Bergerac (TV series)
| Bergerac | |
|---|---|
 This is the main title caption that was seen throughout the series. | |
| Created by | Robert Banks Stewart |
| Starring | John Nettles Terence Alexander Sean Arnold Louise Jameson Deborah Grant Cecile Paoli Celia Imrie Therese Liotard |
| Country of origin | UK |
| No. of episodes | 87 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 1 Hour |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC |
| Release | 1981 – 1991 |
Bergerac is a British television show set on Jersey. It starred John Nettles as the title character Sergeant Jim Bergerac, a detective in the fictional Bureau des Etrangers (Department of Non-Residents), part of the States of Jersey Police.
The series lasted from 1981 to 1991 and was directly created by producer Robert Banks Stewart after his other popular detective series Shoestring, starring Trevor Eve, came to an abrupt end. It was suggested at that time that Trevor Eve's personal problems were to blame but whatever the truth was, the BBC wanted something to replace the popular Shoestring and Bergerac was thus created. The mix of holiday isle locations and the island's millionaire populace intermingled with some unsavoury criminals proved a massive hit.
As well as the fantasy elements that were incorporated into the series, a number of episodes ended with an unpleasant twist, for example Offshore Trades and A Hole In The Bucket.
Regular characters in the series included Charlie Hungerford, Jim's ex-father-in-law and a local tycoon, (played by Terence Alexander, well-known as having played Monty in the BBC adaptation of The Forsyte Saga), Deborah (Deborah Grant), his ex-wife, and his boss, Chief Inspector Barney Crozier (Sean Arnold). Bergerac also had several sidekicks during the series who were generally detective constables and hardly any crime could be solved without the help of Crozier's redoubtable secretaries Charlotte (Annette Badland) and Peggy (Nancy Mansfield). Many of today's best known stars can be seen in various episodes of the series.
The show is still regularly repeated on channels such as UKTV Gold and BBC ONE.
Lead character
Jim Bergerac was a complex character and presented by the series as a somewhat unorthodox cop. He was a recovering alcoholic, something that was not unconnected to having gone through an unpleasant divorce. He returned to Jersey at the start of the series having been recovering in mainland Britain from both his dipsomania and major surgery following an as yet unexplained accident. He is deemed unfit for the force as a result of this accident, but helps his old colleague out in the recently formed "bureau et etrangers" and wins a posting to this unit. The accident is shown in episode two as a flashback, occurred when Bergerac is observed swigging brandy during a surveylance, he notices his suspect and gives chase. Under the influence of his drinking, he attempts to prevent a criminal's escape by leaping onto the fleeing man's boat and having his leg crushed against the harbour wall as he slips back. His shady ex-father-in-law Charlie Hungerford had a good relationship with Jim (although in the first episode Picking It Up they are not on the best of terms) and in one of the more unbelievable aspects of the series, Charlie was somehow involved in all but one of the 91 cases Bergerac was involved in.
Bergerac's relationships with women were often dealt with - often as a subplot to the main crime investigation. Bergerac's girlfriends included Francine Leland (Cecile Paoli) who, in a somewhat odd twist, had originally been the fianceé of a dead colleague, Marianne Bellshade (Celia Imrie), Susan Young (Louise Jameson) and Danielle Aubry (Therese Liotard). He also had an ongoing flirtatious relationship with glamorous jewel thief Philippa Vale (Liza Goddard) who went by the nickname of the Ice Maiden.
Bergerac often displayed "insubordination" when in the Jersey police force. Due to personal differences, and increasing "independence", he becomes a private detective by the end of the series.
In keeping with his maverick and adventurous style, Bergerac drove a burgundy 1947 Triumph Roadster (a forerunner of the TR-6 and TR-7) which, with its long bonnet, was a vehicle totally unsuited to the narrow and winding Jersey roads with their speed limits as low as twenty miles per hour. Two different cars were used throughout the series. The first was notoriously unreliable and John Nettles generally had to endure the fact that it would not always stop when it was supposed to. The car's engine was also horribly noisy and a separate soundtrack was utilised to enhance the supposed coolness of the vehicle. Fortunately the replacement was much more mechanically sound.
Location
The series played heavily on its Jersey location, and its supposed 'Frenchness' even in its theme tune. The early storylines were usually in and around Jersey, with short scenes shot in England and France. In later episodes however, the action strayed further and further away from Jersey, and was increasingly based in France -- introduced in part through a French girlfriend.
As Jersey is a small island (9 miles long by 5 miles wide and covering an area of 45 square miles and nowhere lies more than 2 1/2 miles from the sea), the filming locations there can be tracked down with ease. As is standard practice in all location shot film and television drama, the locations portrayed are not intended to create an accurate travelogue of the actual island. In the fictional story on screen locations from different island locales were frequently edited together into the same sequence. John Nettles, in his book Bergerac's Jersey, states that the local Jersey "Beans" were always amused by such editing. This could be accomplised by the fact that Jersey has somewhere in the region of 350 miles of roads.
Fantasy elements
The 4th season episode What Dreams May Come? was the start of an annual tradition of episodes with stories that bordered on the fantasy, with supernatural elements and a surreal atmosphere. Later episodes with fantasy elements included the bizarre poisoning of freemasons, the very strange A Man of Sorrows, the densely plotted The Other Woman, The Dig involving an apparent Viking's curse (apparently inspired by Hammer Horror movies), and Warriors about a group who believed in the existence of Atlantis.
DVD release
Bergerac is being made available on DVD (Region 2, UK) by 2 Entertain/Cinema Club. The first series was released on 8th May 2006, including audio commentaries on three episodes. For contractual reasons, the episodes released on DVD are slightly edited.
See also
External links
- The BERGERAC fan page.
- Action TV
- Jim Bergerac continues to exist in character at http://www.bergerac-lives.co.uk
- Bergerac on the BBC