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...

Desmond's 1989 was when the new comedy branched its way from the TV station of Channel 4. Thus, this was one of the funniest and most classic comedies for black people that has ever been produced.

From the other characters that I remember like Porkpie for instance, has certainly made audiences laugh from time to time.

Mind you, I would rate this as one of the best and still will be for a long time.

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

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.

Desmond's is a television comedy series that was broadcast by Channel 4 from 5 January 1989 to 19 December 1994. Desmond's stared Norman Beaton as father and barber Desmond Ambrose, And Carmen Monroe as his wife Shirley. Along with their children Michael who dreams of becoming manager of the bank, Gloria chasing a job in fashion and Sean working to go to university. Revolving around their shop that is a gathering place for an assortment of local characters. Including Matthew a mature student and philosopher from the West Indies and Porkpie, Desmond's oldest friend. The show is set in Peckham, London, and ran for 71 episodes, signing off with an hour long Christmas special. The series was created by Trix Worrell who when at National Film and Television School, he won a writers' competition organised by Channel 4, which led to producer Humphrey Barclay contacting him about writing a comedy. The idea for the series came to Trix Worrell While on the bus to the meeting, his bus stopped by the barber shop he went to during his childhood. He got the idea to create a comedy set in a barber's shop that servers more as a community centre, which was the idea he pitched to Barclay. The last episode, the Desmond's Christmas Special was already announced as the last ever Desmond's episodes when Norman Beaton unfortunately died a few days before the transmission. Following the end of Desmond's in 1994, a spin-off series was made with Desmond's regular Porkpie in the title role. It ran for twelve episodes over two series in 1995 and 1996.