Hit series Bergerac reboot first look as iconic 80s show returns with star-studded cast

The trailer for the reboot series of the 1980's detective series Bergerac has been released, much to the excitement of fans, and is based on the world of John Nettle's BBC drama. The decade long drama previously ran for nine series until 1991 but the revamp will now include a modern twist. Producers, however, have promised the reboot will honour the 80's hit – the biggest change appearing to be the stellar new cast. Irish actor Damien Molony has taken over the lead role as Jim Bergerac, originally played by John Nettle.

Zoe Wanamaker from Black Ops will play Jim's mother-in-law, Charlie Hungerford, and will worry after his neglect of daughter Kim after the death of her daughter. While Life On Mars' Philip Glenister is set to play Arthur Wakefield and Robert Gilbert, known for his role in Killing Eve, Bodyguard's Pippa Haywood, and Casualty's Sasha Behar are also in the cast of the new show. The series will be available from Thursday, February 27 on UKTV's streaming site and episodes will air on the U&Drama channel regularly each week. Focusing on one continuous storyline, the mystery will stretch across six hour-long episodes. The synopsis describes a women from a 'prominent family' from Jersey being murdered, the detective 'fighting demons' and rising to the challenge to 'navigate intricate family dynamics' to try solve the case.

A trailer for the new drama series sees Jim being quizzed on why he's decided to return to his policing job, in which he says: "Because grief was defining me." He later adds: "Because I needed to prove something." While he speaks a montage of clips from the upcoming series appears on screen – teasing the dramatic events which are set to unfold. The trailer ends with Bergerac standing on a beach and looking out to sea.

Cast member, Tim Renouf, prepared viewers on what to expect, saying: "The framework of the story is the same in terms of it’s about Bergerac, it’s about him coming back to the force and getting back into investigating crime". Renouf claimed the series would have the same "glamour" but "it's going to be grittier" and "the stories are probably a bit darker". With new themes and a new case, Renouf and the rest of the cast shared their excitement to add to their "fond memories of the original".

The plot will see lead character Jim begin as a shell of his former self, struggling with personal grief following the death of his wife and abuse of alcohol. Actor Damien Malony shared how "incredibly excited" he is "to be stepping into the role of Jim Bergerac" to bring a "fresh new take", and acknowledged that Nettles "left an incredible legacy with big shoes to fill". Irish actor Damien is also known for his role in The Split, a legal drama on the BBC, and sitcom Crashing, written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Nettle was asked to return for the reboot by means of a "lovely letter" but flat-out refused as he feared the appearance would "destroy" and contradict the concept of a reboot. He continued to say that he's "too old" and "retired" - a fact he has "to face up to". The original 80's cast included Terence Alexander as Charlie Hungerford, Thérèse Liotard as Danielle Aubry, Annette Badland as Charlotte, Celia Imrie as Marianne Bellshade, Louise Jameson as Susan Young, Sean Arnold as Superintendent Barney Crozier, Cécile Paoli as Francine Leland, Deborah Grant as Deborah Bergerac.