Silver Spring, MD —Acorn Media announces the January 27, 2009 DVD release of The Beiderbecke Affair, created by Alan Plater, one of Britain’s most prolific and entertaining writers, this lighthearted six-episode series centers on a pair of wisecracking schoolteachers turned amateur detectives.

When Trevor Chaplin (James Bolam, New Tricks, The End of the Affair) buys a set of jazz records that go missing, he and his girlfriend, Jill Swinburne (Barbara Flynn, Cracker), decide to track them down. Soon they are drawn into a mystery that includes black market goods in a church basement, secret meetings in a parking lot, and corruption at the highest levels.

Several colorful characters enliven their adventures: Big Al and Little Norm, an overzealous police officer, an elderly snoop with a dog named Jason, and a town planner with a drawer full of incriminating files. Co-stars include Colin Blakely, Terence Rigby, and Dominic Jephcott (The Scarlet Pimpernel).

Set in Yorkshire, this quirky British mystery glides along on witty banter, a sly sense of fun, and a soundtrack by award-winning musician Frank Ricotti, which is inspired by the music of 1920s jazz great Bix Beiderbecke.

The Beiderbecke Affair broadcast on PBS in the 1990s along with its sequels, The Beiderbecke Tapes and The Beiderbecke Connection.

Award-winning writer Alan Plater credits include Oliver’s Travels, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, A Very British Coup, and Dalziel and Pascoe.

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.