The Beiderbecke Affair

Last updated

The Beiderbecke Affair
Beiderbecke Affair.jpg
Genre Comedy drama
Written by Alan Plater
Directed by
  • David Reynolds
  • Frank W. Smith
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Cryin' All Day"
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producerDavid Cunliffe
ProducerAnne W. Gibbons
Production company Yorkshire Television
Original release
Network ITV
Release6 January (1985-01-06) 
10 February 1985 (1985-02-10)
Related

The Beiderbecke Affair is a television series produced in the United Kingdom by ITV during 1985, [1] written by the prolific Alan Plater, whose lengthy credits in British television since the 1960s included the four-part mini series Get Lost! for ITV in 1981. The Beiderbecke Affair has a similar style to Get Lost!, wherein Neville Keaton (Alun Armstrong) and Judy Threadgold (Bridget Turner) played in an ensemble cast. Although The Beiderbecke Affair was 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).

Contents

Plot

Rather than following a usual linear story structure, The Beiderbecke Affair – set in Leeds in 1985 – is a character-led drama with a plot that initially appears rather unclear, moving as it does from one seemingly unrelated event to another. These events – and the characters involved with them – are eventually shown to be interconnected.

Geordie Trevor Chaplin (James Bolam) teaches woodwork, enjoys football and is passionate about 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, her 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.

Clayton Grange Flats, Moor Grange, Leeds used as 'The Multistorey Block of Flats' in the Beiderbecke affair, taken in June 2008, 24 years after filming Clayton Grange, Moor Grange Leeds.jpg
Clayton Grange Flats, Moor Grange, Leeds used as 'The Multistorey Block of Flats' in the Beiderbecke affair, taken in June 2008, 24 years after filming

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. [2] Thrown into 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.

Setting the scene for the sequels, the series ends with Jill and Trevor 'running away to the hills' (Beamsley Beacon, Beamsley). Unlike subsequent episodes the series ends with this scene and Big Al and Little Norm listening to the radio at their allotment; the viewer hears from this that a local senior police officer has been suspended, and a businessman and a councillor have been arrested. It is later revealed in the Beiderbecke Tapes that Mr McAllister and Councillor McAllister were imprisoned.

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. The theme song of the series uses the actual Bix Beiderbecke instrumental "Crying All Day" by Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra released in 1927 on Okeh Records and re-released in 1941 as part of the "Hot Jazz Classic" series on Columbia Records.

Characters

The cast was as follows: [3]

Production

Filming locations

Abbeydale Oval, in Kirkstall, Leeds. The house on the right featured as Jill's house. Abbeydaleoval.jpg
Abbeydale Oval, in Kirkstall, Leeds. The house on the right featured as Jill's house.
East Leeds Family Learning Centre (former Foxwood School) in Seacroft, Leeds was used as 'San Quentin High' (picture taken June 2008). Demolition of the complex began in December 2009 East Leeds Family Learning Centre.jpg
East Leeds Family Learning Centre (former Foxwood School) in Seacroft, Leeds was used as 'San Quentin High' (picture taken June 2008). Demolition of the complex began in December 2009
St Marks Church in Woodhouse was the Parish Church of St Matthew in The Beiderbecke Affair. St Mark's was closed for over a decade but was bought by Gateway Church and was cleared and renovated in 2014. StMarksChurchWoodhouse.jpg
St Marks Church in Woodhouse was the Parish Church of St Matthew in The Beiderbecke Affair. St Mark's was closed for over a decade but was bought by Gateway Church and was cleared and renovated in 2014.

The actual Leeds City Council planning offices are just over the road in The Leonardo building which wasn't there at the time of filming back in 1984.

Episodes

The six episodes are titled by incipit, that is, the title is simply the first spoken words heard in each episode.

Trevor and Jill in the opening scene of the first episode Beiderbecke1.jpg
Trevor and Jill in the opening scene of the first episode
Episode Opening Beiderbecke2.jpg
Episode Opening
Big Al, Trevor and Jill in the church crypt/warehouse Beiderbecke3.jpg
Big Al, Trevor and Jill in the church crypt/warehouse

Home media

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 series is also available as of 2021 on Britbox.

