Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - Episode 04 - The Apes Of Wrath

Episode 04 : A mysterious illness spreads like a particularly virulent disease through the wards of Darkplace, causing doctors and patients to revert to an earlier genetic state. Dagless must stop it before he becomes a primate. Guest starring Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is a British dark comedy show made for Channel 4 by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade. Darkplace is presented as a lost classic: a television series produced in the 1980s, though never broadcast at the time. The show parodies numerous aspects of '80s low-budget television, including fashion, special effects, production gaffs, and music.
No copyright infringement intended. All copyright remains under Channel 4. I do not own this show at all. This is the wonderful work of writers and creators Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade.

[@unconcernedcitizen4092]

“I know writers who use subtext, and they’re all cowards” is one of the best lines from anything ever written.

[@MadHatter42]

It really is a genius line.

[@TheWaynos73]

accurate

[@madnessbydesign1415]

As a writer, I use that line as often as possible... :)

[@grakrationale1339]

It's up there

[@johansmallberries9874]

He won’t use subtext, but he will use allegory. That’s visionary.

[@bigronnie9629]

I guessed it was the water around 14 mins in. If you look closely you'll see the water has a greenish tint to it. It's barely noticeable, but if you focus hard, you'll see it.

[@siukong]

This is what I hate about TV sometimes. They put such obscure hints in that someone can only catch if they're constantly pausing and analyzing every single frame.

[@Stephstrikesback]

OMG! I didn't even notice that!

[@johnbarrientosiii6586]

Good eye

[@johann242]

I've only seen water on tv.

[@cooliostarstache5474]

I would never have noticed that

[@billvolk4236]

"She was like a candle in the wind. Unreliable."

[@KarstensCreationsKC]

One of my all time favorite lines from this series...I nearly fell out of my chair laughing the first time I heard that one.

[@designbureau3530]

@@KarstensCreationsKC so true

[@mn-ru4li]

This cracked me up when I first watched the show nearly 2 decades ago... I'm so old now. 😶😋

[@misterwishart]

I couldn't breathe the first time I heard that I was laughing so hard

[@collindavey6139]

I teared up at that.

[@TheAndrewj96]

The part where Dean admitted to and then brushed off an assault on a small child had me crying with laughter. This show is brilliant.

[@LeakTheCat]

TheAndrewj96 cry cry cry Bloody hilarious

[@paladro]

"more a back of the hand, than a punch" ))

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

It'll shit you up..it's that good. One of my favourite TV shows ever sir.

[@psychomammoth9640]

I don’t see it as a problem, says a lot about the early works of children actors and even some that are going on now. Hilarious

[@TheWaynos73]

That child had dead eyes. Eyes like a fish.

[@BlazingOwnager]

I love how they make a point out of his ammo count being 5 and then specifically blow it. Amazing.

[@naramoro]

One, two, three, four, - five? Oh right, I shot Duncan.

[@Simon-xi7lb]

not only that, but they blew it by _one bullet._ my sides went into orbit when he shot the water bottles, lol

[@Tester-sh1mn]

Actually at 17:27 you can hear him (possibly) chamber one round. I find it funnier that he decided to do that now though and not in the office with Thornton.

[@Simon-xi7lb]

@@Tester-sh1mn oooh I think you're right. nice catch

[@DrJuice1]

@@Tester-sh1mn I watched it a few times, and I'm pretty sure the gun got knocked out of his hand and he was picking it up. There's a mechanical sound like as if he's reloading, but I think it's just melodramatic mechanical gun sound. Like when a character picks up a sword in a fantasy show, it makes a _shing_ sound lol

[@kaiklown]

"we were young, we were physically fit and we were challenging logic" best line this episode

[@thatcrystalpie]

no, it was the anti-perspirant

[@psychomammoth9640]

How every rock group starts.

[@TheWaynos73]

We were behaving like flippin’ Romans!

[@walterzamalis4846]

“Monkeys were created by God to entertain us.” I won’t question evolution ever again, Julian.

[@theoriginalvideo-schmideoc905]

Walt Zamalis "That's all we know, Rick!!!!!!"

[@psychomammoth9640]

Laughs like an ape.

