Bergerac and Haut de la Garenne

JOHN Nettles blasted the BBC today for cancelling re-runs of Bergerac because they feature a scandal-hit children's home linked to Jimmy Savile.

Nettles, 70, said the BBC is refusing to show repeats of his hit detective crime show because they include shots of the Haut de la Garenne - dubbed 'the Jersey House of Horrors'. A historical child abuse investigation launched in 2008 found that former residents had been molested at the home.

Jimmy Savile used to visit the institution, and it is feared the late TV presenter and notorious paedophile abused youngsters there. The Haut de la Garenne was used during the 1980s as the fictional setting for Bergerac's police headquarters.

And the BBC has now refused to show any episode featuring the children's home.

The move came after a Sunday Express story revealed that abused children were still living in the care home when the BBC began filming Bergerac there in the Eighties. The BBC said that despite "extensive searches" of its records, it was unable to confirm the finding.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by any of the BBC crew and cast while at Haut de la Garenne, and allegations of rapes and beatings there only surfaced much later.

Nettles said: '"It seems to be a little bizarre that exterior Haut de la Garenne shots can't be used. "It means you can't photograph or film anywhere where there is a suspicion that a crime has been committed  "It just shows how far the BBC is bending over backwards to apologise for the Jimmy Savile scandal.

. http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/462796/John-Nettles-blasts-BBC-for-pulling-Bergerac-re-runs-featuring-Haut-de-la-Garenne-home

As Rico Sorda points out the BBC might be showing some sensitivity: "Perhaps the BBC realises that there is a Committee of Enquiry into decades long child abuse starting in Jersey within the next two months. This enquiry will of course investigate Haut de la Garenne along with the other Jersey care homes. The enquiry might take one year but could possibly take two."

For further discussion of this article see Rico Sorda`s blog
.