The Beiderbecke Affair

Infobox Television
show_name = The Beiderbecke Affair


caption =
aka =
genre = Comedy drama
creator =
writer = Alan Plater
director = David Reynolds &
Frank W. Smith
starring = James Bolam
Barbara Flynn
Terence Rigby
Danny Schiller
Dudley Sutton
Dominic Jephcott
Keith Smith
voices =
narrated =
theme_music_composer = Frankie Trumbauer and Chauncey Morehouse
opentheme = “Cryin' All Day”
endtheme =
composer =
country = UK
language = English
num_seasons =
num_episodes = 6
list_episodes =
executive_producer = David Cunliffe
co_exec =
producer = Anne W. Gibbons
location =
cinematography =
camera_setup =
runtime =
channel = ITV (Yorkshire Television)
picture_format = Film PAL (576i)
audio_format =
first_run =
first_aired = 6 January 1985
last_aired = 10 February 1985
preceded_by =
followed_by = The Beiderbecke Tapes
related = Get Lost!
website =
prod_website =
imdb_id = 086668
tv_com_id =

"The Beiderbecke Affair" is a television series produced in the UK by ITV during 1985, written by the prolific Alan Plater, whose lengthy credits to British Television since the 1960s included the preceding 4 part mini series "Get Lost!" for ITV in 1981. "The Beiderbecke Affair" has a similar style to "Get Lost!", where Neville Keaton (Alun Armstrong) and Judy Threadgold (Bridget Turner) played in an ensemble cast. Although "The Beiderbecke Affair" was an intended as a sequel to "Get Lost!", Alun Armstrong proved to be unavailable, and the premise was reworked. It is the first part of "The Beiderbecke Trilogy" with the two sequel series being, "The Beiderbecke Tapes" (1987) and "The Beiderbecke Connection" (1988).

Plot

The plot is initially unclear, moving from one seemingly unrelated event to another, all of which are eventually shown to be interconnected. However, the clever interplay between the characters is the main interest here. It is a character led drama, following the lives of the leading characters and how they interact rather than following the classic story structure.

Geordie Trevor Chaplin (James Bolam) teaches woodwork, enjoys football and likes to listen to jazz. Jill Swinburne (Barbara Flynn) is interested in neither football nor jazz, but teaches English and wants to help save the planet, standing in a local election as "your Conservation candidate". After Jill left her husband, colleague Trevor began giving her lifts to school and from there a relationship blossomed. They have an easy-going relationship where half the words seem to be left unspoken but the viewer is never in any doubt as to the subtext.

Trevor tries to buy some jazz records from a "dazzlingly beautiful platinum blonde" who calls at the door raising funds for the local Cubs’ football team. When the wrong records are delivered, a hunt begins that draws the pair into unforeseen intrigue. Thrown in to the mix are Sgt Hobson (Dominic Jephcott), a suspicious yet seemingly incompetent graduate police detective, and a pair of local black economy tradesmen, "Big Al" (Terence Rigby) and "Little Norm" (Danny Schiller), who agree to help "average-sized" Jill and Trevor with their school supplies problems. There are elements of political and social commentary, whilst bureaucracy (within the Police and Local Government) and the educational system are frequent targets of ridicule.

It all unravels to a soundtrack of jazz music in the style of Bix Beiderbecke performed by Frank Ricotti with Kenny Baker as featured cornet soloist. Extensive use is made of leitmotifs for the various characters.

Filming Locations

*Jill's House- Abbeydale Oval, Kirkstall, Leeds
*San Quentin High- Foxwood School, Seacroft, Leeds
*The Alderman Whats his Name Playing Fields- Butcher Hill Playing Fields, Moor Grange, Leeds
*The Multistory Block of Flats- Clayton Grange Flats, Moor Grange, Leeds
*The Multistory Car Park- Woodhouse Lane Multistory Car Park, Leeds City Centre
*The Evening Institute- Greenacre Hall Rawdon, Leeds
*The Hills- Armscliff Crag, North Rigton
*The Level Crossing- Forest Lane Level Crossing, Starbeck, Harrogate
*Grassed residential road near level crossing- Fairways Drive, Starbeck, Harrogate.
*The Town Hall- County Hall, Wakefield
*The Parish Church of St Mathews (exterior)- St Marks Church, Woodhouse, Leeds
*The Parish Church of St Mathews (interior)- St Peters Church, Stanley, Wakefield
*The Police Station- Weetwood Police Station, Weetwood, Leeds.

DVD Availability

All three series are available on DVD as individual boxed sets, and as a Collection DVD Set (the "Beiderbecke Trilogy"), with an additional 6 Disc Set, the "Beiderbecke Trilogy 21st Anniversary Edition" (containing the "Beiderbecke Trilogy" plus "Get Lost!", CD Soundtrack, cast interviews and commemorative booklet as special features) released for Region 2.

"The Beiderbecke Tapes" is not available on DVD in the US.

External links

* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/975477/index.html "The Beiderbecke Tapes"] at the British Film Institute's screenonline
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