[@blurgle9185]

*My curiously enlarged gums are exposed as a primal grin apes across my lips as I read these comments*

[@ChronoKatie]

I love how almost every episode shoehorns in a pointless scene where Dagless talks to a kid who he has saved just to clearly make his character look more and more altruistic.

[@guidadiehl9176]

"Never take drugs."

[@TheWaynos73]

im not jesus christ. ive come to accept that now

[@jasonmurdoc9533]

He’s a good kid but Keep him off the smack or this will keep happening. Maybe find a husband get some stability in your life

[@hughcaldwell1034]

Same. I also love how they use stock child type music but the wrong kind, if that makes sense.

[@cormac_bacardi]

Rick and Thornton insisting on coffee instead of water becomes even funnier when you realize you need water to make coffee

[@greg_4201]

😆 oh yeah

[@yarniemusic]

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is the greatest televisual event since Quantum Leap...And I definitely do not say that lightly

[@kevinericsnell4092]

A line that always bugged me because Quantum Leap premiered in 1989 and was mostly a '90s show

[@TheWaynos73]

it had a brief run in Peru

[@walterzamalis4846]

16:15 you can see Dean operating the camera. The crew probably left after he punched that boy.

[@suspirodelmoro1430]

I’ve probably watched each of these episodes about 50 times and I literally did not catch that until you mentioned it. The show was *so good.*

[@si_sani123]

Actually, I watched the interviews and it's because Dean didn't pay anyone. The crew kept getting smaller and smaller till there were only 7 people (including cast) towards the end. "I was doing the camera. I was doing the lighting. I was doing the sound. I was doing the bloody catering." hahahaha

[@Byrnzi360]

@@si_sani123 I thought it was because one of the crew members got his head crushed (brained) by a flying crate....

[@nazoj6462]

They also shot one cuz they used live rounds

[@99baji99]

To be fair, it really was more of a kind of backhand than an "according to Hoyle" punch.

[@scoobagebink4131]

“Doctor Sanchez, if you don’t come to surgery now, we’ll have to start without you”. Gold

[@bronsonmostinckx2810]

"They've taken over. They've taken over." - "I KNOW."

[@NameNotAlreadyTaken2]

+Bronson Mostinckx I thought he was saying "Oh no!" Super-belatedly.

[@bronsonmostinckx2810]

+NameNotAlreadyTaken2 Re-watched it, you're probably right. But the tone and timing (or lack thereof) just killed me!

[@yellowninemusic]

did anyone else laugh at the fact that dean hadn't drank water for the whole month rick was in the "coma"?

[@Dowlphin]

And IT admin can totally imagine that. (Drinking water is wasted space needed for coffee.)

[@Jai137]

It’s subtle, but Dean says he only takes sips of water, that’s why he was not affected.

[@genderender]

the coffee wasn't affected, he just drank that

[@suspirodelmoro1430]

It has always frustrated me that this show never got the credit it was due. It is relentlessly hilarious, and it only gets better with time. I wonder if the networks felt threatened because they were young, they were physically fit, and they were challenging logic.

[@dabmane]

It had a pretty good run in Peru

[@thefunnyguy2192]

"There's that line, 'Thank God I only took a tiny sip.'"

[@andrewread2124]

"She was like a candle in the wind... unreliable" best line in the whole episode

[@madnessbydesign1415]

I can't listen to Elton John's 'Candle in the Wind' without cracking up now. It's such a great line... :)

[@patavinity1262]

"The doctors are working for *literally peanuts* "

[@Dowlphin]

If you pay a People peanuts for too long, eventually they're gonna go apeshit.

[@googleruinedyoutube4707]

What's really impressive about this episode is, if you rewatch it, the clues about the water are there from the very beginning.

[@Corwin404]

Just noticed that when the kid is talking to Dagless he glances at the camera. It was all the detail put into the little intentional mistakes that made this show so brilliant.

[@michaelthomheadley]

"apparently i'd been asleep for a month, which is ages" it's the subtle ones that are the best

[@Stephstrikesback]

It's so awesome Garth Marenghi did his own stunts.

[@vailpcs4040]

So true... you can tell its him in all the shots, just plain as day.

[@miriamspringett3797]

Of course that's Noel Fielding urinating on that guy...... :P

[@Bradman162]

Uncle Cosmonaunt recommends the best treasures.

