The Beiderbecke Affair
A character-led drama set in Leeds, 1985.
The Beiderbecke Affair is a British television series produced by ITV in 1985, written by Alan Plater. It was originally conceived as a sequel to Plater's earlier series Get Lost! but was reworked when Alun Armstrong became unavailable. The series is the first part of The Beiderbecke Trilogy, followed by The Beiderbecke Tapes (1987) and The Beiderbecke Connection (1988).
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy drama
- Writer
- Alan Plater
- Director
- David Reynolds; Frank W. Smith
- Theme music
- Frankie Trumbauer; Chauncey Morehouse
- Opening theme
- "Cryin' All Day"
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 6
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Set in Leeds in 1985, this drama is driven by its characters rather than a straightforward plot. The story jumps between events that seem disconnected at first, but they and the people involved gradually link up. Trevor Chaplin, a woodwork teacher, loves football and jazz. Jill Swinburne, an English teacher, cares little for either but wants to protect the environment and runs for local office as a conservation candidate. After her marriage ended, Trevor started driving her to school, and a relationship grew between them. Their conversations are full of unspoken meaning, yet the audience always understands what is really being said. Trevor tries to buy jazz records from a stunning blonde who comes to his door collecting for the local Cubs football team. When the wrong records show up, the pair get pulled into a mystery. Also caught up are Sergeant Hobson, a suspicious but bumbling graduate detective, and two local tradesmen working off the books, Big Al and Little Norm, who help Jill and Trevor with school supplies. The show pokes fun at bureaucracy, the police, local government, and the education system. It ends with Jill and Trevor escaping to Beamsley Beacon, while Big Al and Little Norm listen to the radio on their allotment. They hear that a senior police officer has been suspended, and a businessman and a councillor have been arrested.
Characters
Trevor Chaplin, played by James Bolam, is a laid-back, slightly eccentric woodwork teacher at a comprehensive school, based on Mr Keaton from Get Lost!. He is in a relationship with Jill Swinburne. Jill Swinburne, played by Barbara Flynn, is a committed environmentalist and social campaigner, an English teacher who is educated and cultured; her surname was inherited from her ex-husband. The character was inspired by Mrs Threadgold from Get Lost! but differs in that Jill has a good sense of humour. Big Al, played by Terence Rigby, is a somewhat eccentric wheeler-dealer recently unemployed from the building industry, the dominant half of his enterprise. Little Norm, played by Danny Schiller, is the submissive partner in the business with his 'brother' Big Al; the plot makes clear that Al, Norm and Janey are not related, though they use sibling-based pronouns. Janey, played by Sue Jenkins, is the 'dazzlingly beautiful platinum blonde' who sells Trevor records. Sgt Hobson, played by Dominic Jephcott, is a young, enthusiastic graduate police officer, well-spoken and knowledgeable about procedure but singularly incompetent. Chief Superintendent Forrest, played by Colin Blakely, is a plain-speaking, effective but thoroughly corrupt police superintendent, based on a character from Get Lost!. Mr Carter, played by Dudley Sutton, is a jaded history teacher and ally of Jill and Trevor. Mr Wheeler, played by Keith Smith, is the school head teacher, a petty, neurotic jobsworth loathed by pupils and staff. Harry, played by Keith Marsh, is a retired bookie's runner and would-be supergrass, often out walking with his dog Jason.
Production
Jill's house is at 39 Abbeydale Oval, Kirkstall, Leeds. Trevor's house is at 67 Clarendon Road, Woodhouse, Leeds. Big Al's allotment and office are at Ash Road Allotments, Ash Road, Headingley, Leeds 6. St. Quentin High was filmed at Foxwood School, Seacroft, Leeds (demolished 2009) and Abbey Grange School, Horsforth, Leeds. The Alderman What's-His-Name memorial playing fields are Butcher Hill Playing Fields, Abbey Grange, Leeds. The multi-storey block of flats is Clayton Grange Flats, Moor Grange, Leeds. The multi-storey car park is Woodhouse Lane Multi-storey Car Park, Leeds city centre. The police station exterior is Horsforth Police station, Broadway, Horsforth, Leeds (demolished circa 2012–2014). The location Trevor drives round while Jill sees Mr Pitt at the planning department is County Hall, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, but Pitt's office is on Cookridge Street, Leeds, above where Revolution bar now is, with a view up Rossington Street. The actual Leeds City Council planning offices are in The Leonardo building, which was not there at the time of filming in 1984. The town hall and Jill's meeting room and venue for counting votes is Yeadon Town Hall, High Street, Yeadon. The hills are Beamsley Beacon, Beamsley. The level crossing is Forest Lane, Starbeck, Harrogate. The grassed residential road near the level crossing is Pennine Walk, Starbeck, Harrogate. The parish church of St Matthew (exterior and nave interior) is St Mark's Church, Woodhouse, Leeds; the interior is St Peter's Church, Stanley, Wakefield (demolished 2014). The steep hill the cub scout walks up is Carr Lane, Rawdon, LS19. The parish church and cub scouts meeting hall is St. Peters Church, Rawdon. The houses used for Jill's home in the first series were replaced with an older terrace house in Hill View Avenue, Chapel Allerton for subsequent series. The house Jill and Trevor look for that is a demolished street is off Hartley Crescent/Glossop View, Woodhouse Moor, Leeds, now a grassed space. The corner of Grange Avenue is the corner of Grange Avenue and Windmill Lane, Yeadon.
Episodes
The six episodes are titled by incipit, meaning the title is the first spoken words heard in each episode. 'What I don't understand is this...' – Trevor orders jazz records that fail to arrive while Jill begins her council campaign; Sgt Hobson becomes suspicious of Trevor, Jill, Big Al, Little Norm and Big Al's 'sister'. 'Can anybody join in?' – Trevor attends a local football match to track down his missing records and agrees to referee; the match is abandoned after police led by Sgt Hobson raid the pitch following crowd trouble; Trevor and Big Al meet to resolve the record problem. 'We call it the White Economy' – Mysterious events aimed at intimidating Jill and Trevor begin; Jill's election meeting is sabotaged; Trevor's former girlfriend 'Helen of Tadcaster' appears; Big Al's warehouse is raided by police. 'Um...I know what you're thinking' – Trevor uncovers the cause of events after abducting Harry, but motives remain mysterious; Jill and Helen have a meal and toss a coin over who gets Trevor, Helen winning. 'That was a very funny evening' – The motives behind recent events become clearer as reasons for Helen's appearance are realised; Jill contacts the town planning department; Trevor goes to dinner at Helen's. 'We are on the brink of a new era, if only...' – Trevor, Jill, Big Al, Little Norm, Mr Pitt and Sgt Hobson gather evidence of corruption among local businesses, the planning department and police; Jill loses the election; Jill's and Trevor's houses are raided; Sgt Hobson presents the file to the chief constable; Chief Superintendent Forrest is sacked; Councillor McAllister and Mr McAllister are arrested.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did The Beiderbecke Affair first air?
The Beiderbecke Affair first aired on 6 January 1985.
When did The Beiderbecke Affair end?
The Beiderbecke Affair last aired on 10 February 1985.
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