The Beiderbecke Affair (1985) User Reviews

It doesn't get any better than this!

[Guy Chapman · 10/10 · 8 January 2005]

If you think "CAddyshack" or "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" are the funniest thing on earth, this is not for you. If you love cool jazz and warm humour prepare for a treat.

It's not just the script, although Alan Plater is undoubtedly a genius.

It's not just the acting, although not a gesture is out of place, every nuance in its place.

It's not just the soundtrack, although the Beiderbecke-inspired jazz soundtrack is superb in every respect.

It's the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Pace? Who needs it. This is a series which proves beyond doubt that frenetic, fast-paced comedy is *not* the be-all and end-all. This is comedy to be enjoyed with a glass of wine and the life partner of your choice; it is as British as chips and brown ale, it is timeless. Watching it again twenty years on it is as perfect as it was on first viewing.

Brilliantly original work from the pen of Alan Plater

[icj-1 · 10/10 · 8 February 2004]

Set in and around Leeds in the North of England, Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne are teachers in a typical secondary school. Trevor is a jazz freak whilst Jill is an eco-activist. They stumble across some nefarious goings on in the local community and with the help of some unlikely characters solve a tangled web of corruption.

The humor in this show is absolutely top notch both in situations and dialog and although I have seen it a couple of times, it never seems to get stale. I love this show.

corking soundtrack

[Andy Bolstridge · 9/10 · 6 August 2004]

As some reviews have said "A jazz soundtrack paces this British series, adding more mystery to the lovers' quest for the truth" and "This outlandishly funny series weaves quirky characters, witty dialogue and a wonderfully smooth, jazz soundtrack into a uniquely satisfying, entertainment experience."

Well, that's not how I'd describe it.. The jazz soundtrack is fabulous, Bix Beiderbecke tracks blast through the slow bits in between the meat of the show, making this a truly immersive, grab-you-by-the-ears and drag-you-along series.

Oh yeah, the dialog, plot, setting are all excellent too - if you haven't seen it, it's worth the 9.3 rating at time of writing this!

an oasis of excellence in a desert of tv mediocrity

[mcwillychris · 10/10 · 22 August 2001]

well I think the summary says it all.

casting, pace and content are excellent.

I almost purr with pleasure while watching

i also fancy Barbara Flynn something rotten

Adventures under the duvet pfwoooar

Splendily entertaining and disturbingly prescient

[timsmith37 · 10/10 · 3 May 2008]

This was not the first outing for Alan Plater's schoolteacher detectives, who in 1981's Get Lost had been played admirably by Alun Armstrong and Frances Tomelty. However no-one could quibble with the re-casting. James Bolam effortlessly nails each line of the arch dialogue, while the talented Barbara Flynn has that rare quality of looking both believably ordinary and incredibly fanciable. Some wonderful British character actors also get plenty of screen time in what is effectively an ensemble piece. Colin Blakely, Keith Marsh, Danny Schiller, Robert Longden and Keith Clarke all do sterling work, but special mention must be made of Dudley Sutton's tweedy schoolmaster and Terence Rigby's saturnine Big Al, while Dominic Jephcott was a real find as the callow university educated detective. A beautifully constructed series, that remains as pertinent as ever in a society increasingly disrespectful of privacy and intolerant of eccentricity.

I liked the film and disagree with the review

[willsona-2 · 9/10 · 31 December 2007]

Having seen several of the later series, my wife and I were looking forward to this (the series opener) and enjoyed it very much. The review provided on this web page could only have been written by an American. There is a world of difference between American humour, which is mainly action based, and British humour, which relies heavily on the dialogue. By fast forwarding through the first two hours, the reviewer could only have made his incomprehension worse! you cannot watch British movies like that. On the other hand, perhaps his copy, like ours, had the content for disc 3 on the CD that was labeled 'Disc 1' in which case he could be forgiven for getting confused.

So far as the characterization is concerned, yes they are a little larger than life, and a little unusual, but as an expatriate Brit., I find most depictions of Americans by American actors equally unbelievable, and frequently find myself asking, "Would that bloke really behave like that?" PS. I spell in English English.

Simply Brilliant

[jandtelliott-46-21437 · 10/10 · 6 July 2014]

I recently bought the DVD set of the Beiderbeck Trio - amazingly good stuff. The first one, the Beiderbeck Affair, was made thirty years ago and still retains all its charm and gentle humour.