The Beiderbecke Tapes was released in the US on 29 September 2009.

In other media

Books

There are four books associated with the series. Alan Plater's first-ever book was a novelisation of The Beiderbecke Affair (Methuen, 1985) and then he originally wrote The Beiderbecke Tapes as a novel (Methuen, 1986) before dramatising it for ITV. Four years after the final serial aired, he novelised The Beiderbecke Connection scripts (Methuen, 1992). An omnibus edition was released by Methuen in 1993.

In 2012, the British Film Institute published a book about the series in its range examining key television shows: The Beiderbecke Affair by William Gallagher. The book is non-fiction but it includes a Beiderbecke short story, "A Brief Encounter with Richard Wagner" by Alan Plater. It was written for BBC Radio 4 in the 1990s and this is its first publication in print.

Accompanying the non-fiction book, the British Film Institute released an author video plus a series of official Beiderbecke Affair podcasts that include a video interview with William Gallagher and with Plater's wife, Shirley Rubinstein, plus audio commentaries by Gallagher for selected episodes of the Beiderbecke series.

Show

A show called "Beiderbecke and All That Jazz" was developed in the mid 1990s, featuring Alan Plater and Kenny Baker. [8]

Notes

  1. For a view of the original interior of St Mark's Woodhouse (now cleared out), see minutes 41–43 of episode 3 of The Beiderbecke Affair

Related Research Articles

<i>Vanity Fair</i> (novel) 1847–1848 novel by William Makepeace Thackeray

Vanity Fair is a novel by the English author William Makepeace Thackeray, which follows the lives of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley amid their friends and families during and after the Napoleonic Wars. It was first published as a 19-volume monthly serial from 1847 to 1848, carrying the subtitle Pen and Pencil Sketches of English Society, which reflects both its satirisation of early 19th-century British society and the many illustrations drawn by Thackeray to accompany the text. It was published as a single volume in 1848 with the subtitle A Novel without a Hero, reflecting Thackeray's interest in deconstructing his era's conventions regarding literary heroism. It is sometimes considered the "principal founder" of the Victorian domestic novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bix Beiderbecke</span> American musician (1903–1931)

Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkstall</span> Suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Kirkstall is a north-western suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on the eastern side of the River Aire. The area sits in the Kirkstall ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central and Headingley parliamentary constituency, represented by Alex Sobel. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 21,709.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeadon, West Yorkshire</span> Town in West Yorkshire, England

Yeadon is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Plater</span> English playwright and screenwriter

Alan Frederick Plater was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. He is best known for the sitcom Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt and the comedy drama serials The Beiderbecke Trilogy.

James Christopher Bolam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Roy Figgis in Only When I Laugh, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Arthur Gilder in Born and Bred, Jack Halford in New Tricks and the title character of Grandpa in the CBeebies programme Grandpa in My Pocket.

<i>The Beiderbecke Tapes</i> British ITV comedy drama, 2nd of trilogy

The Beiderbecke Tapes is a two-part British television drama serial written by Alan Plater and broadcast in 1987. It is the second serial in The Beiderbecke Trilogy and stars James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne. When a tape recording of a conversation about nuclear waste inadvertently falls into Trevor's hands, Trevor and Jill find themselves being pursued by national security agents.

<i>The Beiderbecke Connection</i> British ITV comedy drama, 3rd of trilogy

The Beiderbecke Connection is a four-part British television serial written by Alan Plater and broadcast in 1988. It is the third and final part of The Beiderbecke Trilogy and stars James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne. Now with a baby in tow, Jill and Trevor are asked by Big Al to look after a refugee called "Ivan".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudley Sutton</span> English actor (1933–2018)

Dudley Sutton was an English actor. Active in radio, stage, film and television, he was arguably best known for his role of Tinker Dill in the BBC Television drama series Lovejoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Hobson (spree killer)</span> British spree killer (born 1969)

Mark Richard Hobson is a British spree killer who killed four people in North Yorkshire, England, in July 2004. He was arrested after an eight-day nationwide manhunt involving more than 500 police officers and twelve police forces, during which time he was Britain's "most wanted man".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Fraser</span> Scottish actor (1908–1987)

