Dark place is a brilliantly funny comedy show that creatively spoofs 80s and 90s horror and sci-fi shows. The series sadly only has six episodes, due to poor ratings. However, the show has gained a massive cult following. The show stars Matt Berry and Richard Ayoade (both currently in The I.T. Crowd), and has guest appearances of people such as Stephen Merchant and Graham Linehan (both now successful comedy writers). Some would say it is one of the best British comedy shows ever made.
[url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397150/]IMDB page[/url]
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Marenghi's_Darkplace]Wikipedia page[/url]
[QUOTE=Channel 4's Fictional Back Story]
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace was originally filmed in the 1980s and has since earned a cult reputation as one of the most terrifying and radical television programmes ever made. Despite this, none of the episodes have ever been seen before now (although the show enjoyed a brief run in Peru).
Darkplace was scripted and directed by the best-selling horror writer Garth Marenghi, known to thousands as the author of such classic chillers as The Ooze (can water die?), Afterbirth (a mutated placenta attacks Bristol) and Black Fang (rats learn to drive). In addition, Marenghi starred as the show's lead character, Dr. Rick Dagless M.D., a maverick doctor battling against the evil forces lurking beneath a hospital in Romford.
Darkplace was funded by Marenghi's publisher, business associate and co-star, Dean Learner, who plays hospital boss Thornton Reed. The programme also features cult horror star Todd Rivers as Dr. Lucien Sanchez, and Madeleine Wool as Dr. Liz Asher (who vanished during the production and remains missing, presumed dead).
Controversy has surrounded the show since its creation, leading to rumours that the production was cursed. When Darkplace was originally cancelled, it had already claimed six lives, caused three nervous breakdowns and been subject to at least one visitation. Marenghi, however, blames the government for the show's troubled genesis: "MI8, which is actually three levels above MI6, pulled the plug. And they did it because I knew the truth. They had files on everyone. But mainly on me." Dean Learner, however, blames its creator: "Not since Orson Welles had one man so many fingers in so many pies, and been the chef as well. And then looked like he went and ate them all. The guy was out of control."
Finally, almost 20 years later, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace appears for its first UK screening. Channel 4 will show six of the 50 or so half-hour episodes, repackaged by Avalon Television and carefully restored and re-mastered by Marenghi himself, along with technical help from Learner and his one-time brother-in-law. Included within the new versions are recent interviews with its key players, and an appeal for any information which might lead to Madeleine Wool's discovery.
At last, those who made Darkplace give you the facts behind the fiction...
Even now, Garth warns that the show, an effort to "radicalise men's minds", may prove "too subversive, too dangerous, too damn scary." The wait for the most famous 'lost' project in horror goes on, but not for much longer...
[b][u]Series Summary[/b][/u]
This terrifying serial set in the grim hallways of a Romford hospital was scripted and directed by best-selling horror writer Garth Marenghi, known to thousands as the author of such classic chillers as The Ooze (can water die?), Afterbirth (a mutated placenta attacks Bristol), and Black Fang (rats learn to drive).
Marenghi stars as Dr Rick Dagless MD, a magnum-wielding ex-warlock taking on the forces of evil. His publisher, Dean Learner, co-stars as ball-busting hospital administrator Thornton Reed.
The series also features cult horror star Todd Rivers as Dr Lucien Sanchez, and Madeleine Wool (who vanished during production and remains missing, presumed dead) as Dr Liz Asher.
At last, some 20 years after its creation, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace has been unleashed on an unsuspecting public.
That's you, by the way.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=IMDB]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. [/QUOTE]
[u]media[/u]
All the episodes are available on 4OD and youtube (but sadly, UK residents only):
[url]http://www.youtube.com/show/garthmarenghisdarkplace?s=1[/url]
[url]http://www.channel4.com/programmes/garth-marenghis-darkplace/episode-guide/series-1[/url]
The "cast".
[img]http://syntaxi.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/garth1.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=RearAdmiral;23219654]
[b]Thread Music:[/b]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BwQBjJvN5Y[/media][/QUOTE]
[b]Sorry about the poor quality of the clips, but channel 4 has removed most of them, and these are pretty much all of them.[/b]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvbEExv72eM[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPqRpar4PyE[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxW4CgzUUL8[/media]
Video found by ryno5660:
[media]http://youtube.com/watch?v=X6iJRNHUOT4[/media]
I need to watch this sometime, a friend gave me the DVD to borrow a couple of months ago and I still haven't watched it.
Darkplace is amazing, I fully recommend it
It's a great series. The badly made style of it is hillarious.
I love this and Brasseye.
Oh god it's so badly done it's hilarious, a shame it got poor reviews and not many viewers.
"Son of a bitch."
Also am I reading it correct that Alice Lowe died or vanished? Or that her character died/vanished? Because she's alive and well, her last known appearance was in February 2010.
I fucking love Darkplace.
Ah i fucking love this show, shame they didn't make another series.
good interesting show...it was on [adult swim] but idk anymore
Was Noel Fielding in any of the episodes? I feel like I saw him in an episode when Dark Place used to air on Adult Swim. I remember Julian Barratt was there for sure.
Used to watch it on Adult Swim.:)
[QUOTE=MorbidlyObese;23219445]Was Noel Fielding in any of the episodes? I feel like I saw him in an episode when Dark Place used to air on Adult Swim. I remember Julian Barratt was there for sure.[/QUOTE]
He was the evil Ape that was pissing in the hospital's water supply.
[b]Thread Music:[/b]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BwQBjJvN5Y[/media]
Oh my god.
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