Bergerac | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | Robert Banks Stewart |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | George Fenton |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 9 |
No. of episodes | 87 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Producers |
|
Running time |
|
Original release | |
Network | BBC1 |
Release | 18 October 1981 – 26 December 1991 |
Bergerac ( /ˈbɜːrʒəræk/ BUR-zhə-rak) is a British crime drama television series. [1] Set in Jersey, it ran from 18 October 1981 to 26 December 1991. Produced by the BBC in association with the Australian Seven Network, and first screened on BBC1, it stars John Nettles as the title character Jim Bergerac, who is initially a detective sergeant in Le Bureau des Étrangers ("The Foreigners' Office", a fictional department dealing with non-Jersey residents), within the States of Jersey Police, but later leaves the force and becomes a private investigator. [2] [3]
Westward Studios executive producer Brian Constantine has said that a Bergerac reboot was in the final stages of development, and will air in 2025. [4]
The series ran from 1981 to 1991. It was created by producer Robert Banks Stewart after an earlier detective series, Shoestring, starring Trevor Eve, came to an abrupt end. [5] [6] Like Shoestring, the series begins with a man returning to work after a particularly bad period in his life: Eddie Shoestring from a nervous breakdown; Jim Bergerac from alcoholism and from a crushed and badly-broken leg.
Bergerac sometimes dealt with controversial topics; for example, when an old man is unmasked as a Nazi war criminal, his age raised various moral dilemmas. Supernatural elements occasionally appear in the series, and some episodes end with unpleasant twists, as in "Offshore Trades" and "A Hole In The Bucket".
The final episode filmed was the 1991 Christmas Special titled "All for Love", set partly in Bath. The final scene provides a strong hint about Bergerac's future, after Charlie Hungerford recommends Bergerac for a new position heading an expanded Bureau des Étrangers covering the whole of the Channel Islands following its success in Jersey.
The show is repeated on channels such as Alibi and Drama. On 24 February 2014, the BBC started a rerun of the series on daytime afternoons on BBC Two. The repeats concluded with series 3, in order to avoid showing the Haut de la Garenne location, a former children's home which had been the focus of an investigation into historic child abuse which identified a number of instances of abuse towards its former residents. [7] [8]
Series | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | 18 October 1981 | 20 December 1981 | |
2 | 9 | 9 January 1983 | 6 March 1983 | |
3 | 10 | 3 December 1983 | 4 February 1984 | |
4 | 9 | 11 October 1985 | 20 December 1985 | |
Christmas special | 26 December 1986 | |||
5 | 8 | 3 January 1987 | 21 February 1987 | |
Christmas special | 26 December 1987 | |||
6 | 7 | 2 January 1988 | 13 February 1988 | |
Christmas special | 27 December 1988 | |||
7 | 8 | 28 January 1989 | 18 March 1989 | |
Christmas special | 23 December 1989 | |||
8 | 10 | 14 January 1990 | 18 March 1990 | |
Christmas special | 26 December 1990 | |||
9 | 10 | 5 January 1991 | 9 March 1991 | |
Christmas special | 26 December 1991 |
Jim Bergerac is a complex character, presented by the series as a somewhat unorthodox police officer. He is recovering from alcoholism, partly resulting from an unpleasant divorce.
A Jersey native, he returns to the island at the start of the series after recuperating in England from ill health, dipsomania and major surgery on his leg following an accident caused by his drinking heavily prior to an attempted arrest. The accident is shown in episode two as a flashback: Bergerac was swigging brandy during a surveillance when he noticed his suspect and gave chase. He attempted to prevent the man's escape by leaping onto his boat. Under the influence of his drinking, he slipped back and his left leg was crushed against the harbour wall by the boat.
As a result of this accident, Bergerac begins episode one deemed unfit to serve, but he seeks to remain on the police force. While his status is being considered, he is key to solving a case with old colleagues in the recently formed "Bureau des Étrangers"; he is then posted to that unit and does well. By the end of the series, Bergerac has become a private detective.
