Someone sent me a link to an episode and I reluctantly clicked it expecting the worst. From the initial intro I started smiling and found that the humor in this connected right to my funny bone. I spent the rest of the day watching the rest of the episodes and forgetting all my responsibilities. After getting to the last episode a frown crossed my face as there were no more. I ended up watching "interviews" with the cast which were also very funny. It reminded me of so many shows in the 80's and really nailed the titles and music. Sometimes it went really over the top for groaners, but they quickly got back on track. A wonderful find from someone in the US who has never heard of this before. Wishing for more!

Nearly 10 years on, this one-off series is still, for my money, the last true work of genius to have invaded the small screen of UK comedy (or anywhere for that matter). Much like The Office, Brass Eye, I'm Alan Partridge and Spaced before it, there are so many hysterical laugh-out-loud moments and so much attention to detail that even on repeated viewing you are sure to catch something new or only half-remembered from each of the 6 episodes. Some quotes/scenes seemed to achieve instant cult status among fans, but there are other bits no one ever mentions: for e.g. the introduction of 'the temp' from episode 2 which manages to put me on the floor every time I see it, or the random nurse + patient love scene at the beginning of the episode Scotch Mist, which could just be the most awesomely rubbish 60 seconds of TV ever created. To name but two examples out of hundreds!It's a shame that Darkplace has apparently never seen a region 1 DVD release because this means most US fans will have missed out on what are probably the best selection of extras on any DVD I can think of. The two half-hour documentaries, comprised of more interviews from the actors, are almost as funny as the episodes. Garth Marenghi's rants against authority, Dean Learner's musings on production techniques, and in particular Todd Rivers discussing everything from the plight of sex-pests to bad acting on Eastenders - while cradling a nearly empty shot-glass of whisky - really add to the Darkplace experience. Subsequent UK comedies such as The IT Crowd, Mighty Boosh, Peep Show, and The Inbetweeners may have received way more success and critical acclaim, but in my opinion they're not a patch on Dagless and co. Stay holy!

Words cannot describe just how good Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is. But I'll give it a shot regardless. Darkplace is an intentionally poorly made surreal and nonsensical medical drama show within a show. It follows a group of doctors tackling supernatural oddities, with hilarious commentaries by the real life actors who play the actors in the show who play the doctors in the show within the show. I know that's a little confusing. What makes Darkplace so unbelievably brilliant is the continuity errors, bad acting, awful dialogue, gaping plot holes, and absurd story lines (all deliberately done, mind you). Highlights include a woman turning into broccoli, an awesome bike chase through a forest (with out of place motorbike sound effects), some incredibly offensive Scottish stereo- typing, and the unforgettable fake 80's song "One Track Lover," which must be heard to be believed. There's so many more hilarious moments, but most are so absurd that their really difficult to try and explain, so I'd just say watch the show for yourself. It's a pity this show was cancelled so soon, and unfortunately, there's only six episodes. Maybe that's to be expected when a show is as unique as this one. Still, those six episodes are filled with so much awesomeness that they must be seen.

Ignore the people drinking the Hatorade, this show is so quotable it almost hurts. I can't believe I missed it the first time around.Philby, you need to define your love of "British comedy". I mean, you end you end your critique with a bastardisation of a worn out catch phrase from an unfunny commercial by Telstra (the equivalent of British Telecom), and as such I advise readers to take such opinions with a grain of salt.The comedy writing here is top notch. As for comparisons with The Office or the Boosh, the fact that Steve and Julian appear in episodes might lead one to think that they were fans of the show as well, yes?