Black Books
| Black Books | |
|---|---|
 Title screen featuring the front of Black Books. | |
| Genre | Sitcom Surrealism |
| Created by | Dylan Moran Graham Linehan |
| Written by | Dylan Moran Kevin Cecil Andy Riley Graham Linehan Arthur Mathews |
| Starring | Dylan Moran Bill Bailey Tamsin Greig |
| Composer | Jonathan Whitehead |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 18 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | William Burdett-Coutts |
| Producers | Nira Park Julian Meers |
| Editors | Paul Machliss Nick Ames |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | Big Talk |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 29 September 2000 – 15 April 2004 |
Black Books is a
The show was produced in a multiple-camera setup, and was primarily filmed at Teddington Studios in Teddington, London, with exterior scenes filmed on location on Leigh Street and the surrounding areas in Bloomsbury, London.[3][4] The first episode was broadcast on 29 September 2000 and a total of three series were made, the final episode airing on 15 April 2004.[5]
Black Books was a critical success, winning awards, including two
Synopsis
Bernard Black is the owner of Black Books, a small London bookshop. The series revolves around the lives of Bernard, Manny and Fran. Bernard's persona of a grouchy and
Bernard displays little interest or knowledge in retail (or, indeed, anything outside
Manny is introduced in the first episode as an angst-ridden 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 cynical view of the world. The bookshop, which also doubles as Manny and Bernard's residence, is frequently depicted as being in an unlivable 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.
Cast
The series revolves around the three main characters of Bernard Ludwig Black (Dylan Moran), Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey) and Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig), who all appear in every episode. Other characters appear briefly in single episodes, while the show also featured several guest stars such as Keith Allen, Rob Brydon, Annette Crosbie, Lucy Davis, Olivia Colman and Peter Serafinowicz.
Production
A pilot for the show was featured in the 1998 Channel 4 sitcom festival in Riverside Studios.[6] This early version was decidedly darker, revolving around Bernard's, and later Manny's, decision to commit suicide. It featured Manny (surname Zimmerman in reference to Bob Dylan) and the Fran character as Valerie, a philosophy lecturer.
The pilot was an original creation of Moran's and the series was his first creation as a writer for a television series. Linehan, co-writer of the earlier Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, joined at the outset to co-write the series with Moran at the suggestion of producer William Burdett-Coutts after Linehan saw the pilot and had seen Moran performing in Dublin. The characters were Moran's original creation, created over a month-long process he calls "spitballing", which is talking spontaneously to each other in character.[6]
The concept of Bernard owning a bookshop came about because of Moran's view of bookshops as doomed enterprises. Moran said "Running a second-hand bookshop is a guaranteed commercial failure. It's a whole philosophy. There were bookshops that I frequented and I was always struck by the loneliness and doggedness of these men who piloted this death ship", while Linehan said his belligerent personality reflected a sign he once saw in a bookshop stating "Please put the books anywhere you like because we've got nothing better to do than put them back". Moran said of the series, "We just wanted to cram as much elaborate stupidity into a half-hour that could make it be coherent and that you would believe".[6]
The fictional address for the bookshop is Black Books, 13 Little Bevan Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1.[7] Manny also states the shop is located "just off Russell Square".[8] The exterior scenes of the bookshop were filmed outside a real bookshop, albeit a smaller one, called Collinge & Clark, located at 13 Leigh Street, Bloomsbury.[citation needed]
The audio commentary for
Episodes
Original unaired pilot
| Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|
| "Pilot Episode" | Unaired | |
|
The show's pilot was decidedly darker, revolving around Bernard's, and later Manny's, decision to commit suicide. It featured Manny (surname Zimmerman in reference to Bob Dylan) as a professional depression-o-gram, and the Fran character as Valerie, a philosophy lecturer. To date it remains unreleased in mainstream media. | ||
Series 1 (2000)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Cooking the Books" | Graham Linehan & Nick Wood | Dylan Moran & Graham Linehan | 29 September 2000 | |
|
After his accountant flees from the The Little Book of Calm on his way to work and later swallows it; it disappears before his operation, his baffled doctor musing that it may have been assimilated into Manny's system. Bernard's only friend, Fran, who owns the knick-knack shop "Nifty Gifty" next door, is distracted from being on-call as a friend's birth coach by a sphere of unknown function. Bernard is knocked unconscious by skinheads , and Manny offers to do his taxes.
Guest stars Martin Freeman as Manny's doctor, Dominic Carter as a skinhead and Rupert Vansittart as the tasteful customer. | |||||
| 2 | "Manny's First Day" | Graham Linehan & Nick Wood | Dylan Moran & Graham Linehan | 6 October 2000 | |
|
Bernard wakes up after a night of drinking to discover he has accidentally given Manny a job at the bookshop, and spends the day trying to get rid of him. Manny proves to be a charming, sociable and competent employee. An offering of wine from Manny and the threat of physical violence from Fran persuade Bernard to keep Manny on board. Guest stars David Cann as the roaring customer, co-writer Graham Linehan as the "I Love Books" customer, and Rhys Thomas as a student. | |||||
| 3 | "Grapes of Wrath" | Graham Linehan & Nick Wood | Dylan Moran & Graham Linehan | 13 October 2000 | |
|
When the squalor of the bookshop overwhelms him, Manny calls a creepy cleaner, and Bernard reluctantly agrees to house-sit for a friend. Unfortunately, the two manage to drink a very expensive bottle of wine that was due to be presented to the Pope, and have to figure out a way to replace it. Meanwhile, Fran goes on a date with a man whom she soon realises is closeted . She then dates the cleaner.
