Introduction
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Black Books is a British sitcom which was broadcast on Channel 4 and has now been released as a complete box set. The series is set in ‘Black Books’, a small independent, second hand book shop in the Bloomsbury area of central London. The shop is owned by Bernard ... Read review
Black Books is the BAFTA award-winning comedy from Channel 4 starring Dylan Moran, Bill ... more
Bailey and Tamsin Greig.Meet Bernard Black (Dylan Moran) a foul tempered, drink-fuelled and eccentric bookshop owner who loves his books and hates his customers.Manny (Bill Bailey) Bernard's longhaired and long-suffering assistant, a breath of fresh air in the musty confines of the bookshop and an antidote to Bernard.Fran (Tamsin Greig) owner of Nifty Gifty, the gift shop next door to Black Books, Bernard's friend and the only one who gives him a run for his money.Black Books explores Manny and Fran's efforts to ensure Bernard has some contact with the outside world and chart the comical consequences of their efforts.Contains the following episodes:1. Cooking the Books2. Manny's First Day3. Grapes of Wrath4. The Blackout5. The Big Lock-out6. He's Leaving Home
How can the concept of a drunk owning a bookshop be surreally funny? Well,Black Booksmay ... more
be owned by Bernard Black on screen, but off screen it belongs to writer/director Graham Linehan ofFather Tedfame, thats how. His writing partnership with Dylan Moran (Black) produced the strangest situation comedy of 2001, fully deserving its BAFTA.The almost blissfully vague plotline begins when stressed out office worker Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey) accidentally swallowsThe Little Book of Calm. Somehow his beard and Bernard's booze get on well enough for them to work together in the shop. They're ably assisted/distracted/confused by the hormonal interruptions of neighbouring storeowner Fran (Tamsin Greig). And thats about it. But across six episodes this first year crammed in an enormous amount of insanity and sight gags.Definite highlights include Fran's over-the-radio seduction by Shipping News broadcaster Howell Granger, a good cop/bad copSweeneyspoof and a cameo by Nick Frost (Mike inSpaced) as a more than slightly OTT Security System Installer. The standout episode is "The Grapes of Wrath" when Bernard and Manny agree to baby-sit a valuable wine cellar. No prizes for guessing what happens! Kevin Eldon guest stars as The Cleaner, declaring the shop to be "DIRTY". Manny already knew that. When he made the appointment he had to confess, "Right now I'm eating scrambled egg with a comb out of a shoe." --Paul Tonks
Postage & Packaging:£2.69 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Production Year: 2004 - Comedy - Director: John Hay - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jimi Mistry, Kate Miles, Dougray Scott
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Director: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Carol Cleveland, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones
Advantages: Hilarious!! different! Disadvantages: Only 3 Series!
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Black Books is a British sitcom which was broadcast on Channel 4 and has now been released as a complete box set. The series is set in ‘Black Books’, a small independent, second hand book shop in the Bloomsbury area of central London. The shop is owned by Bernard Black (Dyland Moran), an eccentric, foul-mouthed, Irish drunkard. The show is based around the lives and antics of Bernard Black, his assistant Manny (Bill ... ...************
Bernard Black played by Dylan Moran
Manny Bianco played by Bill Bailey
Fran Katzenjammer played by Tamsin Greig
These are the main characters throughout all 3 Series.
Plot
*****
- Series 1 (2000)
**Episode 1 ‘Cooking The Books’
This to be honest would probably be my favorite of all (I love all 3 series but this has ... more
Introduction **************
Black Books is a British sitcom which was broadcast on Channel 4 and has now been released as a complete box set. The series is set in ‘Black Books’, a small independent, second hand book shop in the Bloomsbury area of central London. The shop is owned by Bernard Black (Dyland Moran), an eccentric, foul-mouthed, Irish drunkard. The show is based around the lives and antics of Bernard Black, his assistant Manny (Bill Bailey), and their friend Fran (Tamsin Greig). Each series consists of 6 episodes and there are 3 series in total.
Characters ************
Bernard Black played by Dylan Moran Manny Bianco played by Bill Bailey Fran Katzenjammer played by Tamsin Greig
These are the main characters throughout all 3 Series.
Plot *****
- Series 1 (2000)
**Episode 1 ‘Cooking The Books’
This to be honest would probably be my favorite of all (I love all 3 series but this has to be the funniest!). In this episode you are introduced to Bernard who has his accountant flee from the police so is therefore faced with doing his own taxes – you’ll watch Bernard go through a number of options to avoid doing these, such as getting drunk with Jehovah’s witnesses, pairing socks and being beaten up by skin heads!! Manny is also introduced in this episode as an accountant who comes into ‘Black Books’ to buy the little book of calm on his way to work – as the day goes on he’s is taken to hospital as he somehow manages to swallow it! Fran, Bernard’s friend is also introduced – Fran owns the shop next door (full of odds and sods) and spends the episode trying to figure out what the unfathomable sphere she has ordered to sell in her shop actually does!
