Black Books

Plot synopsis:
Bernard Black is the proprietor of Black Books, a small bookshop. The series revolves around the lives of Bernard, Manny and Fran. A central theme is Bernard's odd position as a moody and spiteful shopkeeper who has a loathing of the outside world and all the people who inhabit it, except his oldest friend, Fran, who initially ran a trendy bric-a-brac shop, Nifty Gifty, next-door to the shop.
Bernard displays little enthusiasm or interest in retail (or, indeed, anything outside drinking, smoking and reading) and actively avoids having to interact with anyone, even inside his shop, as he has a personal dislike of his customers, treating his bookshop more like a personal library. It is suggested that Fran and Bernard once slept together, but now they remain happy to be friends, sharing a love of smoking heavily and drinking to excess. Fran otherwise has a rather hopeless love life.
Manny is introduced in the first episode as a stressed-out accountant who enters the bookshop seeking The Little Book of Calm. During a drunken night out, Bernard offers him a job as a shop assistant and a room above the shop if he will do Bernard's accounts for him. Sobering up, Bernard realises Manny's optimistic nature is not suited to "this kind of operation". Fran, however, seeing that Manny is good for Bernard, forces Bernard to let him stay.
Many episodes are driven by Manny and Fran's attempts to force Bernard into a more socially acceptable lifestyle. Their efforts usually result in chaos, sucking them back into Bernard's nihilistic view of the world. The bookshop, which also doubles as Manny and Bernard's residence, is frequently depicted as being in an unhealthy state of dirtiness and often inhabited by animals and other unidentified creatures, while disorder is a frequent aspect of the running of the shop. Manny's attempts to improve both the shop and the residence often fail.
In October 2011, Graham Linehan was asked what Bernard, Manny and Fran would be doing a decade after the events of the series. Linehan responded, "They'll grow up, like everyone else."

Tags: psychedelic, comedy

Review:
Everyone knows a Bernard or a Manny in their lives, which makes Black Books hilarious!
Most British sitcoms (Britcoms?) I've seen have been funny, but I usually forget about them rather quick (probably due to the cultural differences) but Black Books stuck with me so much that I was forced to buy a bootleg VHS of the first series.
Now that I have seen it, there is only one thing I can say about it: Black books is absolutely great and hilarious.
Bernard Black - an anti-social, boozing and smoking sarcastic pessimist - runs his own book store.
"Black Books" is hysterical and one can easily watch each episode over and over and over again and laugh just as hard.
Limiting it to just six episodes makes the comedy concentrated and instead of having a few good moments in an episode, the whole episode is memorable.In real life Bernard Black (Dylan Moran) the owner of his own book shop would be horrible.
From the first episode of the first series (Bernard mincing up to a bunch of thuggish looking Millwall supporters and asking "Which one of you bitches wants to dance?") to the last episode of the second series (a restaurant where they have no vegetables and all the meat dishes are served up complete with little tombstones), "Black Books" deals in the sort of off-kilter humour that frequently defies any kind of logic and always manages to be unfailingly hilarious.If you can, get hold of the DVD of the first series.
The funniest thing on British TV since Father Ted. The dialogue is wonderfully clever, the bohemian irascibility of Dylan Moran is judged to perfection, and the addition of musical comedian and bearded surrealist Bill Bailey is a touch of genius.
Bernard Black runs his own bookshop even though he doesn't much like people who buy books and hates having customers.
This leads to a series of surreal adventures around the shop.This series (soon to return for a second series!) was poorly promoted by channel 4 (usually so good at getting great little comedies recognised - Spaced, Father Ted etc), and didn't get seen by anywhere near the audience it deserved.
Sure, BB doesn't have the gloss of Friends and can feel a bit rough round the edges but you can't beat the fact that it feels fresh and new compared to all that gloss.The chemistry between Bernard and Manny is great - even if their dialogue is mad at times.
Moran as Bernard is also great as the abusive drunk Irishman and is just so manically funny - not manic like Phoebe in Friends but manic like Jack in Father Ted.
Tamsin Greig is also good as Fran, despite being a smaller character.Overall this is a flagship for all that is good about channel 4 comedies - British, clever, imaginative, daring and very funny.