Guest star: The actor Kevin Eldon as the cleaner. | |||||
| 4 | "The Blackout" | Graham Linehan & Nick Wood | Dylan Moran & Graham Linehan | 20 October 2000 | |
|
After celebrating his birthday fueling an all-night | |||||
| 5 | "The Big Lock-Out" | Graham Linehan & Nick Wood | Dylan Moran & Graham Linehan | 27 October 2000 | |
|
After being burgled, Black Books gets a new alarm and shipping forecast on the radio, leaving Bernard to wander the streets of London penniless, cold and wet.
Guest stars: Nick Frost as the alarm installer, Peter Serafinowicz as Howell Granger, writer Graham Linehan as a fast-food customer, and Tony Way as the fast-food chain and cinema employee. | |||||
| 6 | "He's Leaving Home" | Graham Linehan & Nick Wood | Dylan Moran & Graham Linehan | 3 November 2000 | |
|
Bernard's constant bullying drives Manny to leave. He is attacked by a bee in a telephone box and finds himself on the streets. He is picked up by a photographer and treated to a glamorous life of expensive clothes, satin sheets and crinkle-cut chips in silver bowls, but returns to the book shop after discovering that the photographer has a beard fetish. Guest stars: Omid Djalili as Trebor the photographer, and David Walliams as a customer. | |||||
Series 2 (2002)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | "The Entertainer" | Martin Dennis | Dylan Moran | 1 March 2002 | |
|
Fran decides to learn the piano and enlists the services of an elderly blind Russian tutor. His harsh methods and her inability to master the instrument quickly lead her to quit. Manny discovers he can play the piano purely on instinct, and against all odds Bernard gets a date with an attractive woman. As a result, Fran and Bernard bribe Manny to hide inside the piano, armed with only spoons, in an attempt to make themselves look good. Guest star: Nina Conti as Bernard's date. | |||||
| 8 | "Fever" | Martin Dennis | Dylan Moran, Kevin Cecil & Andy Riley | 8 March 2002 | |
|
A heat wave sweeps London, causing Bernard to seek a "summer girlfriend", Fran to suffer from insomnia, and Manny to panic about his "Dave's syndrome", a condition that supposedly triggers at 88°F (31°C). Bernard tries to get Manny as hot as possible. Fran discovers the walls of her flat are literally closing in as her unscrupulous landlord creates another flat from the stolen space. Bernard pretends to be her lawyer in an attempt to rectify the situation but quickly falls for the new lodger, Alice. At the end of this episode, Bernard asks Fran when they will admit they are deeply attracted to each other. Fran will not 'Until at least one of us is dead'. The scene returns to Manny's condition having been triggered with disastrous consequences. Guest starring Johnny Vegas as Fran's landlord and Rose Keegan as Alice. | |||||
| 9 | "The Fixer" | Martin Dennis | Dylan Moran & Arthur Mathews | 15 March 2002 | |
|
While Fran is in desperate need of a job, Manny gets a call from old friend Gus, a audio book .
Guest stars: Big Mick as Gus. | |||||
| 10 | "Blood" | Martin Dennis | Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley & Dylan Moran | 22 March 2002 | |
|
Fran researches her insectoids that Manny and Bernard must make an effort to destroy.
Guest starring Mark Donovan as Cousin Gregor and Vincenzo Nicoli as Frederick. | |||||
| 11 | "Hello Sun" | Martin Dennis | Dylan Moran | 29 March 2002 | |
| Fran takes up Yoga with Eva (Jessica Hynes) and piously lectures everyone about how much better she feels. Meanwhile, Bernard discovers a complete works of Sigmund Freud that Manny bought for £60 and begins tormenting Manny by diagnosing his various personality disorders. Manny gains the regal-like confidence to finally stand up to Bernard. | |||||
| 12 | "A Nice Change" | Martin Dennis | Dylan Moran | 5 April 2002 | |
| When around-the-clock building commences next door, Bernard, Manny and Fran decide to go on holiday. Manny wants adventure, Fran wants relaxation, and Bernard just wants somewhere exactly like the bookshop. | |||||
Series 3 (2004)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | "Manny Come Home" | David McCarthy | Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley & Dylan Moran | 11 March 2004 | |
|
Fran returns from a holiday in Cornwall to find Bernard living amongst mouldy books and dead badgers and Manny working next door at the glossy Goliath Books. Manny is out of place amongst creepy micromanager Evan and his staff, but resists Fran's self-serving attempts to drag him back to Bernard so that she has somewhere to hang out. Bernard's physical condition deteriorates rapidly without Manny's care. Guest star: Simon Pegg as Evan. | |||||
| 14 | "Elephants and Hens" | Martin Dennis | Dylan Moran, Kevin Cecil & Andy Riley | 18 March 2004 | |
|
Fran leaves for the weekend to go to her friend Becky's hen party while Bernard and Manny, inspired by their latest children's-book event, decide to write and illustrate a book for children. Bernard's first effort comes to over 1,030 pages, and covers Joseph Stalin , a lens grinder, a broken marriage, and a truth-seeking journalist. Meanwhile, Fran's hen party is a disaster.
