The Beiderbecke Affair Beiderbecke Trilogy", with the two sequel series being "The Beiderbecke Tapes" (1987) and "The Beiderbecke Connection" (1988). 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
The Beiderbecke Trilogy be relocated to Edinburgh, an event which became an in-joke when it was worked into the script as a planned trip to Greece being changed at the last minute for the trip to Scotland. "The Beiderbecke Tapes" was broadcast in December 1987 and averaged 9.9 million viewers over its run. Frank Ricotti was nominated for a 1987 BAFTA Award for Original Television Music for "The Beiderbecke Tapes", losing out to "Porterhouse Blue". Plater began work on "The Beiderbecke Connection", the third part of the trilogy, in late 1987. At the conclusion of "The Beiderbecke Tapes" Jill had discovered that she