Episode: S1E1, Once Upon A Beginning
Air Date: 29 January 2004
Summary: Rick Dagless M.D. is reminiscing about his old friend Larry, with whom Dagless accidentally opened the gates to Hell many years ago. There is something wrong at Darkplace Hospital, Dagless can feel it. Plus, new doctor Liz Asher (“You’re a woman,” “Yes, I hope that’s not going to be a problem.”) has had a psychic vision and it becomes apparent that Larry Renwick is at the hospital once more, as a patient. And when Larry explodes, everything gets a little bit worse…
What Else? It’s hard to express how hilarious this episode is in words because the true skill is in the performance. The combination of the deliberately terrible acting and pathetically poor props (such as fake cars) makes for very funny viewing. There is frequent use of extreme gore that is not for the faint-hearted but is obviously not real, along with absolutely ridiculous plot devices, such as an exploded man being buried with his body intact and a controversial amount of sexism (yet again, not designed to be taken seriously).
Quote of the Episode:
Thornton Reed: “If that’s how you treat your friends, imagine how you treat your enemies! Worse, I expect!”
Familiar Faces: Julian Barratt plays the very Howard Moon-like priest and Kim Noble appears as doctor Jim.
