h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Beiderbecke Trilogy - A25904793
Author: Lord The_Jon_m - Scout, Sub-Editor, Young, Educated and proud to be so. Bluesman of the Parish - U204330

hi

What a wonderful series this was - just superb. Want to watch it all again now, it's been some time!

I don't think this entry quite captures the essence of the Beiderbecke trilogy, though. It's a good enough summary of the plot as I remember them, but doesn't really transmit its. Perhaps some quotes, or some character sketches, or something about the themes that tie the trilogy together? I remember lots of word play and clever use of language, lots of superb conversations and characters.

The only quote I can remember is something like:

Hobson (talking about one of his officers): I can't work out whether he's a very clever man pretending to be stupid, or a very stupid mad pretending to be clever.
Jill: Have you considered 'lazy'?

I might be wrong, but I always thought the books were based on the TV series, not the other way around.

Certainly, the lack of continuity in the third book seems to suggest so.

B

Alan Plater was the scriptwriter for the trilogy and the first paperback edition of the book came out in 1985, one whole year after the series was aired. So it would seem that the book was based on the series not on the other way around

This is a rather good start, but it needs fleshing out a bit. Some quotes would be rather handy and perhaps a bit of info about Bix himself and the whole jazz obsession which runs throughout the trilogy.

There some typos but at the moment it's the content that needs revising a bit.

How we doing with this then JM?


ST.

agree the content could be fleshed out somewhat, but also have the following if it is helpful:

Para 1
"urban decay of an 1980s "
"urban decay of a 1980s "

Para 4
" he bemoans that all the records "
" he moans that all the records " - reads better to me but may just be a subjective thing

para 6
" but find the telephone "
" but finds that the telephone "
"he ends up assaulted by"
"he ends up being assaulted by"

para 11
"to consult with Trevor and Jill cause a huge amount"
"to consult with Trevor and Jill causes a huge amount "

"displeasure to the officious headmaster, Mr Wheeler (Keith Smith"
needs a closing bracket after Keith Smith. Also not sure about something causing displeasure to someone. Perhaps reword?

"to fit up Trevor"
Is the use of the phrase 'fit up' universal enough for the guide? Perhaps some other euphemism would be better

para12
"Jill from loosing at the election"
losing

para 13
"he moves in Jill"
"he moves in with Jill"

" although is a terrible barman "
" although he is a terrible barman "
"on the account that they liked how the "
"because they liked how the "

para 14
"was actually an taped "
"was actually a taped "

"the tape is thrown into the canal"
"the tape was thrown into the canal" - note, see general comment below

para 18
"and to work off the hangover"
"and to work off their hangover"

para 19
"sends then back home "
"sends them back home "

para 20
"and by the time the school holidays are over, everything is sorted."
needs a bit more explanation of how?

para 21
"education cutbacks of the Tory"
"education cutbacks by the Tory"

para 23
"The video appears on the windscreen of a police car, investigating the theft of a copy of Tess of the D'Urbervilles from a local bookshop"
The way this reads, it sounds like the police car is the one investigating the thefts!

para 24
"The teachers attempt to smuggle over the border twice,"
smuggle what/who?

para 25
"who uses computer fraud to steal his money"
"who uses computer fraud to steal money" - unless the 'his' refers to a specific person whose money is being stolen deliberately.

"They pair of former convicts "
"The pair of former convicts "


General comments
1) You like commas don't you? The vast majority of them can be removed and replaced either with multiple sentences or with reworded sentences. Or even just removed as not needed.
2) Tense. You switch throughout between past and present tense which makes it a bit confusing. Best to do it in present tense as an unfolding story I think, although you could do the whole thing in the past tense but it would read a bit funny to my mind.

But this is great, since I remember watching this when it was on (and when it was repeated) - a really great bit of television and Bolam was good as ever. One of those weird RL/Fantasy things that is just a few degrees off the real world.

<>

Absolutely. I loved these programs when they were originally broadcast, and again when they were repeated recently

A good hootoo topic

I'm stuck for time, and more importantly, a computer desk, so I'm going to pull this from PR for a bit to do corrections / rewrites

TJM.

If you need any help, I'm willing to stick my oar in.

*patiently awaits its return*