Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #127 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-08-14
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 426 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review

One of the few genuinely outstanding British comedy shows of the past decade, Black Books unites excellent comedic performances, very funny scripts, and plenty of rewatch value. The concept is simple enough. Bernard (expertly played by Dylan Moran) runs a bookshop. The only problems are he can't stand people, hates customers, and would far prefer to be barking out cutting remarks and drinking wine. Still, it's after drinking much of the aforementioned wine that he offers Manny (Bill Bailey, again in terrific form) a job. Manny accepts, and finds his daily life involves taking abuse from Bernard, while remaining strangely and resolutely upbeat. Fran (Tamsin Greig) meanwhile also likes her wine, and finds herself stuck between the two of them, with a few odd encounters of her own thrown in too.

So far nothing particularly out of the ordinary, right? Well, mix in some of the creative force behind Father Ted, combine those aforementioned performances, and simmer to the point where episode after episode garners a cocktail of sniggers and belly laughs, and you have something really rather special. Like many of the best shows, the curtain has come down on Black Books after only three series. But the long-lasting legacy are episodes that are set to be enjoyed for a long, long time to come. --Simon Brew

DVD Description

From Graham Linehan, co-writer of 'Father Ted', comes Black Books--a new cult comedy set in a second hand bookshop. Dylan Moran stars as the bohemian--and frequently drunk--owner who has one major problem with his line of work: he hates customers. Help is soon at hand, however, in the form of mild-mannered Manny (Bill Bailey), who proves to be something of a star at selling books, and Fran (Tamsin Greig), who owns the shop next door...

Series 1 episodes: 1. Cooking The Books 2. Manny First Day 3.The Grapes Of Wrath 4. The Blackout 5. The Big Lock-Out 6. He's Leaving Home

Series 2 episodes: 1. The Entertainer 2. Fever 3. The Fixer 4. Blood 5. Hello Sun 6. Nice Change

Series 3 espisodes: 1. Manny Come Home 2. Elephants And Hens 3. Moo-ma And Moo-pa 4. A Little Flutter 5. The Travel Writer 6. Party

Synopsis

The Black Books - Complete Box Set DVD contains every episode from the first three series of Black Books--an hilarious series which follows the adventures of bookshop owner Bernard (Dylan Moran), his assistant Manny (Bill Bailey), and Fran (Tamsin Greig) who works in a new age shop next door. In this entertaining and surreal comedy, Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey make a great double act, delivering the tightly written script (by Moran and Father Ted, co-writer Graham Linehan) with consummate ease. Meanwhile, in the role of Fran, Tamsin Greig does an admirable job of diffusing the tensions which arise between Bernard and Manny.

Customer Reviews

Excellent
My other half bought me the previous version of this box set as an anniversay present. She chose brilliantly. The writing here is incredible - I laughed so much that I literally ached for ages afterwards. Even now, we will quote to each other sections of this. The true testament to Black Books is to be found in the roll call of guest stars, many of whom have gone on to much greater things, including approximately half the stars of "Shaun Of The Dead"! Black Books humour works on so many levels that it can't fail to raise a laugh. Look out for Bernard, Manny and Fran dancing on disc three, and Manny's attempts to avoid the heat on disc one. And the attempt at producing Frankenstein's wine. And the results of Manny's coffee machine combined with The Sweeny. Hell, there are too many highlights. Just watch it and enjoy.

Gutted I never saw it when it was on TV
I had never watched or really heard of Black Books when it was originally on as I was at university. But when Amazon sent this as a recommendation and looked at the cast who I knew and like from shows/films Dylan Moran (Shaun of the Dead), Tamsin Greig (Green Wing) and Bill Bailey (Nevermind the Buzzcocks & Hot Fuzz). I thought based on this it was worth a try and was extremely happy I did.

The first series was created by Father Ted and IT Crowd creator Graham Linehan and Dylan Moran. It all starts of in with a small book shop owner Bernard Black (Dylan Moran), the owner of a bits and bobs shop next door Fran (Tamsin Greig) and a stressed out accountant Manny (Bill Bailey). Manny ends up getting a job with Bernard in the shop and becomes his tortured and foolish assistant. In the first series there are lots of funny story lines involving priceless wine, impersonating a policeman and installing a new security system. In this series there are guest appearances from Martin Freeman (The Office) and Nick Frost (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz).

In the second series the relationship between Bernard and Manny becomes even more like a married couple. The second series see Black books get even funnier with some hilarious episodes based around teaching a gangster to read, a sleazy landlord, the bookshop becoming like a mini starbucks and going on holiday. In this series there are again plenty of great guest stars in episodes with Johnny Vegas (Ideal), Rob Brydon (Marrion & Geoff) and Jessica Stevenson (Royle Family & Spaced).

The third and final series has some of the best episodes but the overall quality isn't quite as high. The series starts with Manny having left the book shop to work for an evil chain book shop as he cannot put up with the way Bernard treats him. The episode where Manny & Bernard write a book is one of the funniest things I've ever seen and consistently makes me laugh whenever I see it. I think the series saves the best to last and it manages to answer a lot of questions especially about Bernard which is done brilliantly. The guest stars in this series pick up in series 3 with Simon Pegg (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Lucy Davis (The Office Shaun of the Dead), Annette Crosbie (One Foot in the Grave), Keith Allen (Robin Hood) and Julian Rhind-Tutt (Green Wing).

It's a great shame that I as I'm sure there are other who discovered this gem of a comedy after it's original run but if you like shows like Father Ted, Spaced, Extras and Blackadder I think you'll love black books.

Really, really funny... but lacking in Box-Settiness
Black Books as a series is one of the most original, random and hilarious creations of the last ten years. There are moments of genius right from the off, with the ingestion of the Little Book Of Calm, deliberately inciting your own maiming at the hands of Millwall fans to get out of doing a tax return, an accountant being chased from his building by thousands of police officers and the joy of being a 'Birth Partner' all covered.

Then you have another 18 episodes to go!

I won't bang on too much about the series itself, as the other reviewers here have covered that in enough detail.

The box set itself - having waited several months (and three release date changes) to purchase this legendary series in the hope of some Space-esque special features only available to the discerning, box-set owner - was a bit of a disappointment.

It is just the three discs from the earlier individual series releases put into an admittedly snazzy cover. It does, however, feature a 'foreword' by Dylan Moran on the packaging itself which is really funny (if not entirely relevant!).

In short, if you've never seen Black Books but like your humour dry, cynical and well executed, then this is for you. If you already own the earlier discs and are looking for better special features, then this is for someone else.

Enter the thing. And you too can win, a thing...