Bergerac was 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, part of the States of Jersey Police. John Nettles is a British actor. ... The States of Jersey Police is the professional police service of Jersey. ...

The series lasted from 1981 to 1991 and was perhaps inspired by the Thatcherite feeling of that time. The crimes to be solved invariably involved rich people being murdered, blackmailed, or thieved from, and rarely portrayed ordinary people. More exotic storylines included the tracking down of a Nazi war criminal. The 4th season episode "What Dreams May Come?" was the start of an annual tradition of borderline telefantasy/supernatural/surreal episodes. These other episodes included Poison which invloved 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 (and obviously inspired by Hammer Horror movies) and "Warriors" about a group who belived in the existence of Atlantis. The best of these and probably the best episode of Bergerac is the first Christmas Special "Fires in the Falls". The scenes of a seemingly supernatural Monk running around jersey bumping off varoius charecters lived on in the memory after transmission. Sadly the specials have not been shown on TV since 1997. Jump to: navigation, search 1981 (MCMLXXXI)is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Right Honourable Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925) is a British politician and the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, a position she held from 1979 to 1990. ...

 characters 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). 

The show is still regularly repeated on channels such as UKTV Gold and BBC ONE. Terence Alexander (born 11 March 1923 in London) is a British actor. ... The Forsyte Saga is the collective title of a series of novels by John Galsworthy. ... Deborah Grant is an English actress (born February 22, 1947). ... UKTV Gold, known as UK Gold until March 8, 2004, is a British television channel, originally launched on November 1, 1992 (coincidentally, the day before Channel 4s 10th birthday) as a joint venture between Thames Television and the BBC to show their classic archive programming (see: rerun). ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest television station in the world. ...

Lead Character

Jim Bergerac was a complex character. He was a somewhat unorthodox cop, before this type of charecter bebecame a TV stereotype. His past was interesting, he was a recovering alcoholic, not unconnected to having gone through an unpleasant divorce. This was often referenced in subplots. His shady ex-father-in-law Charlie Hungerford Jim had a good relationship and in one of the more unbelivable aspects to the series, Charlie was somehow involved in all but of the 91 cases Bergerac was invloved in. Bergerac's relationships with women were often dealt with, and this was not a strength of the show. Bergerac's girlfriends were, in order: Francine Leland (Cecile Paoli), Marianne Bellshade (Celia Imrie), Susan Young (Louise Jameson) and Danielle Aubry (Therese Liotard). He also had an ongoing teasing relationship with glamorous jewel thief Philippa Vale (Liza Goddard). Celie Imrie (born 15 July 1952 in Guildford England) is a British actress. ... Louise Jameson (born 20 April 1951) is a British actress, most famous for playing Leela, the leather-clad barbarian warrior companion of the mysterious Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Therese Liotard is a French actress best known for her role in the film My Fathers Glory (La Gloire de mon pere). ... Liza Goddard (born 20 January 1950) is a television and stage actress best known for her work in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

As is par for the course, 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.

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, the locations there can be tracked down with ease. However, they were often "glued together" in a haphazard fashion, meaning that sometimes a car would turn a corner and end up at the other end of the island.

External links

• Action TV