One of the stars of the new Bergerac series has revealed how original actor John Nettles turned down a cameo in the reboot.
The reimagining of the ’s beloved crime drama Bergerac debuts today (February 27) with actor Damien Molony portraying the titular sleuth originally played by Nettles, 81, between 1981 and 1991.
In an exclusive interview with actress Pippa Haywood, who plays PR woman Margaret Heaton in the new drama, the star shed light on the show and Nettles’ decision.
The 63-year-old said: “I was quite sad in a way that he didn’t choose to come in and do a cameo.
“It would have been lovely to have met him but I respect and understand why he said, ‘No, I’ve moved on. This is a whole new thing.”
“I think for those of us who had been fans of the original show, I think it would have been a real delight for people to see him crop up in an episode or a series or whatever.”
The new Bergerac series focuses on one case (Image: UKTV)
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She likened Nettles’ sentiments to her own feelings regarding a return to the classic 1990s sitcom The Brittas Empire in which she played long-suffering wife Helen Brittas to Chris Barrie’s incompetent leisure centre manager Gordon.
“No, it belongs where it was. I don’t particularly want to be a 63-year-old Helen Brittas. I was 30 when I played her. No, we leave that there,” she explained.
Adding: “I can understand that feeling of, ‘No, it was that brilliant series of the 80s and we just leave it there.’ And now we’re doing an entirely new version.”
Although Nettles doesn’t appear in the new Bergerac, he did meet with star Molony as the pair talked about the show’s legacy and the reboot.
Damian Molony takes on the lead role in the new Bergerac (Image: UKTV)
Haywood waxed lyrical about being a fan of the original detective series and recalled sitting down with her mother to watch the series, joking how they both “fancied John Nettles a bit”. Describing him as a “dishy guy in a sports car” with a “really lovely voice”.
Unlike the original Bergerac which saw a different case cracked by the troubled detective each episode, the new six-part drama will focus on one crime across its entire season.
Addressing the differences between the new series and the 1980s iteration, Haywood said writer Toby Whithouse “pays homage to the original brilliantly” but “really updated it”.
She went on to say how the Being Human and The Game creator had updated the character of Bergerac: “I love the way there’s now an entire, complex story spanning six episodes rather than episodic, one story per episode.”
John Nettles in the original Bergerac series (Image: GETTY)
The Green Wing star joked: “I mean, for a start, I wouldn’t have got six episodes of lovely, meaty character explorations in because of the intent to serve the plot a lot more.”
She continued: “Whereas over six episodes you get to explore a lot more interesting and complex characters and storylines, the way it interweaves and the number of different stories that come together.
“I think it makes it a much more satisfying feeling than by the end of this episode we’ll know who’s done it and move on to the next one next week.”
Bergerac is available to watch on UKTV’s U and U&DRAMA from today