Desmond's

Desmond's was a British sitcom set in a barbershop named Desmond's in the London borough of Peckham. The show was broadcast from 1989 and 1994 on the network Channel 4 in the U.K. and later shown on U.S. cable network's including BET. Desmond's was popular in the U.K. and also attempted to give a realistic view of life in London lived by members of the West Indian and African communities; alongside showing the comedy of everyday life Desmond's also tried to show realistic situation involving the prejudice's faced by the predominantly black characters. Desmond's is often cited as the first sitcom aired in the U.K. that focused on the working lives of black people with the majority of the sitcom taking place in the barbershop owned by Desmond Ambrose.

During the six seasons covering 71 episodes of Desmond's the focus is squarely on the lives of the Ambrose family, headed by Desmond, played by Norman Beaton. Desmond, often referred to as an incompetent barber living in Peckham, London who longs to return to his childhood home of Guyana to retire. Desmond's wife, Shirley does not share his dream of returning to Guyana as she does not want to leave their three adult children and the successful life and business they have built up in London.

Desmond's barber shop is a meeting place for members of the local community, including Desmond's childhood friend from Guyana Porkpie who followed him to London. The children of the Ambrose family are used in the show to give an impression of the hopes and dreams of members of the black community of Peckham. The eldest son of the family Michael is a bank loan officer; the younger of the Ambrose children wish to become professionals with Gloria interested in journalism and Sean leaving to study computers at university. Much of the comedy is found in the different attitudes of the generations portrayed in the sitcom. The comedy ended with the death of Norman Beaton that led to a spin off series based on the character of Porkpie.