It pokes fun at pomposity and and in particular "the system" without any expletives or stupidity, a difficult thing to do.

Every word of dialogue is beautifully delivered and every shot is nicely framed, especially the high-level shots.

The two remaining shows maintain the same features - a joy from start to finish. Wish it had been longer.

The additional info booklet was very interesting as were the interviews and the splendid CD of the music tracks.

close to perfection

[tlloydesq · 9/10 · 8 September 2015]

Nothing is ever perfect, but in the world of TV drama – Alan Plater's "The Beiderbecke Connection" gets about as close as you can. The show centres on two secondary school teachers – jazz fanatic Trevor Chaplin (James Bolam) & environmental activist Jill Swinburne (Barbara Flynn). The couple stumble on corruption in high places and reluctantly become involved.

The first thing you notice is that the story is quite weak. No twists to end each episode, no emotional crises to deal with. The show does have characters though. To supplement the main couple we get the mysterious Big Al (Terrence Rigby) and Little Norm (Danny Schiller). Colin Blakely and Dominic Jephcott appear are coppers at different ends of the progressive scale. Dudley Sutton is a teacher colleague of Chaplin's and Keith Marsh is a number of things including a wannabe supergrass.

The actors are important because rich characters need good actors. All of the above are very good but Bolam, Flynn, Rigby and Blakely are supreme. They "get" what Alan Plater wrote about and convey the characters perfectly. When venturing "out of left field" it is important not to overplay your hand. Writing and acting meet and when played correctly are a joy to behold.

So in each of the 6 episodes you take a journey through a slightly unusual yet still believable world inhabited by slightly unusual yet still believable characters. At the end of each episode you are left wanting more but are not left puzzling over any loose ends.

In keeping with the title there is also a jazz soundtrack which accompanies the show well.

second time of viewing

[selffamily · 10/10 · 24 August 2020]

Foolishly I left the UK to live abroad round about the time this was aired on TV, and so have come to it later than most, via DVD. If I said it was perfect, you would say I was exaggerating, but I would not be. Not only does it capture the era, the mood and the battles therein exquisitely, but the characters are drawn and portrayed with straightforward subtlety and affection. There are no horrible surprises, but it is a gentle very funny mystery which is sorted out tidily. I look forward to the next two stories - also contained in the boxed set - to watch them again too. I'm lucky in that I remember very few things thoroughly, no, it's not dementia, I've always been this way. The poor reviewer who didn't get it - I hope he's not still in therapy.

kind of fun

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 22 February 2020]

I've had a heck of a time with this Beiderbecke series. I received the second disk of the Biederbecke Affair before the first, watched it without realizing it, and then received the first disk. Reading what I thought was the synopsis later, it didn't sound like the same story. That's when I found out about "The Biederbecke Tapes" which I guess I'll have to see.

I love James Bolam - this is probably 20 years before New Tricks. Here he plays Trevor Chaplin, a Bix Biederbecke jazz fanatic who teaches woodwork. He lives with a fellow teacher, Jill (Barbara Flynn) - she teaches English and is an eco-activist.

Trevor finds himself mixing with the lower end of society when he attempts to purchase some of his beloved Biederbecke records from a "dazzlingly beautiful platinum blond" who is selling mail order items.

He eventually meets Big Al and Little Norm and some people running a junior football team. Meanwhile, Jill decides to stand for office as a local councillor.

Meanwhile, there is a police detective following them around and suspecting them of all sorts of crime, keeping taped records. Meanwhile his supervisor thinks he's nuts.

I wish I could explain the story better, but I can't. It's a gentle show with some delightful and funny moments and it's about as odd as it gets. All to the soundtrack of Bix Beiderbecke. It's two somewhat ordinary people falling into weird situations. Inexplicably, I liked it.

A delightful comedy drama

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 19 February 2014]

This six part drama, first broadcast in 1985, centres on the lives of two school teachers in Yorkshire; Trevor Chaplin and his girlfriend Jill Swinburne. Their lives seem fairly normal until one day a platinum blonde knocks on Trevor's door; she is selling items from a catalogue to raise funds for the local cub's football team. She has nothing that he wants but when he says what he really wants is a set of jazz records by Bix Beiderbecke she says she can get them. When they arrive they aren't what he ordered and his attempts to get them changed will lead to the two protagonists into dealings with the police, in particular Det. Sgt. Hobson, an officer with unconventional methods; a couple of black-marketeers and even the local planning department!

