TV series yet to bring direct income to Jersey government

A Freedom of Information request revealed the States of Jersey has not received any direct funding from the first series of Bergerac

Jersey's government has not received any direct revenue from the TV show Bergerac, a Freedom of Information request (FOI) has revealed.

The FOI request said the government made a grant of more than £700,000 to fund the latest TV series and asked if the government had received any direct income from the series.

In its response the Government of Jersey did not dispute or confirm the figure and said as of 13 August, it had not received any direct income from series one of Bergerac, which was filmed in Jersey and aired on 27 February 2025.

Deputy Kirsten Morel, Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, previously described the funding as a "leap of faith".

The request asked: "As this has proved to be a successful TV series with rights sold around the world, how much has the Government received by way of a return on this investment."

When discussing supporting the filming financially in a States meeting last year, Morel said the government had tried to negotiate to mitigate against losing money.

He said if the series was not successful, there would be "elements of success" from the grant including setting up an apprenticeship scheme where islanders with interest in media could get involved in the filming process.

The minister said: "If it is not successful, we know that the worst thing that has happened is Jersey's government has spent money with Jersey businesses."