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Any business case to reboot 1980s Jersey-based detective hit Bergerac will have to demonstrate "value for money", the Economic Development Minister has said.
Jersey's government, ministers and tourism officials were due to discuss a possible revival of the show this week - and rumours have put David Tennant, Aidan Turner and James Norton in the picture to take over John Nettles' title role.
Deputy Kirsten Morel said talks had so far focused on the value of showcasing the island.
A reboot of the show was first announced in 2019, with Jersey-based Westward Studios leading the project.
Though the plans were slowed down by the covid-19 pandemic, plans to revive the show were back in the spotlight in recent weeks after Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham told the States Assembly a meeting would discuss a £1.8 million investment into the show.
After talks this week, Deputy Morel said: “The Council of Ministers discussed the potential benefits of showcasing the island through the Bergerac project. Officers will be working with Visit Jersey to explore the proposal in more detail and consider options for funding.
“I have asked officers to ensure that any business case demonstrates clear value for money.”
Pictured: An advert featuring John Nettles as Bergerac. Visit Jersey will be involved in discussions to potentially bring back the show
The talks come after Visit Jersey have ramped up efforts to use "set-jetting" - attracting visitors to the sets of films and TV shows - with ads in cinemas, an episode of The Apprentice, and a docuseries all showcasing the island.
Produced by the BBC in association with the Australian Seven Network, Bergerac originally ran from 18 October 1981 to 26 December 1991.
Created by Robert Banks Stewart, the series starred John Nettles, OBE, and centred around the titular detective, Jim Bergerac, who starts out as detective sergeant in Le Bureau des Étrangers, a fictional department in the States of Jersey Police dealing with non-Jersey residents, and later becomes a private investigator.
Episodes followed Bergerac as he tackled cases ranging from catching jewel thieves to thwarting smugglers and even solving murders.
At the height of its popularity, it attracted an audience of nearly 15 million viewers.
After the show was featured in an episode of Black Mirror last year, several news sites, such as Entertainment Weekly, had to explain to their readers that Bergerac was, indeed, a real show.
The news site summarised it as being about "a policeman and recovering alcoholic who lives on the photogenic island of Jersey, a self-governing British dependent situated off the coast of France."
Filming locations such as Jim Bergerac's flat or the Old Court House pub (featured as "The Royal Barge" in the show), both in St Aubin, can still be found in the island today.
Pictured - top: Bergerac featured locations from around the island. (Visit Jersey)
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