Ringing Phone (Auditory Imagery)
"The National Anthem" opens with the sound of a landline phone ringing in the middle of the night while Prime Minister Callow and his wife, Jane, lie asleep in bed. On the other end of the phone is a Downing Street staff member who will notify Britain's leader that the beloved Princess Susannah has been kidnapped—with grave implications for Callow. In this example of auditory imagery, the shrill tone of the ringing phone disrupts the comfortable oblivion of sleep, thrusting the prime minister and his wife into a nightmarish new reality.
Nauseating Tone (Auditory Imagery)
Having run out of alternative options, Callow must go through with the kidnapper's demand that he have sex with a pig on live television. To dissuade the public from tuning in, the broadcasters begin the spectacle by playing a sustained tone that is designed to nauseate those who hear it. Upon hearing it, the viewers shown watching the event from a pub all rush to cover their ears; the tone echoes out over shots of empty British streets. In this example of auditory imagery, the piercing tone rings out ominously, contributing to the episode's uneasy mood as the entire country tunes in to take part in the prime minister's humiliation.
Bloody Bandaged Hand (Visual Imagery)
While live footage of Callow having sex with a pig is broadcast to the world, the kidnapper, Carlton Blood, hangs dead in his studio. Bloom has kicked away his stool, his body is turned from his television, and his right hand is wrapped in a bloody bandage where he is missing a finger. In this example of visual imagery, Brooker reveals to the audience that the perpetrator of the ransom stunt severed his own finger and passed it off as belonging to the princess.
Jane Walks Ahead Without Michael (Visual Imagery)
At the end of the episode, a UKN news report shows images of Michael and his wife making a public appearance at a school gymnasium one year after the prime minister's public humiliation, which led to him having higher-than-ever public approval ratings. Michael and Jane smile and show each other physical affection when news cameras are pointed at them; however, once alone inside No. 10 Downing Street, Jane rushes up the stairs while Michael waits at the bottom. When he pleads with her to speak with him, Jane scowls at her husband as though disgusted, and she continues up the stairs alone. In this example of visual imagery, Brooker shows the viewer that although Callow has gained the sympathy of the nation, he has lost the respect of his wife.
