Was I the only one who found Bernard pretty sexy?!
:unsure:

By the way, she was "Fran Katzenjammer"...try saying that with a few drinks in ya!! :lol:

For the uninitiated few...
(bbc website)

Black Books
UK, C4 (Assembly Film & Television Productions), Sitcom, colour, 2000
Starring: Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, Tamsin Greig

Black Books is a second-hand bookshop in London run by an Irishman named Bernard Black. He is probably the planet's worst-suited person to run such an establishment: he makes no effort to sell, closes at strange hours on a whim, is in a perpetual alcoholic stupor, abhors his customers (sometimes physically abusing them) and is often comatose at his desk. Help comes in the lumpy shape of Manny Bianco, a hairy, bumbling individual who (almost by osmosis) becomes Bernard's assistant. Manny is not exactly great at the job either but he is a million times better than Bernard. Next door is Fran, an anxious, frustrated woman who (in the first series) runs a sort of new-age shop selling the most unlikely bits of arty junk. (In the second, her shop was neither seen nor mentioned.) Fran is friends with Bernard and, through him, with Manny; together the trio become embroiled in escapades that are sometimes extreme or violent or fantastically ludicrous, and always bizarre.


Black Books arrived on screen two years after impressing at the fourth Channel 4 Sitcom Festival, held at the Riverside Studios in London in July 1998. (At this embryonic stage Bernard Black's friends had different names and occupations - there was Valerie, a philosophy lecturer, and Manny Zimmerman, who performed depression-o-grams for a living.) The TV show was a hugely affable slice of lunacy, launched with scripts co-written by popular standup star Dylan Moran - Bernard Black - and Father Ted co-creator Linehan. Much surrealism and whimsy was on offer, the show taking place in a bizarrely twisted version of reality. There was great chemistry between Moran and fellow standup Bailey, with both characters getting laughs and neither forced into a straightman role for the other. The character of Fran was perhaps less well drawn but the main treats were the weird and wonderful plots and dialogue which, at times, recalled Father Ted but also owed a sizeable debt to the great Irish surrealist author Flann O'Brien. The sum was a greatly rewarding view, unquestionably one of the best comedies of its day.

Researched and written by Mark Lewisohn.



...and for anyone who may get the joke...

:lol: I loved Black Books! The first series was just a total classic, the one where Bernard (for the record, I thought he was :wub: too ;) ) got locked out for the night and wondered the streets, went into that cinema, and got that job in the fast food restaurant because it was raining... :lol: Ahh, I miss that show!

The Little Book Of Calm! Manny did have a scarily uncanny resemblance to Jesus after he left the hospital, didn't he? When he went over to that gang of thugs I was totally :lol:

Great show :D

:wub: I lubbers Black Books so much. I only started watching it at the beginning of series 3 but as soon as I have enough money I'm buying series 1 and 2 on DVD. From what heard I have to watch the episode where Manny swallows the Little Book of Calm! :lol:

julian rind-tutt was in an ep of black book he played a travelling writier

Yes that was a good episode

But the first episode of the first series where Bernard was trying to dodge tax was great.

'ahh skinheads, excellent.'
[heads outside]
'Which one of you bitches wants to dance?'

Classic.

neva seen it but i've taken your word for it and brought series1, lol if i like it i'll buy the others how many series are there together

You are not alone, B_A, I quite fancy Bernard too, in a very dirty, distgusting, wash-yourself-all-over kind of way :) hehe, but that might just be because I like Dylan Moran instead. He is very funny, and Bill Bailey is hilarious in Black Books as well. Of course Tamsin's funny :) that's a given.

I love the party episode (last episode in series three I think) where they all tell each other's secrets and she discovers what her hair looked like all night :) fantastic.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh you are all making me want to sit down and watch my BB DVD's..... :rolleyes:

brilliant BRILLIANT show. my favourite episodes are the very 1st one.. the skinheads and the blittle book of calm!! i also like "Entertainer"- the first ep of series 2....

and, oh my god, Dylan MOran is the SEX!!! :wub: :wub: and he's even more gorgeous in real life.... and very nice too, not like Bernard at all :heart :heart

I love Dylan Moran too :) he's aceness. I love the Monster Tour as well. The bit with the skinheads is funny, we were watching series 1 and 3 recently.

"Which one of you bitches, wants to dance?" :D hehe.

I also like the party episode, and the dancing competition,

"But why would I want to, why would I want to do that? When I can do this!" (proceeds with crazy jumping)

i LOVED black books.
thats what got me into greenwing!!!
i saw her in the ads for the first series so i thought i'd watch it...
and that was when i was hooked!
:cheer2

Dylan Moran's monster is Hilarious! Fave quote: -
"lets go potholeing, in Croatia,
I know someone who can give us a lift - - me!!!!"
Cracks me up everytime!

:D One of my favourites, I also like the bits about children

"When did you last see a child who wasn't in need? Actually, that's enough raspberry tart for me, thanks".

Ahh heck, I love the whole tour, and I can definitely relate to the 'children = midget drunks' scenario :) Dylan Moran should be in more things.

