Black Books

Bernard Black

Definietly one of the best comedy sitcoms in recent years,Dylan Moran is a great comedy actor/writer and above all knows the concept of quitting while he is ahead! Rather than have countless series of mediocre comedy he decided to have 3 great ones!

Pigman II

Dylan Moran is indeed a legend. The show itself is very hit and miss and a big drop from Fr Ted. Still, it's miles better than IT Crowd which is just getting embarrasingly and tediously bad after a strong first season.

phasers

Judging by your name you are Dylan Moran.

KStaford

Pigman II wrote: »

Dylan Moran is indeed a legend. The show itself is very hit and miss and a big drop from Fr Ted. Still, it's miles better than IT Crowd which is just getting embarrasingly and tediously bad after a strong first season.

Lets be subjective here folks. Always helps to use the prefix "In my opinion . . ." rather than making wide sweeping styatements as if they represented everyones views.

In my opinion, Black Books would be one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.
I would consider Fr Ted to be very hit and miss with vast acres of it unfunny but held together by moments of great humour. The Fr Jack character is not required at all.
The IT crowd (in my opinion) is even weaker. Mostly unfunny and sometime sembarassing (I cite the new boss as an example, I challenge you to smile at any single scene he is in).
I have all 3 BB DVD's and watch them regularly and always end up laughing. I love each and every episode. ........ in my opinioon :rolleyes:

lostexpectation

guess who got an emmy

Pigman II

KStaford wrote: »

Lets be subjective here folks. Always helps to use the prefix "In my opinion . . ." rather than making wide sweeping styatements as if they represented everyones views.

There was guy back in the early days of message boards who came up with the idea of automatically putting a members name to the immediate left of their posting thereby negating the requirement to put "in my opinion ..... signed member_name" after each and every post. Up to this point it had been the norm to begin and end every posting in this manner often slowing the internet down by up to 19% at certain times of the day.

Shmuck

agree with kstaford, fr jack was a rubbish character, but at least he was hardly used

legendal

Got into this recently, it's a legend show. Dunno about Fran though. In any case, the box set's on sale for €20, it's a steal!

HalloweenJack

It's a hilarious show. Have seasons one and two, both really funny. One of my favourites is the one with Johnny Vegas as the landlord.

Utopia Parkway

Black Books was a very good alright but it's not up there with Father Ted which has already ascended to comedy classic status.

The Fr Jack character is not required at all.

That would be like having Fawlty Towers without Manuel.

mike65

BB is exellent on its own terms and its not really connected with Fr Ted as Dylan Moran was the primary writter. IT Crowd is great.

Mike

Setun

Black Books is amazing. Anybody who doubts this should watch Dylan Moran make the wine popsicle in series 2.

Bernard Black

HalloweenJack wrote: »

It's a hilarious show. Have seasons one and two, both really funny. One of my favourites is the one with Johnny Vegas as the landlord.

Yes that is a quality episode.good call:) Fran 'I cant go home,i swear the walls are closing in on me'
What about the episode when Mannys parents come to stay?Bernard 'who cleaned my suit?' then he enters the shop in a white suit!!slapstick comedy at its best!!

AnonoBoy

Pigman II wrote: »

Still, it's miles better than IT Crowd which is just getting embarrasingly and tediously bad after a strong first season.

Interesting - I felt the first series was only ok and the 2nd series was when it took off.

KStaford

Black Books Series 3 where they write the childrens book:D

Best IT Crowd episode for me was the one where Moz invents the bra, that episode was very funny

Bernard Black

KStaford wrote: »

Black Books Series 3 where they write the childrens book:D

Ha Elephant and the ball....this book is so perfect we have to destroy it!!haha

PurpleBerry

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Interesting - I felt the first series was only ok and the 2nd series was when it took off.

My OH had the opposite opinion. He enjoyed the first season but not the other two. He attributes this to the fact that Graham Linehan wrote the first season and others wrote the second and third.

KStaford

Bernard Black wrote: »

Ha Elephant and the ball....this book is so perfect we have to destroy it!!haha

lol - not so much that bit, I was thinking more about when they were brainstorming the book at the blackboard and the way Bernard was treating Manny.

"Manny this better be good!!! NO NO NO NO!"
They come up with the idea of a mouse.
"Who is this mouse? Where has he been? where is he going?"

BopNiblets

Yeah that's a great episode.

Their brainstorming session:
"Sort of "anything goes"?"
"NOOOO NOT ANYTHING GOES!!"

Hahah.

Posy

I love the episode 'The Grapes of Wrath' where they drink the good wine.. the scene with the money clocking up as they drink it is my favourite EVER. I loved the first two series but I didn't like the third at all. However I watched that series again recently on DVD and liked it a lot more. The one with Manny's parents was quite weak I thought but it's nearly impossible to follow the children's book/hen weekend episode. Excellent.

Posy

Anyone see Bernard's letter after the publisher rejected his novel? Soo funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLlsN6UwhgE

GhostInTheRuins

The first series of Black Books was really good but it definitely went downhill with series two and three.

It's been a while since I've watched it but as far as I can remember the reason the first series was better was because Bernard was a downright bastard. In the second series his character changed a lot, he just wasn't as mean, and the show suffered because of it.

Or maybe it was just because Linehan only wrote the first series.

brianthebard

BopNiblets wrote: »

Yeah that's a great episode.

Their brainstorming session:
"Sort of "anything goes"?"
"NOOOO NOT ANYTHING GOES!!"

Hahah.

Lolz love that episode. Also the commentary on the first and second series dvd's is great, like having an extra two series! wish they had done it for the third.

KStaford

what about the classic episode "Manny come home" where Manny runs away and takes a job with Goliath books next door. Simon Peg as the store manager is brilliant, and btw - on a sidenote; has anyone noticed youtube is going widescreen

Acacia

I love Black Books!:D

Bill Bailey + Dylan Moran= WIN!

KStaford

Acacia wrote: »

I love Black Books!:D

Bill Bailey + Dylan Moran= WIN!

and dont forget Tamsin Greig +the amazing lineup of actors that have done cameos

PurpleBerry

Acacia wrote: »

I love Black Books!:D

Bill Bailey + Dylan Moran= WIN!

I couldn't agree more. Bill Bailey and Dylan Moran are my favourite comedians, in that order.

KStaford

"Manny, the gents toilets need to be unblocked again. So Manny, how do you suppose we! as a ""team"" can make that happen hmmm?":D