As an aspect of his unorthodox behaviour, Bergerac drives a burgundy 1947 Triumph Roadster instead of an approved police vehicle. [9]
According to a 2001 interview with Robert Banks Stewart, John Nettles was cast on his insistence. He said, "A programme like that would never get made today without having a household name, but back then I fought to have John Nettles play Bergerac because he was right for it." [10]
Bergerac's relationships with women are a frequent theme, often as a subplot to the main crime investigation. Bergerac's girlfriends include Francine Leland (Cécile Paoli) (who had been the fiancée of a dead colleague), Marianne Bellshade (Celia Imrie), Susan Young (Louise Jameson) and Danielle Aubry (Thérèse Liotard). He has several encounters with ex-wife Deborah (Deborah Grant), who has custody of their daughter Kim (Lindsay Heath).
The main supporting character was Jim Bergerac's former father-in-law Charlie Hungerford (played by Terence Alexander). Charlie was a lovable rogue and would-be tycoon often involved in shady dealings, but paradoxically something of an innocent. Bergerac usually had a good relationship with him, although in the first episode, "Picking It Up", they were not on the best of terms. Charlie was involved in all but two of the 87 episodes.
Other regular characters in the series included Bergerac's ex-wife, Deborah (Deborah Grant), and his boss, Superintendent Barney Crozier (Sean Arnold), initially an inspector (promoted from sergeant immediately before the first episode) and later chief inspector. Bergerac had several sidekicks who were generally detective constables.
Bergerac had an ongoing flirtatious relationship with glamorous jewel thief Philippa Vale (Liza Goddard), who went by the nickname of the Ice Maiden (Series 3: "Ice Maiden", Series 4: "Return of the Ice Maiden", Series 5: "SPARTA", and Series 7: "Old Acquaintance").
Many well-known actors had guest roles in Bergerac, either before or after rising to fame. These include Philip Glenister, [11] Julian Glover, Connie Booth, Greta Scacchi, Ray Winstone, Prunella Scales, Louise Lombard, Ronald Pickup, Norman Wisdom, Charles Gray, John Forgeham, Bernard Hepton, Bill Nighy, Joanne Whalley, and Steve McFadden.
The series played heavily on its Jersey location. The early storylines were usually in and around Jersey with short scenes shot in England and France. In later episodes the action strayed further away from Jersey and was increasingly based in France.
As Jersey is a small island, most of the filming locations there can be tracked down with ease. Jim Bergerac and Susan Young's flat was located just above St Aubin, a few doors along from the Somerville Hotel; part of the interior was shot within another flat at Gorey, six miles away. Jim's original home in the first few series was submerged when the States of Jersey flooded the valley to create the Queen's Valley reservoir in 1991. Plans for this reservoir were referred to at the start of series four, when Bergerac was forced to seek new accommodation because of them, in the process meeting an estate agent who became his lover.
One of the main locations of the series achieved later notoriety. The Bureau des Étrangers from the third season onwards was located at Haut de la Garenne, a former children's home which in February 2008 became the focus of the Jersey child abuse investigation 2008. The building, on Mont de la Garenne overlooking Mont Orgueil and the Royal Bay of Grouville, ceased being a children's home in 1983 (before the series started filming there) and was re-opened as Jersey's first and only youth hostel.
The original Bureau in the TV series was located in St Helier's Royal Square, but filming there became difficult after the first series as the pretence of filming a documentary series was spoilt by public recognition of Bergerac's Triumph.
Windward House, [12] Le Mont Sohier, St Brelade (built in 1924, since demolished c.2010) with lush grounds overlooking Ouaisné and St Brelade's Bay, was used internally and externally throughout all nine series and the Christmas specials. This pink-and-grey building, with a white pillared entrance, first appeared in series 1, episode 6, "Portrait of Yesterday", as the home and wedding venue of the incidental characters. Windward House then reappeared from series 2, episode 1, as Charlie Hungerford's main residence, where he hosted a large garden fête, and then in almost every episode of the show—used either as part of the central plot or as a backdrop for family gatherings, drinks parties, business meetings, barbecues and marquee events. The entire house was used over time, particularly the living room with French windows, dining room, conservatory and long gallery hallways. External filming regularly included the gardens, paddock, driveways, fruit gardens, greenhouse, cider press and rockery.
Noirmont Manor, Noirmont, was Charlie Hungerford's home throughout series one.
