Bergerac: How has the island of Jersey changed from the 1980s?

BBC News

16-03-2025

He was the maverick detective solving crimes across a nine miles by five island in his burgundy Triumph Roadster.And now the Bergerac reboot is beaming show-stealing Jersey into viewers' homes once more.But how has the island changed since more than 15 million people tuned into BBC One to watch the first episode in October 1981?For Jersey politician Constable Kevin Lewis, who worked on the original show for 10 years, it has changed "quite a bit", with some parts "beyond recognition".
'Not what it was'
In February, the first episode of the new series was watched live on U&Drama by about 750,000 people and then available to stream.John Nettles has been replaced by Irish actor Damien Molony, while the famous Roadster has made a triumphant comeback.But Mr Lewis, who worked as a location manager, said many of the places used on the original show were "long gone", including the house used for Jim Bergerac's father-in-law, Charlie Hungerford.He said areas like Jersey's Waterfront near the town centre had been 'completely built up' and the island's tourism industry is not what it used to be in its glamorous heyday.'I do miss the old days when we were literally humming with tourists and there were so many tourist-related businesses here," he said.'A lot of the hotels have been pulled down and turned into accommodation, which is quite sad, but it's the way of the world.'
Mr Lewis said the success of the original Bergerac series did wonders for Jersey's tourism industry, including its global reach.He explained that one of his responsibilities while working on the series was to look after visiting media - including one young journalist from Sweden, who he has been married to for 30 years.He said the new series could have a similar effect on tourism but more of the show should have been filmed on the island.'If there's a second series, I would like to see the whole series filmed in Jersey,' he said.
Speaking of a tonal difference between the more lighthearted original Bergerac and the Scandi-noir mood of the reboot, Mr Lewis acknolwedged that things were 'a little darker' for people now.He said politicians in Jersey were doing their best to keep people happy and, largely, life in Jersey was 'not too bad'.Although many were struggling with the cost of living, 'we've got beautiful beaches and we've got plenty to do', he added.
Now a Catholic deacon, Brendan Flaxman was a States of Jersey Police officer when the original series of Bergerac was filmed.Mr Flaxman joined the force in 1979, just before filming started, and was an extra in three of the show's episodes.He said it was easier for the producers to use real Jersey police officers because they already had the uniforms and cars.The original series captured a lot of Jersey's differences, he said, adding he did not think that was possible now because the island was more like the rest of the British Isles.
'Nightlife doesn't exist'
'We've got the coastlines and the rest of it, but in business life and everyday life it's pretty similar to any other place that you'd find in England,' Mr Flaxman said.Jersey was far more relaxed in the 1980s, he said, with a slower pace of life and more distinct tourism and hospitality industries.'Night life has changed drastically, I think it doesn't really exist,' he said.Alcohol law changes plea to save Jersey nightlifeUltimately, Mr Flaxman said Jersey was still a fantastic place to live, even though it comes with a high cost of living and housing.'It's a safe and secure place to live and everything's very close,' he added.
John Taylor, chairman of Jersey Pearl, opened pearl and gold showrooms in 1985 and 1986, and was offered the opportunity to buy and display the "Bergerac car" in 1987.His daughter Julia Williams, product director at Jersey Pearl, was a child at the time and remembers coachloads of people coming to the showroom to take pictures with "cardboard Jim" and sit in the 1947 Triumph Roadster.Mr Taylor said running a business in Jersey had changed drastically from the 1980s.'Really it's got an awful lot tougher… basically there were a million customers coming to to Jersey in 1985, now there's 200,000 - it's a very different market.'However, he said people have a 'terrible tendency' to say that life was better in the 80's. He said life everywhere, not just in Jersey, had changed and the island was still great.Ms Williams added that, despite challenges, Jersey was still a 'fabulous' place to be and to visit.'We're here because we love it, this is a great industry to be in… everybody is inherently proud of Jersey,' she said.