UNLESS you have been living under a rock, then you will have seen – if not heard about – the production crew that has been in and around Jersey this summer for the filming of the new Bergerac series.
Most Islanders will also have heard that their tax money is paying for the production, at least in part.
The headline figure is £1.2 million, but Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel – who oversaw the deal between the government, Visit Jersey and production company Banijay UK – said that there is much more to the story.
Far more than an investment in one production, Deputy Morel said funding Bergerac is an investment in the future of the Island.
Announced in April, the new show is offering a “contemporary twist” on the popular detective drama, which ran on the BBC between 1981 and 1991.
In June, Deputy Morel confirmed that the government would financially back the production on the condition that it delivered benefits locally.
Local filming of the six-part series, starring Irish actor Damien Molony in the role of Jim Bergerac and Zoë Wanamaker as Charlie Hungerford, got under way in August and was successfully completed earlier this month.
The Royal Square, La Pulente and Bouley Bay were among the locations used for key scenes, and Rocco Tower featured in newly-released images providing a glimpse of new episodes which will air on U and U&DRAMA (rebranded UKTV) early next year.
The funding deal, which was reached after negotiations between the three parties involved, can be broken down into several instalments paid out in 2025 and 2026.
The production company is committed to spending £650,000 while filming in Jersey this summer and the States will cover those costs following an independent audit of their accounts showing that spend in the Island.
“This covers anything from a can of Coke to a weeks’ worth of accommodation,” Deputy Morel said.
Up to £750,000 of what the States contributes can be recouped after initial worldwide distribution of the show, and 12.5% of all international profit beyond that amount.
He explained that “if this is successful, there’s a high chance Jersey could earn some money”.
He said: “We have come up with a really good deal that could benefit the Island for many years into the future.”
Deputy Morel has high hopes for tourism benefits from the show, due to its showcasing of the Island, which he said should start filtering through in the short-to-medium term.
“There is also the soft diplomacy benefit, because this should put Jersey on the map,” he said.
His comments echo those from Visit Jersey chief executive Tricia Warwick to the JEP earlier this year after an episode of the Apprentice set in the Island led to spikes in web traffic and thousands of referrals to local tourism and hospitality business.
She described the trend of “set-jetting” – where travellers flock to locations used on screen – as “one of the most powerful drivers of tourism”.
But the benefits are more than monetary, Deputy Morel said, and Banijay UK and its subsidiary BlackLight TV also agreed to train four local apprentices as part of the deal.
He said: “I would love to see this production as a catalyst in forming a new creative industry in the Island. In the scale of public finances, spending a few hundred thousand to develop career pathways for young Islanders that didn’t exist before is a worthwhile investment. One of the difficulties of being a small jurisdiction is a limited range of careers.
“We really hope to see Bergerac continue for a few more seasons, and that could be the start of redeveloping a film and TV industry in Jersey.
“We would like to use the learning from this to set up more permanent infrastructure for this industry, and perhaps create a film and TV commission, which would be responsible for seeking out this interest in the Island and supporting it from a government perspective.”
Deputy Morel admitted that there was a level of risk and referred to the controversial case of Jersey-based fantasy film The Knights of Impossingworth in 2008.
The government gave £200,000 to the project, which never made it off the cutting-room floor.
The affair prompted criticism around the management of the grant and the viability of the project in the first place.
“But what my team and Visit Jersey have done is to minimise that risk with the conditions of the deal and ensuring this production is the best it can be, with a good script, a superb cast, and a good company behind it,’ he said.
“I did have concerns about this not being the BBC, for example, but UKTV is using Bergerac as its flagship series as it rebrands to U and U&DRAMA.
“Jersey needs to understand, from an economic perspective, that if we don’t try new things, we will struggle economically in the future. We need to learn to take risks.”
