Loading AI tools
2004 British horror parody television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is a British horror parody television series created by Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness for Channel 4. The show focuses on fictional horror author Garth Marenghi (played by Holness) and his publisher Dean Learner (played by Ayoade), characters who originated in the stage show Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight.
| Garth Marenghi's Darkplace | |
|---|---|
Front cover of DVD release | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Based on | |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Richard Ayoade |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Andrew Hewitt |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Charlie Hanson |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 29 January – 4 March 2004 |
The series is presented as a special release of the fictional television series Darkplace. Within the reality of the show, Darkplace was produced in the 1980s for Channel 4, but never broadcast anywhere but Peru, eventually becoming a lost series. Saved footage has recently resurfaced, with Marenghi republishing with the intent of gaining interest from a modern audience. The "original footage" of the show is intercut or bookended with commentary from many of the "original" cast, where characters such as Marenghi and Learner reflect on what it was like to make the show. Darkplace parodies the fashion, special effects, production gaffes, and music of low-budget '80s television, as well as the arrogant attitude of certain writers and performers.
Darkplace was broadcast in a late-night timeslot, with very little advertising, and met with poor viewing figures.[1] It built up a significant internet following, leading Channel 4 to repeat the series and produce a DVD release. In 2005, Channel 4's Film4 asked Holness and Ayoade to write a script for a film version of the series,[2] but the project never saw further development.
The show was later broadcast in the United States on the Sci-Fi Channel and Adult Swim[1] and is available to stream on Peacock.
"I'm Garth Marenghi: author, dreamweaver, visionary, plus actor: You are about to enter the world of my imagination; you are now entering my Darkplace."
Garth Marenghi's opening narration.
The spoof comedy series, released in 2004, lampoons 1980s television drama,[3] particularly horror, sci-fi, and "the rampant egotism of self-appointed 'mastermind' authors".[4] The show presents Garth Marenghi's Darkplace as though it were a real, low-budget television series produced in the 1980s and now getting its first screening, framed as part of a director's commentary series. Darkplace's fictional show-within-a-show includes deliberately poor production and special effects, sub-par acting, choppy editing and storylines that are "severely flawed and open-ended".[3][5] This is interspersed with present-day interviews with the cast.
The series' fictional premise is that some time in the 1980s, bestselling horror author Garth Marenghi and his publisher/publicist, Dean Learner, made their own low-budget television series with a single intent: "to change the evolutionary course of Man over a series of half-hour episodes."[6][7] Set in Darkplace Hospital, "over the very gates of Hell", in Romford, London,[4] Garth Marenghi's Darkplace shows the adventures of Dr. Rick Dagless, M.D., as he fights the forces of darkness while simultaneously coping with the pressures of "day to day admin". Within this fictional context, Marenghi wrote 63 teleplays from which 50 shows were produced (in the commentary, he mentions that there were 67 episodes at one point, though it may have been intentional by Holness to show discontinuity);[7] however, Channel 4 was eventually forced to reject the show due to its "radicality",[4][7] though Marenghi also cites possible government suppression: "MI8, which is actually three levels above MI6, pulled the plug. And they did it because I knew the truth."[3]
In 2004, due to the "worst artistic drought in broadcast history",[5] Channel 4 decided to air six of the original episodes.
The makers of Darkplace endeavoured to make the show seem authentic. From "the retro Channel 4 logo at the start to the distortion of the analogue music track at the start of scenes", "the fashion, ... the texture of film stock",[4] "[the] deliberately poor continuity, cheesy lines, wooden acting and cheap special effects"; it is delivered "in such a pitch perfect way you can't help but laugh".[3] Also included are "present-day interviews", in which Marenghi, Learner, and their co-star Todd Rivers comment on the show-within-the-show. The interview segments further reveal the delusional and self-absorbed attitudes of Marenghi and Learner.