STORYThe storyline found within Black Books is fairly straight forward, following the lives of three characters: Bernard Black, an alcoholic, short-tempered bookstore owner (the bookshop in question being the show's title, Black Books), Manny, his employee/slave and Fran, a friend of Bernard's that regularly hangs out with them.
The show follows of life of Bernard's book-shop, with the series almost exclusively set within or around the bookshop.
ACTINGThe acting is just superb, in fact after watching this it would be difficult to see Dylan Moran (who plays Bernard) in any other role than a cranky, alcoholic bookshop owner.
The humour can be rather bizarre at times and the overall feeling is that life is depressing, but it somehow combines to make an almost charming comedy about a grumpy bookshop owner and a lively, eager assistant.
It plays, basically like one of Dylan Moran stand-up performances (which is by no means a bad thing.) Consistently funny and overall just well made.
I watched the whole first series in one sitting and ordered the DVD this morning!This is one of the funniest shows I've seen in a long time, and, in my opinion, ranks alongside Spaced.
The humour is brilliantly surreal, the first episode featuring Bernard picking a fight with a group of skinheads to avoid filling out his tax returns "Which one of you bitches wants to dance?", and Manny accidentally swallowing and absorbing "The Little Book of Calm".
Believe me, I have done that more than once while watching it (even re-runs), and I've been given funny look's by people who see me laughing at it.The cast is grate, the character superb and the script is first rate.
Black Books is another fine example of just how good British comedy can be.
We did manage to tape 2 episodes, and despite the poor quality of the tapes that the kids used to record them, we (me and the older kids) watch them about twice a week!The 13 year old can imitate Bernard uncannily, and when I am grumpy, he just needs to 'do' the above quote and I fall about laughing.I hope it comes back for a third run.
The first thing of note is that Graham Linehan is no longer writing, Dylan Moran taking the whole task on his own which I think may have contributed to the slowness of pace of the beginning of series 2 as he had to get upto speed on all the characters.
Its a sign of perfect comic timing and performances when you've seen the same scene over and over and it just gets funnier.The other thing will be the idiotic surrealism - for instance Manny in episode one swallowing and absorbing The Little Book of Calm.
Completely stupid in a recognisably Craggy Island fashion.I'm not one to say Black Books is better than Father Ted but there is one thing BB has in its favour and that is the familiar miasma of drunken excess and bleery eyed London squalor you will probably have seen before in WITHNAIL & I (And maybe Jeffry Bernard Is Unwell).
Series like Monty Python's Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers, Black Adder, Only Fools and Horses and One Foot in the Grave (on most episodes) make you laugh with their quirkiness, seldom found in US sitcoms.
some raise a smile and can kill an hour or so, sure, but it has been a while since I had a few good belly laughs on account of a series.Meet black books, one of the latest to be screened on Channel 4.
Well, I guess since most of the spark comes from the dialogs between the incredibly untidy "I don't want to sell books because people read them and then bring them back, and we start all over again" Bernard and the only slightly more balanced "I'm eating scrambled eggs out of a shoe using a comb" Manny, the whole things is slightly less inspired when they aren't together.
Dylan Moran plays one of the greatest sitcom characters Bernard Black - an unkempt irritable chain-smoking-and-drinking bibliophile who owns Black Books, a bookstore.
Among the best of them are 'The Mighty Boosh,' 'Garth Merenghi's Darkplace' and this -- 'Black Books.' Running only three seasons, it had the unique quality of hitting it's prime at the start of the first episode before somewhat running out of situational humor by the final six episodes.
Because this is one of the funniest series in quite some time to come out of Britain (but of course, like many of the comedies these days in Britain, it needed an Irishman to get it off the ground - note my nationality, above).
Dylan Moran is playing his normal kind of character (bitter, pessimistic, very funny) and Bill Bailey as Manny is also very funny too.It revolves around a bookstore, named unsurprisingly, Black Books.
Owned by Bernard Black, played by Moran, who hires Manny in the store, and then there's Fran, who owns the store next door (played by Tamsin Greig).Every episode delivers laughs.