This TV series may be almost thirty years old but it doesn't feel particularly dated. The comedy is inoffensive yet still funny… frequently laugh out loud funny. This is down to fine script from Alan Plater and spot on performances from James Bolam and the delightful Barbara Flynn as the two protagonists; they have a great chemistry. They are ably supported by the likes of Dominic Jephcott as DS Hobson, Terence Rigby as black-marketeer Big Al and Dudley Sutton as sarcastic history teacher Mr. Carter. The story progresses slowly but that is part of its charm as it frequently concentrates of things that appear to be irrelevant to the main plot but later turn out to be relevant. Overall I'd say this series is well worth watching.

slow moving with irritating characters

[dabotter3 · 4/10 · 7 June 2006]

The TV show was slow moving and the 'offbeat' characters were sometimes irritating. Only through the miracle of fast forward was I able to make it through the first 2 hours.

The write-up indicates that it's some kind of comedy/mystery but I didn't see much of either.

If it really picks up after the first 2 hours, please let me know, because I doubt that I will watch the rest without a recommendation.

This review is supposed to be without spoilers so I will continue in a vague, non-spoiler, fashion. I found the two main characters uninteresting and unsympathetic. I found myself asking 'Would a normal adult do that?' The man with the hedge trimmer looking out the window was irritating and when the male lead interacted with him, he looked pathetic. Would a normal adult put up with someone as irritating as him?

Loved it! But how did I miss the denoument?

[brenstockton · 9/10 · 7 March 2019]

I will have to watch the ending again. I think I missed the denoument. Nonetheless, it's typical (to an American anyway) British humor. Enjoyed the characters, their chemistry, the quirky humor, but I think there are bits that are just too, too outlandish. I would still watch this again. The soundtrack is fabulous, I had never heard of Bix Beiderbecke and now I'm looking for his music. It's worth your time.

Love the whole Beiderbecke trio

[lisbethinsydney · 10/10 · 15 March 2021]

This series is the first in the Beiderbecke Trilogy. Prepare to fall in love with the naturally quirky but ordinary world of Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne. Those were the days! Do yourself a favour and go back to a gentler humour with underlying astute observations galore, quietly given. This is a happier take on this imperfect world, when dinner could be cheese on toast instead of Uber eats. Even with dark forces scheming, good will prevail - with a little help from serendipity.

"Bix Beiderbecke who?"

[ygwerin1 · 8/10 · 18 March 2021]

I am a huge fan of what amounts to the Beiderbecke Trilogy, 3 stories around a central tale that commences here.

I am in particular drawn to this by my consideration for Barbara Flynn who is Jill Swinburne, I feel for her as Mr Carter does for Miss Swinburne.

I hadn't realised until I obtained the box set that there had been essentially, a precursor series strangely entitled Get Lost.

Get Lost involves 2 teachers at an inner city secondary school, that commence as "less than good friends ". Judy Threadgold English and friend of the earth, and Neville Keaton woodwork and jazz aficionado. That starts with Judy as Mrs Threadgold and ends with her and Mr Keaton, as "more than friends?".

Beiderbecke Affair comes in with essentially similar teachers in identical surroundings, morphing into Jill Swinburne and Trevor Chaplin.

Except that here Jill is now a Miss Swinburne having having shaken loose from her partner, and they are something of an item.

They still have to contend with the local constabulary in particular rather officious Detectives, this time a graduate Sergeant Hobson.

Here we see rather more of the school San Quentin High, I am not entirely sure if this is a merely a joke name, related to the American penitentiary. It reminds me rather of my own Onslow Secondary Modern School, that I attended in Hatfield Hertfordshire.

This school comes replete with a somewhat pernickety headmaster Mr Wheeler, along with at least one other a Mr Carter of undetermined teaching qualifications.

Beiderbecke Affair introduces us to a deal more of the local community and business fraternity, what could be called the official and more unofficial variety.

The Official being bureaucratic run by and for those helping themselves, to grease each other's palms.

The latter being much more friendly and communal with local people, coming together to help each other out.