h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Everyone here knows I'm a big Midsomer Murders fan. Part of the reason is the quirky plots and inventive ways they dispatch the victims. But it's also because the character of Tom Barnaby, played by John Nettles is so likeable.

I kept reading about the other Nettles series, Bergerac. It ran for 9 years and was apparently very popular. Well, it wouldn't have run that long otherwise, would it? A few weeks ago I decided to order Bergerac. It would give me something to watch over the winter. No baseball to keep me amused this time fo year.

For the Americans lurking, Bergerac was made during the 80s and is set on Jersey. I got the box set for a heck of a good price. 27 discs running for 78 hours and 14 minutes. So far I've managed to get through seasons one and two, so 6 of the 27 discs. It isn't a horrible series. The scenery is fabulous. The character of Bergerac is likeable. But the plots are certainly thin. So far there has only been one of the 19 episodes that wasn't totally predictable. And the recurring character of Charlie Hungerford, Bergerac's ex-father-in-law is totally lame. I'm already groaning every time he appears, and he apparently is in every episode made.

I'll probably finish watching them. I keep hoping it will improve as time passes, hit it's stride, so to speak. And it's certainly better than repeats of Man vs Food. But it isn't nearly as enjoyable as Midsomer Murders or Lewis or Morse or any number of other British crime series I have.

The good thing is that it's better than Trial & Retribution. I couldn't even finish watching that one, not because of the plot but because all of the characters are so unlikeable. Another one I disliked for the same reason and didn't finish watching is The Commander. I hate investing hours of my time in characters I don't like.

And...ta da...the latest Midsomer Murders set has just been released in the US by Acorn Media and is probably on my front porch as I type. That will brighten my week.

Sorry to hear that it's a let-down. There have been a few telly series' that were pretty lame the first year or two as well. I can only hope a shake-up of writers gives the 3rd season a boost for ya.

Hey Nick, are they still making Murdoch? That is a heck of a good series.I have all of the ones released in the US so far.

I was a little surprised that you ordered 'Bergerac'. I remember that series from the 80s. (We were living in Europe at the time.) It was fun, as I recall, but detective stories are much of a muchness to me, so I couldn't honestly remember a plotline. Jersey was fun as a backdrop, though.

To be honest, I don't know. I am not familiar with any of the runs of programs that you find intriguing and entertaining. Internet Movie DataBase ought to answer that for you though ...

Well, Murcoch is made in Canada and set in Toronto in the late nineteenth century. Murdoch is Toronto's answer to Sherlock Holmes. I thought since it's a Canadian series, you might watch it.

Dmitri, I absolutely adore mystery series. But I want the plots to be a bit challenging. And I don't want to know who the villain is up front. I like a genuine mystery with a puzzle to solve. Truthfully, Bergerac seems more like the American series of the 80s than a British series. The theme music is even annoying.

There do seem to be a lot of TV and movie things filmed here that sell wonderfully elsewhere. Not many actually appear on our national networks

Bergerac was always a very mild series. It was more about the interplay of the characters than a real whodunnit.

I bought the complete Inspector Morse recently, 33 two-hour episodes for only €60. I haven't got around to watching any of them yet, but saw most of them when they first came out in the 80s. I'm hoping I won't remember who done it.

Gnomon, that was the first series I ever bought. I rewatch it once a year or so. It's one of the best series ever made, imho. It has great writing and plot development.

I know that it's not at all comparable to a well written and performed series, but I did find one about 5 years ago that I enjoyed. Everything of 'Columbo', ... Peter Falk in his bumbling role. Despite having seen each as they arrived as 'made-for-TV', I can still drop in any disk and find enjoyment.

The only thing I remember about Bergerac is that he seemed to spend most of his time driving around in an open sportscar, and that the scenery was gorgeous.

So gorgeous that I actually visited Jersey on one occasion (during my InterRail years). It looked pretty nice 'live' as well.

I seem to remember that John Nettles himself got so enamoured with the island that he wanted to move there. They didn't want him though (I think the authorities demand that you have a steady income, among other things).

The Jersey authorities are very restrictive. My brother-in-law was offered a very nicely paid job as an accountant in Jersey, paying about twice what he would get in Ireland. But as a mere accountant and not a Jersey citizen, we has not allowed to buy a house - he had to restrict himself to a one-bedroomed apartment, even if he could afford better. The size of the domicile he was allowed buy was entirely based on his income, not on how much wealth he already had.

Oh, that reminded me of Paff's experiences when he tried to rent a house in jersey:

F2089434?thread=4961574#p58062497

Here's a link to his 'Notes from a (Very) Small Island' archive: A27955830

Won't comment on Jersey, or Bergerac, as I know next to nowt about either. All I will say is that there is a rather splendid series from your side of the pond, Hyp, namely 'Castle'. Currently in it's third season and starring the rather droolworthy Nathan Fillion...

Castle watcher here, too. Don't know if it's splendid, as we only get the dubbed version. It is nce, though, and you don't need your brain while watching it.

I've never heard of Castle. I'll try to locate it. If it's made by one of the American networks, it should be on my cable lineup someplace.

I had no idea Jersey was so restrictive. Why do people bother to try to move there, then? It isn't the only beautiful island in the world. Of course the location is fabulous.

I was right! My new set of Midsomer Murders was waiting for me when I got home from work yesterdy. Four new episodes. These were filmed in 2008. That tells you how far behind we are in the US. This is a major source of irritation for US fans of the show. And Acorn, who has the rights to the series in the US, dribbles them out. Acorn also charges quite a lot for them compared to the Amazon price. But you have to wait several months longer to get each set from Amazon.

I did check Amazon UK for them. At one point they offered the entire series 11 for less than the 4 episode partial season packs available here. So naturally, I ordered it. Well, after the fourth change in delivery date, I realized that they weren't going to be able to provide the episodes until after Acorn made their killing in the US. I believe I can order individual episodes from the UK, but the cost of that is prohibitive.

Try moving to Pitcairn Island.

Why would anyone want to move there?

To get away from 'drooly' people on tv?

I like yellow socks, hey hyp! what colour do you like