Tweekums This six part drama, first broadcast in 1985, centres on the lives of two school teachers in Yorkshire; Trevor Chaplin and his girlfriend Jill Swinburne. Their lives seem fairly normal until one day a platinum blonde knocks on Trevor's door; she is selling items from a catalogue to raise funds for the local cub's football team. She has nothing that he wants but when he says what he really wants is a set of jazz records by Bix Beiderbecke she says she can get them. When they arrive they aren't what he ordered and his attempts to get them changed will lead to the two protagonists into dealings with the police, in particular Det. Sgt. Hobson, an officer with unconventional methods; a couple of black-marketeers and even the local planning department!This TV series may be almost thirty years old but it doesn't feel particularly dated. The comedy is inoffensive yet still funny… frequently laugh out loud funny. This is down to fine script from Alan Plater and spot on performances from James Bolam and the delightful Barbara Flynn as the two protagonists; they have a great chemistry. They are ably supported by the likes of Dominic Jephcott as DS Hobson, Terence Rigby as black-marketeer Big Al and Dudley Sutton as sarcastic history teacher Mr. Carter. The story progresses slowly but that is part of its charm as it frequently concentrates of things that appear to be irrelevant to the main plot but later turn out to be relevant. Overall I'd say this series is well worth watching.

timsmith37 This was not the first outing for Alan Plater's schoolteacher detectives, who in 1981's Get Lost had been played admirably by Alun Armstrong and Frances Tomelty. However no-one could quibble with the re-casting. James Bolam effortlessly nails each line of the arch dialogue, while the talented Barbara Flynn has that rare quality of looking both believably ordinary and incredibly fanciable. Some wonderful British character actors also get plenty of screen time in what is effectively an ensemble piece. Colin Blakely, Keith Marsh, Danny Schiller, Robert Longden and Keith Clarke all do sterling work, but special mention must be made of Dudley Sutton's tweedy schoolmaster and Terence Rigby's saturnine Big Al, while Dominic Jephcott was a real find as the callow university educated detective. A beautifully constructed series, that remains as pertinent as ever in a society increasingly disrespectful of privacy and intolerant of eccentricity.

dabotter3 The TV show was slow moving and the 'offbeat' characters were sometimes irritating. Only through the miracle of fast forward was I able to make it through the first 2 hours. The write-up indicates that it's some kind of comedy/mystery but I didn't see much of either. If it really picks up after the first 2 hours, please let me know, because I doubt that I will watch the rest without a recommendation.This review is supposed to be without spoilers so I will continue in a vague, non-spoiler, fashion. I found the two main characters uninteresting and unsympathetic. I found myself asking 'Would a normal adult do that?' The man with the hedge trimmer looking out the window was irritating and when the male lead interacted with him, he looked pathetic. Would a normal adult put up with someone as irritating as him?

Guy Chapman 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.