Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is catnip for a certain kind of comedy fan – purportedly a hospital-based horror-drama made back in the 1980s, only now brought out of the vaults and exposed to an unprepared audience. In reality it was a love letter to bad TV, replete with wobbly sets, cheesy dialogue, and at least four distinct kinds of terrible acting. Here’s where to watch Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace in the UK and US.
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace Synopsis
“A maverick doctor battles with the evil forces lurking beneath a hospital in Romford, engaged in a desperate struggle against poor production values, awful dialogue and unrealistic violence…”
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace has one season. A vehicle for Stephen King-alike horror author Garth Marenghi (played by Matthew Holness), “author, dream weaver, visionary, plus actor”, Garth walks us through the show’s troubled production in behind-the-scenes clips while his character, Dr. Rick Dagless MD, battles the forces of evil – be they angry apes, interstellar infections, or even demons from his own past.
Most of the joy of Darkplace is in its deliberately poor construction, whether that means unconvincing costumes, glaring continuity errors, or even the burning question of why the staff of this hospital are so heavily armed. If you’re a fan of anything that’s ever been described as “so bad it’s good”, or just tired of identikit horror dramas taking themselves so relentlessly seriously, Darkplace is for you.
Darkplace was also an early outing for Matt Berry (as grandiose co-star Todd Rivers) and Richard Ayoade (as sleazy manager-producer Dean Learner), now better known for their appearances in What We Do In The Shadows and The IT Crowd respectively.
Watch Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace In The UK
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is available to stream for free in the UK on All4.
You can also buy physical copies on DVD from Music Magpie. There’s no Blu-ray version at this time.
Watch Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace In The US
Unfortunately, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace isn’t on any US-based streaming services. You can buy physical copies from Amazon, but they are Region 2 coded, so you’ll need a region-free DVD player.
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