[@zombie-eye7816]

you too?

[@Sissy_Longlegs]

Yep

[@samuelassen1886]

Bradman162 wooooaaaaahhhhh

[@SwedginSanFrancisco]

This is a friendly PSA to watch American Vandal if you haven't already and are thirsty for more sublime parody/satire.

[@Bradman162]

Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out.

[@drhploveboat]

he just took tiny sips. you see, it's ok if you just take a tiny sip.

[@abduljilanids]

Has no one noticed the glass clinking for plastic and styrofoam cups at 636

[@henry9894]

"i punched a child actor in the shoot"

[@henry9894]

+Henry Reynolds 10/10

[@davidphilipsmusic]

How did they do this without crying with laughter on each take? So so funny

[@arempy5836]

Plus they shot on real film. They basically had to do things in one take or else they'd burn through the budget quick.

[@genderender]

@@arempy5836 explains all the ADR in the show lmao

[@WillFoxification]

Can't believe this show didn't make it big.

[@christinageorgiou2044]

Darpl

[@martymcfly2857]

ahead of its time

[@thekaiser4333]

It did make it big. They won both the Perrier Award and the BAFTA in 1994. On telly one can't go bigger than that.

[@MCAQUIN0]

lol was that a joke, i actually thought you were serious xD @thekaiser

[@Kaerusss]

We've seen it, so it's big enough.

[@Ardakapalasan]

"Tempus immemorial, i.e. always". Every single line is crafted and chiseled to perfection.

[@comedyfish]

I don't mean to brag but i guessed it was the water 90 or 100 seconds before Dag

[@ThePwnageHobo]

+comedyfish Spoilers! I hadn't seen this one.

[@ufotofu9]

+comedyfish Wait so it WAS the water. How could you tell?

[@Kryptnyt]

If you look closely at the water you can see that it is bright green, water is normally clear

[@NarcoticDimension]

Kryptnyt - *facepalm*

[@Aceedius]

Well you have to consider that you as a viewer are given a lot more information than characters who aren't necessarily in the room in every scene. Dag had limited insight on the matter. Nevertheless, nice job spotting a piece of foreshadowing that most people wouldn't catch on to at all!

[@EddieHawkinsII]

Ape Liz is honestly adorable, in that “I will hug her and squeeze her and call her George” sort of way. “Through the Years” being used after the heavy implication that Dean killed Madeline is the icing on the cake here.

[@TheWaynos73]

Until she started smearing her shit on people 😝

[@turinhorse]

She really is. And when she lifts up her coat to do an ape poo 7:55 i cry every time lol

[@shittelevision2384]

"It's hard to watch this episode knowing that she's missing, presumed dead, with a heavy presumption on dead, I don't think they'll find anything." It's like he doesn't even care if he sounds suspicious

[@Dowlphin]

He said "with a presumption heavily on dead". Because, you know, he is good wit words. And at first I thought he was making a pun and said she is presumed debt, probably heavily in debt.

[@Byrnzi360]

Ladies and gentlemen, that was Thornton Reed… Not putting on an act, putting on the truth.

[@bobbyaxelrod5959]

I beg your puddin

[@TheJoeMiller88]

"I've always been good with words; she was like a zoo in a woman."

[@murakafkami]

"We were young, we were physically fit, and we were challenging... logic."

[@anaccount4354]

The running bit of Thornton Reed becoming a foot taller whenever he's next to Dag is incredible, and also confusingly out of nowhere. also this is the episode with the madeleine wool reveal, which is one of my favorite jokes in the whole show. its so insane.

[@TheWaynos73]

That shot where it looks like Sanch looks like hes copping a beej from Thornton. Brilliant once youve spotted it.

[@kaerus7096]

I love how many times they use alliteration in this show. It's just awful, which makes it amazing.

[@SomeDumbKid1]

They really nail that faux-witty writing that makes Garth seem like a massive hack

[@rosecityronin]

Awfully amazing alliteration amuses aptly...

