Season 1 – Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

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Jan 2004

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

This show within a show is a parody of 80's horror television and part soap opera. Garth Marenghi is a fictional horror author making a tv show with his manager Dean. Set at Darkplace Hospital, Garth plays Dr. Dagless who always carries a gun and tries to solve supernatural mysteries.

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Critics Consensus

The short-lived Garth Marenghi's Dark Place is strangely brilliant, even while buried under its own layers of satire.

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Rachel Aroesti

Guardian

Oct 23, 2018

The show-within-a-show is a masterpiece of nostalgia-fuelled parody that teems with comic talent: there's Alice Lowe, Matt Berry and guests stars like Stephen Merchant, Noel Fielding and Graham Linehan.

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Noel Murray

The Dissolve

Oct 23, 2018

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is masterfully, hilariously hideous, with Ayoade knowing exactly how to drop in pointless camera moves, botched continuity, and slackly paced action sequences for maximum comic effect.

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Gabriel Wilder

Sydney Morning Herald

Oct 23, 2018

Brilliance and the absurd collide in this comic television masterpiece from 2004.

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Melody McCune

Geek Girl Authority

Aug 23, 2023

I love a good spoofing. Spoof me up, Scotty. I also find soap operas tedious and rife with melodrama. Darkplace intelligently makes fun of that.

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Chase Burns

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Dec 8, 2021

It's extraordinary, dark, and funny.

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Michael Walsh

Nerdist

Nov 1, 2021

Six episodes of utter comedy perfection.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 29, 2026

6 funny episodes. Rated TV-14 for Strong Coarse Language (L), and Intense Violence (V).

Pernille L

@RT46411677 May 18, 2026

The best and scariest horror show I have ever seen..

abel s

@RT42762982 Mar 31, 2025

Absolutely amazing, to the crtics who gave this a splat, get a life and some taste..... you need it

Sam S

@RT24068709 Jun 19, 2024

weird but i was hooked

Luciano B

@RT67981578 May 6, 2024

Quite likely the perfect parody series. The writing, the effects, the acting and the comedy are absolutely spot-on. I could watch any of this criminally short miniseries a hundred times and laugh every time. A certified masterpiece!

Dave C

@RT09838700 Nov 4, 2023

Phenomenal! The right tone, settings, effects, stories, etc. The narration and interviews are excellent too. I loved the cast - they all seemed to riff off each other at times, which made the whole thing funnier

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Matthew Holness

Actor

Matt Berry

Actor

Alice Lowe

Actor

Richard Ayoade

Actor

Richard Ayoade

Director

Richard Ayoade

Writer

Episode 1

Aired Jan 29, 2004

Once Upon a Beginning

A psychic cat gives a warning to a new doctor at Darkplace Hospital.

Details

Episode 2

Aired Feb 5, 2004

Hell Hath Fury

A hospital chef is savagely attacked by a ladle.

Details

Episode 3

Aired Feb 12, 2004

Skipper the Eye Child

A giant eye is discovered in the hospital.

Details

Episode 4

Aired Feb 19, 2004

The Apes of Wrath

A sickness spreads through the hospital causing humans to regress to a primal state.

Details

Episode 5

Aired Feb 26, 2004

Scotch Mist

A strange mist and the music of bagpipes surround Darkplace.

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Episode 6

Aired Mar 4, 2004

The Creeping Moss from the Shores of Shuggoth

Dr. Sanchez falls in love with a patient infected with cosmic broccoli.

Details

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TRAILER

for Robot Chicken

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Director: Richard Ayoade
Executive Producer: Richard Allen-Turner
Screenwriter: Richard Ayoade, Matthew Holness
Network: Channel 4
Rating: TV-14 (L|V)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: British English
Release Date: Jan 29, 2004

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Season 1 – Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

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