Detective Jim Bergerac will be returning to Jersey…
UKTV announced today the commission of a re-imagined series of Bergerac for six hour-long episodes to air on the free streaming service UKTV Play and free-to-air channel Drama.
Filming will begin this summer, with locations including the Channel Island of Jersey. Casting to be announced in the coming months. The original BBC One programme starred John Nettles in the title role of Jim Bergerac with the show running for 87 episodes and for a decade from 1981 to 1991.
Bergerac has been commissioned by Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning for UKTV.
“We are delighted to be working with BlackLight TV and Banijay on this re-imagining of a much-loved classic British drama. There is a keen appetite for UKTV Original dramas, as seen by the stellar performance of The Marlow Murder Club, and Bergerac will help us to build off the back of such a successful start to our commissioning journey for Drama and UKTV Play.” – Hilary Rosen
The UKTV version will also be based on the original series created by Robert Banks Stewart, which starred John Nettles and ran for nine series. The modern re-imagining will honour the iconic detective drama, but with a contemporary twist, as Bergerac is thrown into a knotty, high-stakes police investigation and challenged to his very core. He will be forced to confront his demons while trying to save his family and career.
Unlike the original hit from the 80s, the new series will see one character-led murder mystery run across all six episodes, in place of a new storyline each episode.
The UKTV Original series is produced by BlackLight TV and written by Toby Whithouse alongside Brian Fillis, Catherine Tregenna and Polly Buckle.
Toby Whithouse:
It’s a rare honour to bring back a show as beloved and iconic as Bergerac. Our mission was always to respect the show’s history and legacy, while making it impactful and relevant for a modern-day audience. We’ll be bringing back other beloved supporting characters, as well as introducing new friends and foes. Just like his predecessor, our Bergerac is complex, driven, brilliant and flawed.
Bergerac is a brand-new UKTV Original commission and will stream for free on UKTV Play and air on Drama in 2025. John Nettles following his stint as Jim Bergerac went on to star in ITV’s Midsomer Murders as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby from 1997 to 2011.
