It was recorded at Teddington Studios in April–May 2006 in front of a live audience and featured Learner interviewing fictional celebrity guests – all of whom happened to be his clients (and played by Ayoade's writing partner Matthew Holness) – including Marenghi.
The character appears devoid of emotion or the capacity to empathize with others, which may contribute to his perceived lack of acting prowess in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.
Furthermore, there are implications that Learner possesses knowledge regarding the disappearance of Darkplace co-star Madeleine Wool, who portrayed Liz Asher.
In the sixth episode of Man to Man with Dean Learner, Dean and his cadre are shown as being primarily responsible for the public humiliation of charactor actor Randolph Caer (played by Matthew Holness), by advertising a ball to raise awareness against pubic lice using Caer's photograph.
[citation needed] A large part of the comedic appeal of the Dean Learner character is his odd and off-putting sexual life.