Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

[Meds]

I totally loved this comedy/horror/sci fi tv show. Its meant to look cheap as its a parody of all those rubbish tv shows from the early 80's.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is a comedy series, released in 2004, that lampoons 1980s television drama, particularly horror, sci-fi, and "the rampant egotism of self-appointed 'mastermind' authors." The show presents Garth Marenghi's Darkplace as though it were a real, budget television series, produced in the 1980s, and now getting its first screening; this hoax is the basis of the show's fictional frame. Darkplace's fictional show-within-a-show includes deliberately poor production and special effects, sub-par acting, and story lines that are "severely flawed and open-ended", this is interspersed with 'present-day interviews' with the 'cast'.

The series' fictional premise is that some time in the 1980s, best-selling 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." Set in Darkplace Hospital, "over the very gates of Hell," in Romford, East London, 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; however, Channel 4 was eventually forced to reject the show due to its "radicality." 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."

In 2004, due to the "worst artistic drought in broadcast history", 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,", "[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." Also included are "present-day interviews", in which the character 'Marenghi', with co-stars 'Dean Learner' and 'Todd Rivers', comment on the show-within-the-show.

Here is episode one .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNfQ0ORwSDM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQtK33C-KrQ&feature=related

Let me know what you all think. ;)

[celestialteapot]

I loved the show and wish it had got a second series. I have it on DVD and it never fails to cheer me up!