Bergerac: All For Love (BBC-1 26 Dec 1991, with Bill Nighy)

In the feature length All For Love, the very last episode of Bergerac, Jim’s world is in disarray. He’s received a “Dear Jim” letter from Danielle saying that she is getting engaged to someone else. (Lets be honest it’s not hard to imagine that Danielle would get tired of their long distance relationship sooner rather than later). Given Charlie’s interest in Danielle’s fathers winery he thinks Charlie knew about Danielle’s new relationship already. Wanting to have it out with Charlie but not finding it home Jim falls off the wagon and seeks solace in the bottle.

To give him time to think Charlie gets Jim to help him on a business transaction he is involved with. Charlie is heading to Bath to sell a painting to art dealer Rupert Draper but Charlie is not 100% sure of how reliable Draper is.

Draper himself meanwhile is receiving menacing phone calls and someone has killed his dog. His wife Cressida is also up to no good, there is something going on between herself and a man called Barry. Simon Williams is antiques dealer Rupert Draper.

The plot carries a nice film noir vibe, Cressida is a complete femme fatale and is playing everyone around her – including Jim who very quickly, on the rebound from Danielle, finds himself hopping into bed with her.

All For Love turns out to be a very strong final episode for the series, lots of well known faces, including Bill Nighy as a bad guy, a young Philip Glenister, Simon Williams as Draper and Suzan Crowley as Cressida and a strong script from John Milne (his sixth Bergerac episode). Suzan Crowley is the femme fatale Cressida and Bill Nighy is her partner in crime.

Realistically, over the course of the series Charlie Hungerford is Jim’s one true friend. Ending up as a proper father figure to JIm in fact. There is a nice sense of completeness when Deborah makes an appearance.

As it turns out it’s Charlie who also comes up with an intriguing plan for Jim’s future – as a prominent member of the law and order committee he still holds quite a lot of sway – he believes that the idea of the Bureau should be integrated across the whole of the Channel Islands. Something the chief of police believes strongly in too. The series ends on the positive note of Jim being told by Charlie (on the QT) that he will in effect be put in charge of integrating the Bureau across the rest of the islands. The very final scene of the series. Charlie has arranged what could be potentially a very good new career move.

production details
UK / BBC One / 1×106 minute episode / Broadcast 26 December 1991

Writer: John Milne / Director: Terry Marcel

Series: Bergerac Special Number Six

cast
John Nettles as Jim Bergerac
Terence Alexander as Charlie Hungerford
Deborah Grant as Deborah Bergerac
Simon Williams as Rupert Draper
Suzan Crowley as Cressida Draper
Bill Nighy as Barry
Roger Sloman as Inspector Deffand
John Telfer as Willy Pettit
David Kershaw as Ben Lomas
Al Ashton as DC Ramsden
Jane Downs as Petra Crowe-Smith
Peter Watts as Ronnie
Philip Glenister as Philip
Bruno Madinier as Pascal
Charmaine Parsons as Ellie
Catherine Rabett as Jane
Iain Rattray as Club Waiter
Malcolm Gerrard as Dentist
Gordon Salkilld as Barman