"Bergerac" (1981) TV series 1981-1991

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Creator:

Robert Banks Stewart

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Release Date:

18 October 1981 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Police | Alcohol | Murder | Jersey | Detective

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Nettles	...	Det. Sgt. Jim Bergerac / ... (87 episodes, 1981-1991)
Sean Arnold	...	Chief Insp. Barney Crozier / ... (73 episodes, 1981-1990)
Terence Alexander	...	Charlie Hungerford (64 episodes, 1981-1991)
John Telfer	...	DC Willy Pettit (36 episodes, 1988-1991)
David Kershaw	...	DC Ben Lomas (36 episodes, 1988-1991)
Mela White	...	Diamante Lil (35 episodes, 1981-1987)

Runtime:

50 min (87 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (DVD) (2007)

Filming Locations:

Beach, St Brelade's Bay, Jersey, Channel Islands

Company:

7 Network

Trivia:

The car that Jim Bergerac drove was a 1947 Triumph Roadster. It was very temperamental and caused immense problems during filming when it refused to start -- or to stop if the brakes failed! The engine sounded so rough that the sound of a Jaguar was dubbed over the top. John Nettles loathed it because he kept scraping his knuckles or banging his knees on the dashboard. After filming on Bergerac had finished, by which time the car was in very poor condition due to its extensive usage, it was auctioned for £34,000 as part of the Children in Need appeal; the new owner later wrote an angry letter to John Nettles complaining about the state of the car.

Quotes:

Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac: Jersey is an island. It's nine miles by five. And if you drive *very* slowly, you can take a whole hour to go right round it. But when you get back, there's still the same old restaurants and bars, discos and boutiques. Same sad faces waiting to be faced. Jersey is some kind of prison.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Cult of...: Bergerac (#2.7)" (2008)

Well-made detective series.

This is probably the last comment I'll write from England, as I'm flying back home to America after a year here in a couple of days. Unfortunately, that also means I'll be flying away from Bergerac on the BBC. I discovered this marvelous old detective show a short time ago, and since then I've enjoyed every episode of the programme I've seen. John Nettles is so cool and calm in the title role, and the cast of regulars is fun to watch and full of life. The plots are interesting, though not overly contrived. As much as I enjoy reading Agatha Christie books (and watching BBC adaptations of them), I sometimes find her plots a little too twisty for their own good. Bergerac's plots don't suffer this [ever-so-slight] malady. The scenery on the island of Jersey is beautiful, though I don't know whether it was filmed there or not. One might suspect (and hope!) that the crime-rate is somewhat less than represented in the show, but since watching Bergerac, I seriously want to visit the island and find out for myself. Also, if I do manage to visit Jersey sometime down the road, I have reason to believe I'll be able to pick up the BBC signal and watch re-runs of Bergerac to my heart's content! I recommend this police detective show to anyone who enjoys British television drama or detective shows. One last thing: I really love the tune they play at the end of the show. Hope I can get a recording of that sometime!