The show, which only aired for one season of six episodes (full season for UK television), is the brainchild of writer/actors Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade. Darkplace is a comedy series released in 2004 that lampoons 1980's television dramas of the horror/sci-fi genre. The low-budget aesthetic of the show is absolutely stunning. I was in awe of their commitment to dreadful entertainment using deliberately stilted dialogue, flawed continuity, tacky period fashion, degraded film stock, and synthesizer soundtracks. It all amounts to a production that parodies 80's culture so ingeniously. You can't help but admire.
Take a look:
(Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - Ep 1 Pt 1)
*Note the Channel 4 Ident from 1982
Holness also plays dual roles as Marenghi and Darkplace lead Dr. Rick Dagless M.D. Both egotistical and seemingly driven by the occult. Holness and creators go as far as to bewilder media with promotional material done in-character and issue press releases with fictional backgrounds for the characters of the show. There is never any mention of the real actors and their previous work.
The satire may not be all that new (see also: This Is Spinal Tap). But Darkplace uses all of its intentional mistakes to explore how popularity, not capability, leads to unsuccessful applications of entertainment. Hey! kind of like, 99% of television! Even though we have a mere six episodes, we also have six of the incredible spin-off series Man to Man With Dean Learner, which would probably require another entry to elaborate on its extension of Darkplace. I just hope these guys continue to work for a long time. They are too rare to look over.
(Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - Ep 1 Pt 1)
*Note the Channel 4 Ident from 1982
What's great is that Darkplace is infused with seriousness. The structure of the show operates as a show within a show within a fictional universe. Episodes are cut with present day interviews with ficticious cast and crew as they explain the missteps of the scripts and give insight into their creative process. It's all deadpan, pushing the joke even further. Ayoade's Dean Learner comments on his character Thornton Reed in an interview:
"I warned Garth, erm, I said, "I'm not an actor". And erm, he said, I'll always remember this, that he didn't want an act, he wanted the truth. So erm, here is, er, Dean Learner, playing Thornton Reed. Not putting on an act, but putting on the truth."
Holness also plays dual roles as Marenghi and Darkplace lead Dr. Rick Dagless M.D. Both egotistical and seemingly driven by the occult. Holness and creators go as far as to bewilder media with promotional material done in-character and issue press releases with fictional backgrounds for the characters of the show. There is never any mention of the real actors and their previous work.The satire may not be all that new (see also: This Is Spinal Tap). But Darkplace uses all of its intentional mistakes to explore how popularity, not capability, leads to unsuccessful applications of entertainment. Hey! kind of like, 99% of television! Even though we have a mere six episodes, we also have six of the incredible spin-off series Man to Man With Dean Learner, which would probably require another entry to elaborate on its extension of Darkplace. I just hope these guys continue to work for a long time. They are too rare to look over.
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2 comments:
Definitely my favorite TV show discovery of the year. I've got to get all the episodes somehow.
she's smooth--like ice! cold to the touch and it isn't very nice...
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