Guest Starring: Martin Freeman – The Office, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Rupert Vanisttart – Pride and Prejudice
**Episode 2 ‘Manny’s First Day’
Guest Starring: David Cann – Brass Eye, Jam Graham Lineham – Arthur Matthews, Father Ted.
**Episode 3 ‘The Grapes of Wrath’
Guest Starring: Kevin Eldon – Fist of Fun, I’m Alan Partridge, Brass Eye, Jam
**Episode 4 ‘The Blackout’
Guest Starring: Colin MacFarlane – The Animator
**Episode 5 ‘The Big Lock-Out’
Guest Starring: Nick Frost – Spaced Peter Serafinowicz – How do you want me?, Spaced
**Episode 6 ‘He’s Leaving Home’
Guest Starring: Omid Djalili – Stand up comedian David Walliams – Little Britain
I don’t want to give the plot away on every episode – I’d be here all day and I really think if you like the sound of the 1st one and watch that, you will want to watch them all and I don’t want to give too much away!
- Series 2 (2002)
Again the plot of this is based around the antics of Bernard, Manny and Fran, with some more guest stars.
**Episode 1 ‘The Entertainer’
Guest Starring: Nina Conti – Holby City, Single
**Episode 2 ‘Fever’
Guest Starring: Johnny Vegas – Ideal, Happiness Rose Keegan – Thunderbirds, Match Point
**Episode 3 ‘The Fixer’
Guest Starring: Ricky Grover – Red Dwarf, ‘Orrible Rob Brydon – Marion & Geoff, The Keith Barret Show
**Episode 4 ‘Blood’
Guest Starring: Mark Donovan – Shaun of the Dead, Murder Investigation Team
**Episode 5 ‘Hello Sun’
Guest Starring: Jessica Stevenson – Spaced
**Episode 6 ‘A Nice Change’
No Guest Stars.
- Series 3 (2004)
More fun and laughs from Bernard, Manny and Fran guaranteed in this final of the 3 Series.
**Episode 1 ‘Manny Come Home’
Guest Starring: Simon Pegg – Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Spaced
**Episode 2 ‘Elephants and Hens’
Guest Starring: Lucy Davis – Pride and Prejudice
**Episode 3 ‘Moo-Ma and Moo-Pa’
Guest Starring: Annette Crosbie – One Foot in the Grave Sam Kelly – Allo Allo, Porridge
**Episode 4 ‘A Little Flutter’
Guest Starring: Keith Allen – The Bullshitters
**Episode 5 ‘Travel Writer’
Guest Starring: Julian Rhind-Tutt – Green Wing
**Episode 6 ‘Party’
No Guest Stars.
My Opinion ************
I absolutely loved Black Books – its humour is dry, sarcastic, surreal and off-beat. Bernard is a hilarious character – loves smoking, drinking, generally being as difficult as possible and hating everything and anything. The series revolves around Bernard’s endless loathing of the outside world in general and the people who live there in particular, represented mainly by his customers. Throughout all the episodes Fran and Manny attempt to force Bernard out into public, however as they also struggle to interact with the world outside the shop, their efforts normally result in chaos – giving us plenty of laughs along the way.
My favorite episode would have to be the 1st one – possibly because after watching this one I was hooked or it could just be the amount of hilarious scenes packed into just the one episode. I have not been at all disappointed with any of the episode however some definitely made me laugh louder than others!
Each episode has its own story so there is no massive need to watch the episodes in order, however I would recommend watching all of them in order if possible as this is how I also fell in love with the main 3 characters.
I genuinely cannot fault any of the acting, Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig are all incredibly funny and I genuinely did care about the characters more and more as I watched. The guest stars again were all very funny and some very familiar faces appear here and there. I actually had met Ricky Grover (Danny in Series 2 Eps 3) after watching him do stand up at the Comedy Club so it was excellent see him playing a role in Black Books which would have to be one of my favorite British Sitcoms.
I have since become a huge fan of Dylan Moran and try to watch any stand-up he has done. I had never heard of him or Bill Bailey before (I can’t believe it either!) I watched this and I now have them amongst my favorite comedians!
If you enjoyed Spaced you will love Black Books!!
Overall ********
You will either love it or hate it – from my experience I have yet to meet someone in between! If you appreciate the likes of Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey in stand-up then I would imagine it will be right up your street. Its sharp, silly, smart and funny all in one! I have watched certain episodes over and over as each time they still make me laugh! Even better if you have a few glasses of wine so your more on Bernard’s level!
Technical ***********
Genre British Sitcom
Created by Dylan Moran
Starring Dylan Moran Bill Bailey Tamsin Greig
Producer(s) Karen Beever William Budett-Coutts Nira Park Julian Meers
Nads82 01.08.2007 (01.08.2007)
Ciao members have rated this review on average:
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Review of Black Books - The Complete Series 1 To 3 (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: The funniest thing I've seen in ages Disadvantages: May cause alcoholism and bad manners in the impressionable youngster
...cream of the crop is Black Books.
