Desmond's is a British television situation comedy broadcast by Channel 4 from 1989 to 1994. Conceived and co-written by Trix Worrell, and produced by Charlie Hanson and Humphrey Barclay, Desmond's stars Norman Beaton as barber Desmond Ambrose, whose shop is a gathering place for an assortment of local characters. The show is set in Peckham, London, and features a predominantly black British Guyanese cast. With 71 episodes, Desmond's became Channel 4's longest running sitcom in terms of episodes. Notability While the show was not the first black (or predominantly black) British television situation comedy (The Fosters, produced by London Weekend Television, aired 1976 –77), Desmond's was the first to be set mainly in the workplace, providing an insight into black family life different from what had been seen before on British television. The characters had aspirations (Desmond to return to Guyana, Michael to run his own branch of the bank, Gloria to get a job in fashion, Sean to go to university) and were socially mobile. The vast majority of the crew were also black. Characters Much of the success of the show came from the dynamics and relationships both within the Ambrose family and the other characters in the show who spent time in the shop. The Ambrose family The Ambroses are the central family around which the show was built. Desmond Ambrose (Norman Beaton) was the main character and owner of the barbershop named after him. His friends and family occasionally make reference to his poor barbering skills. Desmond constantly talked about retiring and returning home to Guyana for good, although Shirley was reluctant to go with him. In the spin-off Porkpie, it was revealed that Desmond had died (as Norman Beaton had died the previous year). Shirley Ambrose (née Pleshette) (Carmen Munroe), Desmond's wife and mother of their three children, often solved the problems of the other characters. Shirley was the only member of the Ambrose family not to appear in an episode of the spin-off Porkpie as it was revealed that she had gone back to live in Guyana, in the series. Michael Ambrose (Geff Francis), Desmond and Shirley's elder son, was an assistant bank manager, who later became a manager. Unlike the rest of the Ambrose family, he was not introduced until the second episode, when Shirley suggested that Desmond go to the bank and get a loan to renovate the shop. Gloria Jeanette Elaine