Product Details

• Actors: Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, Tamsin Greig, Rosie Day, Paul Beech
• Writers: Dylan Moran
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: Unknown
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: BBC Worldwide
• DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007
• Run Time: 433 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000TSTEPA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,070 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Complete Black Books" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Black Books centers around the foul tempered and wildly eccentric bookshop owner Bernard Black (Dylan Moran). Bernard's devotion to the twin pleasures of drunkenness and willful antagonism deepens and enriches both his life and that of Manny (Bill Bailey), his assistant. Bearded, gentle, sweet and good, Manny is everything that Bernard isn't and is punished by Bernard relentlessly just for the crime of existing. They depend on each other for meaning as Fran (Tamsin Greig), their oldest friend, depends on them for distraction. Black Books is a haven of books, wine and conversation, the only threat to the group's peace and prosperity is their own limitless stupidity.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Other
Outtakes
Photo gallery

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful series for alcoholic, misanthropic, bibliophiles. December 24, 2007

By Japanzie

Oddly enough, Comedy is the hardest thing for people to agree on.
Now, I have to say, I am open to enjoying many forms of comedy, but Black Books consistently has me going into seizures of laughter. I don't know why, but the unique and particular TIMING in their shows is the key to my personal HUMOR button. Mind you, I love FAWLTY TOWERS, and I LOVE Eddie IZZARD stand up, but Black Books never fails to throw me into hysterical fits of laughter when the afore-mentioned items have even grown cold.
Black Books touches a sarcasm bone I didn't know existed. Normally I enjoy the standard issue sarcasm and high-brow humor, but Black Books takes all that one step further and even adds a little Simon Pegg and his stark, straight-man-humor--as was so aptly illustrated in Shaun of the Dead-- and integrates that to Black books as well.
Black Books has a little of "everything" in it, as long as the everything is BRITISH humor. And I have to say it tickles my funny bone every single time I watch it. I can't say enough GOOD about BLACK BOOKS. But like all comedy, you have to see it yourself to determine if it is funny to you personally. So try an episode, give it a shot. And make your own determination. Honestly, it's the best $45 I ever spent.

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Black & Antisocial : The Mastery of a Genre May 12, 2008

By Marc Cabir Davis

Watching "Black Books" is the cinematic equivalent of a nonsensical Woody Allen novel - nothing makes much sense, the plot is as dubious as the characters, and the one-liners keep coming at breathless speed. Still, it is this zany, goofy, flat-out bizarreness that makes "Black Books" such an unexpected treat.

Be forewarned however, that this may not be for everyone. You definitely have to be a little 'out there' to get it. If you like straight-forward comedy such as "Fawlty Towers" or more languid, slow-paced comedy such as "Father Ted", then you may NOT like this, primarily because the entire show is a bit deranged and set in a mad, mad world that is entirely dialog-driven. You MUST be a fan of the written word to 'get' most of the comedy here, and you certainly have to be a bit spaced out to appreciate the finer moments here. Fans of "Little Britain" and the morbid "The League of Gentlemen" will readily fall in love with this show.

On paper, "Black Books" looks rather unremarkable. A self-loathing lunatic book-shop owner hires a fat, squat, balding hippie as his book-assistant. Thats pretty much it. But to watch this highly uninteresting concept take flight and become one of the greatest TV shows ever to grace Planet Earth is a revelation indeed. "Black Books" is a certifiable classic - near flawless in every way, and lead actor Dylan Moran proves that he is a master of comedy, both situational and slapstick.

A true work of art - this is one collection that you need to have in your possession. "Black Books" still remains a 'cult' show that not many people know about. In fact, its nowhere near the huge popularity of "Little Britain", but get it, watch it alone, and savor the spirit of true comedy.

Five Stars.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! October 15, 2007

By T. Lu

I wish they had sitcoms like this in America. This show is amazingly funny and gets funnier and funnier the more you watch it! I'm so glad that its finally being released on DVD in America.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't get much funnier than this! November 6, 2007

By I. Stanley

Amazon Verified Purchase

I personally think that John Cleese's masterpiece Fawlty Towers is the funniest comedy series in the history of television. With that said however, Black Books is probably a close second. I bought these DVD's originally as PAL Region 2 imports from the UK, then bought a multiregion player to watch them on! Now I'm going to buy them again so that I can have the luxury of watching them on *any* player! This is comedy at it's best... well written, great characters, original storylines, and most importantly VERY funny! Now if they'd just get their act together and release Dylan Moran's two stand-up comedy DVD's, "Monster" and "Like, Totally".

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic British wit December 12, 2007

By D. Reed

Amazon Verified Purchase

Bernard Black is a perfectly normal bookstore owner, with the exception of the fact that he hates his customers, not to mention his annoyingly-upbeat sidekick, Manny. Fran keeps the peace, and all sorts of unlikely hijinks ensue. Series 2 slows down a bit on the laughs, but Series 3 is right back up there. If you take your TV seriously, Black Books might be a bit too irreverent or bizarre for you. But if you appreciate dry wit and the absurd, you'll like this show.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For the smoking, alcoholic cynic in every person May 31, 2008

By MotoJunkie

Amazon Verified Purchase

Black Books as a profoundly comic British TV show. Similar to Seinfeld, the show revolves around Bernard Black (Dylan Moran), Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey), and Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig) in Bernard's bookshop.

The combination of Bernard's rude, cynical demeanor toward customers and his friends is highly entertaining. Manny has transitioned to the shop from a high-stress regular job and now spends his time minding the shop while taking constant flak from Bernard. A wonderful dark comedy that you cannot find in America...anywhere. There's many great quotes that are instantly memorized thanks to the sheer aptness and unmistakable abusive nature for the moment. The constant wine drinking and smoking by characters is something rather absurd in American culture today, but Dylan Moran (also a writer of the scripts) manages to find many amusing methods to underline the characters' apparent addiction while keeping the show from dwelling on the fact through the episode.

Myself and many friends have fully enjoyed Black Books and plan on a marathon of the show. It's just a shame that, "The Complete Black Books" is only three seasons long. At only 6 episodes per season, it may seem a stretch for the price, but there are extra features available such as trailers for new seasons, outtakes, a few other shorts and additions, and commentary (which sometimes can get annoying and you don't get much that is interesting. The characters just sound like they're talking you through the whole scene with some of their backstage anecdotes). Commentary is the only real drawback for the seasons.

I highly recommend this to the audiences of British comedy.... If you haven't watched anything from this genre before, this is a good start if you're not the type to easily hold contempt for people's vices or first impressions. The episodes are well written.

I saw some clips of this show online and I instantly bought the whole set when I found that I could get it for DVD Region 1 Read more ›