Bergerac returns to our screens this week, with Damien Molony taking on the title role over 30 years after John Nettles starred in the original BBC series. But did you know that the Midsomer Murders star turned down a cameo role in the new series?
The 81-year-old, who played Jersey-based Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac from 1981 to 1991, said he was "too old" to appear in the six-episode reboot.
© Shutterstock"I'm not going to do it because I can't do it - I'm too old and I'd just get in the way," the actor told the BBC last year.
"But I mean it was very lovely to be reminded of that and it's a brave project."
John said he was contacted by the producers, who outlined what they were doing in a letter, and said they had "a lot of talent involved in the production".
Comparing the new reboot to the original series, John said the six-parter is "darker" and "more serious". "We had great fun doing our Bergerac, but that was a different era," he told The Telegraph.
© Shutterstock"To bring the series up to date, they had to leave behind, to some extent, that idea of Jersey as an insular backwater; small, quaint, cute, all those things that made the show enjoyably lightweight and instead make it darker, more serious, which involves a much deeper look at the relationships between people," explained the actor, adding: "That has to happen because there's no point in just repeating something".
The new series, which premieres on U&Drama on Thursday 27 February, follows Bergerac, a talented detective who returns to work after the death of his wife, to solve the murder of a wealthy Jersey resident.
Unlike the original, the new reboot sees one character-led murder mystery run across all six episodes, rather than a new storyline per episode.
The full synopsis reads: "When a member of one of Jersey's wealthiest families is murdered, Chief of Police Uma Dalal wants their best detective on the case.
"Bergerac returns to work to help him become the formidable detective he once was, whilst also trying to prove to his daughter Kim and mother-in-law Charlie Hungerford that his life is back on track.
© Joss Barratt"The Wakefields, led by patriarch and businessman Arthur, are keeping their cards close to their chests, whilst a man from Bergerac’s past resurfaces to make a shocking accusation.
"Is Bergerac up to the job?"
Damien leads an all-star cast featuring Zoë Wanamaker as Charlie Hungerford, Chloé Sweetlove as Kim Bergerac, Philip Glenister as Arthur Wakefield, Pippa Haywood as Margaret Heaton and Robert Gilbert as Barney Crozier.
Bergerac premieres on U&Drama on Thursday 27th February 2025.
