelawards.com/past-winners/|title=Black Reel Awards {{pipe}} Past Winners|date=21 February 2016|publisher=Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=26 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226112208/http://blackreelawards.com/past-winners/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* ''[[Love Alarm]]'' – a South Korean streaming television series with a similar plot.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb episode|5710978|Hang the DJ}}

{{Black Mirror}}

[[Category:2017 British television episodes]]
[[Category:Black Mirror episodes]]
[[Category:Films about online dating]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Charlie Brooker]]
[[Category:Netflix original television series episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by Tim Van Patten]]
[[Category:Television episodes about simulated reality]]