New series to pay homage to original, star says

One of the red Triumph Roadsters used in the original series as Jim Bergerac's car features in the new series

The star of a re-imagined version of Jersey-based TV show Bergerac said the new series would "pay homage to the original".

Set to premiere on Thursday 27 February, the new series stars Damien Molony as title character Jim Bergerac alongside Zoë Wanamaker and Philip Glenister.

The rights to the first season have been sold to nine countries ahead of its UK premiere.

Molony said when his friends and family found out about his starring role, they wanted "to know about the car" - the red Triumph Roadster.

He said: "One big difference about this new version of Bergerac is that we have one big case that Jim investigates across all six episodes, instead of it being a case a week like the original.

"It's great that we get to follow this huge journey, not only Jim's emotional rollercoaster, but also this gripping, edge of your seat, criminal investigation."

John Nettles - the original Jim Bergerac - said he was offered a cameo role but turned it down.

The original BBC series, created by Robert Banks Stewart, ran for nine series between 1981 and 1991.

Damien Molony alongside co-star Celine Arden

Scenes for the season were shot in Jersey, showcasing some of its coastal locations.

Molony said the locations created "natural tension by being surrounded by the sea".

He said: "There are huge, vast, windswept beaches that, on a rainy day, look dark, brooding, foreboding and dangerous.

"Within a 20-minute drive, you can be in the city or an immense countryside full of natural beauty. It's incredible."

Scenes for the season were shot in Jersey, showcasing coastal locations including St Ouen

Molony said he particularly enjoyed filming at the beaches in the west of the island.

He said: "I loved filming in the gorgeous St Brelade's Bay, where we lucked out with some lovely August weather and we could swim at lunchtime and have ice cream.

"We had another great day on Gorey pier, and in the Driftwood Café on Archirondel Beach, I loved that place."

The government, which committed £1.2m to the reboot, said it hoped the series would boost tourism in the island.

Molony added: "I think fans of the original series will love seeing Jersey back on their screens."

Zoë Wanamaker said the new series was "an emotional, challenging ride"

Zoë Wanamaker, who plays Charlie Hungerford, said she could "see why people love it in Jersey".

She said: "The buildings are gorgeous, and I found out that a lot of them were constructed in the same way as Devon was built on hills in the 1800s.

"I also got to visit St Brelade's Bay Hotel, which is right next to another stunning beach - it was a busy summer's day when we were there, and I loved seeing so many families spending time in the sun."

Wanamaker said she had "many friends" who had featured in the original and that the new series was "an emotional, challenging ride".

Bergerac is set to premiere on Thursday 27 February

Writer Toby Whithouse said Jersey and Bergerac were "utterly indivisible".

"If you were setting it anywhere else it would have to be a different show. What is interesting about it is that it's a fascinating, strange, incredibly beautiful and very welcoming island," he said.

Whithouse said he hoped fans would enjoy the remake.

He said: "We've taken the fundamental elements from the original show - the rich John Nettles version of the character had a complexity and a darkness to him.

"He was always in the tradition of the maverick cop who found himself at odds with the system around him and found that frustrating, because underneath there was a pure drive to do his job and do it well."

'Distinctive feel'

Executive producer Clare Alan said in August that Jersey was "a character within the series".

Director Colm McCarthy said keeping the show based in Jersey made sense: "Jersey, both as a location and a character in the story are a big part of what gives Bergerac its distinctive feel.

"It's very near to France, so it has this different feel to anywhere else in the UK, it's got a luxurious quality to it.

"But also, people come with their own baggage about the ideas of Jersey... all of those different facets give it a place, a feeling that is familiar because it's still British to a British television audience."

Bergerac is available on U and U&DRAMA from 27 February.