If Fawlty Towers is the ultimate 'do not' manual for the hospitality business, then Black Books is perfectly qualified for the same in retail and small business management.
Meet Bernard Black (Dylan Moran), surly drunken Irishman, nicotine-stained eccentric misfit and proprietor of small, London-based new and second-hand bookshop, Black Books. A repulsive and sour individual, Bernard is completely out of touch with reality, entirely inept when it comes to business management or even general housekeeping skills and despises his customers to the point of nausea - and this is on his good days.
Next door to Black Books is Nifty Gifty, a shoebox gift store that, according to its manageress, Fran (Tamsin Grieg), "sells a lot of wank". Fran is Bernard's lunchtime drinking partner and, apparently, only thing in the world that remotely resembles a friend. A rather mad individual, Fran is slightly less of a misfit than Bernard and has a penchant for drinking, tabloids and low, low voices during phone sex.
Enter Manny (Bill Bailey), a borderline middle-age professional with the office worker skills of a new born puppy and a goatee and hair combination that screams of broadswords and wizard cloaks.
After a series of events in the first episode that involve taxes, fugitives, skinheads, Mormons, child birth, a cryptic novelty sphere and 'the little book of calm', Bernard finds a helpful assistant in Manny and brings him on board for the hilarious experience that is Black Books.
| "Argh, customers! Why didn't you lock the door!? " |
The entire first series consists of the following episodes:
Cooking the Books - After discovering that "Nick the accountant is a fugitive!", Bernard decides to do his own taxes - after he pairs all his socks, rings his 'Ma' and gets tanked with some Mormons. Meanwhile, Fran's preperation for her duties as birth assistant are sidetracked by an enigmatic gift item and Manny tries to master the fine arts of calm.
Manny's First Day - "How was the situation... had I been drinking?", asks Bernard when a mysterious Manny turns up for his first day at the bookshop only to find that Bernard doesn't remember even offering him a job. Manny is placed on a one-day trial in order to prove his worth in the fine art of book selling.
Grapes of Wrath - Bernard reluctantly agrees to housesit for a posh acquaintance after Manny brings in Anal Cleaning Services to improve the repulsive state of the store. Manny uses a shiatsu machine in his impersonation of a prostitute robot from the future, and the pair dabble in a little bit of wine making.
The Blackout - After staying up all night with his birthday gifts of an espresso machine and the complete collection of The Sweeney (cop show), Manny is wired for sound and on a mission to prove himself as a copper. Meanwhile, Bernard tries to remember how his actions at a dinner party resulted in him getting 'blanked' by the hosts the next day. "Oh no, you didn't do Belly Savalas did you?"
The Big Lockout - After a break-in, Manny gets a mammoth security door installed and accidentally locks Bernard out of the shop. What follows is a harrowing night of survival techniques, experimental film, Absinth, senior administrative nurses pornography, hamburgers, phone sex and shipping reports.
He's Leaving Home - Manny is sick of being treated like a child and runs away. After being stung by a bee, cutting his arm on a phone booth and being mugged, he is brought in from the cold by a fat man with an infatuation with beards. Photos are taken, Japanese businessmen appear and Manny begins to yearn once again for the simple life.
Besides the alteration in region coding, this disk is the exact UK original with no alterations by the Australian licensees. A good thing too, as the video quality here is almost perfect. The entire program is presented in a ratio of 1.85:1, with the extra benefit of anamorphic enhancement (even the extras).
The footage is entirely free of artefacts, dirt or any sort of contaminant, remaining borderline crystal clear for the entire duration.
Since the majority of the program is set inside a bookshop, the colours on display consist primarily of darker reds, browns and blacks. Despite this factor, the level of foreground to background (including shadow) detail is way above average and the program sustains a very consistent level of contrast throughout.
Some minor aliasing problems are noticeable in certain scenes, resulting in some slight instances of shimmering, however the general level of detail and picture quality more than make up for these minor interruptions.
The only audio option available is Dolby Digital Stereo, however this is generally industry standard for TV series releases.
Despite some momentary instances of slight distortion in sections with raised voices, the dialogue throughout the program is crystal clear and well mixed. The only sections that can tend to confuse relate mainly to Dylan Moran's rather heavy Irish accent. However the first guess will generally be the right one.
The excellent soundtrack for the series was provided by Jonathan Whitehead. The theme song in particular is unmistakable, and despite a glaringly obvious Tom Waits influence, is one of the most appropriate mood setting pieces for a comedy series since the days of Black Adder.
With some serious wit on offer from writers Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan, Black Books is an immensely satisfying sitcom. The characters are so completely insane that you'll almost wet yourself just thinking about them after watching the series, in particular Dylan Moran's Bernard Black, a brilliant example in the importance of dialogue delivery and brilliantly timed gestures.
Some have called it the best comedy since Black Adder, which is not only true, but also something of an understatement. In many respects, it's even better. Even at its most subdued, Black Books is riotous. It has the kind of structure and hilarity that, by all rights, should ensure it a steadfast place in comedy history, up there with Britain's greatest.
Watch it once and be in stitches, watch it again and again and marvel at the sheer brilliance of it all. You'll be quoting in a week, I guarantee. One of the funniest comedy series' ever.
