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.

I really love watching old episodes of this and think it's a shame that UKTV are not showing every episode. I think the first series was great and although the show lost its way a bit for the next few series, it did pick up again in the late 1980s with a few standout shows. I agree with a previous reader that the episode with the mercenary is good, as is the flashback one to WW2, and the one where he goes to London and has a great scene in St paul's cathedral with that Scottish actor who used to be in everything. Also good are the later episodes in France. Strange to see Bergerac's girlfriend from series 1 turning up nearly 20 years later with Sean Bean in Sharpe! Also the production values in the later series were so much higher. All in all great nostalgia and interesting social history of the 1980s, Jim always wakes up with Terry Wogan's breakfast show for example, possibly the only detective to do this. But 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 felt, after reading the ONE other review that I had to stick up for this show.

I remember reading that this show was coming to our screens and really wanting to watch it and absolutely adored it from the first moment, the beautiful locations, the gorgeous car (Triumph Roadster) and totally fell in love with John Nettles! (I was only 13) I even begged my folks to take me to Jersey - and we found a good deal and went! I read about other reviewers commenting on the ridiculously high body count but please remember that Jim worked for the Bureau Of Strangers, and most of the fatalities were visitors, course, he also appeared to investigate a lot of local crime...

Anyway, I loved this show and happily watch it during UKTV Gold re-runs and yes, its dated, but for me it brings back the old magic. Wonderful stuff.

I agree with other readers who felt that Bergerac outlived his shelf life, but isn't this typical of the BBC when they realise they've got a hit on their hands? instead of letting a good idea run its natural course they flog it to death, detracting from the originality, which the earlier series certainly had. for all that, Bergerac is a well-crafted piece of TV. there was only one episode which I found truly awful, centring on a faded singer with a drink problem who meets up with his old duet-partner. cue jealous husband, dreadful singing, tragic demise and weak twist to the plot.the rest were either good or outstanding. I have no problem in recommending bergerac. watch, regardlessof the weather. bergerac is available on DVD from may 06 from the bbc shop.

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.