THE cast and crew of the Damian Molony-led Bergerac reboot descended upon Jersey this week to film the show’s third series, which will feature a mysterious “Devil’s Hole” cold case murder.
Broadcaster UKTV previously confirmed that the Irish actor will be continuing his portrayal of Jim Bergerac for series three, while Zoë Wanamaker and Robert Gilbert are set to return in their respective roles as Charlie Hungerford and Barney Crozier.
The second series has been watched by an average of 1.3m viewers across the entirety of its six-episode run since launching in April this year.
The team responsible for the contemporary reimagining of Bergerac returned to the Island last Sunday to continue filming series three, having shot a considerable portion of the programme earlier this summer in Devon.
On Tuesday, the tunnel in St Helier was shut for an hour from 7pm – with eagle-eyed Islanders also spotting the cast and crew filming in the marina, the ferry port, the Airport and around the Hospital.
Paul Wilmhurst, who has joined the crew for series three as director, told the JEP that the crew have had a “lot to pack in”, with the filming schedule set to wrap up this weekend.
“It’s been lovely,” he said. “It’s been great to be on the Island.
“Some of the material for Bergerac is shot in Devon, so we’ve been doing interiors and some exteriors there, and then leaving the scenes that catch the essence of the Island here.
“The weather is good, which is a relief because it is quite late in the season, and it has been lovely to be in Jersey shooting Bergerac.”
While the director was understandably tight-lipped about the exact plot details for series three, he did make reference to the “main storyline” revolving around a previously unsolved murder at Devil’s Hole, on the north-west coast of the Island.
“It is kind of a famous murder that happened in the late 90s that was very troubling to people on the Island, and now new evidence has come along,” he teased.
“So it’s about secrets, and buried secrets. People with quiet lives that they want to protect, who may have done something terrible when they were much younger.”
Mr Helmhurst said that the crew have endeavored to “catch as much of the Island we can each day” to help tell the story, but he added that this series will also include some of the “secret corners” of the Island not featured in the first two series.
“Sometimes you want to go the very familiar places – the landmarks and the most beautiful and recognisable things – but some of the locations are sort of backstage Jersey,” he said.
Included among the two “compressed” crews which were filming across the Island throughout the week were a group of young Islanders who have gained positions as paid trainees on the production team.
Islander Fin Lumsden, who was initially on the props team for series two, said he was invited back to work on the third series as a member of the crew.
During five weeks spent filming in Devon, he said that he was often called on by senior crew members to help make sure everything appeared as Jersey-like as possible.
“Anything coastal, it is like, does that look like Jersey, Fin?”, he laughed. “Obviously shots are approved by the directors of photography, but they like a little bit of Island knowledge to make sure they are getting it right.”
“I was definitely fortunate as someone from Jersey to get this,” he added. “Hopefully, when we are back next year, people can apply and get the opportunity that I did.”