As the series ran for a decade, directors found it increasingly difficult to find locations which had not been overused. While promoting his film White Noise in an interview with Xpose magazine, director Geoffrey Sax described how he made an effort to find new locations, only to return for the actual shoot to find camera tripod marks in the ground, another director having shot there in the meantime.[ citation needed ] They became tourist attractions, with signs advertising "Visit Bergerac's Location" or "See Bergerac's Car". [13]
Plot lines occasionally took the action onto the British mainland, particularly London, and Richmond riverside figured prominently.
Bergerac was made available on DVD by 2 Entertain / Cinema Club. The first series was released on 8 May 2006, including audio commentaries on three episodes.
Mistakes occurred in the supply of the source material for the DVD releases, which meant the episodes of series 1 and 6 were edited versions broadcast originally on UK daytime television. [ citation needed ] This was amended for Bergerac: The Complete Collection, a 27-DVD box set released in 2009 which includes all episodes in their full length.
In June 2021, the first two series became available on BritBox and series 3 to series 9 with all the Christmas special episodes became available in October 2021. [14]
As of September 2021, seasons 1–3 and 5–9 were available to stream in the United States via Amazon Prime with a BritBox subscription. [15]
The Bergerac theme music, composed by George Fenton, featured a reggae and accordion refrain. In 1982, he won a BAFTA Best Original Television Music award for the music. [16] In 2018, a DJ known as Youngr re-recorded the track, entitled "Bergerac Remastered", with a video shot in locations around Jersey. [17]
Writer Toby Whithouse will helm a new six-episode Bergerac series to be aired in 2025. [18] Damien Molony has been cast in the title role, with filming set to take place in Jersey and Plymouth for exterior and interior shots. [19]
Co-stars include Zoë Wanamaker as a gender bent Charlie Hungerford, and Robert Gilbert as Barney Crozier. New characters include Arthur Wakefield (Philip Glenister), Margaret Heaton (Pippa Haywood), Uma Dalal (Sasha Behar) and Kara (Celine Arden). [20]
Portions of Bergerac's credits were featured in the Black Mirror episode "Loch Henry": in the episode's story, it is revealed that VHS recordings of Bergerac had been taped over with snuff films. [21] [22]
Christopher Franklin Boucher was an English television screenwriter, script editor and novelist. He is known for his frequent contributions to two genres, science fiction and crime fiction, and worked on the series Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Shoestring, Bergerac, and The Bill. He also created the series Star Cops.
Midsomer Murders is a British crime drama mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the Chief Inspector Barnaby book series created by Caroline Graham, and broadcasts on the ITV Network since its premiere on 23 March 1997. The series focuses on various murder cases that take place within small country villages across the fictional English county of Midsomer, and the efforts of the senior police detective and his partner within the fictional Midsomer Constabulary to solve the crime by determining who the culprit is and the motive for their actions. It differs from other detective dramas in featuring a mixture of lighthearted whimsy and dark humour, as well as a notable soundtrack with a title theme that includes a theremin.
John Vivian Drummond Nettles, OBE is an English actor and author. He is best known for his starring roles as detectives in the crime drama television series Bergerac (1981–1991) in the title role, and Midsomer Murders (1997–2011) as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby. He has also narrated several television series.
The Detectives is a British comedy television series, starring Jasper Carrott, Robert Powell, and George Sewell. It aired on BBC One from 27 January 1993 to 28 December 1997, and was a spoof of police dramas. It was written by Mike Whitehill and Steve Knight.
Shoestring is a British detective fiction drama series, set in an unnamed city in the West of England and filmed in Bristol, featuring the down-at-heel private detective Eddie Shoestring, who presents his own show on Radio West, a local radio station. Broadcast on BBC1, the programme lasted for two series, between 30 September 1979 and 21 December 1980, featuring a total of 21 episodes. After the second series was broadcast Eve decided not to return to the role, as he "wanted to diversify into theatre roles". Subsequently, the production team began taking popular elements of the series and revising them for a new series, Bergerac, set in Jersey and first shown in 1981. BBC Books published two novels written by Paul Ableman, Shoestring (1979) and Shoestring's Finest Hour (1980).
Eamonn Roderique Walker is an English actor. On television, he began in the BBC sitcom In Sickness and in Health (1985–1987), the ITV crime dramas The Bill (1988–1989) and Supply & Demand (1998), and the HBO series Oz (1997–2003), for which he won a CableACE Award.
