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Beiderbecke #1-3
Beiderbecke Trilogy
Bix Beiderbecke (Jazz cornettist of old) obsessed Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne are teachers at San Quentin High in the "moonstruck outer limits of Leeds" and are the most reluctant detective duo in the history of investigation. They have an AFFAIR , hear the TAPES then make the CONNECTION. This is the full adventure in one volume by the award winning writer and dramatist Alan Plater. The trilogy comprising of THE BEIDERBECKE AFFAIR, THE BEIDERBECKE TAPES and THE BEIDERBECKE CONNECTION was also a very popular TV series starring James Bolam + Barbara Flynn with the haunting jazz soundtrack. THE BEIDERBECKE TRILOGY is Chandler with flat vowels, Hammett with dropped aitches, McBain with mushy peas and chips and a gentle serving of wry humour on most pages.
A lovely nostalgic read.
A lovely nostalgic read.
576 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 1993
2 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Alan Plater
31 books7 followersAlan Frederick Plater CBE was an English playwright, novelist, and tv scriptwriter.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 9, 2017
I loved the video of this and later the DVD. Nigel and I have been watching it every so often for years, and then he gave me this for Christmas! It's only a few weeks since we last watched it - I presume he was idly flicking around the net afterwards and came across it, and I was delighted to get it. In a way it was like watching it all over again, but with extra bits. Alan Plater added a enriched background with his descriptions of what people were thinking, or where they were. There's a wry humour to it that really intensifies in the written word. Of course every word they said I heard it in my head in the voices of the actors, which was fun, but could be disconcerting when I noticed. One or two details were changed from the tv series to the books, but not in such a way to take from my enjoyment. Jill and Trevor are trying to enjoy their lives despite their jobs in San Quentin High school in Leeds. They somehow keep being interrupted for reasons that always seem to trace back to Bix Beiderbecke, a jazz cornettist who drank himself to death in 1931. It sounds like a weird plot, but it's lovely and whimsical and hilarious. The three tv series became three books - The Beiderbecke Affair, The Beiderbecke Tapes and The Beiderbecke Connection, and I'm sorry I finished them. I could have gone on happily reading them for a lot longer.
September 25, 2015
You've seen the Beiderbecke DVD, you've heard the Beiderbecke music, now read the Beiderbookes. One more bullet shot from a bell, the tale of two teachers in the moonstruck outer limits of Leeds who, despite being diametric opposites, form one of the truly great and lovable romantic couples of the ages. The offbeat adventures, sparkling dialogue and larger-than-life characters all translate to the printed page perfectly, with the added benefit of Plater's witty, spiky prose skewering architecture and institutions and generally adding an extra layer to the affairs, tapes and connections. A gentle, even tender, paean to the principles of humour and decency and being clever in the face of faceless institutions filled with grey guardians tearing society down to build a motorway and saving the planet one leaflet at a time and being cool and listening to the music and going with the tide.
Of the three Tapes is the one that suffers slightly from variations with the series, most notably the sudden arbitrary appearance of Big Al and Little Norm is considerably weaker than the re-enactment of Culloden with a happier ending on the streets of Edinburgh, even if it does give us the fracas in the Plaka. The lack of Mr Pitt and the appearance of Hobson are less egregious and Plater wisely just whistles past any inconsistencies in Connections as if they aren't there, and the wise reader will do the same.
If it weren't for the series this would be one of the most delightfully singular, funny, angry, touching set of comic crime capers you could hope to find. As it is they are slightly undeservedly in the shadow of the series, and unjustly neglected, but let me reassure you, they are as lovable on the page as they are on the screen.
Of the three Tapes is the one that suffers slightly from variations with the series, most notably the sudden arbitrary appearance of Big Al and Little Norm is considerably weaker than the re-enactment of Culloden with a happier ending on the streets of Edinburgh, even if it does give us the fracas in the Plaka. The lack of Mr Pitt and the appearance of Hobson are less egregious and Plater wisely just whistles past any inconsistencies in Connections as if they aren't there, and the wise reader will do the same.
If it weren't for the series this would be one of the most delightfully singular, funny, angry, touching set of comic crime capers you could hope to find. As it is they are slightly undeservedly in the shadow of the series, and unjustly neglected, but let me reassure you, they are as lovable on the page as they are on the screen.
September 2, 2016
This is made up of the trilogy Affair, Tapes and Connection, which follow the associated Yorkshire TV series faithfully, with a few minor exceptions in the Tapes. The writing is exceptional, clever, witty and sublimely wonderful. This story of simple teaching folk is set in the twilight outer limits of Leeds, centring around woodwork teacher, and jazz obsessive, Trevor Chaplin and English teacher, and conservationist, Jill Swinburne. The adventures begin when Trevor buys some jazz records from a door-to-door catalog seller, in aid of the cubs football team. The records he finally receives are anything but jazz and the resulting investigation, by Trevor and Jill, lead them into the world of black economies, town planning and corruption.
