Garth Marenghi's Darkplace 

This parody series is an unearthed 80s horror/drama, complete with poor production values, awful dialogue and hilarious violence. The series is set in a Hospital in Romford, which is situated over the gates of Hell.

Stars:

Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Matthew Holness

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Richard Ayoade	...	Dean Learner / ... 6 episodes, 2004
Matt Berry	...	Dr. Lucien Sanchez / ... 6 episodes, 2004
Matthew Holness	...	Dr. Rick Dagless M.D. / ... 6 episodes, 2004
Alice Lowe	...	Madeleine Wool / ... 6 episodes, 2004
Kim Noble	...	Jim 4 episodes, 2004
Julian Barratt	...	Padre 3 episodes, 2004
Matt Green	...	Chef's Assistant / ... 2 episodes, 2004
Sarah Kants	...	Larry's Mother 2 episodes, 2004
Graham Linehan	...	Security Guard 2 episodes, 2004
Stephen Merchant	...	The Chef 2 episodes, 2004

Storyline

In the 1980s horror writer Garth Marenghi wrote, produced, directed and starred in Darkplace, a groundbreaking series set in a hospital and exploring the depths of the author's imagination. At least that's what Marenghi and his publicist/co-star, Dean Learner, claim in modern-day interviews which both bookend and interrupt the episodes. In fact the show is cheap, chiché'd, full of gaping plot holes and startlingly misogynist. Garth Marenghi is a creation of comedian Matthew Holness, who won a Perrier award with the character at the 2001 Edinburgh festival.

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Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | cringe comedy | hospital | interview | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

From the best-selling master of darkness

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Every actor in this series, even the extras, also appear in The Mighty Boosh, except for Matthew Hollness (Garth Marenghi). Matthew, however, was the original actor for Dixon Bainbridge in the Mighty Boosh live shows before it was adapted to TV.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Dr. Rick Dagless: My name is Doctor Rick Dagless, M.D.

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Crazy Credits

The credits are all in an 80s style and use the old Channel 4 logo.

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Connections

Referenced in Horrificata Illuminata (2006)

User Reviews

Innovative and refreshing

I watched this show with trepidation expecting it to be another hit and miss, or even plain miss, of a mini-series. I was more then pleasantly suprised when the show proved not only to be hilarious but a much needed break from the vapid 'reality' shows that have come to expunge any palatability from our viewing pleasure. The 'bad acting', or 'showing the truth' as Garth puts it, is amazingly funny. This is especially true in the character of Garth's boss and the chef (The Office's Stephan Merchant). Overall, it can tend to be a bit tedious by the end but at the moment it is hysterical and I can't wait to see where they go from here.

Details

Official Sites:

Avalon Television Channel 4 [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 2004 (UK)

Also Known As:

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

Filming Locations:

Romford, Essex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avalon Television, Channel 4 Television Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16 : 9