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The Beiderbecke Tapes

ComedyDrama

The Beiderbecke Tapes is a two-part 1987 British television comedy-drama serial written by Alan Plater. The second installment in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, it stars James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne. When a tape recording of a conversation about nuclear waste inadvertently falls into Chaplin's hands, he and Swinburne find themselves being pursued by national security agents.

Dec 13, 19871 seasons2 episodesEndedEN

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James Bolam

Trevor Chaplin

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Barbara Flynn

Jill Swinburne

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Dudley Sutton

Carter

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Malcolm Storry

Peterson

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Beryl Reid

Sylvia

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Robert Longden

Mr Pitt

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David Battley

John

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Peter Martin

Charlie

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Seasons

Miniseries

2 episodes

Premiered Dec 13, 1987

Episodes

1–2 of 2

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Ep 1

Part 1

Dec 13, 1987

90m

Trevor & Jill meet John the barman who gives them a jazz tape without any jazz on it. At a meeting with Dave the wimp they find out about The Peoples Front For The Liberation of west Yorkshire. John the barman has died but is feeling much better now. The man with no name called Mr Peterson came to see them. He was followed by the six men in gray suits. Jill goes to see The Oldest Suffragette In Town. Trevor and Jill go on a trip to Amsterdam with their class from "San Quentin High" but miss the boat.

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Ep 2

Part 2

Dec 20, 1987

90m

Trevor and Jill go on a trip to Amsterdam with their class from "San Quentin High" - but the class has decamped. Trevor and Jill meet "The Honourable Order of Elks" who are "looking for a bit of action". Jill & Trevor find their action in Edinburgh. The gray men get attacked by a bagpipe band but Jill & Trevor have to go home where they find that the jazz tape with no jazz wasn't all it seemed.