[@TheWaynos73]

it’s almost as great as Samurai Cop - but what that makes that movie legendary is they were going for something completely serious but was so ineptly made

[@buffgarfield5250]

"they've taken ova, THEY'VE TAKEN OVA" this line has been stuck in my head for 8 years

[@HenchGuyBlast]

I KNOW

[@ericv00]

16:14 Hello cameraman! I have no idea why I haven't spotted that in other times I have watched this.

[@AndiLevicky]

Good spot!

[@TaiChiKnees]

LOL that's great! Ah... I remember you so well, TV shows of the 80s... You were such crap... but you were our crap and we loved you.

[@PotholesInMyLawn]

That's Dean Leaner.... seeing that had no money....

[@MrHeycowboy]

the reason why it was water AND MIRROR storage

[@designbureau3530]

thats the beauty of the show... did you notice the male doctor in high heels in episode one?

[@Anituer13]

I'm here because of cosmonaut. No regrets.

[@jessicarussell4569]

As well as I, brother.

[@peterbrogaard763]

And i friend

[@The_Last_Pants_Youll_Ever_Wear]

??? Is Garth Marenghi getting popular because of something new? I'm old, and out of the loop.

[@Anituer13]

@@The_Last_Pants_Youll_Ever_Wear the show's underrated meaning not many people have seen it to begin with. With Halloween coming up, a youtuber with a decent amount of followers brought it up, praising it for its comedic genius sooo a lot of us are checking it out as a result. That's all.

[@ShipMonster]

"we need to lick this problem before it turns around and slaps us in the nuts"

[@TusharSingh-ep6eq]

Wish we had outtakes for this brilliant show.

[@sheilagraham2564]

I went to a Neil Gaiman book signing and he was wearing a "Marenghi" Jacket.

[@themoviedealers]

Scientology issues those.

[@lazyhomebody1356]

Dude uses subtext though!!

[@oOFranCescA2080oO]

Of course Marenghi was his master, you can tell by the writing style

[@lazyhomebody1356]

@@oOFranCescA2080oO "Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood....blood." I think you may be right

[@Nergal_Slayer]

Seriously!? Love Gaiman! He could've totally written this! Hold me

[@YouCallThataKnife253]

"I'd love a glass of water..." "NO! That's mine"

[@patrickhebdo5423]

“ooright, i’ll suppliment”

[@povertypals9148]

“Suck a mint”

[@LonesomeDiamond]

I like how Dagless said he only had 5 bullets, then fired 6. 2 at the security apes, 3 while he was struggling with Ape Sanchez, and 1 at the boxes that fell on Sanchez.

[@TaiChiKnees]

Garth's reading at the beginning: "In the background there was a pigeon." I've watched these episodes three or four times and I'm so impressed with how careful they were to make every bit of the three actor/writer characters so "true to character". This show is such a gem.

[@FaithlessDwarf]

TaiChiKnees I wholeheartedly agree. I don't think there's a single show out there that does anything remotely close to what Darkplace achieved. In a way I think it was a very smart move from their part (whether due to budget or whatever else) to keep the series down to 6 episodes. If they had made a giant thing out of it the show might have gone down the drain.

[@AvengerII]

+Blind Archangel No, the show was cancelled because of low ratings. There was no plan to keep it "just 6 episodes." That's not usually the case with TV series unless they're planned as mini-series. The show's creators were asked to make a movie out of it because production higher-ups liked the concept but there hasn't been anything done since the show was off the air over 10 years ago! Most of us know Richard Ayoade best from The IT Crowd. Matt Berry was also on The IT Crowd. Everybody else (in the cast) I couldn't tell you because they just haven't been on British series that have made it over to the US or have been popular because of the Net, Netflix, or KZbin. I would have thought I would have seen the actor who played Garth Marenghi himself in something else but he hasn't popped up elsewhere in my TV viewing...

[@Van_Der_Lay_Industries]

He plays an annoying IT nerd in The Office (UK Version).

[@lakeharper5830]

good to see Julian Barratt looking particularly gorgeous this episode

[@joshdaley1447]

This is literally the greatest show ever made. I remember watching this on Adult Swim.

[@madnessbydesign1415]

That was my introduction to it as well, which was weird, since at that time, Adult Swim was all cartoons. Thank God they were willing to run this... :)

[@DreamerNeonized]

For some reason that bike chase scene was intense as hell.

