Man to Man with Dean Learner

I am so disappointed. After waiting for 3 years for repeats/the DVD of the original masterpiece series "Darkplace" i couldn't wait for this series. The first episode just ended and I am appalled. Everything that was great about Darkplace has been erased here, pretty much. Worst introduction: canned laughter. this takes the original point of it away and just renders it nearly unwatchable. (one joke about Garth's eyes fertilizing the audience was good... the rest i can hardly remember...) it feels like a poor quality "Knowing Me, Knowing You." I hope this improves as the series goes on, otherwise i shall be seriously disappointed. back to "Darkplace..."

"You are the most compassionate man I ever known. And i know God..."

Between this and my hatred of "The I. T. Crowd" I controversially think the show is nearly as intolerable as "The Big Bang Theory" and that's not even counting all of Graham Linehan's anti-trans nonsense, this only shows that Richard Ayoade is completely thrown off by having to use a live studio audience. They nearly destroy all sense of timing and subtlety in his style of comedy, and for something that's supposed to be a send-up of bad talk shows, it's bizarre the worst part of all of them was presented 100% sincerely.

Well, that, and there's a criminal under-use of Matt Berry in this. Sally Hawkins, too.

'Man to Man with Dean Learner' is fabulous continuation to 'Garth Marenghi's Darkplace' with its continuing universe of absurd and crude humor and continuity errors (on one moment Dean Learner lights a cigarette and in the next one he smokes a cigar). Dean Learner continues to surprise us with his own egocentric and disillusioned genius persona, like he himself single handedly created the (entertainment)world. At this point in the history Dean Learner's character comes across like distorted hybrid of Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump.

But the real treat of the series is the showcase of Matthew Holness's talents who portrays all the six quests in the show, including infamous Garth Marenghi. Those six different characters are very different, and they don't feel simply comedic routines, but comedic characters with real person in them. What I mean is, when you watch them, you don't see Matthew Holness doing absurd cross parodies of different artists, but you see an actual person like Merriman Weir, or Randolph Caer. In the comedic key of course.

If you loved 'Darplace' there is very high chance that you will like 'Man to Man'.

A spin off comedy talk show from the creators of 'Garth Marenghi's Darkplace' The new series, Man to Man with Dean Learner, focuses on Garth's manager, publisher and publicity agent, as played by Richard Ayoade.

Nightclub owner, restaurateur, publisher, international playboy - Dean Learner is a one-man brand.

After his co-funded Channel 4 television hit Garth Marenghi's Darkplace he now invites you into his luxury penthouse flat for an all-new, entertaining and immensely stylish TV talk show.

Man to Man with Dean Learner will feature all Dean's remaining celebrity friends, as well as plenty of live music and fine fish-dish cuisine in a show that reeks of class - but not fish!

I attended two of the live recordings and it had me in stitches. There are distinct comparisons to Alan Partridge's 'Knowing me Knowing you' in the layout but Richard Ayoade and Matt Holness's unique writing style take it to another level.

If your a fan of Darkplace then you can't miss it. Catch it when its aired late this summer

Nine stars because it's just a little less funny than the predecessor Garth Marenghi's Dark place. There is this episode about the social outcast 'Randolph Caer' that our makers put at the end of this sequel to Garth Marenghi. Throughout the show, weird guests, all played by that same Matt Holness get interviewed and patronised by Dean Lerner. The very final episode about the most extreme - and deceased - Randolph Caer was extremely funny already 20 years ago, but already gut wrenching then. And now post-covid I wonder: Do most people naturally assume that social outcasts must naturally take the COVID vaccine ? Is there an unwritten law that everyone takes for granted ? Ugly = you must inject meds into your healthy body ? Maybe that's why this final episode of this funny show felt sick to the stomach (albeit hilarious) already a good decade ahead of COVID. I'm absolutely wondering whether that unspellt law might drive people's unfair decisions, subconsciously.