I am almost certain this show will soon become a classic comedy just like 'Blackadder', 'Monty Python' and 'Father Ted'.So if you need some comic relief, I suggest you turn on "Black Books".:).
Probably not everybody's taste, Black Books takes us into a crazy world where odd characters live lives that in no way could approach reality.
Surely it is not a coincidence that Dylan Moran played Rufus the thief in Notting Hill (set in a bookshop)and that his brief appearance had all the offbeat craziness of his character in Black Books?
The totally unaccountable, idiotic humour is reminiscent of such British gems of the past as Monty Python and Fawlty Towers - and I feel a love of that type of humour is a necessity to appreciate Black Books..
The character of Bernard Black is played superbly by Moran and plays beautifully off Fran (Grieg) and Manny (Bailey).
If you like dark humour and need a break from American "funny" make a point of watching this series, your biggest regret will be that they stopped after 3 seasons.Bernard is the worst boss (and probably person) ever while Fran is beyond "blonde", while Manny is typical of a down-trodden past sell-by date hippie.Just good watching!!
They have something in common, drinking and smoking.Black Books is one of the best British comedies.
Bernard Black runs a book shop, though his customer service skills leave something to be desired.
Over-the-top humour with some clever plots and biting dialogue.Good work by Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig as Bernard, Manny and Fran, respectively..
What great entertainment.Black Books is absolutely one of my very favourite television programmes of all time.
"Black Books" is a British gem well worth watching....
"Black Books" is a great British comedy show, much in the likes of "Father Ted", "Fawlty Towers" or "Black Adder".
If you enjoy the witty and often twisted British humor, then you will definitely enjoy "Black Books".I am not going to go too much into details here, as there are 18 episodes to the three seasons.
Throughout the various episodes you will see some familiar faces in the supporting roles, such as Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and David Walliams.The dialogue in "Black Books" is the typical satirical and hilarious dialogue you'd find in many other British comedies.
There is nothing sacred here and nothing is barred.The episodes are fun and well put together, for an overall great enjoyment and amusement."Black Books" is a definite must watch for all fans of the British comedy genre..
The character of Bernard Black couldn't be more perfect, a stubborn drunk who, when offered help, thinks of a solution that is incredibly implausible, and with a fantastically strong performance of Manny from Bill Bailey who, like Moran, is an excellent comedian and actor, we can really laugh at the insane relationship that Manny and Bernard share.
From Bernard eating frozen wine like a Popsicle to using pictures of plates as a crockery substitute, from Manny playing a piano from the inside with spoons to Fran going insane over an odd ornament which is ultimately a cigarette lighter, all of the jokes in this series are charming and laugh-out-loud funny, my only complaint is that the only did 3 season's of this superb sit-com, a must-see if you haven't already, just as good as Father Ted and Red Dwarf, one of the best British comedies of all-time..
I followed Black Books on the coattails of Father Ted (As I believe it shares at least one common writer.) It would be easy to say that by and large the American audience would have trouble with the humour but I can say that it (like Father Ted) is well loved in Australia, as can be said for a lot of English/Irish/Scottish humour - simply the best and most imaginative.I wont spoil it for you, there is no comedy like it - If you liked Father Ted then you'll probably love this (as I do) for being original and very off the wall humour.5 out of 5, A classic cult comedy series.--Jim..
Review based on watching the first 3 episodes: A mildly entertaining British comedy series revolving around an obnoxious, drunk who runs a book store.
Review based on watching the first 3 episodes: A mildly entertaining British comedy series revolving around an obnoxious, drunk who runs a book store.
Set in a little book shop, Dylan Moran plays the owner 'Bernard Black'; a drinking, smoking lunatic and Bill Baily plays 'Manny'; the lovable and completely neurotic shop assistant.
And just like Bernard consumes wine at a rapid rate through the show, so does the audience become drunk on the characters of the show as they consume.One of the things I love about Black Books is the richness of the dialogue.
Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig are wonderful as the three main characters and the special guest spots from Simon Pegg and Kevin Eldon are indeed unforgettable.Black Books contains everything from brilliantly performed slapstick to hilarious one liners.
