|
|
Bernard Black
played by Dylan
Moran |
 |
Bernard Black is the foul tempered, eccentric
and drink-fuelled proprietor of a grubby bookshop, Black Books.
He is grumpy, very grumpy. He doesn't quite belong in this world
and has created a sanctuary within the confines of the shop,
preferring the company of books to people. Not that he sells
many books. He loves them too much and doesn't love his customers
enough. In fact he hates them. In fact he hates everyone except
Fran and Manny.
It is only through the persistent intervention of his companions,
Manny and Fran, that Bernard is persuaded to engage in any
kind of social interaction at all (if you don't count drinking).
Without them, he would undoubtedly collapse in a self-combusting
pool of vitriol.
|
Manny Bianco
played by Bill
Bailey |
 |
Manny is Bernard's hairy assistant, a breath
of fresh air in the musty confines of the bookshop and an antidote
to Bernard's black moods. Manny is laid back and considerate
where Bernard is tense and embittered. His ability to accept
his role as Bernard's punch-bag is nothing short of Zen.
Fond of moonlit baths and jam sandwiches, Manny is a devoted
assistant in the bookshop and a dedicated friend to both Bernard
and Fran. Blind to the fact that he is the root cause of all
the trouble in his radius, Manny is always eager to help.
|
Fran Katzenjammer
played by Tamsin
Greig |
 |
Fran is Bernard's only other friend. Competing
with Bernard in the crazy and sardonic stakes, Fran at least
craves a social life and a boyfriend, even if her efforts to
achieve this blissful state inevitably end in humiliation.
Now that her business in the gift shop has run aground, Fran
Katzenjammer wants to explore her inner-self. She knows her
real nature is to be resourceful, selfless and high-minded.
Only her immersion in sloth, envy and all the other 11 deadly
sins obscures her worth from the world at large, which, in
her own words "wouldn't appreciate my gifts anyway, because
it's full of tossers".
|
| The Guests |
 |
Various one-episode characters have appeared including cameos
from the stars of such sitcoms as "Peep Show", "Spaced"
and "The Office".
Click
here for a full list
|
|
