Watch Black Books Online - Full Episodes

Black Books was a half hour British comedy series written and created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan. It was about a surly, unkempt bookstore owner and his constant female friend as well as his upbeat but put-upon employee.

The plot of Black Books centered around the antics of Bernard Black (played by Dylan Moran), Fran (played by Tamsin Greig), and Manny (played by Bill Bailey). Bernard owned a used bookshop where he ignored customers, never cleaned up, and spent a good deal of his time drinking and smoking. Fran originally owned the nick-nack store next door, but eventually that closed and she went through a series of other activities. Manny was an accountant who ended up working for Bernard after having a life-changing experience that included swallowing a book on calming methods and getting into a fight with street thugs.

While the three named characters were the main focus of the show, sometimes guest stars would appear for one or two episodes. These included Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Jessica Hynes of British comedy series Spaced, as well as Julian Rhind-Tutt of the British medical comedy/drama Green Wing.

Much of the show was focused around Bernard, Fran, and Manny drinking and having ridiculous experiences because of it. At one point they drank a bottle of priceless wine meant for the Pope, and at another point they went on a vacation that included nothing but riding airplanes around the world and losing their luggage.

The comedy style of Black Books was very similar to that of the series Spaced. At some points it was slapstick, while at others it has a more absurdist quality. While some jokes related very specifically to England and its culture, others were broader in scope and appealed to a more universal audience.

Three series of Black Books aired from 2000 to 2004. They included 18 episodes altogether, each with a running time of around 23 minutes. After originally airing on the BBC they later were released on VHS and DVD, and began airing in countries such as America on Comedy Central and later on the Netflix service.