These books, and TV series, are filled with great characters, such as Big Al, Little Norm, Mr Wheeler, Mr Carter, Detective Sergeant Hobson (BA), all brilliantly quirky, written with such subtle humour that there's an illusion that nothing happens but you suddenly find that the story has moved on to some new strange tangent and something totally unexpected has happened.
I read this trilogy after watching, and loving, the TV series, so was a little apprehensive, as often the book is so much better than the TV or Film adaptation. I needn't have worried, the books are wonderful but added to the enjoyment of the TV series. They gave extra background and new insights which made re-watching the series more enjoyable. Perhaps an advantage of knowing the series before reading the trilogy was that the voices of James Bolam, Barbara Flynn, et al., speak from the pages.
These books, and TV series, are filled with great characters, such as Big Al, Little Norm, Mr Wheeler, Mr Carter, Detective Sergeant Hobson (BA), all brilliantly quirky, written with such subtle humour that there's an illusion that nothing happens but you suddenly find that the story has moved on to some new strange tangent and something totally unexpected has happened.
I read this trilogy after watching, and loving, the TV series, so was a little apprehensive, as often the book is so much better than the TV or Film adaptation. I needn't have worried, the books are wonderful but added to the enjoyment of the TV series. They gave extra background and new insights which made re-watching the series more enjoyable. Perhaps an advantage of knowing the series before reading the trilogy was that the voices of James Bolam, Barbara Flynn, et al., speak from the pages.
January 13, 2019
This is a comfort read which I've re-read a few times over the years. Alan Plater was a TV writer and novelist producing intelligent humours work in this vein. This is a combined volume of three books set in Yorkshire (UK) in the 1980's and concerns two teachers at a secondary school who get involved in sorting out some local government corruption (The Beiderbecke Affair), international corruption / government misinformation (The Beiderbecke Tapes) and refugees (The Beiderbecke Connection). They are light read scattered with dry humour and delightful engaging characters and evocative of the times. Plater was a jazz fan and one of the lead characters is also a jazz fan which provides the background theme for the stories - recordings of the Bix Beiderbecke the legendary cornetist , hence the titles of the books - but don't let that put you off as you don't have to be a into jazz to enjoy these stories They were dramatized on TV as a popular short series in the late 80's/ early. 90's.
June 3, 2018
Alan Plater is a writer of quiet, gentle wit and has a style of writing that puts a smile of the face of the reader in much the same way as the inimitable PG Wodehouse.
Marvelous storytelling, wonderful characters, beautiful use of words and phrase. Highly recommended.
Marvelous storytelling, wonderful characters, beautiful use of words and phrase. Highly recommended.
August 18, 2014
this is a great feel good book with a touch of detective work with a jazz undertone
May 9, 2015
Hilarious and heart warming. Just what I needed.
August 1, 2015
Read with a smile on face through out brilliant
January 10, 2019
Hilarious if dated comedy-drama
July 12, 2020
The Beiderbecke Trilogy is a favorite television series of mine. I managed to get this book second hand on Amazon and it was most enjoyable. The first novel was written based on the original six part series, and it's chapter breakdown follows the television show faithfully, providing minor expansions on certain details but changing nothing. The second and third novels - Tapes and Connection respectively - are earlier versions of what became the two sequel series to the original Affair. There are some plot and character differences between the two, although nothing so major as to upset the preconceptions of anyone already familiar with the television adaptations. My one criticism is that Plater's witty dialogue and humor have more of an impact on television. Good novels yes, but ultimately there are aspects to them that work better is teleplays. Still though, I enjoyed reading these stories as much as I enjoy watching them.
October 27, 2022
I love the TV series so i thought i would read the trilogy. Alan Plater was a master at dead pan witty remarks and his writing is special. The beiderbecke tapes is actually slightly different to the TV show because Yorkshire television couldn't afford Athens sp sent them to Edinburgh instead. It also has inspector Hobson, Big Al and little Norm in, who were not in the tv show too. One discrepancy due to the tv changes was the fact their first bon was conceived in Athens yet in the third book the beiderbecke connection they talk ahout it being Edinburgh. That was for the tv so i did not expect the book to have changed it too, which made things a little out of synch. I adore the late platers work though and for any beiderbecke fans out there i highly recommend this book. Sadly they don't make writers like him anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2020
A bit wobbly on continuity within the three books, but still very good. Slightly racier than the television versions. Slightly.
July 24, 2021
I enjoyed the TV mini-series when it was on originally and viewed a recent repeat on BritBox. Naturally I bought the book (used as it is out of print and not available on Kindle). The two detectives are schoolteachers who become involved in an alternative economy (barter), the local authority, police and security services. The location is Leeds in Yorkshire, the humour gently ironic and subversive and Trevor Chaplin is a Bix Beiderbecke fan.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews