Black Books (2000)

This show was probably overlooked when it first came around and since then got something of a cult following. With a very small cast of book shop owner Bernard Black (Dylan Moran) book shop assistant Manny (Bill Bailey) and friend Fran (Tamsin Grieg) this show relies on well written situation comedy to keep it moving along. The majority of the show is set in Black Books book shop, owned by Bernard, who is a drunk egotist that hates pretty much every other member of humanity apart from his friend Fran. Manny is "lucky" enough to become Bernard's assistant in the first episode but quickly becomes Bernard's life support mechanism ...  Read the complete review

Channel 4 have always been a forefront of good new comedies, and in 2000, Black Books was first broadcast. Since then it has won two BAFTAs for best situation comedy. The show depicts a misanthropic book shop owner, Bernard (Dylan Moran), as he sardonically insult all humans except his only friend, Fran (Tamsin Greig). In the first episode, Manny (Bill Bailey) gets sacked from the job he hates and ends up getting a job as an assistant in the shop. Dylan Moran is very well cast as Bernard, the eccentric, half- crazed man, with little life beyond cigarettes and alcohol. Bill Bailey is just as funny as his stand- up, playing a down- to- earth character ...  Read the complete review

'Black Books' was introduced to me by my ex-boyfriend last year, as he was truly obsessed. He owned all three series on DVD and made me sit and watch it endlessly for a day until we got through all three series. By the end of the day, I was completely in love with this show. This show was co-written by Dylan Moran himself and Graham Linehan, and showed on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2004, for merely three series, 18 episodes, before it finished. Although I love the show and I wish they had created more episodes, I am a believer in ending something while it's still on top. The longer shows go on, the less interesting they seem to get, and with the strange sense ...  Read the complete review

Who would have thought a programme about a misanthropic, alcoholic book shop owner could be so funny? OK, so it's not exactly funny in a light-hearted milk-of-human kindness way - but it manages to be clever, daft, hilarious and downright weird in this program's dark dark heart. The acerbic Dylan Moran plays the aforementioned Bernard Black with pretty relentlessly nasty humour. Yet he still manages to be likeable enough for you to care about him - mainly because so many of his pet hates are all our pet hates. His sour personality is perfectly balanced by the blindly optimistic Manny, played by the brilliant Bill Bailey. Fran (Tamsin Greig - also great) ...  Read the complete review

My best friend fuelled my new found black books addiction when she showed me her new DVDs last christmas. Its a hilarious british comedy, starring dylan moran and bill bailey that I seem to be able to watch over and over again and still find myself in fits of laughter. The show follows the lives of bernard(dylan) the alcoholic owner of a book shop, his assistant manny (bill), and Fran who works in a shop next door. Dylan Moran plays the part of bernard perfectly and makes it so much funnier. His irish drunken slur adds charisma to all the jokes. Its just a shame there were only three seasons cos I would have loved to have ...  Read the complete review