IMDb user comments for
"Bergerac" (1981)

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16 comments in total

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
The watchability of this show, 7 August 2002
Author: gharedsu from Birmingham, England

Bergerac is one of the few shows which, on many occasions, had unique plots or plots that had unique twists. It resisted the temptation to jump on any particular bandwagon. The 'hero', Bergerac, was neither hero nor the still-popular anti-hero. The writers often back-referenced with regard to the ongoing arc which took Bergerac from recovering alcoholic to lucky in love, unlucky in love, lucky in his job, unlucky in his job, and eventually back to the bottle again, without twisting him out of character to do it.

In my opinion, this show still stands the test of time and is more watchable than too many of the newer shows on TV today.

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
The series that brought the BBC into the modern era., 31 July 2000
Author: Scooby-57 from Derbyshire, United Kingdom

Before (and in some cases after) Bergerac BBC dramas were pathetically low budget and often set in over-lit and wobbly studio-sets that were a throwback to a theatre tradition that television needed to take a step, a cinematic step indeed, away from.

Bergerac was instrumental in changing that. What makes it take this leap is that every scene is outside broadcast. If the scene is in an office in a police station, then it is filmed in an office. It may seem a small thing, but compare it to other BBC dramas of the time, like Juliet Bravo, and you will see how Bergerac stands the test of time and they fail.

John Nettles is superb in the lead role, but as ever, for a series like this to work, it is the supporting actors that make the difference and these are in two categories. Firstly, the regulars who are good and fun, especially Charlie Hungerford, a more subtle and plausible Arthur Daley character, and Barney Crozier, one of the world's most grumpy men, but one who you still are able to have a little time for. Secondly, the guest actors, and these read like a checklist of British dramatic talent, either classic stars making guest appearances (Beryl Reid, Sir Norman Wisdom, Richard Griffiths) or a host of younger actors who were on the cusp of being household names (Ray Winston, Resse Dinsdale, Louise Jameson, Lisa Goddard).

A decade is a long time, but the quality of Bergerac never failed throughout its ten years (which almost mirrored Mrs Thatcher's term as PM; it makes the series interesting social history for that golden decade as well as drama). Outstanding.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
I loved this show - in the early years, 10 July 2006

Author: sith_suzie from United Kingdom

I felt, after reading the ONE other review that I had to stick up for this show.

I remember reading that this show was coming to our screens and really wanting to watch it and absolutely adored it from the first moment, the beautiful locations, the gorgeous car (Triumph Roadster) and totally fell in love with John Nettles! (I was only 13) I even begged my folks to take me to Jersey - and we found a good deal and went! I read about other reviewers commenting on the ridiculously high body count but please remember that Jim worked for the Bureau Of Strangers, and most of the fatalities were visitors, course, he also appeared to investigate a lot of local crime...

Anyway, I loved this show and happily watch it during UKTV Gold re-runs and yes, its dated, but for me it brings back the old magic. Wonderful stuff.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
great TV, 4 February 2006
Author: (richbaillie@fastmail.fm) from United Kingdom

I really love watching old episodes of this and think it's a shame that UKTV are not showing every episode. I think the first series was great and although the show lost its way a bit for the next few series, it did pick up again in the late 1980s with a few standout shows. I agree with a previous reader that the episode with the mercenary is good, as is the flashback one to WW2, and the one where he goes to London and has a great scene in St paul's cathedral with that Scottish actor who used to be in everything. Also good are the later episodes in France. Strange to see Bergerac's girlfriend from series 1 turning up nearly 20 years later with Sean Bean in Sharpe! Also the production values in the later series were so much higher. All in all great nostalgia and interesting social history of the 1980s, Jim always wakes up with Terry Wogan's breakfast show for example, possibly the only detective to do this. But the fact remains that John Nettles as Jim Bergerac was and is a surprising success story. I like it and so do millions of others but i feel that no one has really ever explained quite why.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Well-made detective series., 1 June 2001
Author: johdousha (johdousha@hotmail.com) from Kingston-upon-Thames, England

This is probably the last comment I'll write from England, as I'm flying back home to America after a year here in a couple of days. Unfortunately, that also means I'll be flying away from Bergerac on the BBC. I discovered this marvelous old detective show a short time ago, and since then I've enjoyed every episode of the programme I've seen. John Nettles is so cool and calm in the title role, and the cast of regulars is fun to watch and full of life. The plots are interesting, though not overly contrived. As much as I enjoy reading Agatha Christie books (and watching BBC adaptations of them), I sometimes find her plots a little too twisty for their own good. Bergerac's plots don't suffer this [ever-so-slight] malady. The scenery on the island of Jersey is beautiful, though I don't know whether it was filmed there or not. One might suspect (and hope!) that the crime-rate is somewhat less than represented in the show, but since watching Bergerac, I seriously want to visit the island and find out for myself. Also, if I do manage to visit Jersey sometime down the road, I have reason to believe I'll be able to pick up the BBC signal and watch re-runs of Bergerac to my heart's content! I recommend this police detective show to anyone who enjoys British television drama or detective shows. One last thing: I really love the tune they play at the end of the show. Hope I can get a recording of that sometime!

