Watch: Bergerac meets Bergerac meets Torquay's Pier Point

Torquay’s Pier Point Restaurant recently welcomed stardom as the film set for an iconic meeting between Bergerac and Bergerac.

The lead actor in the reimagined Bergerac television series, Damien Molony, met his predecessor, John Nettles, for a 10-minute interview overlooking Torquay’s seafront.

No stranger to the world of television herself, Pier Point owner Lorraine Arnold was delighted to host the cast and crew and said, “It was great publicity for Torbay.”

The new UKTV series of Bergerac, which premiered on 27 February, is a reboot of the British crime drama that originally aired on BBC1 from 1981 to 1991.

Set in Jersey, the producers wanted the meeting between the two titular characters to take place by the seaside and approached Pier Point as a potential location before Christmas.

Lorraine said: “I don’t know why they didn’t do it in Jersey, but I suppose it was easier for them to film in Torquay. The producers visited to look around, had some fish and chips, and decided they’d love to film here if possible.”

A crew of around 12 arrived at Pier Point early one January morning while the restaurant was closed for refurbishment.

Lorraine added: “They couldn’t really see the restaurant at the time as it was being painted and the kitchen was undergoing a deep clean, but John Nettles said he loves Torbay and has been visiting for years.

“They were all really, really lovely and very approachable. The actors were chatting with our decorators and passersby.”

She also remarked: “What could be a more fitting venue for a crime drama than Pier Point, right in the heart of Agatha Christie country?”

This moment in the spotlight comes after Pier Point was named one of the top five fish and chip restaurants in the country at the National Fish and Chip Awards and placed in the top three for community engagement.

In the interview, titled Bergerac Meets Bergerac, Molony and Nettles discuss their experiences in the role—including their time filming in Jersey and behind the wheel of the Triumph Roadster—as well as what fans of the original can expect from the reboot.

Molony told the BBC in February: "One big difference about this new version of Bergerac is that we have one big case that Jim investigates across all six episodes, instead of it being a case a week like the original.

"It's great that we get to follow this huge journey, not only Jim's emotional rollercoaster, but also this gripping, edge-of-your-seat, criminal investigation."