1980s TV Shows: A Trip Down Memory Lane with… John Nettles (Jim Bergerac in “Bergerac”)

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

“Bergerac” was a British crime television series. It ran from October 1981 to December 1991. It was set on the beautiful island of Jersey. John Nettles starred as Jim Bergerac, a detective sergeant who became a private investigator, who was going through a bad divorce and had a drinking problem. He drove around the island in a 1947 Triumph Roadster which became a prominent feature in the series.

KB: “Bergerac”: How did you learn they were going to do a crime show on Jersey?

I was sitting in a pleasant Italian restaurant with my wife and daughter in London. It was lunchtime. Just before the arrival of the pasta, a phone call came through to the restaurant. No mobiles in those long-gone days. The call was from Robert Banks Stewart, the producer of the upcoming series, telling me that I could have the part of a Jersey based detective if I wanted it. There was no ‘if’ about it! Renouncing all thought of doing more Shakespeare on the stage, I immediately accepted the offer of television glory, returned to my seat to rejoice with my nearest and dearest and to celebrate with a glass of champagne.

KB: How did you get the part as Jim Bergerac?

I was one of a group of around half a dozen actors who were being thought of to play leading man in one or other of the many crime series that were the staple of BBC and ITV drama during the late seventies/early eighties: Nicky Ball, David Yip, Mike Atwell to name a few. Robert Banks Stewart, the ebullient and very Scottish producer of the show, had seen me onstage at the Old Vic Theatre in London and also playing a detective in “Enemy at the Door”, a drama set on the Channel Islands during the German Occupation. The producer of that show, Jonathan Alwyn, became the producer of “Bergerac” when Robert left. He was very good too. Robert, or The Laird as we called him, was very good to me and nursed me through the first rather difficult episodes and set me on the road to a long stint in the role.

KB: What did you like about the character and how did you make it your own?

I liked the ordinariness of his character. I recognized the faults in his make-up which led to his divorce and his drinking problem. Empathized with his feelings for his young daughter. I had a much loved daughter of my own at the time and was going through a rather painful divorce. Just like Jim Bergerac.

KB: What was it like living on the island of Jersey while doing “Bergerac” and did you move back to the mainland when the show was finished?

Living on the island was just terrific and a definite improvement on North London. In the 80’s Jersey was a major holiday destination for the Brits with its beautiful beaches, warm seas, exceptionally good restaurants, live entertainment and long hot summers. Doing the “Bergerac” series was not so much doing a job of work as so much as sitting down in front of a ton of chocolate and slowly munching through it. Naturally I ‘went native’ and lived permanently on the Blessed Isle for 12 years. Alas! At the end of shooting “Bergerac”, I had to leave the archipelago. Just could not be sure enough of earning sufficient money to support a continuing residency in Jersey much as I would have liked it. Left in 1992 and returned to the RSC in Stratford. Second best place to be!

KB: You drove in a 1947 Triumph Roadster in “Bergerac”: Who came up with this idea as the car became a prominent feature in the series?

Each telly cop had to have a car. Morse had his Jaguar (I am told that the production crew hated it!), David Yip had a Morris Minor in “The Chinese Detective”, Jack Regan had a Ford Consul GT. And more recently Vera has her splendid Land Rover Defender. “Bergerac” was no exception – no cliche left unturned. Robert liked the Triumph for its looks – it looks great on camera- but it scarcely worked on the road. It was slow and cumbersome useless for navigating the exceedingly narrow Jersey lanes and kept breaking down. I was less than enamored.

KB: What did it look like on the set from getting the script to filming?

The filming process is comprised mostly of long periods of boredom interspersed with minutes of intense activity. And it was no different with “Bergerac”. The shoot for an individual episode would last for 14 days if I remember correctly. Good thing about it was meeting and working with so many rather good actors like Celia Imrie, Lisa Goddard, Norman Wisdom, Louise Jamieson and so many more over the 90 episodes that were made. All of whom banished the boredom bit and made working on the show a distinct pleasure.

KB: Do you have a favorite episode?

Favorite was a Christmas Special: “Fires in the Fall”. A spooky ghost story which had a wonderful cast including Barrie Ingham, fresh from LA, the beauteous Amanda Redman and Margaretta Scott. All of whom contrived to pull off the wonderful feat of making a ghost story believable. Liked that one a lot.

KB: Looking back now would you have played Jim Bergerac differently?

I would certainly have played Bergerac differently. For a start, he would have had a proper Jersey accent which would have made him more like a Jersey bean than a refugee from a British cop series who had landed on Jersey by accident. That would have given the entire series a more authentic Jersey character.

KB: ”You wrote two books while shooting “Bergerac”: what they are about?

Wrote a kind of travelogue book about Jersey – dividing it up into its separate parishes with an account of each – its history and its geography. There were lots of fascinating features of Island life and history to be talked about: the two great castles Gorey and Elizabeth plus the extraordinary Fort Regent overlooking St. Helier. And then of course there is St. Brelade Church, built on the oldest religious site on the island. In the graveyard, just behind the Fisherman’s Chapel, is the grave of Lucie Schwob and Suzanne Schwob who were active in the Occupation years 1940-45. They were sentenced to be hanged by the Germans but were spared this death after the intervention of the Bailiff Alexander Coutanche. The whole history of the Occupation is contained in “Jewels and Jackboots”, a book I wrote in 2014 with the help of the local historians who held my hand through the whole process.

Also penned a volume which looked at the various personalities who had figured in the island history for whatever reason – from the Carteret who had provided refuge to the future King Charles 11 to Lillie Langtry, the Jersey beauty and actress, who actually appeared at the Jersey Opera House in St Helier – a theatre which still stands and is still active.
There was a third book which was an opportunistic autobiography buffo entitled “Nudity in a Public Place” which now, from this distance, looks a tad juvenile and very much of its time and not of now.

KB: They made a remake of the show last year and I read you met with Damien Molony? What tips or advice did you give him?

Damien needs no advice from me. He is definitely his own man. In the background there are a few homage shots to the old “Bergerac” series and the old Triumph Roadster makes an appearance – old, up on bricks, in a garage, but the new “Bergerac” character is entirely Damien’s creation and very impressive too. Most importantly the audience ‘like him’, as Terence Wogan remarked “being liked is what really matters”. I hope he goes on doing “Bergerac” for many long years to come. Jim Bergerac was very good to me. I hope he will be the same for Damien.

KB: Why do you think “Bergerac” is still so beloved even after 40+ years?

Always thought that there were two major characters in “Bergerac” – one was, of course, Jim Bergerac and the other was the island of Jersey itself, most beautiful of the archipelago (but don’t tell that to the good Guernsey folks!). The island has some of the most lovely locations in the world. Remember Alan Whicker, a Jersey resident himself, describing St. Brelade Bay as the most beautiful in the world. He could very well be right. Jonathan Alwynn, our producer friend, described Bergerac as “a man in a landscape”. We managed to get the man almost right but the landscape was perfection – then as now. And audiences still find it beautiful, eye-candy of high quality. Still like to look at this rather odd fellow driving an entirely unsuitable motor along the lanes and by the sea in a magical island setting. What is not to like here?

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