Damien Molony now takes the reins as Jim Bergerac in the modern reimagining of Bergerac, with Jersey doing as much of the storytelling as the new lead. The 1980s original starred John Nettles, but this version is built around Molony and an island setting that the creative team treats as part of the drama, not just its backdrop.
Jersey and Bergerac
Toby Whithouse said, “Jersey and Bergerac are utterly indivisible, so if you were setting it anywhere else it would have to be a different show,” and he also described it as “a fascinating, strange, incredibly beautiful and very welcoming island.” That is the key commercial logic behind the reimagining: the setting is not decorative, it is central to the identity of the series and to how Viewers of the will read the new version.
Colm McCarthy pushed the same line from the production side, saying, “Jersey, both as a location and a character in the story, are a big part of what gives Bergerac its distinctive feel,” and adding, “Taking that story away from there would make it a different show. It’s what I see when I watch the show and when I read the scripts.” For a series that is being sold as a modern reimagining, that makes the island part of the package alongside Molony.
Bouley Bay to Royal Square
Bouley Bay was used for a sunrise shoot, while St Ouen's Bay appears in episode one when Jim decides to give up alcohol and refocus on work again. St Ouen's Bay is a 9km beach on the west coast of Jersey, so the show is not hiding its island setting in the margins; it is placing it in the frame from the start.
Brian Constantine said key locations included St Brelade's Bay Hotel and St Brelade's parish church, St Ouen's Methodist Church, Archirondel beach and the Driftwood Cafe and Royal Square in St Helier. Radio Times shared that the grounds of Victoria College were used, and that La Pulente restaurant doubled for The Jersey Club. Those named places give the production a spread across Jersey rather than a single postcard view.
1980s Bergerac legacy
Jersey sits 14 miles off the coast of France in the English Channel, which helps explain why the setting carries its own rules and feel. Whithouse said, “Jersey has its own customs, its own laws and rules. It has a unique history as well, so we had to be mindful of all those things, as we wanted to utilise and ultimately influence the story we were telling.”
The official synopsis says Bergerac becomes entangled in a knotty whodunnit that will keep the audience guessing across the first series. That leaves the cleanest read on this relaunch: Molony is not replacing Nettles in a simple remake, but fronting a version that depends on Jersey’s geography, customs and identity to justify its own existence.
