Bergerac star addresses darker drama after 80s | UK News

Bergerac star Damien Molony has addressed the fact his reboot of the hit show is seen as “darker” than the unique. The British crime drama initially starred John Nettles as detective sergeant Jim Bergerac, with the collection on the BBC from 1981 to 1991.

The beloved programme has now been revived, with Damien first stepping into the footwear of DCI James ‘Jim’ Bergerac in a reboot in 2025, experiences the Mirror. It was a success with viewers and a second collection adopted, although some followers have posted messages on social media and review websites noting that it was a little heavier than the unique.

Asked if his model of Jim Bergerac more broken than John’s model, the actor told Radio Times: “Bergerac is a brilliant renegade detective and alcohol is his kryptonite. His family life is falling apart, his wife is dead and his daughter is really all he’s got left.”

“Anything that threatens the foundations of recovery he’s clinging onto makes for great drama,” he went on.

The Bergerac revival launched in 2025 on U&Drama. It follows the police detective as he tackles crimes across Jersey, while concurrently confronting troubles from his own past.

It has been a hit with viewers although a number of have commented on the shift in tone. One wrote on X, previously Twitter, that it was “darker than the original”.

Someone else wrote on IMDB.com: “Gone is the pleasant John Nettles persona replaced by a darker, more troubled characterisation of the titular character.”

Some critics also felt the same manner, with The Times saying it was “a darker, more pained take on our Jersey detective”. A review in The Age said: “There is no shortage of grim crime series being produced in Britain, and on its own terms this Bergerac is a good example of the genre done right.”

Someone else said in the Daily Mail that it was “a very different production from the one that enthralled audiences in the Eighties”.

Bergerac aired on on U&Drama.