Bergerac to school Germans in Occupation history

Friday 10 February 2017

He might be known for solving crimes on the shores of our little Island, but now ex-Bergerac star and Jersey’s adopted son, John Nettles, will be turning the magnifying glass on the WWII Occupation – all in the hope of educating Germans.

Now well-established as a historian as well as an actor, Mr Nettles is due to star in ‘Hitler’s England’ this Sunday on German TV network ZDF – a documentary focusing on Jersey’s years under Nazi rule.

Taking place from 1940 – 1945, it’s a period still scarred on the minds of many Islanders, but is apparently a “not so well-known tale” in Germany, according to the network's website.

“It is important to remember this chapter in the history of the Channel Islands. One can certainly say that the other British people did not understand what the islanders lived through - the people of the Channel Islands changed,” Mr Nettles commented*.

“I believe, in times of trial, man is confronted with his true character. A contemporary has said something clever about it: people who tend to do good things are often even better, the bad ones are even worse. You find out who you are. One thing is certain: the islanders found out who they were,” he added.

Pictured: John Nettles explores the Jersey coast as part of his documentary, 'Hitler's England'. (Photo: ZDF/Alex Berkel)

Mr Nettles, who has already written a book on the Occupation, said that his interest, “…was aroused because I lived in Jersey for a long time during the 80s for a BBC series in which I played Detective Sergeant Bergerac. I was already interested in the history of the Second World War. During my studies at the University of Southampton, I discussed it intensively.”

But his penchant for historical study is fairly new to his German following, who primarily know and love him as Midsommer Murders’ lead detective. Over there, the series is dubbed and known under the name of ‘Inspector Barnaby’ after the title character, with episodes drawing in hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

Nonetheless, he said that Germany, “…very willingly accepts that I’m doing something apart from playing an English DCI.”

Click here to see the documentary trailer. 

*Translated from German.