"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)
Terence Alexander	...	Charlie Hungerford (85 episodes, 1981-1991)
Sean Arnold	...	Chief Insp. Barney Crozier / ... (73 episodes, 1981-1990)
Mela White	...	Diamante Lil (35 episodes, 1981-1987)
David Kershaw	...	DC Ben Lomas / ... (35 episodes, 1988-1991)

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:

Det. Insp. Barney Crozier: He can't spell commitment.
Charlotte: That's my fault.I thought he'd got it wrong.

Movie Connections:

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

The watchability of this show

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.