PUBLIC funding of £1.8 million to help reboot Bergerac is to be discussed by the government this week, the Chief Minister has confirmed.
Deputy Lyndon Farnham was asked by his predecessor, Deputy Kristina Moore, about the popular 1980s TV show during question time in the States Assembly yesterday.
The Chief Minister said that he had been a long-standing supporter of Jersey having a fund to support TV or film productions, although he admitted there had been “one or two hiccups” with funding of other proposed ventures in the past.
“In relation to Bergerac there have been one or two false starts – the ask for the investment is £1.8m and there is a meeting scheduled later in the week about this,” he said. “Ultimately I will have to talk to the Council of Ministers given the priorities that we have.
“These sorts of things are investments, and they can return a significantly larger amount.”
Deputy Moore said there was already an existing “funding solution” on the table, and asked Deputy Farnham if he would be supportive of it. The Chief Minister answered that he had not yet decided.
Plans to launch a reboot of the hit TV show have been mooted for years, with the most recent reports that filming could start last summer – including a potential cameo from the original show’s star, John Nettles – proving unfounded.
Visit Jersey chief executive Tricia Warwick recently told the JEP that getting Bergerac back would be the “golden ticket”, saying that if it was successful it had the potential to run for years and “showcase Jersey for all that time”.
Ms Warwick was commenting on the boost that so-called “set-jetting” can give to tourism, following the depiction of the Island in another well-known TV programme last week.
The Apprentice episode set in Jersey – which aired on Thursday and saw contestants battle it out in a discount-buying task – was watched by millions of UK viewers and saw a 215% increase in visitors to Jersey.com while it was on.