Guest stars: Lucy Davis as Becky, Olivia Colman as Tanya, Charlie Hicks as Timmy, and Oliver Golding as Young Customer. | |||||
| 15 | "Moo-Ma and Moo-Pa" | Martin Dennis | Dylan Moran, Kevin Cecil & Andy Riley | 25 March 2004 | |
|
Manny's irritating parents unexpectedly come to stay after Bernard deletes Manny's answerphone messages. Bernard is infuriated by their quirks and songs, and it is revealed that Manny's letters home have greatly embellished his actual accomplishments in life. Guest stars: Annette Crosbie as Moo-Ma, Sam Kelly as Moo-Pa, and Nick Frost as an answerphone voice. | |||||
| 16 | "A Little Flutter" | Martin Dennis | Dylan Moran, Kevin Cecil & Andy Riley | 1 April 2004 | |
|
After a small win on the Grand National, Bernard becomes addicted to gambling, leaving Fran and Manny in a bitter competition to sell as many books as possible. Soon horses are not enough and Bernard joins an illegal poker game against a group of ruthless, successful gamblers, including Dave 'Mouse Ear' Smith. Being hopeless at cards, Bernard (now nicknamed The Gold Mine) loses everything, and Fran and Manny need to hatch a plan to obtain the money before Bernard's debtors seek payment. Guest stars: Keith Allen as 'Mouse Ears' Smith and Craig Parkinson as Martin the Tout. | |||||
| 17 | "Travel Writer" | Martin Dennis | Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley & Dylan Moran | 8 April 2004 | |
|
Manny organises a book launch party at the shop with charismatic but smug travel writer Jason, and everyone starts falling for him and his stories of far-away adventure. Meanwhile, Bernard's landlord has died and a small cat now owns the building. Driven to destroy the cat's burgeoning real-estate empire, he attempts to persuade an animal-loving pest exterminator to kill it. His attempts fail and cause the exterminator to commit suicide. When Bernard tries to finish the job, Manny is injured. Guest starring Julian Rhind-Tutt as Jason and Catherine Shepherd as Bridget. | |||||
| 18 | "Party" | Martin Dennis | Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley & Dylan Moran | 15 April 2004 | |
| On a slow night, Manny suggests that the gang go to a party which will be attended by Rowena, a girl he likes. Instantly jealous, Bernard overcomes his natural reluctance with curiosity to see what kind of woman could find Manny attractive. Manny arms himself with an array of items to strategically leave about the house to give him an excuse to call her. Bernard discovers that his ex-fiancee faked her own death to escape from their relationship. | |||||
Awards and reception
Black Books won the
According to Allan Brown, writing for The Times in August 2005, the show was "killed off after three hugely popular series".[9]
In Channel 4's "The World's Greatest Comedy Characters" poll, Bernard was voted 19th.[10] The show ranked 58th out of 100 in the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll in 2004.
Legacy
When asked by Digital Spy in 2015 about the show possibly returning, Moran replied saying "No, no, no, no! No! Does that answer the question, no!" and stated that he'd rather focus on new projects. He also said that he'd never do another studio sitcom again.[11]
Notes
- ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Black Books Cast and Crew Credits". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- Big Talk Productions. Archived from the originalon 6 June 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "How Teddington Studios Will Benefit Us as a Video Production Company". Nostairway Media. 12 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- IMDb. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Jeffery, Morgan (5 November 2011). "'Black Books': Tube Talk Gold – British TV Blog – Digital Spy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ a b c Ogle, Tina (17 September 2000). "Here's the Odd Couple of Comedy". The Observer. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Travel Writer". 3. Episode 5. 8 April 2004.
- ^ a b "He's Leaving Home". Black Books. Series 1. Episode 6. 3 November 2000. Channel 4.
- ^ Brown, Allan (7 August 2005). "Droll Troll Who Puts the Odd in Couple". The Times. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Channel 4's "World's 50 Greatest Comedy Characters"". listology.com. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Eames, Tom (30 November 2015). "Black Books definitely won't be coming back, but Dylan Moran is working on a brand new TV comedy". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
References
- "Black Books – Graham Linehan". Channel4.com > Community > Chats. Channel 4. 13 October 2000. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- Wright, Mark (28 May 2008). "Unsung Heroes of Television: Bernard Black". The Stage. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
External links
- Black Books on Channel 4
- Black Books at IMDb
- Black Books at epguides.com
- Street view of filming location, Google Maps.
