The Beiderbecke Affair

This quirky comedy-drama, written by Alan Plater, starred James Bolam of The Likely Lads fame, and Barbara Flynn, was first shown on ITV in 1985, and was so successful it spawned two sequels. All three series resonated with the sounds of jazz great Bix Beiderbecke and original music by Frank Ricotti, and it was this, as much as the unusual and eccentric style of the dialogue, that made the trilogy so popular with audiences. The very individual episode titles of the first series displayed the show's eccentricity, the title being the first thing uttered each episode.