Bergerac

Bergerac ran from 1981 to 1991 and was created by producer Robert Banks Stewart, after another of his popular detective series Shoestring, starring Trevor Eve, came to an abrupt end.

The BBC wanted a series to replace the popular Shoestring and Bergerac was thus created.

The blend of holiday locations, the island's tax exile millionaire populace and, of course, some unsavoury criminals, proved a massive hit with viewers.

Like Shoestring, the series begins with a man returning to work after a particularly bad period in his life: Eddie Shoestring from a nervous breakdown; Jim Bergerac from alcoholism and a broken leg.

As well as the fantasy elements which were incorporated into the series, a number of episodes ended with unpleasant twists, as in Offshore Trades and A Hole In The Bucket.

The show also dealt with sometimes controversial topics - for example, in one, an old man is unmasked as a Nazi war criminal, and his age raises various moral dilemmas.

A rather implausible element of the series is that Bergerac and his colleagues, who work in a department dedicated to dealing with non-residents, often get involved in cases where there is nothing to suggest that non-residents are involved, only discovering this later.

Bergerac often displayed "insubordination" when in the Jersey police force.

Due to personal differences, and increasing "independence", he becomes a private detective by the end of the series, especially following the murder of ex-girlfriend Susan Young at the start of series 8.

In keeping with his maverick and adventurous style, he regularly drove a burgundy 1947 Triumph Roadster which, with its long bonnet, was a vehicle totally unsuited to the narrow and winding Jersey roads with their speed limits of no more than 40 miles per hour.

Two different cars were used throughout the series. The first was notoriously unreliable and John Nettles generally had to endure the fact that it would not always stop when it was supposed to.

The car's engine was also horribly noisy and a separate soundtrack was utilised to enhance the supposed coolness of the vehicle. Fortunately the replacement was much more mechanically sound.

Bergerac Episodelist

Season 1

1. Picking it Up
2. Nice People Die in Bed
3. Unlucky Dip
4. Campaign For Silence
5. See You in Moscow
6. Portrait of Yesterday
7. Last Chance For a Loser
8. Late For a Funeral
9. Relative Values
10. The Hood and the Harlequin

Season 2

1. A Message For the Rich
2. Always Leave Them Laughing
3. Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie
4. Prime Target
5. Almost Like a Holiday
6. Fall of a Birdman
7. Miracle Every Week
8. A Perfect Recapture
9. The Moonlight Girls

Season 3

1. Ninety Per Cent Proof
2. A Hole in the Bucket
3. Holiday Snaps
4. Ice Maiden
5. Come Out Fighting
6. A Touch of Eastern Promise
7. A Cry in the Night
8. The Company You Keep
9. Tug of War
10. House Guests

Season 4

1. The Last Interview
2. Offshore Trades
3. What Dreams May Come True
4. Low Profile
5. Return of the Ice Maiden
6. Chrissie
7. The Tennis Racket
8. Sins of the Fathers
9. Avenge, O Lord

Season 5

1. The Memory Man
2. Winner Takes All
3. Root and Branch
4. Desirable Little Residence
5. The Deadly Virus
6. S.P.A.R.T.A.
7. Thanks for Everything
8. Poison

Season 6

1. Whatever Lola Wants
2. Crossed Swords
3. A Horse of a Different Colour
4. Burnt
5. The Sin of Forgiveness
6. A Man of Sorrows
7. Private Fight

Season 7

1. Sea Changes
2. Natural Enemies
3. Tangos in the Night
4. The Other Woman
5. Weekend Off
6. When Did You Last See Your Father?
7. Old Acquaintance
8. Trenchard's Last Case

Season 8

1. A True Detective
2. My Name is Bergerac
3. The Dig
4. Roots of Evil
5. Entende Cordiale
6. In Love and War
7. Under Wraps
8. All the Sad Songs
9. The Messenger Boy
10. Diplomatic Incident

Season 9

1. Something to Hide
2. The Dark Horse
3. Snow in Provence
4. The Evil That Men Do
5. My Friend Charlie
6. On the Rocks
7. The Waiting Game
8. Warriors
9. The Assassin
10. The Lohans