Nathan Barley is a Channel 4 sitcom about a fictional twenty-something loathsome London media type, written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris
Described by his own creator as a 'meaningless strutting cadaver-in-waiting', the character originated on Charlie Brooker's TVGoHome, a website parodying television listings, as the focus of a fly-on-the-wall documentary called ~censored~
After the cult success of TVGoHome, the name 'Nathan Barley' was frequently used pejoratively towards those whose lifestyles were satirised by the series
Nathan Barley is a webmaster, guerrilla filmmaker, screenwriter, DJ and in his own words, a 'self-facilitating media node'. He is convinced he is the epitome of urban cool, and therefore secretly terrified he might not be, which is why he reads Sugar Ape magazine — his bible of cool
In reality however his 'output' is of no real interest to anyone but him and his immediate friends. The website consists of stupid pranks caught on camera, photos of him with attractive women and photos of him standing on street corners in major cities around the world. He is of the belief that because he has a camera, some knowledge of web publishing and some webspace, this makes him talented
The humour derives from the fact that since the rapid rise of the internet and the explosion of digital television, actual publishers and broadcasters think that such drivel is worthy of attention. Barley and his fellow idiots are often hired/published ahead of actual journalists and talented writers trying to make intelligent points, such as the earnest documentary film maker Claire Ashcroft, and her brother Dan Ashcroft, a jaded and apathetic hack who, having written an article for Sugar Ape entitled 'The Rise of the Idiots', is disgusted to find that 'the idiots' in question — Nathan and his contemporaries — have adopted him as their spiritual leader
Download: Season 1
Nathan Barley - S1 E01 Baffled human wreck Dan Ashcroft watches in horror as his world is over-run with 24 carat berks, led by a strutting, brainless ~censored~-of-the-walk called Nathan Barley, who, distressingly, has designs on Dan's sister Claire.
Nathan Barley - S1 E02 Dan is canonised against his will, while Nathan throws a party for his God-defeatingly rubbish website and oozes closer to Claire.
Nathan Barley - S1 E03 While Dan is plagued by a shrieking twit of a photographer called 15Peter20, Nathan grooms Claire with alcohol and unsolicited breast massage.
Nathan Barley - S1 E04 Dan accidentally creates a new hairstyle by sleeping in paint. Nathan needs a new look to impress glamourous TV chick Dajve 'dave' Bikinus. Something is killed.
Nathan Barley - S1 E05 Editor Jonatton Yeah? wants Dan to take part in some straight-on-straight gay action. A coke-blasted model proves an irresistible lure for Nathan.
Nathan Barley - S1 E06 In the final episode, Nathan piggybacks his way into Claire's meeting with a TV commissioner, Pingu is broken like a rag doll and Dan finally discovers a way to destroy Nathan.
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