50 Shades of Jersey: What TV can offer our island

Jersey’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations hosted an exclusive event last week, inviting members and the wider public to meet the Bergerac series producers, along with those working closely to bring the detective programme to the island. Our Account Director, Laura Morel, was in attendance to find out what this means for Jersey, its business community and Orchard’s clients.

There’s no business quite like show business and Jersey is getting more than its fair share of television airtime following The Real Housewives of Jersey series, a feature on The Apprentice and now the upcoming reboot of detective series Bergerac.

Damien Molony has just been announced as John Nettles’ successor for the six-episode series, directed by Peaky Blinders director Colm McCarthy. Filming is set to start in the summer in Jersey, catapulting the island into homes of millions of viewers.

Set jetting (traveling to locations shown on screens) is the second-largest influence on holiday decision-making (following personal recommendation), with travel to locations such as Paris, Italy and Britain spiking after programmes such as Emily in Paris, White Lotus and Bridgerton screened. While the island will be divided – with half asking, ‘who the heck is Bergerac?’ and the other half reminiscing of when they were extras in the original 1980s John Nettles saga - the show will undoubtedly provide PR and marketing exposure for the island that money cannot buy.

The series, which will hit our screens in early 2025, will place Jersey on a global platform with distribution around the world in multiple languages. Beyond a showcase of the usual beaches and ‘island in the sun’ shots, screenwriters have worked hard to make Jersey the extra character to the murder mystery, something which was captured in the original show. Bergerac will showcase a sense of place, culture and diversity hard to convey without visiting the island in person. The show will also provide opportunities for local businesses, crafts makers, inspiring film enthusiasts and would-be actors, and the possibility of a healthy boost to our local economy.

Visit Jersey are excited to be working alongside the production team to guide their journey, understanding that there is an emotional attachment to television that the very best tourism adverts simply cannot compete with. After all, people aren’t fans of adverts, but they are fans of drama! Could Bergerac achieve the near impossible and display the full 50 shades of Jersey to an unlimited audience? Showing Jersey as more than a holiday destination and the provider of world-class potatoes, but a varied and buoyant economy, full of character, promise and innovation.

The team at Orchard are excited to welcome the show to the island, and fully prepared to maximise on the opportunities that it may bring for our clients to have their brand seen and heard. We say bring back Jersey’s most-loved detective, we are ready for any plot twist which may come our way!