History Series / NathanBarley

* NotSoDifferent: Dan isn't as different from or superior to Nathan as he likes to think he is. Also NotSoAboveItAll.

The series' six episodes (and one pilot) are set in Hosegate, a fictional area of East London (though remarkably similar to Shoreditch or Hoxton, as anyone who has experienced the arts scenes there would testify). The focus is on the hyperactive, clownish protagonist Nathan in his adventures cataloguing and pioneering the gritty, fashion-obsessed hipster zeitgeist of the time, while shamelessly promoting his personal website Trashbat.co.ck and working at his amateur film studio Trash Industries. Alongside Nathan, we also follow antagonist Dan Ashcroft; a bitter and depressed journalist who is ashamed of his current employer Sugar Ape, a pretentious lifestyle magazine charting the works of various "artists" famous only due to shock value and poor taste. Dan despises Nathan with a passion, but can't seem to shake his omnipresent stench, and is desperately seeking a way out of the madness of the local scene.

* NoRespectGuy: "Preacherman" Ashcroft. He always manages to fall at the la
st hurdle.

* {{Expy}}: Not so much a character as a style; the final sequence in the last episode is a clear stylistic lift from another Chris Morris show, {{Jam}}.

* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: Nathan decides to prank Pingu using a gun in episode 6. The trope is averted slightly, as Nathan doesn't actually ''fire'' the gun; nonetheless, the sight of it is enough to make a terrified Pingu impulsively dive head-first out of a second floor window. Nathan is left stunned and speechless.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: Dan is unable to write anything other than scathing critiques and attacks on others.

* YouLookFamiliar: Ned Smanks and Rufus Onslatt are both missing from the pilot episode, but the actor who plays Rufus, Spencer Brown, still appears as 15Peter20's PR manager in the art exhibition at Place. This part is played by Jolyon Rubinstein in the main series.

Nathan Barley is, in the words of his creator Creator/CharlieBrooker, "an upper-middle-class London media pissant who sorely deserves an icepick in the cheek." His first appearance was on the Website/TVGoHome spoof website, in channel slot descriptions of a fictional series named ''Cunt'' -- which was then adapted for a real Channel 4 series. And renamed, for obvious reasons.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Doug Rocket of the Veryphonics as a fictional stand-in for Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, although a few celebrities were actually harmed, including Vernon Kay.
* NoRespectGuy: "Preacherman" Ashcroft. He always manages to fall at the last hurdle.

-->'''Ned Smanks''': Like, books and shit? ...Literature/{{Heidi}}?

* ThePrimaDonna: 15Peter20 is furious when Nathan crashes his conversation with Dajve Bikinus, and he melodramatically blanks both of them and storms off.

* JerkAss

-->'''Nathan Barley''': Is it...?
* IdleRich: Barley himself, who often hands out his credit card willy nilly for lots of stupidly expensive purchases. Handbags from Bumphuk, haircuts from Stanley Knives, cocaine money for Mandy, etc.

Nathan Barley is, in the words of his creator Creator/CharlieBrooker, "an upper-middle-class London media pissant who sorely deserves an icepick in the cheek." His first appearance was on the Website/TVGoHome spoof website, in channel slot descriptions of a fictional series named ''Cunt'' - which was then adapted for a real Channel 4 series. And renamed, for obvious reasons.

* AmbiguouslyGay: The "Stray" subculture of "straight-gay men", one of whom Dan Ashcroft wanks off in a pub (in the name of Gonzo journalism, obviously)

* CoincidentalBroadcast: When Nathan smashes Claire's camera to stop her interviewing the allegedly 13 year old model he just got a blowjob from, the TV switches over to an interview with Jonatton Yeah?, who just happens to be revealing that the girl (and all others featured in Sugar Ape) are actually 6 years older than their stated age. For shits and giggles of course.

-->'''Ned Smanks''': Like, books and shit? ...Heidi?

* TheOphelia: Mandy is an 18 year old model and cocaine addict, who believes her uncle sexually abused her when she was eight, despite being fully aware that she's never actually had an uncle. This apparently makes the psychological trauma even worse. She goes on to sing and perform in Nathan's hilariously awful "Bad Uncle" video. She generally appears to be a bit unstable, especially when she gives Nathan a blowjob without him really asking.