William Simpson Fraser was a Scottish actor who appeared on stage, screen and television for many years. In 1986 he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for his stage role in the play When We Are Married.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moor Grange</span> Human settlement in England

Moor Grange Estate is a housing estate in the West Park area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which was built in the 1950s on reclaimed farmland. Work on the Moor Grange Estate began in 1955. It was originally owned by the local council, and was leased by the council to tenants as a council estate. Most of the housing on the estate is now privately owned. Moor Grange does not suffer the crime problems of other council estates. House prices on the estate are high, and Moor Grange is considered a 'model council estate'. This may be due to the affluence of the area in which it is situated. Moor Grange backs onto the smaller Spen Estate which is another council estate in West Park. The Estate falls within the Kirkstall ward of the Leeds Metropolitan Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Murdock (actor)</span> American film and TV actor

George Murdock was an American character actor, especially prolific on television.

<i>Get Lost!</i> 1981 British TV series or programme

Get Lost! is a British television drama serial made by Yorkshire Television in 1981 for the ITV network. Written by Alan Plater, the plot concerns the disappearance of the husband of Leeds schoolteacher Judy Threadgold. Investigating the disappearance, with the aid of her colleague, woodwork teacher Neville Keaton, Judy learns of the existence of a secret organisation that helps disaffected people leave their unhappy lives behind.

<i>The Beiderbecke Trilogy</i> British TV comedy drama serials

The Beiderbecke Trilogy is a trilogy of television serials written by Alan Plater and made by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network in the United Kingdom between 1984 and 1988. Each serial centres on schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne, who work at a rundown comprehensive school in Leeds. Woodwork teacher Trevor enjoys football and jazz music whilst English teacher Jill is a political activist concerned with saving the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Leeds Family Learning Centre</span> School in Leeds, England

East Leeds Family Learning Centre was a large Adult Education Centre in Seacroft, Leeds, England. The buildings were originally used as a secondary school, Foxwood School. The school is notable for its use for filming The Beiderbecke Trilogy between 1984 and 1988. Demolition of the buildings began in December 2009 and was completed early in 2010.

<i>Eight on the Lam</i> 1967 film by George Marshall

Eight on the Lam is a 1967 American comedy film directed by George Marshall. It stars Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeadon Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Yeadon, West Yorkshire, England

Yeadon Town Hall is a municipal building in Yeadon, West Yorkshire, England. It is Grade II listed.

<i>This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper</i> British TV series or programme

This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper is a British television crime drama miniseries, first shown on ITV from 26 January to 2 February 2000. The series is a dramatisation of the real-life investigation into the notorious Yorkshire Ripper murders of the late 1970s, showing the effect that it had on the health and career of Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield who led the enquiry. The series also starred Richard Ridings and James Laurenson as DSI Dick Holland and Chief Constable Ronald Gregory, respectively. Although broadcast over two weeks, two episodes were shown consecutively each week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foxwood School, Seacroft</span> Comprehensive school in Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Foxwood School was a Comprehensive school in Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1956 and closed 40 years later in 1996.

References

  1. Seely, Michael (27 November 2018). "All That Jazz: The Beiderbecke Trilogy » We Are Cult". We Are Cult. We Are Cult. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  2. "The Beiderbecke Affair (1985)". www.rottentomatoes. Fandango.
  3. "The Beiderbecke Trilogy". www.historyfiles.co.uk. Kessler Associates. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  4. "Leeds Nostalgia: St Mark's Church, Woodhouse set for grand unveiling". Yorkshire Evening Post. 31 May 2014.
  5. "About". gatewayleeds.net. Gateway Church. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  6. "The Beiderbecke Affair (TV Mini-Series 1985)". IMDb .
  7. Not, as previously said, Greenacre Hall, Rawdon. The confusion comes from a poster on the wall to the right of the doors which is advertising services held at Greenacre Hall which is a totally different building and was not used in the filming for exterior or interior shots of which Yeadon Town Hall was. Yeadon Town Hall was also to feature in the Beiderbecke Tapes as the registrar's office which again with Mr Pitt.[ citation needed ]
  8. Plater, Alan (2003). "It is real surreal". The Guardian. No. 17 February 2003.