Alan Plater died this morning, struck down by the Bengal Lancer at age 75.
Playwright, raconteur, jazz fan, Hull City supporter (through thick and mostly thin) and champion of northern working class values. One of the old school, as we of the old school are wont to say.
Born in Jarrow, but raised in Hull, he was proud of his roots and loyal to them. Several of his works were set in Hull, or about Hull people. Others were set in the North-East. But he wasn't parochial in his outlook. I remember one play about Lester Young's hard time in the US army in World War 2.
My favourite from his output for television was his adaptation of Chris Mullin's novel "A Very British Coup", about a Labour Prime Minister far removed from any of the genuine article.
Many people remember his Beiderbecke Trilogy with affection, as do I. Somebody referred to it today as "the gold standard" of television writing.

Here's a bit of Alan, not too serious. I think it's a lyric to a song. It's about the people who play his kind of music, starting with the less celebrated and ending with the ones recognisable by a single name or nickname (there's a lot more I've left out).

Trading fours on Giant steps
Ulysses Livingson, George Van Epps
Vincent Herring and Bobby Few
Do the same on Tea for Two
Playing changes on Midnight Sun
Hannibal Peterson and Teddy Bunn
Putney Dandridge Dardanelle Hadley,
want you to know they love you madly
Round about midnight the legends show
Lester, Billie, Earl and Joe
Ella, Louis, Bix and Bill
Ben and Dizzy, Miles and Gil
Ornette, Django, Slim and Slam
Big Syd, Ray, and Roy and Sam
Bubber, Jelly Roll and Duke
Bean and Bud and Sweets and Klook
Big Tea, Sweet Pea, Teddy and Bunk
Big Joe, Big Mo, Eddy and Monk.