It's somewhat ironic that Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, a comedy about a long lost horror series re-emerging during a creative drought was overlooked on its release. The show didn't exactly set the ratings afire when it was aired, but it is tailor made for DVD where all the intricacies can be appreciated. The writing abilities of creators Richard Ayaode and Matthew Holness are on top form throughout, the pair showing a talent for sly humour and witty invention. Like the equally strong but in no way similar Peep Show, Darkplace is a program that can be watched multiple times and still remain as fresh and hilarious as it did first time around, how many American sitcoms can boast that claim?<br /><br />The series follows a show-within-another-show format. Holness plays Garth Marenghi, a leather clad purveyor of trash horror novels very much in the James Herbert mould. Back in the eighties, he wrote, directed and starred in 'Darkplace,' a hospital-set sci fi/horror series so disturbing, so terrifying, that the powers that be consigned it to the vaults where it sat gathering dust for nearly two decades, only to be returned to the screen in 2004. The episodes however are incomplete, with huge chunks of footage missing and so to make up the running time, Marenghi, his producer/co-star Dean Learner (Richard Ayaode) and fellow actor Todd Rivers (Matt Berry) have had interviews recorded, snippets of which make up the gaps.<br /><br />The end result is a fantastic parody of eighties trash television. The sets are wobbly, the violence over the top, the acting stilted, the scripts hackneyed and the editing haphazard (Dean Learner has a blood stained spade magically appear in his hand in one particularly memorable incident). Consequently, the humour does not stem from jokes but instead from the terrible production and acting, as well as Marenghi's misguided belief that he has created a timeless masterpiece.<br /><br />If the show has a highlight however, it is undoubtedly Richard Ayaode's dual role as Producer Dean Learner and Darkplace boss Thornton Reed. His inability to read his lines and interact with another cast member at the same time is hilarious and his behaviour becomes increasingly outlandish as the series goes on. His improv skills seem to have been allowed to run riot throughout and while the majority of his lines aren't necessarily funny, when they're delivered in Ayaode's distinctive voice, they become side splitting.<br /><br />When it all comes down to it though, no amount of words can really describe what Darkplace is like, it's a show you have to experience first hand. Anyone raised on eighties television shows like Deathwatch or the original Doctor Who will find plenty to chew on and it's even worth watching with the commentaries switched on. Holness, Berry and Ayaode remain in character for every single one and the result is the funniest DVD commentary since Spinal Tap. Very highly recommended indeed.