Bergerac season 3 will deliver Charlie’s toughest storyline yet

4 August 2026 14:45

This really is the summer of Bergerac: hot on the heels of the news about season one being picked up by the BBC comes the announcement that filming for season three of U&DRAMA’s Jersey-set detective show is now underway, having begun on 31 July.

And the six new episodes will deliver the most dramatic storyline yet for Zoë’s smart, sophisticated Charlie Hungerford. ‘Charlie’s life falls apart when she confronts a home intruder with devastating consequences,’ explains TV Zone UK.

Meanwhile, Charlie’s son-in-law, Jim Bergerac (played by Damien Molony), discovers a link between a notorious unsolved murder case and a present-day crime.

According to broadcaster UKTV, Bergerac season three is ‘set to launch in 2027’.

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Bergerac comes to the BBC

25 July 2026 11:18

Season one of U&DRAMA’s reimagining of Bergerac, featuring Zoë as whip-smart Charlie Hungerford, is now available to stream on the BBC iPlayer. It’s also being broadcast on BBC Two (Fridays at 9pm, plus late-night repeats on some other days).

As I mentioned around the time the news about the hit detective drama coming to the BBC was announced, this is a wonderful full-circle moment, as the original Bergerac (1981-91) was also shown by the UK’s biggest broadcaster.

It’s a measure, too, of the reimagined show’s enormous success.

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Bergerac award nominations, Agatha Christie exhibition, Like Mother film and more!

13 June 2026 16:08

What follows is one of the biggest news round-ups I’ve ever written for Zoë Wanamaker fans, spanning TV, film, awards and more...

Bergerac coming to the BBC soon

When Bergerac debuted on U&DRAMA last year, it became the second most-watched show in the TV channel’s history with 1.8m viewers. The success of season one has led to a triumphant return for the reimagined detective drama – and a place in the BBC’s schedules.

Bergerac season one is coming to BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer this summer (exact date TBC). This will surely lead to an even larger audience for the compelling, Jersey-set programme, which features Zoë as Charlie Hungerford, the smart, spiky mother-in-law to maverick detective Jim Bergerac (Damien Molony).

This feels incredibly fitting – a full-circle moment – as the BBC broadcast the original, classic Bergerac, which starred John Nettles and ran from 1981-91.

While we wait for the new Bergerac to appear on the BBC, it’s worth pointing out that you can watch both season one and two on the U streaming service and Channel 4 streaming service.

Zoë nominated for National Film Award for Bergerac role

Zoë’s fantastic performance in Bergerac has earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 2026 National Film Awards UK, which celebrate excellence on film and TV.

Bergerac’s enormous success has also led to several other nominations:

- Best TV Drama Series
- Best Actor in a TV Series (Damien Molony)
- Best Action in a Film/TV Series
- Best Screenplay in a TV Series (Toby Whithouse)
- Best Streaming Platform (U/U&DRAMA)

Organised by the National Film Academy, these are the only major British screen awards in which the nominees and winners are decided entirely by viewers. You can vote for who you want to win on the National Film Awards UK website until 27 June 2026.

The glittering awards ceremony will take place on 1 July in London.

British Library celebrates Agatha Christie and her creations

The British Library in London is gearing up to host a landmark exhibition, Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery, from 30 October 2026 to 20 June 2027. The exhibition will celebrate the extraordinary life and achievements of the legendary novelist and her iconic characters.

The latter include the forthright, eccentric crime writer Ariadne Oliver, who may bear more than a slight resemblance to Christie herself... Zoë memorably brought Ariadne to life in six TV adaptations of Hercule Poirot detective mysteries, starring opposite her friend David Suchet as Poirot himself.

As the British Library explains, the exhibition will be divided into ‘atmospheric spaces inspired by Christie’s world’ and filled with personal objects and other fascinating items. The BL’s press release points out that in the West End-themed space, which focuses on how Christie’s stories are performed on stage and screen, you’ll find a beautiful coat worn by Zoë for her role as Ariadne in the 2013 Poirot episode ‘Dead Man’s Folly’.

