The Beiderbecke Affair

If you think "CAddyshack" or "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" are the funniest thing on earth, this is not for you. If you love cool jazz and warm humour prepare for a treat.

It's not just the script, although Alan Plater is undoubtedly a genius.

It's not just the acting, although not a gesture is out of place, every nuance in its place.

It's not just the soundtrack, although the Beiderbecke-inspired jazz soundtrack is superb in every respect.

It's the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Pace? Who needs it. This is a series which proves beyond doubt that frenetic, fast-paced comedy is *not* the be-all and end-all. This is comedy to be enjoyed with a glass of wine and the life partner of your choice; it is as British as chips and brown ale, it is timeless. Watching it again twenty years on it is as perfect as it was on first viewing.