If you loved
Darkmans
Nicola Barker · Book · 2007
What hooked you in Darkmans was the way history feels like a grotesque, cyclical, and deeply unreliable joke played upon the present.
Films on the same thread
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Terry Jones · Film · 1983
Much like Darkmans, this film treats existence as a series of absurd, disconnected vignettes, mirroring the way Nicola Barker uses chaotic satire to expose the inherent silliness of our mortality.
American Fiction
Cord Jefferson · Film · 2023
You will recognize the biting literary satire of Darkmans here, as both works dismantle the hypocrisy of their respective establishments through a lens of cynical, self-aware intellectualism and identity-driven chaos.
The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act
Film · 2026
This story echoes the claustrophobic dread found in Darkmans, where characters are trapped by the inescapable weight of history, trauma, and the realization that their reality is fundamentally broken.
History of the World: Part I
Mel Brooks · Film · 1981
If you enjoyed the way Darkmans treats historical figures as punchlines in a sick joke, you will appreciate this film for its irreverent, anachronistic, and broad assault on the sanctity of history.
Series on the same thread
Blackadder
Richard Curtis · Series · 1983
This series shares the cynical, lineage-focused approach of Darkmans, tracing the recurring incompetence and self-serving nature of humanity across centuries of British history with a sharp, satirical edge.
Horrible Histories
Terry Deary · Series · 2009
This show captures the same fascination with the gruesome and grotesque elements of the past seen in Darkmans, presenting history as an anarchic, blood-splattered, and fundamentally comedic nightmare.
Utopia
Dennis Kelly · Series · 2013
Like the sprawling, paranoid narrative of Darkmans, this thriller traps its protagonists in a web of mysterious manuscripts and moral ambiguity that forces them to confront a terrifying, hidden history.
Black Books
Dylan Moran · Series · 2000
The misanthropy and wilful antagonism of the characters in this series mirror the eccentric, difficult personalities that populate the world of Darkmans, grounding high-concept chaos in deeply dysfunctional human dynamics.
Podcasts on the same thread
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin · Podcast · 2025
This podcast mirrors the unorthodox, 'Martian' perspective found in Darkmans, challenging your assumptions about human nature and the cyclical, often disastrous consequences of power throughout our collective past.
Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine
Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy · Podcast · 2026
Just as Darkmans finds dark humor in the medical and historical oddities of the past, this show explores the gross, misguided, and absurd ways humanity has historically attempted to heal itself.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Darkmans a standalone novel?
Darkmans is a standalone novel published in 2007 by Nicola Barker. The narrative explores the cyclical nature of history through the perspectives of figures like John Scogin and Andrew Boarde, functioning as a self-contained epic rather than part of a series.
Who wrote the novel Darkmans?
Darkmans was written by the award-winning author Nicola Barker. It was published in 2007 and is noted for its exploration of historical repetition and the lives of figures such as the court jester John Scogin and the physician Andrew Boarde.
What historical figures are featured in Darkmans?
Darkmans features historical figures including John Scogin, who served as court jester to Edward IV, and Andrew Boarde, who acted as physician to Henry VIII. The novel examines their roles in a narrative that questions whether history is a repeating joke.
How does Darkmans describe the concept of history?
In Darkmans, the narrative questions the nature of history by proposing that it may be a sick joke that keeps repeating itself. The story contemplates who might be telling this history and why, centering on the actions and influence of historical figures like John Scogin.