Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

Hilariously cheesy effects, poor acting, and continuity so awful that it would have made even Ed Wood weep... Somehow, within six short episodes, this show had done every television don't. Of course, the creators purposely made everything outrageously crappy, so the low-quality was totally acceptable.

I saw this show a few weeks ago and it has already become one of my top ten favorites. It's one of those shows that you really have to see to understand because, as you may have noticed, it's a real bitch to try and explain.

It's almost impossible to produce incompetence deliberately. Darkplace is instantly addictive and painfully hilarious. This even though Holness isn't technically doing anything all that new (see also: Benny Hill or Carol Burnett). But Darkplace uses mistakes - miserable line readings and badly drawn characters - as fuel for a sly show business satire. Even better, it also explores 'ego', how popularity, not capability, leads to less than successful entertainment applications.

If the premise of the series is not your cup of tea, then you'll likely remain busy while identifying which classic '80s-era TV shows are being spoofed at any given moment or deciding which genre writers Marenghi reminds you of most. No matter which way you go, however, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is certain to tickle your funny bone in one spot or another.

Darkplace is an elaborate and brilliantly executed hoax, designed to lampoon 1980s television, horror, sci-fi and the rampant egotism of self-appointed 'mastermind' authors. It was actually made in 2004, but the effect is so convincing that it's genuinely believable as a product of the 1980s. Everything, from the fashion, to the music, to the texture of film stock, to the overly punchy audio quality and dated synthesiser score, is captured with expert aplomb, to the extent that more than a few people have actually been taken in by the scam.

It goes without saying that Darkplace is really, really bad, and intentionally so. The episodes are hilariously incompetent in their execution, with clumsy editing, incompetent framing, laughable special effects, wobbly sets, atrocious writing and, last but not least, staggeringly poor performances, with Learner's monotone 'reading from the page' delivery contrasting with Rivers's ostentatious theatre-like readings.

In something of a twist of irony, the show achieved poor viewing figures when it aired in January and February of 2004. However, it quickly developed a strong cult following, and one would hope that the long overdue release of the DVD will make it available to a wider audience. It may not be for everyone, but Darkplace is, in this reviewer's opinion, absolutely hilarious and required viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in horror and sci-fi, provided they are prepared to take a few steps back and laugh along with the show at the sometimes ridiculous nature of the material.

This spoof of bad 1980s television gets funnier each week. The sets shake, the cuts don't match and the acting is terrible.

But you know what? As deliberately laboured and over-cooked as the plot exposition is, at least the stories actually make logical sense, which is more than you could say for a lot of $150 million Hollywood blockbuster films.

The show prides itself on straight-faced comic delivery, the best of which come in the interview snippets as Garth and the other actors reflect on the artistic virtues of their lost masterpiece.

Comic's Corner

The Telegraph published an article written by Matthew Holness in character as Garth Marenghi.

I hereby vow never to work in TV again

The Guardian published this article in which Matthew Holness, writing in character as star horror author Garth Marenghi, explained how budgetary problems, mysterious deaths and the secret service nearly ruined the (fictional) production of Darkplace.