Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BERGER BACK
Famous TV sleuth poised to return
CLASSIC detective drama Bergerac is set to make a TV comeback nearly three decades after it ended.
Paramount Network has a show in development and scriptwriters have been to Jersey, where it was set, to scope out locations.
The BBC show ran for nine series from 1981 until 1991 and starred John Nettles as heart-throb detective sergeant Jim Bergerac, later a private investigator. Deborah Grant played his ex-wife.
In one of the memorable final episodes Jim protects an ex-hitman played by Christian Burgess,
Artists Studio’ s executive producer Gub Neal said the remake will be updated for today and deal with “stories of the week”.
J ill Off man, executive vice president at Paramount Network, added: “Our hope is that we will be able to commission a full series.”
It would be screened round the world on several digital channels.
In 2013, it was revealed that the independent Artists Studio was developing a new series, which was never aired.
Last September Nettles, now 75, vowed never to play the role again, despite offers.
He said: “Every five years I get a call...there was talk of the daughter of Bergerac, then son of Bergerac.”
He described the opening sequence of one planned episode as “ludicrous”.
87 Bergerac episodes in total including the Christmas specials 15m viewers watched the first episode on Sunday, October 18, 1981