[@Drew1973]

"THATS ALL WE KNOW RICK!"

[@811chelseafc]

“She was like a candle in the wind….unreliable.” True genius comes in the strangest places.

[@MonsoonMoonrock]

She was like a candle in the wind...unreliable

[@yuncraney]

69 likes nice

[@SomeDumbKid1]

"Someone or something has been tampering with our water supply. I'm going to to the water store room. I have have a hunch whoever or whatever he or she or it is will be in there" Such gloriously clunky dialogue.

[@idriseldritch9739]

Call me crazy but there were moments in this one that were legitimately very good and would actually make for a highly watchable 80's sci-fi show. Reminded me quite a bit of Dr Who: Inferno, the one with the green slime that's changing everyone into primordial ape people.

[@altar7885]

9:05 the padre's smile is hands down the most terrifying thing of the entire series

[@neithere]

How about Madeline's black blink in the first(?) episode?

[@TheWaynos73]

THATS ALL WE KNOW, RICK!!!

[@UltimaForsan101]

13:10 Thornton's water cocktail (including soda water) is brilliant.

[@speedingfish]

So, the part where Garth walks back in the room with a teddy bear, did anyone catch him saying "Sanch" the first time, and then the second time it sounds like he says "singe," which is the French word for monkey?

[@PotholesInMyLawn]

@5:55 watch for the hand switch... I have been watching these over and over for years... and no matter what,,, you always find something new.

[@jimmy_junk]

Nice catch.

[@JesusPulledMeThrough]

There's so much hilarity in the intro alone! I haven't even gotten to the story. "I'd like to dedicate this to my wife Pam, who deals with the bulk of my admin" HA!

[@kugelblitz2001]

The Sanch/Singe bilingual pun at 3:30 is very underrated.

[@MadHatter42]

“Not my fault, monkey BASTARD hands!” I’m going to start saying that whenever I fuck something up.

[@Hot.imgggg]

First of all they're riding BICYCLES that make MOTORCYCLE noises, then in the middle of the forest there's an obstacle course... This can't be any better I don't think.

[@nismo267]

But they also make bell sounds on them like bicycles, which goes to show even the 'creators' were confused as to what they thought they were... brilliant

[@ty_hi2619]

To top it all off there’s one random stack of water boxes at the obstacle course 😂

[@mortemoccasus2412]

Yes🤣🤣🤣

[@ashwinnaidoo796]

wow i never even noticed the water was green until he pointed it out, he's a bloody genius

[@MotiviqueStudio]

"She was like a candle in the wind - unreliable." Just amazing.

[@sydneyalisonbaker]

“Oh yeah, I shot Duncan”

[@hujan1744]

this show has two great things, that aren't intentionaly bad, and that is the music, and even the action sometimes. I honestly love this show.

[@forgetyourtroubles1]

Boosh!! I wish they would have merged the two shows together for an episode, at one point they were going to.

[@VivaLaDnDLogs]

I love when they're driving and ape Liz just grabs Garth's glasses.

[@sharkofjoy]

There is no best line in this episode. Every line is incredible.

[@mvpuz1]

"That's peculiar." Sanchez, after staring at, considering, and then drinking obviously green, bad-tasting water.

[@hylke45]

Love how they are like 5 bullets left and he ends up shooting 6 times with it (two to kill soldiers, arm gets grabbed shoots 3 more times, after that he shoots the boxes)

[@Wladislav]

22:25 until the end is a collection of some of my favourite lines from all of Darkplace.

[@Wladislav]

@Max William Lauf Brilliant.

[@PunksterOS]

All episodes blocked in the UK, thank the Gods for VPNs and thank you @Billkillerz for uploading this classic series. I was going to say this on episode one but I got so caught up watching your playlist, I forgot. Cheers, mate.

[@volume10industries...24_7]

the water is tainted but the coffee, which is 99% water, is fine...gotta love this series. the sheer genius of the entire cast and crew. and for newbies, the hidden subtext behind the madness - spoiler alert. and of course the cast is full of comedic gold! Noble and Silver, the Might Boosh. each actor brings their own unique talent in this fine collaboration.

[@yellowblanka6058]

To be fair, perhaps the process of boiling the water for the coffee eliminates the virus/pathogen.

