This is still Bergerac…

A tale about a troubled detective on the island of Jersey, with a tendency to rush in and ignore protocol, a preference for what’s right over what’s profitable and difficult relationships with in-laws and superiors. Count us in. 

…but it owes more to current TV than to the 1980s

John Nettles’ Bergerac wasn’t troubled for long. His limp healed and there were very few episodes where he was actually dealing with an addiction. Damien Molony is working through addiction and grief. He won’t be cruising through St Aubyn with Joan Armatrading or Suzanne Vega on the Roadster stereo anytime soon. These days you need a single, series-long arc to make sure that your audience binges the lot. It’s how the business case gets signed off and we get it.

…it isn’t the spiritual successor…

The spiritual successor to 1980s Bergerac is surely Death in Paradise. A location that’s a fantasy destination but also (these days) accessible. A sense of otherness and familiarity. A cosy crime that’s wrapped up within the hour.

…but it could learn from its predecessor

The more I interact with the 1980s series I realise just how important to its appeal was its use of Jersey. 1980s Bergerac was, by and large, an outdoors production and it earned the right to include the map of the island in its opening credits. The superfan Tony Shaw has produced a brilliant guide to visiting filming locations, and John Nettles wrote a guide to the island with anecdotes from filming. We are a long way away from the reboot being in that position. We were glad to see St Brelade’s, St Aubyn, Royal Square in St Helier and some of the island’s famous bays, but we’re greedy and we want more. If there’s a second series we’d love to see some shots around Fort Regent; it could do with the money.

We also miss the wider Jersey community. Terence Alexander’s Charlie Hungerford was old school and knew everyone. Zoe Wanamaker’s Charlie has an old school and a some business contacts, but that side of her life is relatively unexplored so far. We need more recurring characters, like Diamante Lil. Rachini Wilson looks like she might become a recurring character, and perhaps the journalists will appear again, but more will be needed.

Will the real Barney Crozier please come forward?

A wider role for Chief Dalal means that the relationship between Bergerac and Barney Crozier has to change. Old Barney was grumpy and petty at times but a supreme political operator and at times very supportive of Jim Bergerac. New Barney moans about not being called chief, has to be told to put his big boy pants on and tries to sabotage an investigation just to undermine Bergerac. He gets tongue-tied telling Dalal that she doesn’t need to do yoga, and on another occasion falls over, and at times we wonder if he’s too cartoonish. But Sean Arnold also got tongue-tied (eg S3 E8 The Company You Keep) and comically fell over from time to time (1987 Christmas special Treasure Hunt). To be fair, Robert Gilbert’s Crozier can handle the press and he is intelligent, brave and resourceful in the final episode. If there’s a second series, and we hope there will be, we’ll be interested to see what’s next for Barney Crozier.