The haunting melancholy of Bergerac - a study of loss through nostalgia

[monkfromhavana]

Morse was great until series 5, bit patchy afterwards. Useless with the ladies, just like Jim. Always seems to pick the accomplice as his love interest.

[BlodwynPig]

Might do Tales of the Unexpected or Beasts

[dontrunyoullfall]

Or do Bergerac again, but in reverse order. Maybe it still has more sadness to reveal.

[itsfredtitmus]

Might do Tales of the Unexpected or Beasts

Told you while back do Bread 

[daf]

As Drama were showing an episode a day, I thought I'd give this a go - one episode later (SPARTA) and I'm completely hooked!

But, for some reason, this week, Drama have jumped straight from episode 2 of of series 6 (Crossed Swords) to episode 2 of series 9 (The Dark Horse) - Jim's no longer a copper, and now has a vineyard in France (!?). As the next series 6 episode would have been 'A Horse of a Different Colour', I wonder if some sort of cock-up on the horse-related title front has occurred?

I did notice the title sequence was peppered with a bunch of new characters I didn't recognise - though I did spot old matey from 'Nuts in May' - who seems to have been born permanently middle aged - in roles decades apart, he's always locked in the 'fogey zone' (it's his baldy head that does it, I suppose).

[Norton Canes]

Just remembered, there's the rumour (started by himself) that Who producer John Nathan Turner was offered the role of producer on Bergerac, but refused it (he claims) on the grounds that the BBC wouldn't let him fire John Nettles. I presume this would have been around the time that Jonathan Alwyn made way for George Gallaccio.

I'd love to see the two episodes - The Memory Man and Sins of the Fathers - that Graeme 'Androzani' Harper directed.

[daf]

Just had a look at the Drama website, and it seems they're not just repeating the weekday episodes in a chunk on saturday mornings (as I'd assumed), but showing four different episodes - going back to where they'd left off with series 6. So Weekdays and Weekends operate in two separate Bergerac time streams.
https://drama.uktv.co.uk/shows/bergerac/episodes/

Hopefully they'll do a 'Duchess of Duke Street' and, once they finish, wheel back round to to the start and show them all over again.

[BlodwynPig]

Or do Bergerac again, but in reverse order. Maybe it still has more sadness to reveal.

Thinking of starting again as I miss those early episodes already

[BlodwynPig]

Just remembered, there's the rumour (started by himself) that Who producer John Nathan Turner was offered the role of producer on Bergerac, but refused it (he claims) on the grounds that the BBC wouldn't let him fire John Nettles. I presume this would have been around the time that Jonathan Alwyn made way for George Gallaccio.

I'd love to see the two episodes - The Memory Man and Sins of the Fathers - that Graeme 'Androzani' Harper directed.

Corkers, those two. Like Grade A BBC mystery dramas they used to do

[BlodwynPig]

As Drama were showing an episode a day, I thought I'd give this a go - one episode later (SPARTA) and I'm completely hooked!

But, for some reason, this week, Drama have jumped straight from episode 2 of of series 6 (Crossed Swords) to episode 2 of series 9 (The Dark Horse) - Jim's no longer a copper, and now has a vineyard in France (!?). As the next series 6 episode would have been 'A Horse of a Different Colour', I wonder if some sort of cock-up on the horse-related title front has occurred?

I did notice the title sequence was peppered with a bunch of new characters I didn't recognise - though I did spot old matey from 'Nuts in May' - who seems to have been born permanently middle aged - in roles decades apart, he's always locked in the 'fogey zone' (it's his baldy head that does it, I suppose).

I don't think I've seen Roger Sloman playing any other type of character. But he's brilliant as that character type. You have to wait to the final second of the entire show for a one-off departure from this.

[daf]

Thinking of starting again as I miss those early episodes already

Have you done a Lovejoy marathon?

It's a bit more overtly whimsical with added antiques, but the stories seem to occupy a similar 80/90's slightly grotty world (no internet / huge clunky mobile phones) - ah, halycon days!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lovejoy_episodes

[Norton Canes]

Corkers, those two. Like Grade A BBC mystery dramas they used to do

Damn, I've just realised that The Memory Man is one of the ones that was on the other week, but I only watched the first few minutes. It's a shame the convention was never to put directors' names up front alongside the writers. 

[BlodwynPig]

Have you done a Lovejoy marathon?

