Come & Meet Local Author, Scriptwriter & Journalist William Gallagher

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/8/7/6/event_197666742.jpeg"BFI TV CLASSICS: THE BEIDERBECKE AFFAIR"

With as little plot as its creator Alan Plater could get away with and as much jazz as he could manage, the 1985 television drama The Beiderbecke Affair had a far-reaching impact, inspiring sequels, novels, albums and even jazz tours. Much like its Bix Beiderbecke-style soundtrack, Plater's quietly joyous drama was unconventional, free: its narrative following the lives and relationships of its leading characters – teachers-turned-amateur detectives Trevor Chaplin (James Bolam) and Jill Swinburne (Barbara Flynn) – with a gentle, whimsical humour.

William Gallagher's illuminating study is the first critical account of this much-loved series. Drawing on interviews with cast members and musicians, the production team and Yorkshire TV executives, as well as on insights from Plater himself, Gallagher explores Beiderbecke's origins in Plater's 1981 tv drama Get Lost! before moving on to an in-depth analysis of the series itself, to reveal why such an unassuming series remains one of the best-loved examples of British television drama.

The book also includes a previously unpublished BBC Radio 4 short story featuring the character of Jill Swinburne, 'A Brief Encounter with Richard Wagner'.

William will be entertaining us with tales of The Beiderbecke Affair, Doctor Who and Blake's 7.

We will meet from 7pm, with a view to commencing the event from 7.30pm.

William will be signing his latest book following his talk.

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/a/0/6/event_197667142.jpegWilliam Gallagher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gallagher_(writer)) is a scriptwriter, journalist and author of the British Film Institute book 'BFI TV Classics: The Beiderbecke Affair'. He writes Doctor Who audio dramas for BBC/Big Finish that have been called spooky, disturbing and yet “would warm the heart of an Ice Warrior”.
His work has appeared extensively in Radio Times and BBC News Online plus The Independent, the Los Angeles Times and on BBC local and national radio. He's developing TV series with Red Planet, has won awards for his stage drama and his photography has been published in international jewellery books.
He is currently writing a series of books on British TV drama history and the definitive coffee-table reference guide to Blake’s 7. He once had afternoon tea on a Russian nuclear submarine and regrets calling the place a dive.