I came up with the Forgotten Favorites series idea while watching some of my favorites.
It made me think about how I reference and love many forgotten pieces of cinematic gold; gold that has been packed into a shoebox and thrown into the attic.
It is really a disservice to you to forget such masterpieces, but that is why you have me. I will help you remember the things you once loved or may not have even heard of, and bring them to the fresh air so you can roll up into a comfy nostalgia blanket and enjoy the night.
For my first forgotten favorite, I decided to dust off a television show from 2004. It is called, “Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace.”
Now if you know of this brilliant, unfortunately short-lived television series, then right now, hilariously pieced together comedy scenes are rushing into your synapses. However, if you are a sad soul that did not experience this, let me elaborate for you.
Garth Marenghi is a fictional “author, dream weaver, visionary, plus actor” who has written more books that he has read, which is apparently a lot.
The name “Garth Marenghi” is an anagram of the phrase “argh nightmare,” which gives you an idea of how his brain might work. In the 80s he wrote, directed and starred in a hospital drama entitled “Darkplace.” The show was cancelled in the 80s, because it was “too subversive, too dangerous and too [expletive deleted] scary,” and after years of being forgotten, the studios asked Marenghi to put it on the air again.
The show starts off with Marenghi setting up the show, and then it gets started. Also throughout, there are various cutaways to interviews with Marenghi and his producer, Thornton Reed. Reed, who also plays the part of the show’s Dean of Medicine, comments on how he was not an actor, but merely “telling the truth” to the camera.
Now, with just that, you may be thinking, “that sounds like a crappy PBS show.” Well, that’s the point.
Garth Marenghi is not real, nor is Thornton Reed. They are played by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade, respectively. Ayoade is more recognized from his part in the British comedy show, “The Mighty Boosh.” The show plays homage to classic shows and writers, as well as parodying them. It is done very well, I might add.
With its terrible camera quality, audio sync problems and horrifying special effects, the show really pulls laughs. It is a show to watch over and over again to catch everything that makes it one of the most hilarious programs ever imagined. It should be easy to watch the series, because each episode only lasts 30 minutes. There are only six episodes in the entire series.
With the way TV executives work, it’s sad to see them pull countless good things from the air before they mature. Luckily the show was put on DVD with tons of special features. If you get the chance, I highly recommend you go out and watch it, if not on DVD, at least online.
Well, there you have it, my forgotten favorite of the week. Keep an eye out for more coming your way.