Imagine, if you will, your favourite bookshop. In the peace of a weekday afternoon, you are standing by the shelves, browsing with ne'er a care in the world. The sunlight filters mellow through the dusty window and the air is scented softly with wood and paper. Perhaps you have just discovered some obscure gem of literature and are flipping through its age-softened pages with the wonder and inquisitiveness of a ... ...everyday occurrence in the eponymous Black Books, the bookstore run by Bernard Black (Dylan Moran). Bernard is an alcoholic, a chainsmoker, and a an unruly, abrasive misanthrope who divides his time between reading, verbally abusing customers and having lunch (ie: bottles and bottles of wine) with Fran (Tamsin Greig), his oldest friend who runs the gift shop next door. This first series of the comedy brings Manny (Bill Bailey), a bearded, childlike ...
dujour 07.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Black Books - The Complete Series 1 To 3 (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: Very funny, good cast, well-presented DVD Disadvantages: Could do with some more extras and special features
...eponymous bookstore, run by Bernard Black (played by Dylan Moran, who co-wrote the series with Graham Linehan), who seems to be spend his days parked behind the desk, drinking wine and barking down the phone, whilst doing his level best to drive away customers and not sell any books at all!
His only human contact comes in the form of the slightly daffy Fran (Tamsin Greig), who owns the ‘Nifty Gifty’ store adjacent to the bookshop. She ... ...most of her time on a desperate man-hunt, reinventing her personality for romantic dates and then drowning her sorrows in wine with Bernard when it all goes horribly wrong.
However, their cosy world is disturbed by the appearance of Manny (Bill Bailey), a long-haired, bearded accountant who is far too stressed out by his job and charges into the bookshop looking for the ‘Little Book of Calm’ to help him get through the day. No sooner ...
JVL 01.07.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Black Books - The Complete Series 1 To 3 (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: Very original and funny script with hilarious cast Disadvantages: There could be some more special features on the DVD
Black Books is a situation comedy set in a small bookshop in London owned by a foul-tempered and drunk Irishman, Bernard Black (Dylan Moran). Although Bernard loves his books, he hates the customers and usually voices his disapproval to them! However, the bookshop is kept in business with the help of his assistants: Manny (Bill Bailey), who use to work in the accounting department of a large business, and Fran (Tamsin Greig), who owns the gift shop, ... ...some high-class comedy!
The Black Books Series One DVD contains all six episodes from the first series, which are as follows:
1) Cooking the Books- Bernard desperately searches for a way to cripple himself in order to avoid doing his accounts. Meanwhile, an accountant called Manny is hospitalized after choking on his 'Extra Chunky' soup.
2) Manny's First Day- After realising that working in a bookshop won't be as relaxing as he originally thought, ...
Davius 21.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Black Books - The Complete Series 1 To 3 (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: Re-watchable original comedy. Disadvantages: Series 2 not yet available on DVD.
...Bill Bailey and Tamsin Grieg, Black Books is a very funny original comedy set in a second-hand book shop in London.
Dylan Moran plays Bernard, the owner of Black Books. His running of the book shop is hampered somewhat by the fact he doesn't like customers, and that he spends most of his time drunk.
Tamsin Grieg plays Fran who runs the shop next door, "Nifty Gifty", and is in search of her ideal man.
Bill Bailey plays Manny, who when we first ... ...He visits Black Books in search of the Little Book of Calm. Bernard, enjoying Manny's stress, presents him with a series of other books, such as the Big Book of Screaming and Tanks, before finding the Little Book of Calm. Even then he takes his time writing out a receipt and looking for a bag.
Manny returns to work, where in his haste he drops the Little Book of Calm into his soup, and swallows it. He is rushed to hospital, where he is told that ...
kmorris 13.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Black Books - The Complete Series 1 To 3 (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: Never fails to raise a laugh, or at least a giggle.. Disadvantages: very few extras :(
Written by Dylan Moran & Graham Linehem.
Running Time: 142 minutes.
Extras: Cast Commentary
Out-Takes
Photo Gallery
Series 2 Teaser Trailer
Ever since the first episode of this quaint little dark comedy aired on Channel 4 i have been glued to my TV screen.
it stars Dylan Moran as Bernard Black, proprieter of "Black Books", a man who loves his books, and hates his customers. a man who believes in waking in the afternoons, drinking in the mornings, ... ...Then there's manny, an accountant born again when he swallows the little book of calm, and somehow ingests its knowledge overnight. he arrives at the bookstore and after being saved from skinheads by a desperate Bernard, begins to work at the shop to repay his debts.
Finally there is Fran, the only woman to get close to Bernards heart, and the owner of "Nifty Giftys" the gift shop next to bernards book store. a heavy drinker, obsessed with her looks ...
mikey_2004 18.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Black Books - The Complete Series 1 To 3 (Box Set) (DVD)
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