If I'm being honest I don't have much to say here, other than the fact that I've started rewatching Black Books after it was added to Netflix earlier this month and it's bloody fantastic. It's even better than I remember it, and it's the perfect antidote to the big steaming pile of shite that is 2020.
From the get-go it's clear that this is a TV show from a different era. An era when things were funny in an immediate laugh-out-loud way rather than a subtle, I'll find that funny when it pops into my head tomorrow way. Back when you didn't always have to include the line "Season one isn't great but it's gets much better once you get into it," with every TV recommendation you give your friends.
No no, Black Books hit the ground running and hurtles on from there. In fact, by episode three of season one we've already moved on to arguably the best episode of the whole series: 'Grapes of Wrath.'
It was breeding ground for some of the best young comedy stars. Of course, Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig were great, but we also were treated to the likes of Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Rob Brydon, David Walliams and future Academy Award winner, Olivia Coleman.
The jokes hit you on two levels. There's the whacky, in your face comedy and there's the poetry of Dylan Moran. His meandering rants are like some sort of drug, conjuring the most amazing images in an instant. Blink and you'll miss some of his genius:
Clean this place up, it's a disgrace! And boil my eye bath. And polish the stair rods! Delouse the duvet and tumble-dry our doilies! And hoover the roof! And whistle down the chimneys!
As also evidenced in his stand-up, Moran has unique way with words and is surely one of the greatest Irish talents in living memory.
When the Radio Times compiled their list of the top 20 British sitcoms ever, Black Books received no mention. Granted the competition is fierce but perhaps it's an example of how this is one of those sitcoms that is criminally overlooked. It's definitely one that warrants an immediate rewatch. You won't regret it.
See Also: 16 Of The Best Jokes That Were Cut From Father Ted