This is probably the best sitcom to come out of Britain for a while and proof that when it puts it mind to it Britain seems to still have the edge as far as comedy is concerned.The show centers around Bernard Black ( Dylan Moran ), a man who's idea of a perfect life would be to throw away his key to the shop and live inside in a perfect sanctuary.
For example: in the episode "Blood" the storyline of Bernard and Manny trying to turn the bookstore in a restaurant is simply fantastic but Fran's re-uniting with her family just isn't funny and really ruins an otherwise great episode.
The actors are also giving their best, totally love Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey in this gem of a show, and Tamsin Greig is so well guided that she makes you laugh and love her in the same time, perhaps she is more dear to the viewer that she would be if one would meet her in person, I don't know.
my party is kind of a Dylan Moran's "Black Books", filed with unusual ordinary people (Bernard, Manny and Fran), living unusual ordinary life and having day to day unusual ordinary troubles...If you prefer sitting home thinking, talking, drinking and having a good times with your friends rather than going out to the big club, you'll love "Black Books".Even if the show is set in a bookshop, which is usually boring place, it doesn't necessary mean you can't have fun in it.
Dylan Moran, Tamsin Grieg & Bill Bailey are all brilliant as the main characters & there are some great cameos from people such as Nick Frost, Johnny Vegas, Rob Brydon, Annette Crosbie, Omid Djalili, Ricky Grover, Keith Allen and Simon Pegg (Don't eat Muffins when I'm developing you!).Bernard, Manny and Fran are deeply unbalanced people who rely on each other to get by in the world.
In series 3 there are a couple of weaker episodes but the Moo-pa Moo-ma and Goliath books ones are great.If you like misanthropy, social awkwardness, dirty little Bookshops and towers of soup, then the surreal Black Books is ideal.
Father Ted, Black Books, The IT Crowd - they would play funny to most American crowds.
The first episode of which does feature a choice performance from Simon Pegg, so t'is not a complete write-off.Black Books was a subversive and entirely quotable series which ended at the perfect time.
Black Books is the funniest thing I have seen in years.
At three series and 18 episodes long, "Black Books" is often hilarious.
Teaming up with Bernard's old friend Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig), the two spend their days hanging around the shop, getting drunk and above all else, trying not to sell books.From the first moments of the opening episode through to the last moment of season three, nothing prepares you for the wit and visual humour of this series.
Beginning with a masterful episode called "Manny Come Home", series three gets off to a brilliant start and rides the waves to an equally hilarious conclusion.Overall, "Black Books" is mostly hilarious.
Supported by excellent performances by Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig, Moran thrives in the dank and dirty world of "Black Books".
Anyway, the characters in this are great.There's Bernard Black, the owner of a small bookshop in London, a grumpy irish man who loves to drink, smoke and complain about life.
A sit-com, set in a bookshop owned by a weird young Irishman (Moran), aided by his live-in assistant, a wide-eyed innocent (Bailey) Written by and staring Bill Bailey (Manny) and Dylan Moran (Bernard Black), two of the finest stand-up comics in the world, this was always going to be funny.
Very few sitcoms manage to get such good actors.My favourite episode is "Elephants and Hens" where Bernard and Manny wright a children's book.
With smart jokes a few weird scenes and a heck of a lot of booze.It is about three people and their problems and lives all packed in to a bookshop owned by Bernard Black (Dylan Moran).
Manny Beianco is the much loved book shop assistant and "Enemie" of Bernard.Last but not least we have Fran Katesjammer (that might be spelled wrong), The booze fueled friend of the two book shop workers.I KNOW that anyone who watches this will laugh their heads off.
A snide disgruntled Irish X-pat owns a bookstore and surround himself with other cynical friends who vent on all around them to produce comedy.*Special Stars- Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, Tamsin Greig.*Theme- Dysfunctional people in a local English books store are very funny to laugh at.*Trivia/location/goofs- The star is writer and producer of this series.
I'll keep watching 'Black Books', though, but maybe not every episode; the characters are great.
Brilliantly eccentric British comedy focusing on the antics of three so-called friends in London.Bernard Black is a book shop owner, a man so riddled with neurosis and hatred of humanity that he is utterly incapable of functioning in day to day life.