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
not just for wet afternoons, 20 February 2006
Author: jamescredmond from United Kingdom

I agree with other readers who felt that Bergerac outlived his shelf life, but isn't this typical of the BBC when they realise they've got a hit on their hands? instead of letting a good idea run its natural course they flog it to death, detracting from the originality, which the earlier series certainly had. for all that, Bergerac is a well-crafted piece of TV. there was only one episode which I found truly awful, centring on a faded singer with a drink problem who meets up with his old duet-partner. cue jealous husband, dreadful singing, tragic demise and weak twist to the plot.the rest were either good or outstanding. I have no problem in recommending bergerac. watch, regardlessof the weather. bergerac is available on DVD from may 06 from the bbc shop.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
more comments, 25 September 2001
Author: 808state from farnborough hants

as a long time bergerac fan i am pleased to find this site and would like to add to the previous comments.it was painfully obvious in the first series that it was shot out of season as at times the light is appalling.it was a very well written series from the creator of shoestring robert banks stewart the choice of jersey being a master stroke, it was responsible for the increase in holiday business once established .it was a bit long in the tooth and making bergerac a private detective was a bit lame.characters were good and bad charlie being longest running ,debs his wife/charlies daughter was exceptional but was not in every series.his first girlfriend francine was a bit wooden,how could a travel rep know so much.celia imrie was superb and well replaced by louise jameson who was sadly killed off at the start of a new series .to sum up , a well written adult series with picturesque locations good cast a very rare car but went on to long series wise.>

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Why Bergerac Was What it Was, 18 June 2001
Author: fussgangerzone from HEREFORDSHIRE

At 16 years old, I am probably the youngest serious Bergerac fan currently in existence. I used to watch it when I was really young, and have watched the repeats ever since. I have recently been enjoying the selected episodes being repeated on BBC 1 which ended today with the penultimate Christmas Episode and will miss watching it after coming home from a morning GCSE, especially since I break up in four days and do not have Bergerac to look forward to. I think that the series' strong points are many but there are some which really made it the great Laviathan of a programme that it was, the predominant example being its guest appearances.

Over the course of the entire saga, celebrities were made and broken, and most appeared in Bergerac. The guest stars made each and every episode immediately watchable and different from the rest, the most memorable episodes being 'Almost like a Holiday' starring the ineffable Norman Wisdom (who bumps his knee on a table within the first two minutes of the episode) and 'My Name is Sgt. Bergerac' with none other than Frank from the Vicar of Dibley, and Tony Robinson, sporting a hilarious perm and chest wig. However, on a personal level, my favourite episode was the one where Bergerac investigates a drug smuggling ring where the main villain is played by none other than Jack Galloway, father of my brother's best friend!

Watching Bergerac, it is easy to let yourself believe that it is a stereotypical police drama, but the beauty of it is, that Bergerac MADE this stereotype. The fact that one knows who the crook is almost from the start may seem to make the show pointless, yet, conversely, it does in fact raise the enjoyment as you shout 'NO, IT'S NOT HIM, IT'S THE OTHER ONE' frantically at Le Crozier.

If anyone can name a better police drama, or indeed, a better BBC drama than Bergerac, post it here and I will happily disagree.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Certainly John Nettles' finest hour, 22 May 2005
Author: matthew-58 from England

Bergerac established John Nettles as one of the most famous television actors in the 1980s, something that he has continued to this day, although more recently in the considerably more pedestrian Midsomer Murders.

Bergarac certainly benefited from some excellent input from a remarkably broad range of quality TV figures like Robert Banks Stewart, Robert Holmes, Tristan DeVere Cole, Chris Boucher, Dennis Spooner, Tony Dow, Matthew Robinson, Bob Baker and Geoffrey Sax etc, and location filming on Jersey was regarded as rather exotic at the time.

I think I ought to correct Scooby-57's comment that this show made Louise Jameson famous. She was already very famous from her regular role in Doctor Who when the show regularly attracted about 13 million viewers and also her role in Tenko.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Bergerac - the best drama series of the '80's, 21 June 2001
Author: d_fr

Bergerac seems so modern when you compare it to other cop shows of the time(e.g. Quincy, mainly because of the character's attitudes. In American cop shows, the characters are extremely moralistic to the point of being unreal, but Bergerac is a departure from that. It dispenses with the typical gun-toting American cops, being a much more psychologically-based show. It i just a shame that the series was ruined by carrying on for such a long time. John Nettles was far too old by the end, and storyline concerning Charlie Hungerford and his business dealings were getting ridiculous. The program was given a new twist in 1991, when Bergerac was made a private eye, probably because the BBC were getting scared that people would start to notice that John Nettles was too old be the Sergeant who did all the dirty work of the Jersey police, and would have had a nice desk job in reality. However, this was a feeble attempt at trying to give the series a new lease of life and the series was over within a year. All in all, though, Bergerac was a fantastic series.

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