Bergerac: A True Detective (BBC-1 14 Jan 1990, with Louise Jameson)

As A True Detective and the season opens Jim is stuck in Gibralter and Susan is now working in London although she very quickly ends up back on Jersey on business.

Rather strangely it seems like the previous episode, the Christmas special Second Time Around, happened in it’s own little timewarp, outside of the events of what had gone before in the seventh season. Now Jim is back off his sabbatical and several months have clearly passed. He has made arrangements to stay with Charlie, who is less than thrilled when he learns Jim plans to stay for a few months!

Events take a devastating turn, in one of the most shocking moments in Bergerac history, when Susan is found dead on the beach. Foul play is not initially suspected but it’s a far from ordinary death. Jim is naturally devastated, Barney makes it plain that he doesn’t want him getting involved in the investigation though.

Jim being Jim he can’t help himself, Susan was due to meet two delegates from an African country’s board of trade. As Jim investigates he discovers that they suspected Susan’s parent company of possible fraud. It’s the key to unravelling the case…

Definitely a storyline to set the cat amongst the pigeons, even if you do begin the episode somewhat annoyed that continuity has been played around severely in the previous Christmas special (which aired only a couple of weeks before this one so would still have been fresh in everyone’s minds).

classic quote
“Of course I’m shocked but it doesn’t mean my brain has stopped working.”

production details
UK / BBC One / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast 14 January 1990

Writer: John Milne / Production Design: Tom Yardley-Jones / Director: Richard Bramall

Series: Bergerac Season 8 Episode 1

cast
John Nettles as Det Sgt Bergerac
Julian Wadham as David Russell
Ann Thornton as Rose
Louise Jameson as Susan Young
Terence Alexander as Charlie Hungerford
Peter MacKriel as Saville
Glyn Grimstead as Taxi driver
Simon Smith as Withers
John Cater as Skebbins
John Hart Dyke as Alan Woods
Sean Arnold as Barney Crozier
Sue Wallace as Alice Crozier
Joseph Mydell as John Tetteh
Louis Mahoney as Kofi Mensah
Phillip Whitchurch as Sgt Gregson
Max Gold as Dr Ackroyd
Lisa Climie as Wendy
David Kershaw as Ben Lomas
John Telfer as Willy Pettit
Tim Whitnall as Desk constable
Juliet Douglas as Gill