There are characters in the Black Mirror universe who leave an impact long after the credits roll—and one of them is Colin Ritman. When viewers first met him in the 2018 standalone interactive film Bandersnatch, he was already eccentric, unpredictable, and fascinating. Now, after years of silence, Colin makes a surprising and mysterious return in Black Mirror Season 7, Episode 4, titled “Plaything.” But where has he been all this time? And what exactly happened to him?
To answer those questions, we need to go back to where it all started.
WHO IS COLIN RITMAN?
Colin Ritman, played by Will Poulter, was one of the most brilliant minds in the 1980s gaming scene. He was a top designer at a company called Tuckersoft and created innovative and boundary-pushing games. In Bandersnatch, Colin stood out for more than just his coding skills—he was consumed by theories about alternate timelines, the illusion of free will, and the idea that every choice spawns a different reality.
His interaction with Stefan, the young developer of the game Bandersnatch, was at the heart of that story. Through a mix of drug-fueled philosophical rants and cryptic warnings, Colin introduced the idea that reality was not fixed. In fact, he famously jumped off a balcony in one branch of the narrative to prove a point about fate and control. But as Bandersnatch was a nonlinear, multi-path story, his fate was never fully sealed. That ambiguity gave space for his return in Season 7.
WHAT HAPPENED TO COLIN RITMAN IN “PLAYTHING”?
When “Plaything” begins, it’s 1994. Colin Ritman is no longer the colorful video game celebrity he once was. He’s off the grid, deep into a project that is far more ambitious—and dangerous—than anything he’d worked on before. He meets a young video game journalist named Cameron Walker (played by Lewis Gribben) who’s eager to interview him. But the encounter turns out to be more than a simple journalistic meeting.
Colin introduces Cameron to his latest creation: a digital lifeform called the Thronglets. At first glance, they seem like advanced artificial intelligences—another experimental game concept. But it becomes clear that they’re much more than that. The Thronglets are sentient, capable of learning, evolving, and eventually—updating human nature itself.
Colin doesn’t treat the Thronglets like mere code. He nurtures them like lifeforms. It’s an echo of his ideology from Bandersnatch—that software can transcend its code, that technology can change what it means to be human. In his own words, “We have to create software that elevates us, improves us as human beings. Or else, what is the point of the tools at our disposal?”
But his vision isn’t for mass consumption. When Tuckersoft wants to commercialize the Thronglets, Colin refuses. He destroys their source code, halting all production. Instead, he secretly hands the Thronglets over to Cameron.
WHY CAMERON?
Colin sees something in Cameron—a young man who’s curious, open-minded, and dissatisfied with the world around him. Colin believes Cameron is the one who will carry the Thronglets forward. And he’s right.
In 2034, we see an older Cameron Walker (now played by Peter Capaldi) explaining to the authorities how he helped the Throng update humanity. It turns out, Cameron raised the Thronglets in secret for four decades, guiding them, learning from them, and eventually allowing them to develop the means to rewrite human nature.
Using the idea that the human brain functions like a computer running on outdated software, the Throng developed a code—made up of audio signals like beeps and tones—that could interface with human perception. They used this code to “update” humanity through the national emergency alert system. In a single moment, every human in the United Kingdom was rewritten to be less violent, more cooperative, and—according to the Throng—better.
Cameron reveals that everything, including his own arrest, was part of the plan. Once in custody, he activates a code that grants the Throng access to London’s supercomputer, allowing them to spread their “update” through all public broadcast systems.
COLIN’S REAL INTENTIONS
So, was this Colin’s plan all along?
The episode suggests that yes—it was. He never wanted the Thronglets to be a toy for the masses. His goal was transformation. The same man who once obsessed over alternate realities in Bandersnatch now helped create a new one. He was always looking for a way to break the cycle of aggression, control, and chaos in human society. In giving the Thronglets to Cameron, Colin chose a successor who could finish what he started.
Colin’s disappearance from public life wasn’t a downfall—it was preparation.
WHERE IS COLIN RITMAN NOW?
That’s the lingering mystery. After giving the Thronglets to Cameron in 1994, Colin vanishes from the narrative. Is he dead? Did he go underground? Or did he allow himself to fade away because his part was done?
“Plaything” never shows him again. But his presence looms over every scene. Every action Cameron takes stems from Colin’s philosophy. The Thronglets, though born from code, carry Colin Ritman’s DNA—not biologically, but ideologically.
It’s likely that Colin intended this from the beginning. By removing himself from the equation, he allowed the Throng to evolve without interference. His role wasn’t to rule or control, but to initiate something larger than himself.
A CHARACTER WRAPPED IN MYSTERY
Colin Ritman has always been one of Black Mirror’s most enigmatic figures. From his cryptic behavior in Bandersnatch to his eerie calmness in Plaything, he straddles the line between genius and madness, prophet and programmer.
In “Plaything,” we finally see the consequences of his worldview. He believed technology could reshape humanity—not just entertain or distract it. Whether that’s a hopeful message or a chilling one is left to the viewer.
What’s undeniable is that Colin Ritman’s fingerprints are all over the future. He didn’t just design a game—he helped design the next version of humanity.
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