Fran Katzenjammer

Manny Bianco
Biographical information Birth name Enid Francessca "Fran" Katzenjammer Age Mid 30s Nationality British (has roots is Central Europe) Physical information Species Human                      Gender Female Hair colour Black Eye colour Blue  Skin colour Light Family information Family members Mrs. Katzenjammer (mother) Granma (third cousin) Fredrick (third cousin) Martina (third cousin) Gregor (third cousin) Affiliation Occupation Former worker for an unknown company Former worker in Black Books  Currently unemployed Loyalty Black Books

Enid Francesca "Fran" Katzenjammer, played by Tamsin Greig, is a fictional gift shop owner and one of the main characters in the British sitcom, Black Books. Fran is a heavy alcoholic and smoker and the former owner of 'Nifty Gifty', a gift shop that sold various items, and shares a friendship with Bernard Black, the owner of the shop opposite 'Black Books' and Manny Bianco, an employee in Black Books.

Personality and traits

Fran is Bernard's oldest and best friend, and often visits the shop and talks with him. They have a good relationship, often closing their shops early in order to share a bottle of wine, their preferred drink. Fran is one of the few people who can display dominance over Bernard, and often persuades him to do things he does not want to do, usually through violence. Fran secured Manny's job in Black Books through this way. Manny was hired by Bernard to work in Black Books, however Bernard was drunk at the time and did not realise he had employed Manny. After Manny proved himself worthy of the job, Bernard still did not want him to work in the shop and fired him. Manny teold Fran what happened, which sent her into a violent rage, and persuaded Bernard, through hitting and shouting at him, to re-hire Manny. Manny and Fran's relationship is somewhat better. They share a love of celebrity culture, and often read celebrity gossip magazines together and giggle over its contents. Despite treating Manny better than Bernard does, Fran has be known to exploit Manny's willingness to obey.

Fran has had many unsuccessful relationships, and seems to attract a very strange variety of potential partners. She has dated Kurt, a violinist who is "very gum diseasey", Raymond, who lives with his mother in a car, The Cleaner, a worker who works for 'Anall Cleaning Ltd.' who is obsessed with cleaning and Ben, a homonsexual. When Fran does have a successful relationship she usually does something to end it. She once saw her then-boyfriend Peter, sitting opposite a woman in a restraunt. She told Peter that he was a "scum-bag", and the woman he was sitting with was a "slut". The woman turned out to be his sister, and he was consoling her as she had lost her job. Fran has had a sexual relationship with Bernard, however, she has forced him to forget it, as they were probably drunk at the time.

Fran once owned a gift shop called Nifty Gifty, a small shop next to Black Books which sold various items. Fran did not have much fate in the shop, saying "I do sell an awful lot of wank, don't I", and on numerous occasions said she hated her shop. Fran sold a wide variety of items, many of which did not have any apparent use. Nifty Gifty eventually went bankrupt ad Fran was forced to close it done. Despite her hatred of her shop, she said that she "felt empty" after the shop closed. Since then she has had various jobs, including a job in a company where she was not told what she was meant to do. She past the time by typing "What am I doing here?" on her computer, until her boss got a tip-off that she was not doing anything and fired her. Fran worked in Black Books for a while, however this was only because Bernard was being paid to let her work there, and she was only working there to make it look like she was experienced in an interview for another job. Fran did not get this job and is currently unemployed.

Physical appearance

Fran usually wears a jacket and shirt, however when going on a date she usually wears a dress. She has jet-black hair which is styled by her stylist, Gianni, and she usually wears make-up and carries a handbag.

Behind the scenes

• Fran is played by Olivier Award-winning actress Tamsin Greig.
• Fran's surname, Katzenjammer, is a slang word for a hangover in German (literally the "howling of cats").
• Fran cannot find out what a percularly-shaped lighter is in 'Cooking the Books', however on the back of the box there are the kakatana characters "rai-ta", meaning "lighter".
• In 'Manny's First Day', Fran and Manny act as if they have not met, however they did meet in the pilot episode.
• Tamsin Greig was pregnant during the filming of Series One.

Name etmology

• Fran's first name is of Latin and Italian origin, meaning 'from France'. This may be a reference to the fact that Fran has her roots in Central Europe.
• Fran's surname, Katzenjammer, comes from the old German slag word for a hangover, literally meaning 'the howling of the cats'.

External Links

[1] Fran Katzenjammer: Quotes  [2] Fran Katzenjammer on Wikipedia