it crowd and black books

I have been trying to get into the 'comedy' series Black Books, as it is being repeated at the moment, and it seems as though I should like it a lot. Bernard Black (Dylan Moran), runs a bookshop, is always getting pissed, and he does not like his customers. Ticks all the right boxes for me. It also stars Bill Bailey (who I usually find funny) and is written by Graham Linehan, the same person who wrote The IT Crowd. However, Black Books is crap.

Now the IT crowd is something I love. It has even managed to replace one of the main characters (Chris Morris as Denholm Reynholm, the boss of the company). He was one of my favourites (and I love Chris Morris), but they have made the series even better by replacing him (with Matt Berry as Douglas Reynholm, the new boss).

It's a bit like when Shelley Long left Cheers, and everyone thought the series would be crap if it continued. Then Kirstie Alley replaced her and proved to be even funnier.

Anyway, there is no comparison between The IT Crowd and Black Books, and it's hard to believe that the same person had a hand in writing both of them.

Father Ted was great, well acted and written, but, I also remember the series 'Hippies' that Graham Linehan wrote (starring Simon Pegg), that was as crap as Black Books.

toodle pip