* ThoseTwoGuys: Dan's fellow colleagues at Sugar Ape, Rufus Onslatt and Ned Smanks - two spaced out gearheads whose minds are almost permanently in an alternate universe. They play their "ideas" off of each other constantly and are rarely seen apart. Also HeterosexualLifePartners.

* TwoGuysAndAGirl: DudeMagnet Claire at Trash Industries, and the innocuous perving she is subject to by Nathan and Pingu. Same again at Nathan's flat, only substitute Pingu for Toby.

* KickTheDog: The entire last episode consists of Dan exacting the revenge he's always dreamed about on Nathan. Over the course of the episode he succeeds in bulldozing Nathan's ego and reducing him to a teary-eyed nervous wreck.
** But as Nathan is a KarmaHoudini, this doesn't last long.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Lampshaded by Jonatton Yeah? when he writes a cover feature on 15Peter20, only to credit it to Dan Ashcroft, earning Dan even more unwanted praise for his "awesome fuckin' opinions".

-->'''Jonatton Yeah?''': [[SarcasmMode Oh yeah.]]

-->'''Jonatton Yeah?''': ...Well he's shit, isn't he?

Nathan, Toby and Pingu all seem to share a certain attraction towards Claire Ashcroft, but not one of the them succeeds in getting anywhere with her.

* DudeMagnet: Nathan, Toby and Pingu all seem to share a certain attraction towards Claire Ashcroft, but not one of the them succeeds in getting anywhere with her.

-->'''Claire Ashcroft''': 'A-dickory-lickory-doc'? What sort of ''gimp'' writes something like that!?
-->'''Nathan Barley''': Well...

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Dan pathetically fails at pretty much everything throughout the show and comes across as the ultimate loser. From pranking Nathan, to getting a bank loan, trying to write a cover article, not losing his house keys, the list goes on. In fact, he can't even get a simple haircut without killing the barber's cat and abruptly leaving with half a head of hair.
** On the other hand, Nathan succeeds at almost everything despite Dan's opinion of him as a bottom-feeding twazzock. Sugar Ape are even toying with the idea of giving Nathan his own column in their magazine by the time the last episode rolls around.

** Dan looks around at the Trashbat Party in episode 2 in utter dismay, to see the Idiots dressed up as scuba divers, beekeepers, Scottish highlanders, the list goes on. And it's not even a designated fancy-dress party. This is before Dan himself is forcibly dressed up as the Preacherman by the baying crowd.

* CircleOfShame: During the ''Terrorists Are Gay'' viewing at the theatre, Nathan becomes an easy target for the audience with his Geek Pie haircut. Dajve Bikinus in particular absolutely howls with laughter at him and doesn't stop until he's left the building in disgrace.

** The eccentric, overbearing Doug Rocket also comes across as a bit limp-wristed, although his sexual orientation is never disclosed.

The series' six episodes (and one pilot) are set in Hosegate, a fictional area of East London (though remarkably similar to Shoreditch or Hoxton, as anyone who has experienced the arts scenes there would testify). The focus is on the hyperactive clown Barley in his adventures cataloguing and pioneering the gritty, fashion-obsessed hipster zeitgeist of the time, all while shamelessly promoting his awful website Trashbat.co.ck and his sub-amateur film studio Trash Industries. At the same time we also follow the fledgling career of Dan Ashcroft, a bitter and depressed journalist who despises Barley with a passion, but can't seem to shake his stench. Dan is ashamed of his current occupation as resident guru for Sugar Ape, a pretentious lifestyle magazine for hipsters which charts the works of various "artists" famous only due to shock value and poor taste, and is desperately seeking a way out of the madness.

** Nathan also meets Dajve Bikinus for the first time at the Exbuse opening night, despite them clearly knowing a lot about each other beforehand.

** Upon landing a late-night gambling windfall, Dan jumps up in joy, accidentally catching and disconnecting the laptop from the internet. After reconnecting and finding his winnings have been lost, he gets so angry that he smashes the laptop to bits.

* EveryoneMeetsEveryone: Dan and Claire are obviously siblings and live together, and Nathan is a huge Sugar Ape and Ashcroft fan. However, Nathan has never actually met Dan nor Claire until the first episode, when they randomly bump into each other in a newsagents, and later in a cafè. The rest of the series follows on from those rather ordinary chance encounters.