Housesitting for a friend rarely leads to the death of the pope from drinking inferior wine, but in the 24 minutes of the Black Books episode Grapes of Wrath, some extremely absurd dominoes fall to help it make sense. What starts as something relatable and pedestrian – doing a favour for a friend – quickly spirals into a maniacal modern-day retelling of Frankenstein, with the monster being replaced by a bottle of expensive hooch and ending with the death of a clergyman.
This is a regular theme in the Bafta-winning comedy series, created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan: taking regular and small moments from everyday life and exploding that mundanity into utter absurdity.
