Bergerac Remastered, performed by the British multi-instrumentalist Youngr, reworks the original BAFTA award-winning soundtrack into a modern electronic instrumental.
The video, which has been released on YouTube, features the musician playing various instruments at locations around the Island, including Mont Orgueil castle, St Ouen’s Bay, Corbière Lighthouse and a field of Jersey cows.
Visit Jersey, which promotes the Island’s tourism industry, is behind the project and said that it would ‘embrace the nostalgia’ of the popular BBC detective series and ‘celebrate the Island’s revival as a top escape destination’.
‘In the eighties and early nineties, crime drama Bergerac showcased our beautiful island, regularly attracting viewing figures in excess of 13 million a week,’ a Visit Jersey statement says. ‘While the “Bergerac Effect” did an excellent job showing off the sights close to 40 years ago, Visit Jersey wants to showcase the Island now and celebrate its current tourism renaissance.’
Last year 413,000 visitors came to Jersey for a holiday, which was the best figure recorded in a decade.
Adam Caerlewy-Smith, head of marketing at Visit Jersey, said that Youngr’s take on the ‘anthemic’ TV theme tune was ‘brilliant’.
‘The new track and music video is a nod to a unique piece of our pop-culture history, Bergerac, while celebrating all that makes Jersey the perfect short-break escape that it is today,’ he said.
‘We’ve enjoyed tapping into a bit of nostalgia and feel that the track and video show how Jersey is as relevant and current as ever.’
Youngr, who is from Manchester, said that his visit to Jersey ‘blew him away’.
‘Having developed Bergerac Remastered in the studio, it was incredible to get over to the Island to capture the visual backdrop for the track and experience first-hand the stunning sights, sounds and history that make Jersey,’ he said
‘I’m excited to inspire people to get over there and check it out.’
Visit Jersey is aiming to attract one million visitors to the Island per year by 2030. The total number of visitors last year, including holidays, business and family visits, was 727,000.
Last year the organisation released a video featuring viral internet stars Finlay Wilson and Stephen Winstanley from Kilted Yoga performing at a number of different locations including Corbière, Gorey, Portelet and Plémont.
The pair became viral sensations last year when a similar video shot in Scotland was viewed more than 50 million times within months.
