Zoë Wanamaker admitted she has never seen an episode of Bergerac. The actress, 75, portrays Charlie Hungerford, the mother-in-law of the iconic Jim Bergerac, previously brought to life by John Nettles. In the original series, which ran from 1981 to 1991, Charlie was Jim’s father-in-law and was played by Terence Alexander.
On Thursday (February 27), Bergerac made its triumphant return to screens after more than three decades, with Irish actor Damien Molony stepping into the shoes of the troubled detective. The revival follows Bergerac as he returns to work to investigate the murder of a woman, who is the daughter-in-law of a wealthy businessman. He does this while battling alcoholism and complicated relationships with his daughter, Kim (portrayed by Chloe Sweetlove) and Charlie.
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Zoë Wanamaker plays Charlie Hungerford (Image: UKTV)
Asked what attracted her to taking on the role of Charlie, Zoe said at the premiere: “The script was great. That’s what always interests me, a good script, and the writing was good.”
The My Family star then made a surprising confession, admitting didn’t base Charlie off of previous material because she’s never watched an episode of the original Bergerac.
She explained: “I’d never watched an episode of Bergerac so I didn’t have any clue what I needed to reference. But it’s a whole escape now to new generations. What is interesting is it’s now one story all the way through.”
Zoë also opened up about her friendship with John, revealing they performed on stage together in 1978.
The two-time Olivier Award-winner recalled: “John Nettles and I were at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford in 1978. We used to go horse riding on a Saturday when we weren’t working on stage.
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The six-part reboot follows Jim Bergerac as he returns to work to investigate the murder of a young woman (Image: UKTV)
“And that’s the last time I saw him,” she confessed. When asked if they are still in contact, Zoë laughed: “No he doesn’t speak to me.”
The series also stars Philip Glenister as Arthur Wakefield, the father-in-law of the murder victim.
The actor, 62, as he appeared in the final episode of the original Bergerac when he was fresh out of drama school.
“It was one of my first ever jobs,” he recalled. “I left drama school in 1990 so it would have been literally one of my first jobs.
The Life on Mars star added: “I just remember having two weeks in Jersey and having a good time, to be honest.”