In this British sitcom, viewers are taken on a hilarious journey through the misadventures of a grumpy, alcohol-loving bookshop owner, Bernard Black (played by Dylan Moran), his eccentric assistant Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey), and their quirky friend Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig). The show’s charm lies in its witty writing and perfect comedic timing that showcases the absurdity of everyday life while exploring themes such as friendship and personal growth. With an excellent cast delivering memorable performances, it is no wonder this series has garnered a cult following over the years.
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 misanthropic shopkeeper is a central theme; he has a hatred of the outside world and all the people who inhabit it, except for his best friend, Fran, who initially runs a trendy bric-a-brac shop, Nifty Gifty, next door to the bookshop. Bernard displays little interest or knowledge in retail (or, indeed, anything outside drinking, smoking and reading) and actively avoids having to interact with anyone, even inside his shop. He would often rather pass up on a sale than have to engage in human interaction to make one. 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.
