Black Books: The Complete Third Series

This DVD is about as good as you'll get for a comedy. Fifteen minutes of out-takes and 20-odd minutes of deleted scenes seems a bit much and maybe it is, but with top rank comedy talent, such as Bill Bailey and Dylan Moran, on display you can't go far wrong. "You'd think it would be easy to open a door," Bailey remarks after the sixth take. Yes, you have to see it to appreciate it, but it is good. So is his frantic cleaning of the bookshop with a pair of exercise skis and two giant dusters attached to his arms.

Tamsin Greig (Fran) throws in her tuppence when she's trying to smoke - having not done so for seven years - and damn near coughs up her lungs. And there is plenty from Moran, although the deleted scenes are where he excels most, with more anecdotes, trademark cynicisms and entertaining runnings with paying customers whom he loves to scare the hell out of, before sending them packing, bookless.

In Bernard's Letter, a short black-and-white film, he reads a rejection letter from a publisher and proceeds to write a vitriolic reply, while chain smoking, binge drinking and threatening the publisher with death threats. All this while wallowing joyfully in his own self-depravity.

There is also a photo gallery, which displays some of the more commonplace facial expressions, rather than the absurdity of everyday life. It could be heavy, but with Bailey's looks, it's all beautifully tongue-in-cheek and a gift for aficionados of the series.