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Beiderbecke Affair/Tapes/Connection, The

LYNDA BELLINGHAM’S other half from Second Thoughts and Robbie Coltrane’s other half from Cracker meet in the staff room of a Leeds comprehensive, discover a mutual interest in the eponymous parper, then spend an indecent number of episodes – and years – on the run from, among others, corrupt councillors, corrupt policemen, corrupt landowners, corrupt corrupters, corrupt publicans, corrupt clarinettists (always a threat) and a Russian with a red face. Tinker from LOVEJOY was in it (as a rogue, naturally), along with BERYL REID, TERENCE RIGBY and MAGGIE JONES. Affable if sometimes  incomprehensible business penned by ALAN PLATER, liberally sprinkled with the man’s brilliantly sarky dialogue. (“Mother’s been up half the night with her stroganoff!” “Well, what use is money if you haven’t got your health?”) Your Mum liked the scenery, your Dad liked the jazz, you liked the frisson of Bellingham saying the word ‘pillock’. Now that’s what we call Sunday night drama.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. B

    June 29, 2010 at 4:06 pm

    Ah, the lovely Barbara Flynn. Even though she had put on some timber when she turned up in The Line Of Beauty.

    Dudley Sutton was as good as ever in this, loved him from his CFF work: always the curly-mopped baddie driving an inevitable Comma panel van.

  2. Osbega

    February 10, 2011 at 9:47 am

    Loved this series and am always cheered when I see it listed in the telly guide, Whenever me and my husband see a yellow van out and about we always intone “built for yellowness and not for speed”

  3. Ade

    March 10, 2016 at 12:56 am

    All The Beiderbecke series is on youtube right now Happy days

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