Desmond's

Have just finished watching what, to me, epitomised black British comedy in the '90s. This comedy is laugh out loud hilarious, without being patronising and has managed to stand the test of time, even by today's standards.

Norman Beaton (may he rest in peace) was a comedic genius and it made me cry just recalling the fact that he is no longer with us. The remaining supporting cast were equally funny, making a series basically focusing on the day to day events in a barbers in Peckham, very realistic.

A lot of the humour resonates with my own childhood, with the loud banter, constant ribbing and no one safe from the butt of a joke. I hope other people get hooked on this programme as you will not regret spending half an hour with the Ambroses...

I was surprised to come across this predominately Black sitcom from the UK. BET used to show episodes of it in the early 1990s. It is a very funny show about a barber and his family, employees and friends. Much of the humor came from Desmond's inability to adapt to changing times and ideas. Desmond's oldest son, Michael, was sort of a mirror image of his father, a stuffed shirt banker who always had to do things by the book. Michael's younger sister and brother, were typical teens, prone to the ups and downs of growing up. One of the best characters was Porkpie, one of Desmond's old friends; a guy like him can be found in any barber shop anywhere in the world. Another good character was Auntie Suzu, Demond's wild sister-in-law. There are other British sitcoms out on video now; I hope this one comes out on video, as well.

I didn't know anyone who didn't watch Desmond's and I lived in a part of the world with very little black/Afro-Caribbean culture and everyone I knew who watched it loved it and related to it. Which goes to show what sublime writing by Trix Worrell and the cast performance headed by the late Norman Beaton and Carmen Munroe.

It is about Desmond's and who he has in his barbers shop in Peckham - mainly it is fellow Guyanese 'porkpie' and eternal student from Ghana, Matthew who are always putting the world to rights. It is also about Desmond and his family, his long suffering wife and his ambitious, bright kids - it is a great, positive feelgood comedy - the part of the UK where it had the highest ratings was in Northern Ireland which goes to show that it was loved by people of all colours! Six series of the show (which ended on the death of Norman Beaton) proves it. One of Channel 4's most successful comedies.

Absolute gem of a comedy. Some good lines in it! Can't fault the nostalgia this brings back

We used to watch this show on BET and laughed ourselves silly every time. Apparently this show ended with the lead actor's death. However, I wish it would come to DVD or VHS. I would be standing in line to buy the first copies.