As with promotion for their earlier Perrier Award-winning stage show,[8][9] the official website speaks of Garth Marenghi, and other characters as though they were real people, while making no mention of the real actors. Press releases also contained "realistic looking fake back stories for Marenghi and the other characters instead of making any mention of what the real cast have appeared in",[3] and an article by "Garth Marenghi" appeared in The Daily Telegraph discussing his "groundbreaking television series".[10] "More than a few" people and media outlets were caught out by this fictional framing.[3][4]
The show's musical soundtrack, ostensibly composed by "Stig Baasvik" (but with a further credit stating that it is "based on melodies whistled by Garth Marenghi") parodies the same subjects as the writing, and gained its actual composer, Andrew Hewitt, a BAFTA Nomination as Best New Composer for Film and T.V. (2004).[11]
A few other (real) actors have recurring roles in the show-within-the-show: Kim Noble appears in every episode as Jim, a hospital worker whose main function is to listen to Dagless reel off a lengthy speech and respond with a "yes" or other monosyllabic reply, and Noble's real comedy partner Stuart Silver appears as "The Extra": a character whose name is unknown and has been a doctor, receptionist, keyboard soloist and barman. Julian Barratt also appears in three episodes as the hospital's vicar, whom Dagless refers to as "Padre". Graham Linehan and Stephen Merchant appear twice as the hospital porter and chef, respectively. Noel Fielding appears as a mutant "Ape-oid" in Episode 4, "The Apes of Wrath".
This list is ordered by the original air dates on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom.
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Once Upon a Beginning" | 29 January 2004 | |
|
New doctor Liz Asher arrives at Darkplace Hospital, where a mysterious cat portends disaster. Dr. Rick Dagless, M.D., must act in time to prevent unspeakable evil from leaking out from a portal to Hellmouth under Darkplace Hospital. Guest starring Julian Barratt. | |||
| 2 | "Hell Hath Fury" | 5 February 2004 | |
|
At Darkplace Hospital, lunch is delayed, and objects begin flying around. At first, suspicion falls on the hospital's temporary clerical assistant, but Dagless is determined to find out the truth. Guest starring Stephen Merchant. | |||
| 3 | "Skipper the Eyechild" | 12 February 2004 | |
|
Somewhere on the wards of Darkplace Hospital, a man gives birth to a giant eyeball that brings out paternal instincts in Dagless, still grieving for the loss of his half-human, half-grasshopper son. However, the eyeball could be a potential killer. Guest starring Graham Linehan. | |||
| 4 | "The Apes of Wrath" | 19 February 2004 | |
|
A mysterious illness spreads like a particularly virulent disease through the wards of Darkplace, causing doctors and patients to revert to an earlier genetic state. Dagless must stop it before he too becomes a primate. Guest starring Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. | |||
| 5 | "Scotch Mist" | 26 February 2004 | |
|
A Scottish mist descends on Darkplace, and Dagless has to act fast to protect all the English people in the hospital from grave danger. Guest starring Paul King. | |||
| 6 | "The Creeping Moss from the Shores of Shuggoth" | 4 March 2004 | |
|
Dr. Sanchez's life is in danger from a patient with an extraterrestrial broccoli infection. Dagless must save both his friend, and the world. Guest starring Julian Barratt and Graham Linehan. | |||
Rotten Tomatoes gives the series an 87% rating based on reviews from 23 critics, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The short-lived Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is strangely brilliant, even while buried under its own layers of satire."[12]
Darkplace originally aired in 2004. Only one series was produced. There is media speculation that the "average" or "poor" viewing figures led Channel 4 to decide against commissioning a second series.[3][13] Channel 4 started a re-run of the series in October 2006 and released the show on DVD in the same month, while allowing the show to be re-broadcast on Virgin Media's On-demand service.[14] In 2005, it was reported that the channel's cinema division, Film Four, had asked Holness and Ayoade to write a script for a film version of their programme.[2]
On 27 July 2006, Darkplace made its U.S. debut on the Sci-Fi Channel.[13]
The series had a spin-off, the spoof chat show Man to Man with Dean Learner, which began on 20 October 2006 on Channel 4. Dean's first guest was Garth Marenghi. During the interview with Garth a clip from the supposedly forthcoming movie, War of the Wasps, is shown, again featuring Dean Learner and his acting ability. Marenghi would also appear on the final episode of the series, which featured a clip from a video nasty that Garth and Dean had supposedly produced, which featured cameos from various Darkplace cast members.
As of 2022[update] Darkplace is available to watch on All 4 (Channel 4's free streaming service) and BritBox, and was screened on UK Gold in January 2016. In the United States it is available on Amazon Prime and Pluto TV.
The complete series was released on DVD (PAL, region 2 only) on 16 October 2006, including the following special features:
The cover of the DVD also features a play on the DVD logo, which instead reads "DEANVD".
Holness and Ayoade reprise their roles as Garth and Dean in Man to Man with Dean Learner, which is also available on DVD.
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
