Episodes
Bergerac: Old Acquaintance (BBC-1 11 Mar 1989, with Liza Goddard)
It’s an episode written by Rod Beacham and with a title like Old Acquaintance that can only mean one thing – the return of Philippa Vale. Of course she claims to only be on the island to check on the progress of the race horse she owns.
Her arrival coincides with that of Olympic athlete Peter Jason. He is due to give evidence to the International Olympic Committee in Canada but has gone missing somewhere on the island. A man called Logan, from the Olympic council, believes he is holed up with Philippa (apparently the pair had a fling some five years previously), she is adamant that he isn’t of course.
Jason is also supposed to be writing a tell all book about his career. Selco, a pharmaceutical company, are keen for the book not to see the light of day and send a hitman after him.
Susan tells Charlie that it is over between herself and Jim, he says that she should end it as quickly and cleanly as possible but then lets slip that Philippa is back on the island. It all ends rather amicably with the pair of them agreeing to stay on good terms.
Things get out of hand when Susan visits Philippa and ends up getting kidnapped, mistaken for Philippa. It also turns out Philippa and Jason have pulled off the old southpaw switcheroo – Jason has already made his way to Canada and a lookalike is posing as him. Philippa claims the Canadians were in on the scheme all along so why is Logan looking for him? Jim sets up Logan and the trail leads him to where Susan is being held.
Barney has been promoted to Superintendent and begins to wax nostalgic about missing being out in the field and in a subplot goes out on a job with Willy and Lomas to try and break an illegal gambling ring on the island.
So Susan and Jim are officially finished after a whole couple of seasons of trying to make it work. Jim wastes no time though, the episode closes out with him clearly going to be spending some “quality” time with Philippa. Philippa casts her spell over Jim once again…
classic quote
“I’m a hitman not a bloody dress designer.”
production details
UK / BBC One / 1×55 minute episode / Broadcast 11 March 1989
Writer: Rod Beacham / Production Design: Gary Pritchard / Director: Richard Standeven
Series: Bergerac Season 7 Episode 7
cast
John Nettles as Det Sgt Bergerac
Ben Onwukwe as Peter Jason
Jill Benedict as Christine Nash
David Foxxe as Billy
John Telfer as Willy Pettit
Sean Arnold as Crozier
David Neilson as Moxton
Terence Alexander as Charlie Hungerford
Liza Goddard as Philippa Vale
David Kershaw as Ben Lomas
Louise Jameson as Susan Young
Colin Marsh as Terry Budd
William Armstrong as Logan
Nancy Mansfield as Peggy Masters
Tim Douglas as Baker
Ben Ellison as Winston