[@southglare_axe7397]

19:57 that soft "take this" with the high pace soundtrack keeps bringing me back here on a weekly.

[@holdenmcroinn9193]

Good to see both members of the Boosh up to their old character tricks. Beady-eyed Julian looking askance, and slinky Noel shouting 'Kalli(m/v)ano!' (anyone remember this from the 'wild men/Topshop' segment? the replacement zookeepers?)

[@ameba93]

Everything about this is so well studied Even the clumsy way that puppet falls at 3:36 - brilliant

[@flashmontage124]

Did nobody notice the stunt double in the forest scene haha?

[@mackcasner7035]

He had the worst wig haha.

[@AndiLevicky]

Yup. But I didn't spot the cameraman in the water storage room.

[@PotholesInMyLawn]

That's Dean

[@raymondterry1937]

Yes

[@KellyF105]

"Oh no. Oh Jesus. They've taken over." "I know!"

[@jimmy_junk]

12:20 those Nurse Apes are definitely nightmare fuel. Nevermind being chased by zombies, demented nurse apes that's truly horrifying. Besides the walking dead has made zombies as scary as an office worker on a Monday.

[@SlippyMcDervish]

What if a rat could drive a bus?

[@kiviakgin6039]

Julian is awesome.

[@Dowlphin]

Good that Dagless only had coffee. Even if it was made with bottled water, it is hot, so you always sip it, and a sip is fine.

[@gordondean2165]

Superb comedy, grossly underrated. Never get sick of rewatching it.

[@LEARSIKCIGAM]

"they would not make this show today"

[@omiorahman6283]

It would get cancelled

[@TraineeHero]

Okay, the plastic cups clinking when they drank the waters and coffee was a nice touch.

[@vincentchen9542]

16:15 they included my favorite film/movie flub: the camera in the mirror

[@DevonPalmer98]

Can we please have a reunion for this show

[@SilveniumTheDrifter]

My friend in Ireland introduced me to this show... it's the balls!

[@madnessbydesign1415]

This is probably the 30th time I've watched this episode, and it still kills me. That kind of repeatability is so rare. This show was amazing... :)

[@garrettreish5644]

This has what is easily the best chase scene I have ever witnessed in my life.

[@DysnomiaFilms]

Rick Douglas. The only doctor who is always carrying a gun.

[@bartoszszalaj]

+DysnomiaFilms What about Doctor Sanchez.

[@cooliostarstache5474]

Dagless

[@SorowFame]

Lucien Sanchez also carries a gun, two if the second episode is to be believed. Thornton Reed also has a magic shotgun he can pull out of nowhere.

[@CWB1863]

"Come on Liz"... hahaha!! Love this show, it's a shame it only had 6 episodes.

[@stefanimanard8060]

Never gets old!!!!!

[@MultiLerak]

12:25 Seeing as Dagless has been unconscious for a month, does that mean Thorton Reed hasn't had a glass of water for a month? :P

[@Crazy56U]

5:23 I almost died. _Immediately_ after the scene with Rick and the kid, we just hard cut to a casual admission of actual child abuse. Also, I'm pretty sure if the show didn't get cancelled, one of two things would've happened, A) they just out and out confirm Dean had killed her, with it being discovered during the airing of these episodes, but the court case was basically a one-dayer, and he was let off with a fine or some minor shit, or B) it would've eventually been revealed that Madeline wasn't missing _or_ dead, she just retired from acting after Darkplace wrapped, and she straight up refused to do the interview segments.

[@rosecityronin]

"She was like a candle in the wind: unreliable." YES!

[@adamklepetka1409]

"I lead Liz- by now a sick parody of womanhood- down the corridor" This show has absolutely no chill and I adore it.

[@Dowlphin]

Imagine showing this in today's USA on TV.

[@GabePuratekuta]

@@Dowlphin Again?

[@toasterenthusiast8023]

I love the obvious stunt double for super unnecessary things like running

[@Toetalwar]

I would kill for an actual Garth Marenghi book. XD

[@simonsimon325]

So who did you kill to get Terrortome published?

[@Misadventures_85]

Another book is gonna be released this year 😄🙂 (Incarcerat)