THE BERGERAC EFFECT

TELEVISION viewers and critics alike have lapped up scenes of Bergerac cruising along Jersey’s winding roads and past sandy beaches in his iconic Triumph Roadster, since the titular detective’s recent return to our screens.

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And it seems the idyllic backdrop of the permanently sunny Channel Island, and millionaires’ paradise, is already drawing Brits to it like gulls around a bag of chips.

Jersey’s tourism board credits the reboot on U&Drama - starring Damien Molony - with boosting visitors to its website by 70%, while driving up accommodation and trip bookings. Tricia Warwick, CEO of Visit Jersey, calls the uplift the “Bergerac effect” - and it’s no surprise, with sprawling sandy beaches, dramatic cliff trails and historic monuments peppering the landscape.

Located 14 miles off the Normandy coast, Jersey boasts French charm and renowned attractions, including the island’s Nazi-built War Tunnels. The original Bergerac, which ran on BBC One from 1981 to 1991, led to a huge increase in visitor numbers, with 24,000 beds for visitors. But by last year, that figure had slumped to 10,000 – until Jersey taxpayers helped fund production of this new six-part TV reboot to the tune of £1.2million in an effort to kickstart the island’s economy.

This would come courtesy of a recent global phenomenon known as "set-jetting" whereby tourists - typically Gen-Zers and millennials – travel to the locations of their favourite shows and films. And Bergerac is not the only British holiday hotspot to have benefited from a dramatic change in its fortunes thanks to a visiting film crew.

Here we reveal the other towns currently experiencing a tourism bonanza thanks to drama on the small screen...

BROADCHURCH

Filmed in West Bay, Bridport, Dorset

DETECTIVE drama Broadchurch starring David Tennant, 52, and Olivia Colman, 51, drew 9.3 million viewers at its peak. Filmed in West Bay on Dorset's Jurassic coastline, the three-series run proved to be a showreel for the area's stunning beauty.