JERSEY’s Lido is due to have a starring role in the second series of the new Bergerac, the JEP can reveal – with the site’s operator hoping the site will be given some extra polish before it is “showcased to the world”.
Marcus Calvani, who is co-chief executive of the Jersey Hospitality Association and the director of the BeServed Group currently operating at the iconic Havre des Pas site, said he was “really pleased” that it was set to be included among the filming locations.
Commissioned by BBC-owned broadcaster UKTV, the first season of the long-anticipated Bergerac reboot – starring Irish actor Damien Molony – launched in February on U and U&DRAMA.
A second series was confirmed earlier this year and is expected to air sometime in 2026, with filming taking place across Jersey and Devon from July to October.
According to recently published minutes of a Havre des Pas Improvement Group meeting held last month, “it is likely that the Lido will be used in a big way”.
Speaking to the JEP, Mr Calvani said that there would be “two solid days of filming” at the Lido.
He noted that the Jersey Hospitality Association had been speaking to the Bergerac team about making sure the series “does what it needs to do from a set-jetting standpoint”.
This, he explained, included discussions around including more “obviously-Jersey, external wow shots”, citing Gorey and the Lido as some of the locations expected to make an appearance.
“To have the Lido playing a major role is really important for us and we are really pleased that it’s going to be [used] in that capacity,” Mr Calvani continued.
“There’s a list of things that they want to do to make the site look great and shine and we completely support them with that.”
The government committed to spending £500,000 on maintenance works at the Lido – ranging from electrical works to pool repairs and an extensive external paint job. At a Havre des Pas Improvement Group meeting in June, members discussed prioritising work on the roof, and questioned if the prospect of drone shots for Bergerac might “force the hand” of government.
Mr Calvani added: “If the Lido is going to be showcased to the world by Bergerac it needs to look its best, so we are now into the chapter of, how do we make that happen?
“There’s certain stuff that they can do, and there’s certain stuff that will need the co-operation of Government in order for it to happen.”
The JEP asked UKTV for comment but had not received a response at the time of going to print.
A “gracious sling of concrete” with claims to fame
In 2024, the Lido was included in a Times article showcasing 14 of the UK’s “best saltwater and tidal pools”.
And a year earlier, it appeared in a book titled “Sea Pools: 66 saltwater sanctuaries from around the world”, by architect Chris Romer-Lee.
That book described the pool as, among other things, “a sensuous shape, caressing the beach in a glorious and gracious sling of concrete”.
It will not be the first time the Lido will have made an appearance alongside Jersey’s most famous detective, having also featured in the original Bergerac created by Robert Banks Stewart, which starred John Nettles and ran on the BBC between 1981 and 1991.
