It was the only episode not written or co-written by series creator Charlie Brooker, instead credited to sitcom writer Jesse Armstrong.

The episode is set in a future where a "grain" technology records people's audiovisual senses, allowing a person to re-watch their memories.

The lawyer Liam (Toby Kebbell) attends a dinner party with his wife Ffion (Jodie Whittaker), becoming suspicious after seeing her zealously interact with a friend of hers, Jonas (Tom Cullen).

The episode was less comedic than other works by Armstrong, with critics highlighting its relevance to how mobile phones and the internet allow people to record an increasing number of details about their lives.

Jonas jokes about a time when his fiancée was waiting for him in bed while he was downstairs masturbating to a re-do of him having sex with a different woman.

Another guest, Hallam (Phoebe Fox), talks about how she lacks a grain after being "gouged"—an attacker cut into the skin behind her right ear to steal her memories.

[1] "The Entire History of You" was written by Jesse Armstrong, making it the only episode to not give a writing credit to creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker.

[2] Armstrong was a sitcom writer, best known for co-creating Peep Show, which uses point-of-view shots, and had met Brooker several times previously.

Armstrong had independently been considering the exponential growth of memory capacity in computers, and pitched an idea relating to the importance of "being able to forget things" in relationships.

Casting director Shaheen Baig commented that the pair are similar actors, as both are "very emotionally open" but "subtle and complex".

Due to logistical difficulties, the characters instead watch the footage replayed in their pupils, which have the visual effect of being "milked out".

In February 2013, it was reported that the American actors Robert Downey Jr. and George Clooney had bid for the rights to option "The Entire History of You" with the intention of making a film adaptation.

Armstrong planned to write the script, which would be about a man who uses a grain to repeat memories with his deceased wife, gradually learning a big secret from doing so.

[10] The episode takes place in the near future,[9][11] the primary setting being "stark, modernist interiors of several isolated country homes" according to Emily Yoshida of Grantland.

[14] Shelli Nicole of Architectural Digest analysed that the "cool jewel" colours in Liam and Ffion's house relate to their mistrust and detachment.

[14] The episode shows varied uses for the grain, such as screening at airport security or re-watching a baby's audiovisual feed to ensure the babysitter did their job.

[10] Critics found that the episode relates to technologies such as mobile phones and the internet which allow detailed recording of aspects of a person's life.

[8][10][16] Yoshida believed that it would seem "unnatural, even revolting" to a person from a past era that modern day people can "recall emotional triggers with the clarity we are capable of.

"[14] Richards found that the grain technology could be good for reminiscing on old memories, but leads to increased arguments in relationships.

[11] Lambie suggested that imperfect memories can be desirable,[8] Lewis writing that "deception and misremembering that are integral facets of not only romantic relationships but of life itself".

Sims linked its themes to the 1869 novel He Knew He Was Right, about a marriage failing from the jealousy of the husband and stubbornness of the wife.

[8] Lewis believed Ffion's only inappropriate action in the episode is "misleading her husband to protect him from the kind of emotional doodlebug he explodes on himself".

[7] Adam David of CNN Philippines found that the episode suggests that small lies and unreliable memories are "part of being human".

[17] Brooker commented that he has seen a "reductive" interpretation of the story as one where "poor Liam ... found out that his wife was a bitch", which he disagreed with.

Brooker believed that Liam is a "weak, frightened, flawed person" and "a bit of a bully" towards Ffion, his issues stemming from insecurity.

[7][9][10][11] The episode was praised by Yoshida as "emotionally immediate and prescient", and by Lewis as a "brave, bitter and bleak production that’s as uncomfortably familiar as it is woefully watchable".

[10] Stephen Carty of The Guardian reviewed that the episode was "grounded in reality", making it relatable despite a "fantastical premise".

[20] Richards critiqued that the grain "wasn't so crucial to the trajectory of the story" as "jealous people will always find ways to destroy their relationships".