Saturday, 22 March 2025

The Jersey Boys

From 1981-1991, I loved watching Bergerac with John Nettles. It was set in the Channel Islands, and I dreamed of going to Jersey one day. Jim Bergerac was a smart young detective -with a failed marriage and a drink problem, and a millionaire father-in-law who was a good mate, with dodgy friends. Played by a slim John Nettles- before his waistline thickened and he moved to Midsomer!
Last month a new Bergerac launched on U channel with Damien Molony in the title role - and Charlie Hungerford is now feisty female [Zoe Wanamaker] whereas the original urbane Charlie was male [Terence Hungerford]
First time round, episodes were mostly stand alone stories - this time they take a whole series [six shows] to tell the tale. We binged watched it over two evenings!
I have to say we both enjoyed it, the fresh approach worked well, but there was enough of a nod to thirty years ago to justify it being called Bergerac. A good reboot, we thought. And he is driving the exact same classic Triumph Roadster
If you liked Nettles, I hope you will like Molony too. And I hope they make a few more series. 
They offered John Nettles a cameo role, but he turned it down, citing his age [he is 81, after all] However he has made very generous comments about the new show and Damien's performance, saying he is very happy with the new guy. There's a great interview here between the pair of them, discussing their different approaches to Bergerac[and that fantastic car] It is short, and well worth watching.
And if you have time, try the new series, still available on U. I rate it *****
[yes we did get to Jersey eventually, for a minibreak, about 20 years ago]

20 comments:

  1. I never watched the original, I don't know why, but I might give them both a go. I do like the channel islands and detective stories, so it's got a good chance of being right up my street.

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  2. I can remember the old Bergerac and we also watched the new series. I didn't think much of it, even though I really wanted to like it. There were a couple of holes in the plot that you could drive a horse and cart through and although set on a beautiful island it seemed to be mostly shot in dark, depressing spaces, just like umpteen other cop shows.

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    1. Yes, I must admit, there were fewer "scenic" shots than I had hoped for

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  3. Maybe it's just me, but I find this desire to recreate gems from the past rather depressing. We've had All Creatures Great and Small, now Bergerac on TV, and Snow White in the cinema. What's happened to originality - have the programme makers no new ideas?

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    1. Snow White seems to be getting a lot of negative reviews.

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  4. I would like to go to Jersey. I enjoyed reruns of Bergerac in my 20's. X

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  5. Thanks for sharing the video-how erudite John Nettles sounds and so kind in the way he talks to his young successor. Catriona

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    1. A masterclass in how to encourage a younger actor without being patronising!

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  6. We loved the original Bergerac, and really tried to like the new one and gave it a couple of episodes but no go. We also went to Jersey about 20 years ago and loved it, although we thought it was expensive. Has Rosie read the Lottie Brooks books by Katie Kirby, Iris loves them. Xx

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    1. I think the 6-episode storyline is possibly a bit long for people. Will ask Rose about KK

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  7. We used to watch the original Bergerac series and enjoyed it. My abiding memory of Jersey is of a huge seagull grabbing the very nice sandwich I was eating for lunch while sitting outside at a pretty waterside cafe!

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  8. I look forward to this new version, it has two of my favourite actors, Phil Glenister and Zoe Wanamaker. I imagine that Jersey has changed since I was there, around 1960 I believe. I went with a team of netball players from the firm I worked for and we played teams from other businesses. There were some young men's teams playing a football tournament, so the evening dances were good!

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    1. They are two great actors , and I have enjoyed them in other programmes

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  9. We loved the original bergerac. Haven't tried the new one yet.

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  10. Haven't watched the original or the remake. I am not into detective stories, so, I doubt if I will watch them. But, if ever I do decide to watch one, I will remember that you rated this one quite highly. :)

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