You can book tickets for the exhibition through the British Library website.

What’s more, Zoe has contributed to the exhibition’s book, which is also called Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery. It’s currently available to pre-order from the British Library shop and elsewhere. The publication date will coincide with the opening of the exhibition.

Zoë pictured at Brian Cox’s 80th birthday party

If you head over to Hello! Magazine’s website, you’ll find a lovely photo of Zoë enjoying the celebrations at actor Brian Cox’s recent 80th birthday party. Held at The Park restaurant in Queensway, London, the event was covered exclusively by the celebrity magazine.

Zoë is photographed with Ian McKellen, who you may remember played Iago opposite her Emilia in the RSC’s Othello on stage and screen in 1989/90. The director of that production, Trevor Nunn, was also among the party guests.

Like Mother short film available soon

In early 2025, Zoë made an independent short film, Like Mother (original title: Losing Lisa), in the US – and we’ll hopefully be able to watch it soon.

As you can see from the Like Mother trailer, the film promises to be a moving, female-led family drama with more than a hint of intergenerational conflict. Like Mother’s official Instagram profile has shared the following synopsis:

‘Lisa [played by Zoë] has decided to live out her dream of moving to New York City to be close to her daughter Zara, a novelist, and help with the prodigal grandchild. But…Lisa may finally be ready to start living life for herself.’

The film was created by Danielle Carroll and Laura Lapidus, who also takes on the role of Lisa’s daughter.

Speaking about Like Mother in a recent Instagram post, the talent agency representing Lapidus, Divergent Talent Group, remarked that ‘you’ll be able to watch it soon’. How/when this will happen hasn’t been announced yet, so watch this space!

Rare chance to watch Enemies of the State

There’s a rare opportunity to watch Zoe’s powerful performance in Enemies of the State (1983), as the programme is currently available on YouTube.

Never released on video or DVD, this drama-documentary is set in Czechoslovakia from 1977-80. It highlights the real-life struggles of philosopher Julius Tomin (played by Paul Freeman) and his interpreter wife, Zdena (played by Zoë), who became victims of severe state oppression as a result of their radical political views. Zdena Tomin wrote the screenplay.

This is a tense and at times hard-hitting watch, but very much worth your time.

Website technical problems

And finally, I need to make you aware of some technical difficulties I’ve been having with the website for several months.

At the moment, it isn’t possible for me to make changes to several sections (such as the Press and Shows pages), which is quite upsetting.

My brother, who built the website, is looking into the issue, and we hope to find a solution.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience.

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*✧ Birthday wishes for Zoë ✧*

13 May 2026 09:35

Sending warm birthday wishes to wonderful Zoë today, 13 May!

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Bergerac series 2 starts 16 April

15 April 2026 15:45

A reminder for UK viewers: you can watch Zoë in the highly anticipated six-episode second series of Bergerac from 16 April. The stylish, Jersey-set crime drama airs on U&DRAMA at 9pm (as reported by the Radio Times) and will also be available to stream free on U.

As Yours (14-27 April issue) emphasises, ‘Zoë Wanamaker returns in formidable form’ in the role of whip-smart Charlie Hungerford, whose late daughter was married to troubled detective Jim Bergerac (Damien Moloney). The second series, set around 18 months after the first, finds Charlie trying to rebuild her life.

Charlie ‘has just begun a tentative new romance’, notes TV Choice. The object of her affections is a charming guy called Nigel, who’s played by the well-known actor and comedian Adrian ‘Ade’ Edmondson. He’s spoken rather touchingly about the subtle approach he and Zoë took to portraying the characters’ blossoming relationship on screen. They decided Charlie and Nigel should simply be seen holding hands while asleep. ‘We knew we’d got it right when we heard the director go, “Awww”,’ Edmondson says in the Independent.

If you’d like to refresh your memory about Bergerac, series one is still available to stream on U. In addition, there are plenty of excellent series one photos of Charlie on the CSFD film/TV database website.

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