It's a bit more overtly whimsical with added antiques, but the stories seem to occupy a similar 80/90's slightly grotty world (no internet / huge clunky mobile phones) - ah, halycon days!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lovejoy_episodes

For me Lovejoy came at a time when classic tv was morphing into low hanging fruit/beige tv, no risk taking. I never liked it but compared to later era shows it probably had its charm

[BlodwynPig]

Damn, I've just realised that The Memory Man is one of the ones that was on the other week, but I only watched the first few minutes. It's a shame the convention was never to put directors' names up front alongside the writers.

Putlocker has them all in varying levels of blurriness

[Norton Canes]

Ah, cool.

[monkfromhavana]

For me Lovejoy came at a time when classic tv was morphing into low hanging fruit/beige tv, no risk taking. I never liked it but compared to later era shows it probably had its charm

I seem to be rather fond of fairly amiable TV, and I rather like Lovejoy. Surely there's room on TV for things like that as well as for cutting edge drama?

[BlodwynPig]

I seem to be rather fond of fairly amiable TV, and I rather like Lovejoy. Surely there's room on TV for things like that as well as for cutting edge drama?

yes. Lovejoy appeared just as I tired of amiable and was hunting around for edgy. Gone were the last of the summer wine and crumpet evenings by the fire, in came the frantic mayhem of LiquidTV and Day Today.

[daf]

Gone were the last of the summer wine and crumpet evenings by the fire,

I'd give my left bollock for some wine and crumpet these days!

[Alternative Carpark]

Just remembered, there's the rumour (started by himself) that Who producer John Nathan Turner was offered the role of producer on Bergerac, but refused it (he claims) on the grounds that the BBC wouldn't let him fire John Nettles. I presume this would have been around the time that Jonathan Alwyn made way for George Gallaccio.

I'd love to see the two episodes - The Memory Man and Sins of the Fathers - that Graeme 'Androzani' Harper directed.

George Gallaccio was also offered the role of producer on Doctor Who when Graham Williams left, but turned it down, and so it went to John Nathan-Turner instead, so there's a bit of an ironic coincidence there.

As to Monkfromhavana's enquiry about what to try next, would 'Shoestring' be worth a consideration?  Also written by Robert Banks-Stewart, and it was the series that 'Bergerac' was a replacement for.

[BlodwynPig]

Won't have any whovian chat in here.

Shoestring was mentioned upthread and I've been meaning to give it a go

[dontrunyoullfall]

I was just going to suggest Shoestring, The Chinese Detective or Lovejoy (mainly because it has a larger number of episodes like Bergerac). The first series of Lovejoy is at times a little grittier than the show became from Series 2. Strangely, there was a five year gap between Series 1 and 2.

[BlodwynPig]

I was just going to suggest Shoestring, The Chinese Detective or Lovejoy (mainly because it has a larger number of episodes like Bergerac). The first series of Lovejoy is at times a little grittier than the show became from Series 2. Strangely, there was a five year gap between Series 1 and 2.

Perhaps Boon would be a better option? Or Auf Wiedersehen, Pet followed by Spender as I never watched either of them linearly, and Spender hit during my age of enlightenment and my cousin was similar to Spender and it was great days.

[dontrunyoullfall]

Throw in Crocodile Shoes for the Nail Trinity.

[itsfredtitmus]

Perhaps Boon would be a better option? Or Auf Wiedersehen, Pet followed by Spender as I never watched either of them linearly, and Spender hit during my age of enlightenment and my cousin was similar to Spender and it was great days.

BLACKSTUFF, MATE. BLACKSTUFF

[BlodwynPig]

BLACKSTUFF, MATE. BLACKSTUFF

Too Liverpudlian, but I read the wiki page and it has some pathos.

[Funcrusher]

Just remembered, there's the rumour (started by himself) that Who producer John Nathan Turner was offered the role of producer on Bergerac, but refused it (he claims) on the grounds that the BBC wouldn't let him fire John Nettles.

Was he going to replace him with Colin Baker?

[Funcrusher]

I was just going to suggest Shoestring, The Chinese Detective or Lovejoy (mainly because it has a larger number of episodes like Bergerac). The first series of Lovejoy is at times a little grittier than the show became from Series 2. Strangely, there was a five year gap between Series 1 and 2.

Shoestring and The Chinese Detective are clearly the best choices to follow up Bergerac.

[itsfredtitmus]

Too Liverpudlian, but I read the wiki page and it has some pathos.

i mean Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was literally just blackstuff

[itsfredtitmus]

i'll go through auf and you can go through blackstuff
it can be our cultural exchange

[dontrunyoullfall]

Dennis Waterman's Stay Lucky, Leslie Grantham's Paradise Club (!), Bulman, Dangerfield, Jerome Flynn's Badger, The Gentle Touch/C.A.T.S Eyes?