Two years on from the events portrayed in 'The Beiderbecke Affair' teachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne find themselves living together when Mr Chaplin's house is demolished to make way for a motorway. A visit to the pub leads Mr Chaplin to a fellow jazz enthusiast who gives him a collection of tapes; they aren't all jazz though… one of them features men talking about dumping nuclear waste in West Yorkshire. It isn't long before Mr. Peterson, AKA 'The Man with no Name' turns up asking about the tape in a menacing manner and they hear that the person who gave them the tape has died… clearly things are rather dangerous. Peterson isn't the only official person after the tape; six armed men turn up and search Jill's house. If that wasn't enough the headmaster doesn't approve of them cohabiting and instructs them to accompany the school trip to Holland… needless to say that does not go according to plan.Anybody who enjoyed 'The Beiderbecke Affair' will be sure to enjoy this too. It is somewhat shorter, two episodes edited together to form one two and a half hour film on my VHS copy. Some may be disappointed that many of the secondary characters from the first series are absent but I don't think it suffered for that. James Bolam and Barbara Flynn put in excellent performances as Trevor and Jill enabling us to believe the surreal events that intrude into their lives. Their chemistry is such that we believe in their relationship; a couple who have grown comfortable with each other. Malcolm Storry is suitably menacing as Peterson yet still manages to be amusing at times. Alan Plater's writing provides just the right blend of mystery, comedy and romance to keep the viewer happy from start to finish as our protagonists travel from Yorkshire to Amsterdam and then to Edinburgh before returning home to learn the significance of 'The Beiderbecke Tapes'.

This, the 2nd in the 'Beiderbecke' trilogy, frequently seems to get squeezed out between the 'Affair' and the 'Connection' (Even the 'TV shows on DVD' site doesn't seem to know it exists), which is odd because this is in every way as good as its predecessor and its successor. The plot is so simple that it's almost non-existent. Trev comes into possession of some tapes that don't contain jazz, and the secret service become interested. If you've seen either of the other two in the series you'll know just where this is going. Laughs and bewilderment abound, and I actually didn't work out what was going on until almost the end, by which time I had a slight inkling, but no more. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, Big Al and Little Norm had to be replaced by other characters, but even so, the show is worth watching just for the scene at the end of part one where the secret service man is checking Trev's tapes... I normally steer clear of words like 'Sublime', but in this case, if you accept the definition 'inspiring awe; "well-meaning ineptitude that rises to empyreal absurdity" (M.S.Dworkin)' then, just this once, I'm going to use it. It qualifies, dammit.

It is interesting that Barbara Flynn starred in two of the best pieces of British TV drama in the 1980's and 1990's. She played a critical role in both Biederbeck series and in Cracker, two seminal pieces that will remain powerful for as long as there are machines in your living room capable of reproducing them. Yes Robbie Coltrane and James Bolam drove both pieces, and Jimmy McGovern and Alan Plater's writing deserve all the credit due them, but Barbara Flynn was in both and each time produced performances that would not be outshone. In Biederbeck, Flynn had more input and so is the better representation of her talents, but in Cracker, despite the smaller role, she is still able to hold her own in superb company. I recommend both to you reader and watch her in everything she does, she is so good.

The middle of a trilogy, unusual for a variety of reasons, none of which can really be explained. You have to see this for yourself. It helps if you like the music of Bix Beiderbecke, but anyone with a taste for quality television (two words that rarely go together) along the lines of 'Inspector Morse' will enjoy every minute of all three series, which most likely will be released as 'movies', rather than multi-part stories. Great scripts, wonderful casting and fine production values.