What To Watch TV reviews: Bergerac, Strife season two, Jock And Me, The Piano and the return of Poker Face
Bergerac's back — but not as you know it. The Jersey-set British crime series which ran for 10 years from 1981 and starred John Nettles in the title role of Jim Bergerac is back on screens. But this time Brassic star Damien Molony is stepping in to play the troubled DCI, and things look very different indeed.
Those vintage enough to remember this popular crime drama the first time around may be disappointed to note a few key changes, chief among them the updating of the accordion theme tune — it's now a much darker, moodier affair, setting the tone for the series as a whole.
This time around Bergerac emerges as a recently bereaved father of one, on stress leave and hitting the bottle after his wife's untimely death six months earlier. But when a member of one of Jersey's wealthiest families is murdered, police call back their No.1 man, and it's up to him to piece together what happened.
But is he up to the job?
Joining Molony is a great ensemble cast, which includes the reliably great Zoe Wanamaker, who plays Jim's mother-in-law, begrudgingly helping as Bergerac battles to get his life back on track. He's struggling to contain his grief and put on a brave face for his teenage daughter — Wanamaker's on hand to set him straight.
This time around the series takes on a different format: instead of a case-of-the-week, it follows Bergerac as he investigates the wealthy woman's murder. But it's not necessarily a bad thing — there's still much to like about this darkly reimagined crime drama.
Oh, and good news: Bergerac's leather jacket and burgundy 1947 Triumph Roadster remain! A win for fans.
This is great Sunday night fare.
Asher Keddie returns as women's publishing powerhouse Evelyn Jones, a character clearly based on real-life maven Mia Freedman. This season sees our hero (is she though?) besieged on all sides as her media empire is set upon by rivals, including a new women's website launching with Eve's old colleague at the helm. Mary Coustas, Nathan Page, Dylan Alcott and Tim Minchin join the cast. One to watch.
Liz Hayes is popping up for the first time on 7NEWS Spotlight with this exclusive sit-down with Jock Zonfrillo's wife, Lauren. This is the first time Lauren has spoken publicly about the death of her high-profile husband, who was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room in May 2023. His cause of death has never been released. This is sure to be fascinating — Liz is an icon and it's great she's back on screens over at Seven.
Get the tissues ready, this one will have you welling up — in the best possible way. Amanda Keller hosts this six-part series, which gives ordinary people who love the piano the opportunity to perform publicly in places like train stations and shopping centres. The twist? Watching on are Harry Connick Jr and concert pianist Andrea Lam, who will pick out performers to join them at a special concert. This is lovely, life-affirming television.
Everyone's favourite human lie-detector is back, and no porky pie is safe! Natasha Lyonne returns as unintentional super-sleuth Charlie Cale, an ex-casino worker with an uncanny ability to sniff out an untruth. This season she's on the run, with nothing but her wits and trusty Plymouth Barracuda to keep her company. Keep an eye out for Wicked's Cynthia Erivo who pops up in episode one — she's a delight.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Sir David Beckham says being a dad is 'most important job' in his life as he celebrates Father's Day
Sir David Beckham has hailed fatherhood as the "most important job" in his life. The 50-year-old former footballer was Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and 13-year-old Harper Seven with his wife Lady Victoria Beckham, and took to social media on Father's Day (15.06.25) to vow that he will "always be [there]" for all of his children. He wrote on Instagram: "My most important and favourite job in life is being a dad... I'm so proud of all of you and like daddy ( sorry boys ) tells you every single day I will always be here for you no matter what... Mummy thank you for doing the most important part and making me a father there is no greater gift in life than making me a dad... Happy Father's Day... I love you kiddies more than you could imagine." In the comments section, Romeo responded: "Love you always" and left a string of white heart emojis. Just hours before that, former Spice Girl Victoria, 51, took to social media on her own platform to tell her 33 million followers that her husband was the "best daddy" out there. She wrote: "Happy Father's Day to the best daddy there is! You always lead with love and our four beautiful children are a reflection of that. We all love you so so much!!" The sweet posts come just days after former England captain David received a knighthood for his services to sports and charity. He said: "Growing up in East London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour. "To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career, and literally a boyhood dream come true." "I've been so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I'm grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment. "It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I'm immensely proud and it's such an emotional moment for me to share with my family."
The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
We asked Nigella Lawson where she'd eat in Sydney if she had a day to roam
You'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger international fan of Sydney's and Australia's food scenes than British cookbook and TV personality Nigella Lawson. You just need to look at her Instagram account to see her enthuse about the restaurants she has visited here over the years. It's why Vivid's creative director, Gill Minervini, invited Lawson to host three dinners as part of this year's festival. Just before the 280 guests arrived for her three-course curated dinner in the reimagined Muru Giligu Tunnel in Martin Place, Good Food snared 10 minutes of her time to talk about her favourite topic: eating. You're a big advocate of Sydney's food scene. Why? I haven't eaten in every city in the world, but the reason why I love eating in Sydney is that I think the food is extraordinarily good. There are chefs who are really inspirational for me, but it's done in an informal setting. I don't mean Sydney itself, but at restaurants. What interests me is really exquisite food but [done] in a rather relaxed, unpretentious setting so it feels very inclusive … Obviously, the variety of food in Sydney is enormous, and I think that's partly because, like all port cities, there are people from so many different cultures, and that feeds into the food culture. But there's a particular sort of attitude, an Australian attitude, which is perhaps less bound by tradition so it'll allow itself to drink in and absorb many cultures, and then somehow will spin them and merge them and come up with something that is very direct, very unpretentious, very Australian, and that's fascinating.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
We asked Nigella Lawson where she'd eat in Sydney if she had a day to roam
You'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger international fan of Sydney's and Australia's food scenes than British cookbook and TV personality Nigella Lawson. You just need to look at her Instagram account to see her enthuse about the restaurants she has visited here over the years. It's why Vivid's creative director, Gill Minervini, invited Lawson to host three dinners as part of this year's festival. Just before the 280 guests arrived for her three-course curated dinner in the reimagined Muru Giligu Tunnel in Martin Place, Good Food snared 10 minutes of her time to talk about her favourite topic: eating. You're a big advocate of Sydney's food scene. Why? I haven't eaten in every city in the world, but the reason why I love eating in Sydney is that I think the food is extraordinarily good. There are chefs who are really inspirational for me, but it's done in an informal setting. I don't mean Sydney itself, but at restaurants. What interests me is really exquisite food but [done] in a rather relaxed, unpretentious setting so it feels very inclusive … Obviously, the variety of food in Sydney is enormous, and I think that's partly because, like all port cities, there are people from so many different cultures, and that feeds into the food culture. But there's a particular sort of attitude, an Australian attitude, which is perhaps less bound by tradition so it'll allow itself to drink in and absorb many cultures, and then somehow will spin them and merge them and come up with something that is very direct, very unpretentious, very Australian, and that's fascinating.