Terence Joseph Alexander was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama Bergerac, which ran for nine series on BBC1 between 1981 and 1991.
The States of Jersey Police or States Police are a paid police force in the Bailiwick of Jersey. Alongside the unpaid Honorary Police, the States Police make up the 13 official police forces on the island, though the States Police are the only force to be paid and to operate island-wide. The States Police was established in its current form by the Police Force (Jersey) Law, 1974 and consists of around 240 officers.
Robert Banks Stewart was a Scottish screenwriter, television producer and former journalist. He was sometimes credited as Robert Stewart early in his career. Banks Stewart contributed extensively to drama for the BBC and ITV for several decades, which included creating and producing the series Shoestring (1979) and Bergerac (1981) and producing the first series of Lovejoy (1986). He also produced and co-adapted the early episodes of The Darling Buds of May (1991).
Deborah Grant is an English actress. Between 1981 and 1991, she played Deborah Bergerac in the BBC television detective series Bergerac. Since 2007, she has appeared in the sitcom Not Going Out as Wendy Adams, the mother of Tim and Lucy.
Enemy at the Door is a British television drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV. The series was shown between 1978 and 1980 and dealt with the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, during the Second World War. The programme generated a certain amount of criticism in Guernsey, particularly for being obviously filmed on Jersey despite being ostensibly set on Guernsey. The series also marked the television debut of Anthony Head as a member of the island resistance. The theme music was composed by Wilfred Josephs.
Robert Lewis Glenister is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Ash "Three Socks" Morgan in the crime drama series Hustle (2004–2012) and Nicholas Blake in the spy drama series Spooks (2006–2010).
Philip Haywood Glenister is an English actor. He is known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series Life on Mars (2006–2007) and its sequel Ashes to Ashes (2008–2010). He also played DCI William Bell in State of Play (2003) and Reverend Anderson in Outcast (2016–2018).
Will Smith Presents the Tao of Bergerac is a British radio comedy programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007. The programme is presented by the comedian Will Smith and concerns his obsession with the 1980s detective series Bergerac starring John Nettles. Nettles makes cameo appearances in each episode reading from a fictional audio book The Tao of Bergerac. The series was released on CD in February 2008.
The Jersey Accommodation and Activity Centre is a building just north of Gorey in the parish of Saint Martin, Jersey, in the Channel Islands. It was formerly known as the Industrial School, the Jersey Home for Boys, and Haut de la Garenne. Its previous uses have included being an industrial school, a children's home, a military signal station, a television filming location, and a youth hostel. In 2008 it became the focus of the largest investigation into child abuse ever conducted in Jersey.
An investigation into historic child abuse in Jersey started in the spring of 2007. Before that, social worker Simon Bellwood had made a complaint about a "'Dickensian' system" where children as young as 11 were routinely locked up for 24 hours or more in solitary confinement in a secure unit where he worked. The wider investigation into child abuse over several decades became public in November that year. It received international attention when police moved in on Haut de la Garenne, then being used as a youth hostel.
Mad Dogs is a British psychological thriller television series, written and created by Cris Cole, that began airing on Sky1 on 10 February 2011, and ended on 29 December 2013 after four series and 14 episodes. It is produced by Left Bank Pictures, and co-produced by Palma Pictures. The series stars John Simm, Marc Warren, Max Beesley, and Philip Glenister as four long-time and middle-aged friends getting together in a villa in Majorca to celebrate the early retirement of their friend Alvo. After Alvo is murdered, the group find themselves caught up in the world of crime and police corruption.
Damien Molony is an Irish actor. He is best known for his television roles as Hal Yorke in BBC Three's Being Human, DC Albert Flight in the BBC's Ripper Street, DS Jack Weston in Channel 5's Suspects, Jon in Channel 4's GameFace and Dylan in Sky One Original comedy Brassic.
Suspects is a British police procedural television series that aired on Channel 5 from 12 February 2014 to 31 August 2016. The series follows members of the Metropolitan Police as they investigate murders, assaults, and other crimes across London.
Bergerac is an upcoming British crime drama television series to be broadcast on UKTV in 2025. It is a reboot of the television of the same name that ran on BBC One from 1981 until 1991.