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Once the scene of a planning dispute, and more recently the setting for a protest against privatisation of the coastline, Nude Dunes at La Pulente is taking on its latest role: as the backdrop for Bergerac filming.
Residents of St Brelade’s La Pulente area received letters this week informing them that Blacklight Limited – one of the production companies behind the revamp of classic television show Bergerac – will be filming at the vacant Nude Dunes site on Saturday 24 August and Wednesday 28 August.
The scenes, according to the letter which was shared on the St Brelade Parishioners Facebook group, will be taking place both inside and outside the former restaurant building, on the beachfront and on Route de la Pulente – with the shots involving "action vehicles" and a drone shot.
Only last month, hundreds gathered at Nude Dunes in protest after it emerged that the owners had submitted plans for self-catering accommodation and an attached café, and put the site on sale for £2.2 million.
This came after years of dispute initiated in 2014 when the Government sold the former toilet block for around £100,000 and resulted in the closure of another popular kiosk, The Hideout, formerly based at the top of the slipway.
Pictured: Deputy Monty Tadier organised the protest against the privatisation of the coastline (Dave Ferguson).
Less than six months after opening Nude Dunes, Nude Food ceased trading, meaning both of its restaurants – at La Pulente and St Aubin – were forced to close.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel had already confirmed that filming for outdoor sequences would be taking place in Jersey, while some indoor scenes would be shot in UK studio space.
Announced earlier this year, the new six-episode series – commissioned by BBC-owned broadcaster UKTV – will be directed by Peaky Blinders director Colm McCarthy and offers a contemporary twist on the the popular detective drama created by Robert Banks Stewart.
Irish actor Damien Molony, who has starred in several BBC shows, will take on the reimagined role of Jim Bergerac in the show.
Pictured: Damien Moloney, left, is the new Jim Bergerac.
Also forming part of the cast is Zoë Wanamaker (My Family and Harry Potter), who will play the role of Jim's mother-in-law Charlie Hungerford in a change from the original series, alongside Philip Glenister (Life on Mars) as Arthur Wakefield.
Jersey's government is planning to back the show with a grant on the condition that a number of benefits for the island are delivered.
Hundreds of Islanders have also stepped forward as potential extras in the show, and a casting call session took place at the Town Hall with 300 locals invited.
Filming has already begun in the UK this summer – and the production was expected to start in Jersey imminently.
Pictured: People living in the area received a letter yesterday.
The letter dropped to La Pulente residents this week notified residents that next Saturday from around 8am to 7pm, shooting will be underway in Nude Dunes and the production has applied for parking suspensions on the slipway and car park to allow technical vehicles to "service the filming".
"We do ask that where possible beachgoers limit pedestrian and vehicular use of La Pulente (slip road) for access during our shoot hours as we will be seeing out of the windows," it said, adding: "We will work with members of the public to ensure day-to-day activities are not disrupted."
The second day of filming will feature the exterior of Nude Dunes, the beachfront and the slip road.
It said: "For continuity and for safety during this, we have applied for traffic control on Route de la Pulente in the vicinity of Nude Dunes.
"There will be a drone shot of an action vehicle driving up to the restaurant."
Pictured: The letter included a map of locations where filming will occur.
It added that residents and business owners "will always have access to their properties, they may just be politely asked to wait whilst the camera is rolling for two to three minutes".
Islanders are requested to "enjoy the beach outside of our filming areas during our shooting hours".
At the bottom of the letter, it read: "We are fully aware that we as a production are guests here in Jersey and so much of what we do is only possible with the cooperation and understanding of residents. We hope that we can demonstrate that filming can be carried out in a professional and courteous manner with as little disruption to usual operations as possible during our time here."
Many iconic Jersey locations featured in the 1980s series.
The original Bureau des Étrangers was located in the States building in the Royal Square before moving to Haut de la Garenne, while Jim Bergerac's home was in Queen's Valley.
'The Royal Barge', also a common feature of the series, was located at the Old Court House in St Aubin, while Windward House on Mont Sohier – demolished in 2012 – was used for both internal and external filming.
And filming on two other occasions also strayed into Sark and Alderney.
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