When news reached that Bergerac would be returning after over 30 years off air, speculation as to who would take over as the titular character was rife, with plenty of names thrown into the ring.
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The likes of James Norton, Aidan Turner and David Tennant were all rumoured before it was confirmed that Damien Molony would helm the role in the new reimagining of the '80s classic for U and U&DRAMA.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Philip Glenister – who plays Arthur Wakefield – explained why the series wouldn't have worked had Tennant bagged the role, with there being a large risk of people attaching his other popular roles to the new series.
"I think the problem is, if you cast someone like David Tennant in a reboot, I'm using David as an example, and it's nothing against him as an actor at all," Glenister began. "But I think if you cast someone like David Tennant in a reboot of a show like that, it's going to be very difficult.
"It makes your job harder from the production side of things, I think, because you're asking your audience, 'Oh, it’s Doctor Who, who's now playing Jim Bergerac, and he comes with, dare I say it, too much baggage, almost."
Damien Molony as Jim Bergerac. U
While not negatively speaking of Tennant, Glenister added that the series needed "somebody new".
He continued: "Although obviously Damian has been working a lot, I'd never met him, but I'd heard of him because he was in Brassic, but he's new in that respect for a lot of people.
"And he's sort of been there under that radar, which is always nice, waiting to come above the surface. And he was one of those actors that it was always going to happen, because he's really, really good, and you're just getting to that level, and then the next level, you're thinking, this is the one.
"So I think it was a really good decision to go with somebody who is known and respected, but not massively well known, although he’ll probably become that now."
For Glenister, he believes that some people have certain "charisma" that can't be manufactured.
"You've got it or you haven't," Glenister told RadioTimes.com. "I think he's got it. Having done the scenes with him, he's terrific."
Originally led by John Nettles, Molony revealed to RadioTimes.com that he had received the actor's blessing for a "darker" reboot of the crime drama, with no bad blood between the TV detectives.
The new series kick starts tomorrow (27th February) and will see the titular character solve a murder mystery across all six episodes, rather than a new storyline each episode, in a change from the original run.
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
