Man to Man with Dean Learner

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.

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.

I went to the pilot show last summer and as funny as it was I'm not sure how this would work on a weekly basis. All the guest we're played by Mathew Holness (Garth Merenghi)and a lot of the humour came from the banter and mistakes between the two of them. I thought it was really funny but i don't know how much would be lost in the editing room. There was a seriously hilarious music video with Mathew Holness and Matt Berry which opens the box to more surreal musical humour giving the show a bit of backbone. I think Richard ayoade is seriously funny guy and i think if he gets the rest of the boosh and darkplace crews involved it could be another cult classic.

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..."

The first episode of 'Man to Man with Dean Learner' that just aired was at least up to scratch with most episodes of 'Garth Marenghi's Darkplace' and had me at "My Maisonette". Hope it keeps up the good work of 'faux terribles' on my TV. Richard Ayoade is one of the best in the new breed of "alternative comedy"(I hate this phrase but am too lazy too think of another one.) comedians on TV today.I'm glad that on a trip of local DVD retailers today "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace" was sold out across the board. Even from his brief stint in Nathan Barley I knew that Ayoade was a serious talent and I'm sure he would have been great as Dixon Bainbridge in 'The Mighty Boosh' To continued success! In the vein of these programs I also felt it necessary to extend my review, in order to secure a place on this public domain.