I also like the quote which goes something like
"I bound home to strike my children!"
Not very PC at the moment but still funny,
and when he's talking about going round to other couple's houses, and he says
"I only came cos I heard there was chicken!"
Brilliant! I LOVE Dylan Moran. Glad other people out there do too
Heard a little whisper that he was doing a new tour, coming soon to a stadium near you! Not sure where I heard it tho. Would be great if that were true
:cloud

There is :) Sadly I heard about it too late, and there were still tickets in my city, but not very good ones, and I don't like to go somewhere and have to squint to see what's going on.

If you want more information, here's the tour dates.

ooh, thanks for that! Tickets still available, so I'm gonna get some. Best hurry tho cos they're selling fast!

Have been happily looking forward to getting my hands on the complete DVD box set which is being released on the 20th - except according to Amazon, now it isn't. And the publishers haven't given a new date yet :cry

I jus noticed this topic n thort i would mention that (dont know if its the same everywhere but) at my local HMV they are having a sale and Black books series 1 & 2 are only £5.99 each. They were also selling lots of other comedy dvd's on sale!

Yes, i got carried away today!

oo cheers for that MBG. *runs to nearest HMV, realising, its the middle of the night, goes home*

Really :o *runs round madly in circles screaming where's the nearest HMV* :ph43r: But, but, but I really need Series 3 as well as that's the one with JRT in ;)

IMO- it might be all the series that r on sale.... my HMV only had series 1 & 2!

series 3 was £5.99 at my hmv as well as 1 and 2, i got series 1 because i read all the reviews, so thought id give it a go after seeing the first episode i sent my mum to get me two and three as well :P

everyone loves black books!

OK have just cancelled my Amazon order and ordered all 3 from HMV on line :D although HMV are convinced I'm already a customer with them and I can't remember the password, so now waiting for their confirmation E Mail to come though which will take up to 24 hours :o I Can't Wait That Long :angry:

sneaky IMO,not even going out to the store!! do they have the sale online as well!? thats great......... going to see exactly how much in debt i am...... then get ordering!! woot!

Yup all three were £5.99 each and I've got free delivery, so it's worked out cheaper then my original order with Amazon.

The boxed set is now coming out in August (I can't wait that long) but that's probably why the individual DVD's are on offer - they're clearing out their stock *bounces*.

I resisted ordering Spaced as well - but it's next on my list :thud

Okay :) back on topic. I really like Fran as a character, maybe even more so than Caroline, since she's a bit more confident in herself, but I do feel sorry for her when people make fun of her friends.

Aww, I just like Tamsin :) she's ace.

ordered series 2 but mum wont get da 3rd evilness its my money too

OK have managed to watch the whole of the first series so far, and am about half way through series 2.

I love Tamzin in this - apart from the blouses and scarves she's made to wear a lot in the first series.

I love the bit when she leads on her landlord so he'll move her wall back.

There are several bits where you suddenly think oh that sounds just like a bit out of GW. Ummm, tries to think of a example. Oh yes, when she's out on a date and she's showing off more cleavage and she says something in exactly the same voice as when she's on the phone in GW to the lady with the pig :)

haha series 2 came in the post so when i got home i watched every single ep...i needed it...........need series 3

Just started watching Series 3 :)

In some ways Fran is similiar to Caroline.

a. they both look the same (duh)

b. they're both single

c. they can't seem to keep a boyfriend

d. they don't have many friends (apart from work)

e. they like reading bits out loud from magazines

I love Fran :D

Off to bed soon to watch some more. I've been very restrained and haven't jumped straight to episode 5 with JRT. I am watching them all in order :angel

Good grief Olivia Colman's in it (Harriet). Episode 4 Series 3 as one of the girls on the Hen Night :lol:

Yep :) they all appear in each other's shows. I like Simon Pegg being in the first episode of series three BB :)

I was in such a rush to buy Black Books that I thought I was picking up series one when I actually was picking up series three, but it's still good, and I'll just get series one next week.

:rolleyes:

Ohhh and isn't the policeman who makes Manny interview a suspect with him, the same actor as "keep your hands off my ho" pimp in Green Wing :unsure: I'm sure it is.

Noticed in Woolworths the other day that they are also selling them for £5.99 each ;)

Plus they believed I was 15 when I was only 14 6 months ago and they wouldn't sell a 15 DVD to my mate who actually IS 15. mwahaha!

im 17 and most of the time i have to show ID for 15...it sucks and HMV took my student discout card away they are evil

I was buying a dvd in Virgin which had a certificate 18 - didn't ID me. I went back a while later with a 15 - and then they ID'd me. I just laughed in the blokes face. I know I look young for my age, but that was just taking the piss.

http://s8.invisionfree.com/Green_Wing/inde...=710&st=0&#last

They ID you for buying films/tv series too now? Ha! Sorry, I should be sympathetic, but really I just love the fact nobody gave a damn when I was that age, the most they'd ask was "Are you 12/15/18?" to which of course you would say "Yeah" and that was the end of it :) i understand they ask for proper ID at the cinema now too, how sucky.