JERSEY could lose its most famous detective to the UK – or even Guernsey – if the government decides not to invest in a reboot of Bergerac, it has emerged.
Plans to revive the popular 1980s TV series have reached a critical phase for Jersey, with Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham revealing to the States Assembly last month that a possible £1.8 million investment into the show was being discussed.
The reboot project is being taken forward by Westward Studios, Banijay and its company BlackLight with Bafta-nominated writer Toby Whithouse – who has worked on major BBC programmes including Being Human and Doctor Who.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel has today confirmed that the potential investment is still being considered, to determine whether the show represents “value for money”.
He acknowledged that the producers could decide to film in locations elsewhere, such as Guernsey or Cornwall, and that part of the incentive for backing the programme would be “to have it produced in Jersey”.
The JEP understands that a seaside location in the UK would be the most likely alternative, due to the fact the country has a tax relief scheme for film and TV programmes of up to 25% of qualifying expenditure – regardless of budget.
The original Bergerac series ran from 1981 to 1991 and is widely regarded as the most famous show to feature the Island.
Created by Robert Banks Stewart, it starred John Nettles as Jim Bergerac – a detective in the fictional Le Bureau des Étrangers department in the States of Jersey Police dealing with non-Jersey residents.
Several well-known actors, including David Tennant, Aidan Turner and James Norton, are reportedly in the running for Mr Nettles’ former role.
In 2022, the Bergerac star told the JEP he would be “delighted” to appear in the new production, even going so far as to reveal a potential cameo – mentioned to him by those working on the new show – that he would “appear with a bottle” in a caravan in St Ouen.
Deputy Morel explained that, although the Council of Ministers had already indicated its support for the reboot, the government was still working with Visit Jersey on “due diligence” to ensure any investment represented “value for money”.
He continued: “I was really pleased that the Council of Ministers wanted us to carry on working to try and secure Bergerac for Jersey.”
He added that he did not know how long the process could take and that it was “yet to be decided” whether he would make the final decision as Economic Development Minister.
Commenting on whether the show could be filmed elsewhere if the deal fell through, he said: “Producers can make what they want, where they want – they may choose to make it in Guernsey, or Brittany, or Cornwall. At the end of the day it’s their project and they are asking Jersey for financial support.”
He added: “Part of the reason for doing that, from our perspective, is to have it produced in Jersey.
“Having grown up with Bergerac I would [like it filmed here] but that is on the condition that it is the right thing for us.”
He explained that the due diligence was focused on whether the show would carry a large enough “marketing element” in order to attract people to visit the Island.
“Are enough people going to see this? Will it hit the millions of people that we want it to hit? Because if not, then that needs to be taken into account.”
It is not the first time that the government has had to consider the merits of backing a production – having given £200,000 of taxpayers’ money to a company in 2011 to make a fantasy film, which ultimately never came to fruition.
However, Visit Jersey chief executive Tricia Warwick recently told the JEP that getting Bergerac back would be the “golden ticket”, noting that if it was successful it could showcase Jersey for years.
Former Chief Minister Kristina Moore said the show represented a “good opportunity” but that she had been unable to sign-off on government support before being ousted in a vote of no confidence at the start of the year.
She added that: “My understanding is the economy department has been looking at it for two years, which is ample time to do due diligence.
“The clock is ticking and if they don’t hurry up and make a decision they will miss the opportunity to have it filmed in the Island.”
