Bergerac (TV series)

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Bergerac
Bergerac (TV series).jpg
Genre
Created by Robert Banks Stewart
Starring
Theme music composer George Fenton
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series9
No. of episodes87 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
  • Robert Banks Stewart (series 1–2)
  • Jonathan Alwyn (series 3–5)
  • George Gallaccio (series 6–9)
Running time
  • 50 minutes (81 episodes)
  • 90 minutes (6 Christmas specials)
Original release
Network BBC1
Release18 October 1981 (1981-10-18) 
26 December 1991 (1991-12-26)

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]

Contents

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]

Background

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]

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesFirst airedLast aired
1 1018 October 198120 December 1981
2 99 January 19836 March 1983
3 103 December 19834 February 1984
4 911 October 198520 December 1985
Christmas special 26 December 1986
5 83 January 198721 February 1987
Christmas special 26 December 1987
6 72 January 198813 February 1988
Christmas special 27 December 1988
7 828 January 198918 March 1989
Christmas special 23 December 1989
8 1014 January 199018 March 1990
Christmas special 26 December 1990
9 105 January 19919 March 1991
Christmas special 26 December 1991

Cast and characters

Main

Supporting

Lead character and casting

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]

Romance

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).

Other characters

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.

Locations

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.

Frontage of Haut de la Garenne Haut de la Garenne Saint Martin Jersey 4.jpg
Frontage of Haut de la Garenne

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, Jersey Windward House Jersey.jpg
Windward House, Jersey

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 showused 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.

Home media

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]

Theme music

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]

Reboot

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]

See also

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References

  1. "Classic crime show Bergerac set to return". BBC News. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  2. "Bergerac set for a come back 20 years on?". The Independent. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  3. "BBC News – Bergerac return 'a boost'". BBC News. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  4. "Bergerac reboot to begin filming in Jersey this summer". BBC News. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  5. "Robert Banks Stewart on creating Charles Endell, Esquire". STV Entertainment. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  6. "The 30 best TV detectives and sleuths – Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 1 November 2014. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  7. "BBC News – Bergerac rerun postponed owing to abuse inquiry". BBC News. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  8. Jane Mathews (3 March 2014). "John Nettles blasts BBC for pulling Bergerac re-runs featuring Haut de la Garenne home – UK – News – Daily Express". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  9. "Bergerac's car up for sale". Telegraph.co.uk. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  10. Hodgkinson, Will (27 October 2001). "The feelgood factory". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  11. "Philip Glenister: a career timeline". The Daily Telegraph. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  12. "Flickr: Windward House Jersey's Photostream". Flickr. 29 March 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  13. "Bergerac's fair cop; John Nettles' daughter joins Jersey police". Sunday Mirror . 21 February 1999. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  14. "BritBox - S3".
  15. "Amazon search result page". Amazon. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  16. "1982 Television Original Television Music". BAFTA Awards. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  17. "LISTEN: Bergerac gets an electro twist in new music mix". Bailiwick Express. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  18. "Bergerac reboot to begin filming in Jersey this summer". BBC News . 13 April 2024.
  19. "Damien Molony to play Bergerac in new series". BBC. 8 July 2024.
  20. "Damien Molony set to star as Jim Bergerac in re-imagined series of Bergerac for U&DRAMA and U". UKTV Corporate Site. 7 July 2024.
  21. Collis, Clark (17 June 2023). "'Bergerac' from 'Loch Henry' episode of 'Black Mirror' is a real show". EW.com . Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  22. Mellor, Louisa (16 June 2023). "1980s Detective Series Bergerac Was the Perfect Reference for Black Mirror's "Loch Henry"". Den of Geek . Retrieved 2 July 2023.