Bergerac

At 16 years old, I am probably the youngest serious Bergerac fan currently in existence. I used to watch it when I was really young, and have watched the repeats ever since. I have recently been enjoying the selected episodes being repeated on BBC 1 which ended today with the penultimate Christmas Episode and will miss watching it after coming home from a morning GCSE, especially since I break up in four days and do not have Bergerac to look forward to. I think that the series' strong points are many but there are some which really made it the great Laviathan of a programme that it was, the predominant example being its guest appearances.

Over the course of the entire saga, celebrities were made and broken, and most appeared in Bergerac. The guest stars made each and every episode immediately watchable and different from the rest, the most memorable episodes being 'Almost like a Holiday' starring the ineffable Norman Wisdom (who bumps his knee on a table within the first two minutes of the episode) and 'My Name is Sgt. Bergerac' with none other than Frank from the Vicar of Dibley, and Tony Robinson, sporting a hilarious perm and chest wig. However, on a personal level, my favourite episode was the one where Bergerac investigates a drug smuggling ring where the main villain is played by none other than Jack Galloway, father of my brother's best friend!

Watching Bergerac, it is easy to let yourself believe that it is a stereotypical police drama, but the beauty of it is, that Bergerac MADE this stereotype. The fact that one knows who the crook is almost from the start may seem to make the show pointless, yet, conversely, it does in fact raise the enjoyment as you shout 'NO, IT'S NOT HIM, IT'S THE OTHER ONE' frantically at Le Crozier.

If anyone can name a better police drama, or indeed, a better BBC drama than Bergerac, post it here and I will happily disagree.

Bergerac is one of the few shows which, on many occasions, had unique plots or plots that had unique twists. It resisted the temptation to jump on any particular bandwagon. The 'hero', Bergerac, was neither hero nor the still-popular anti-hero. The writers often back-referenced with regard to the ongoing arc which took Bergerac from recovering alcoholic to lucky in love, unlucky in love, lucky in his job, unlucky in his job, and eventually back to the bottle again, without twisting him out of character to do it.

In my opinion, this show still stands the test of time and is more watchable than too many of the newer shows on TV today.

Nowadays most younger television viewers would think of DCI Barnaby solving murders in the fictional yet dangerous Midsommer whenever the name John Nettles is mentioned. However his rise to fame came in the 1980's series Bergerac. Nettles played Detective Seargeant Jim Bergerac, a detective with Jersey's Bureau Des Etrangers. The background to this character was that he was a recovering alcoholic who had returned to his native Jersey following a serious accident whilst on duty and the breakdown of his marriage.

The background to Jim Bergerac was complex but was skillfully played by Nettles. His appearance was as a charismatic generally amiable character. His hardness usually came out when dealing with criminals or attempting to get information. His approach to solving crime is often unorthodox and usually against the wishes and orders of his superiors.

The most notable supporting character of the series is the cigar toting Charlie Hungerford played by Terence Alexander. The initial sniping between the two characters and the later friendship that develops between them is a nice diversion. Alexander also provided a slight comedic element to the show due to his money making schemes and other slightly shady dealings.

Bergerac was a good series for the 1980's and is still of a high quality today. It portrayed a seedy world under the glamour of tax exiles living in Jersey. It was filmed in a 50 minute format popular until 2000 which allowed it to be easily sold to commercial channels and as such it lacks a bit of substance compared to modern dramas. This does make it easy to watch as the crimes are easy to solve for the armchair detective. One thing that is grating though is the lack of conclusion to each episode or recrimination afterwards.

In general the series is still well worth watching even after nearly 30 years of debuting on television.

I have to agree with one of the reviewers here who said: "... the fact remains that John Nettles as Jim Bergerac was and is a surprising success story. I like it and so do millions of others but i feel that no one has really ever explained quite why."

I did like it - how could I not, it has John Nettles. What was interesting to me is that this series made him the European Telly Savalas, but while Bergerac is a good show with beautiful Jersery scenery and Nettles, there isn't anything about its stories or characters that screams "megahit." It's much more low-key than something like Kojack, and his character has no 'who loves ya baby' or lollipops in his mouth, he isn't hard up for cash like Rockford and living in a trailer and dealing with crazy Angel, he's not a brilliant slob like Columbo - If you're expecting some big, flamboyant show, this isn't it.

Throughout the years, the Bergerac character goes through quite a few girlfriends. In the early seasons, he never seemed to like or get along with his ex-father-in-law Charlie Hungerford, portrayed by Terence Alexander. He and his ex-wife Deborah (Deborah Grant) are civil to one another, but then in another season it looked like they might get back together. Later on she and the daughter are basically off the show and Bergerac and his father-in-law are good buddies. Characters come and go, with the regulars being Sean Arnold as Bergerac's boss, Bergerac himself, and Charlie. Later on, Louise Jameson enters as Bergerac's love interest, Susan Young.

I think the secret is Nettles - attractive, with a great voice and a wonderful presence, he was captivating as DCI Barnaby in Midsomer Murders and charming and no-nonsense as Bergerac. He radiates a sexy warmth. I don't know what I was expecting from Bergerac, but when I read it was a huge hit and starred Nettles, I had to see it. I thought to myself, why was this a huge hit? But I kept watching.

Before (and in some cases after) Bergerac BBC dramas were pathetically low budget and often set in over-lit and wobbly studio-sets that were a throwback to a theatre tradition that television needed to take a step, a cinematic step indeed, away from.

Bergerac was instrumental in changing that. What makes it take this leap is that every scene is outside broadcast. If the scene is in an office in a police station, then it is filmed in an office. It may seem a small thing, but compare it to other BBC dramas of the time, like Juliet Bravo, and you will see how Bergerac stands the test of time and they fail.

John Nettles is superb in the lead role, but as ever, for a series like this to work, it is the supporting actors that make the difference and these are in two categories. Firstly, the regulars who are good and fun, especially Charlie Hungerford, a more subtle and plausible Arthur Daley character, and Barney Crozier, one of the world's most grumpy men, but one who you still are able to have a little time for. Secondly, the guest actors, and these read like a checklist of British dramatic talent, either classic stars making guest appearances (Beryl Reid, Sir Norman Wisdom, Richard Griffiths) or a host of younger actors who were on the cusp of being household names (Ray Winston, Resse Dinsdale, Louise Jameson, Lisa Goddard).

A decade is a long time, but the quality of Bergerac never failed throughout its ten years (which almost mirrored Mrs Thatcher's term as PM; it makes the series interesting social history for that golden decade as well as drama). Outstanding.