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John Nettles says he is “miffed” that the producers of the Bergerac reboot “haven’t been in touch at all”.
It was confirmed last month that UKTV had commissioned a “contemporary twist” on the original hit series by Robert Banks Stewart, which ran between 1981 and 1991.
The script has been put together by Doctor Who’s Toby Whitehouse, who said that, “just like his predecessor, our Bergerac [will be] complex, driven, brilliant and flawed”.
But while filming – some of which is due to take place in Jersey – is due to start this summer, it appears that the original Jim Bergerac will not be getting involved.
When asked if he had been approached for a cameo by the Telegraph, the now-80-year-old Nettles responded: “I’m rather miffed they haven’t been in touch at all!”
He also said he could not see “how a reboot will work”, adding that the show “belonged to Thatcherite Britain, to a time of fast money and beautiful girls”.
Pictured: John Nettles became so iconic as Jim Bergerac that he even met HM Queen Elizabeth II in Jersey on Liberation Day.
Casting is due to be confirmed in the coming months, with speculation mounting that TV stars David Tennant, Aidan Turner and James Norton had all been considered for the titular role.
But, reflecting on who could take the reins, Nettles said: “To be honest, I can’t imagine anyone playing him but me.”
It may be a view shared by local officers too – several of whom Nettles said he still knows today as many appeared in the show. On one day, perhaps too many, as Nettles recalled.
“At one point during filming someone backed a Ford Fiesta through the window of a jewellers… and the police were nowhere to be found because they were all at the airport being extras,” he said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Nettles recalled meeting the Queen and Prince Philip while filming on the island – but Jim Bergerac's iconic Triumph Roadster was not up to scratch.
“That old thing had become so battered, mushrooms had started growing inside it,” he said, adding: “When the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited us on set on Jersey, we had to cover the back seats with a blanket so the ripped leather wouldn’t show.”
Once production is complete, the new six-episode Bergerac reboot will stream for free on UKTV Play and air on Drama in 2025.
Jersey's Economic Development Minister, Kirsten Morel, previously said that the Government was considering a possible £1.8m investment into the show, with officers working with Visit Jersey to determine if it represents "value for money" for the island.
A business case has now been prepared and is under consideration.
Asked for an update on considerations in the States Assembly last month, Deputy Morel said: "It's not just a case of there is a production and it is about Bergerac, therefore it needs to be funded, but a case of: is this the right production to be shown in the right places, will it attract the right audience and audience numbers? Those are questions I am asking."
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