ORBzine - Garth Marenghi's Darkplace TV Review

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace [Season 1, Episode 1] Once upon a Beginning
Shown Autumn 2003

This is a wonderful parody of UK horror novels and TV shows, possibly inspired by the works of Shaun Hutson .

The show is basically a Medical drama set in a hospital in Romford. However, it's a nexus of supernatural activity. The result is a mix of Twilight Zone, X-Files - with 1980s fashions and 1970s SPFX!

Of course, to make it clear that this is a parody, the stars - writer Garth Marengi and publisher Dean Learner - give their input in a series of interviews.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace [Season 1, Episode 2] Hell hath Fury
Shown Autumn 2003

Liz, token female doctor, develops telekinesis. The result is an OTT parody of 1970s flicks Carrie, The Fury .

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace [Season 1, Episode 3] Skipper the Eyechild
Shown Autumn 2003

Rick takes a giant eyeball as a substitute son.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace [Season 1, Episode 4] Apes of Wrath
Shown Autumn 2003

Sanchez turns into an ape. Soon, everyone in the hospital is following suit. Does the chaplain [Might Boosh, Nathan Barley] have anything to do with it?

This is a piss-take on the best UK TV show never made.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace [Season 1, Episode 5] Scotch Mist
Shown Autumn 2003

This is a parody of The Fog [it even has John Carpenter music].

The supernatural mist being Scottish, this might be taken as being anti-Scottish. Marenghi, in the interview, states that he intended the message to be one of anti-racism.

Compared to the racist propaganda of Braveheart , this is mild stuff indeed. And while the statements made about Glasgow are inaccurate and misleading, they are a perfect fit for Dundee!

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace [Season 1, Episode 6] Creeping Moss from the Shores of Shuggoth
Shown Autumn 2003

Sanchez' love interest turns into Alien brocoli.

Like most TV shows in the 1980s [and Baywatch in the 1990s!] this ep contains a music video!

Man to Man: An Evening with Dean Learner (2006)

Man to Man: An Evening with Dean Learner [Season 1, Episode 1] Garth Marenghi
Shown 20th October 2006 [Friday]

Dean Learner, publisher and actor, now has his own chat show.

Special Guest this week is Garth Marenghi [Matthew Holness], Dean's co-star from Darkplace.

We get a clip of Marenghi's new film - he and Sanchez save Romford from giant wasps from outer space.

Man to Man: An Evening with Dean Learner [Season 1, Episode 2] Steve Pising
Shown 27th October 2006 [Friday]

This week the guest is race-car driver The Accellerator [Matthew Holness] - the antithesis of Holness' usual character, Gareth Marenghi. This is a wonderful encounter between two ludicrous characters who both take themselves very seriously.

The video insert, Pising in the Driving Seat, is excellent too. There's a second insert, The Learner - a hilarious Office-style take on The Apprentice!

Man to Man: An Evening with Dean Learner [Season 1, Episode 3] Glynn Nimron
Shown 3rd November 2006 [Friday]

This week the guest is Glynn Nimrod [Matthew Holness], an actor in Scientifical Fiction for the Home Video market. He's quite a bizarre figure, really, and the interview takes a strange turn for the worse.

We get to see some great clips of Glynn's movie, his autobiographical DVD and documentary footage of him at a Media Convention in Uxbridge. There's also a clip from Dean's previous show.

Man to Man: An Evening with Dean Learner [Season 1, Episode 4] Merriman Weir
Shown 10th November 2006 [Friday]

This week the guest is Merriman Weir [Matthew Holness], an English Folk -music singer.

Dean is the same as ever, a sort of watered-down Borat-type inept interviewer. The ep's real revelation is Matthew Holness. He's always been associated with Marenghi-type characters, but here he gets a chance to actually act. And he can play the guitar, too!

The music video to Weir's new album is hilarious, and features the co-stars from Darkplace.

Man to Man: An Evening with Dean Learner [Season 1, Episode 5] Amir Chanan
Shown 17th November 2006 [Friday]

This week the guest is a Uri Geller-style showman.

Man to Man: An Evening with Dean Learner [Season 1, Episode 6] Randolph Caer
Shown 24th November 2006 [Friday]

This week the guest is an actor who starred in Bitch Killer, a horror film Dean produced. Unfortunately he's dead - so Dean calls in the film's writer, Gareth Marenghi!

Dean shows a documentary that the actor appeared in. Typically, things went from bad to worse for poor old Randolph. His fellow actor, Glynn Nimron, is interviewed by satellite video-link. Even Steve The Accellerator Pising, Randolph's former neighbour. Amir Chanan takes time to appear and use his supernatural powers to communicate with Randolph's spirit.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

Man to Man: An Evening with Dean Learner [Season 1, Episode ]
Shown th November 2006 [Friday]

This week the guest is

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