Nathan Barley

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Transmitted:	February 2005 - March 2005
Country of origin:	UK
Genre:	Satire, media prickishness,
Starring:	Nicholas Burns, Julian Barratt, Claire Keelan, Richard Ayoade, Noel Fielding
Rating:	4/5
No. of seasons:	1

The bastard child of Charlie 'Screenburn' Brooker and Chris Morris, this follows the misadventures of Übertit Nathan Barley, founder of Trashbat.co.ck website and all round pleb, played superbly by Nicholas Burns.
The premise of the show is simple: to shine a light on the egomaniacs and idiots that infest the multimedia industry.
Barley has a nemesis, Dan Ashcroft, serious, intelligent and considered, who despises everything that Nathan stands for. A writer, Ashcroft desperately wants to escape the world of imbeciles he finds himself embroiled in, though it seems his destiny is to forever be ensnared in their midst.
It takes a little getting into, and wasn't the big hit you might have expected, in particular given Morris' involvement, but this has gradually achieved cult status, and actually seems more relevant now than it did on first broadcast, perhaps due in part to the fact that it was both innovative and insightful, depicting a world that few outside the inner media circle had ever glimpsed.
Satirical, weird, and downright sick in places, this is cutting edge TV that is as much about making a point as it is about making you laugh.
An excellent cast, and a razor sharp script make this a must see for anyone into their alternative comedy.

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