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John Nettles

John Nettles

Actor · Born October 11, 1943 (83) · St. Austell, Cornwall, England

​John Nettles has been a familiar face on British and International television screens for over thirty years. From his early beginnings in the UK hit comedy "The Liver Birds" (1969), he became a household name overnight playing the Jersey detective "Jim Bergerac". The series, "Bergerac" (1981), was a huge hit in Britain and was exported to many countries across the world including France, Spain and Greece, gaining him thousands of fans. His new found fame as Bergerac gave him almost film-star-like fame and fortune, not to mention thousands of female admirers! Despite "Bergerac" (1981) being mothballed in the early 1990s, the series still has a considerable fan base and lingering popularity abroad, especially in Jersey, where images of John Nettles are still used for advertising tourist attractions and other services on the island. Nettles' polished Shakesperean performances have won him critical acclaim and many consider him to rival fellow British stalwarts of theatre such as Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. Oddly enough, however, he has never really ventured onto the big screen and has seemed happy to stick to stage and television throughout his successful career. Most recently he has enjoying continued success playing the straightforward DCI Tom Barnaby in ITV's _"Midsomer Murders" (1997). He is on record as wanting to create a TV detective without any of the usual tics, and consequently Tom Barnaby is a happy family man, who just happens to live in the most murderous part of an otherwise stereotypically idyllic English countryside.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 11, 1943 (83)
From
St. Austell, Cornwall, England
Works as
Actor
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 10% in 30 days

What are John Nettles' films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
32%
Bonds
31%
Society
22%
Survival
8%
Ideas
5%
Self
3%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Hero
2 of 3
Herald
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Warm
3
Contemplative
2
Melancholic
1
Joyful
1
Other
5

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John Nettles' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Nettles' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Great Wall: The Making of China (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Never Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Fisherman John

  • Poldark(2015)

    Show 9 episodes · as Ray Penvenen

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Toast of London(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as John Nettles

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Playhouse Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as John Nettles

  • Sindy The Fairy Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Ulebus the Wand / Shay the Unicorn / The King / The Vicar (voice)

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles(2002)

    as Dr. James Mortimer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Midsomer Murders(1997)

    Show 81 episodes · as DCI Tom Barnaby

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Airport (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 101 episodes · as Narrator

  • All Men Are Mortal(1995)

    as Sanier

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Romeo and Juliet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Capulet

  • The Detectives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Jim Bergerac

  • Heartbeat(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Giles Sutton

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Tonight at 8.30 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Peter Gilpin

  • Boon(1986)

    Show 1 episode · as Joe Green

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • Submarine: Perisher: Million Pound Captains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 3 episodes · as Narrator

  • Robin of Sherwood(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Peter de Leon

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • The Agatha Christie Hour(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Raoul Letardau

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows

  • Findings on a Late Afternoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Gerald

  • Bergerac(1981)

    Show 81 episodes · as DS Jim Bergerac

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • The Merchant of Venice(1980)

    as Bassanio

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Enemy at the Door(1978)

    Show 1 episode · as Det. Sgt. Roy Lewis

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • The Professionals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as CI5 agent shot on stairs in library (uncredited)

  • BBC2 Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Theo Redman

  • Holding On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 6 episodes · as Herbert Goodings

  • Arnhem: The Story of an Escape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Theo Redman

  • Dickens of London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 2 episodes · as Macrone

  • Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Gerald

  • Up The Workers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · as Mechanic

  • The Adventures of Black Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Edwin Palgrave

  • The Red, White, and Black(1970)

    as 10th Cavalry Trooper

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • One More Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Dixon

  • A Family at War(1970)

    Show 20 episodes · as Ian Mackenzie

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • The Liver Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 21 episodes · as Paul

  • The Expert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as John Franklin

Career shape

Star power in the 87th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 35 titles from 1968 to 2021.

Highest rated

Midsomer Murders (1997)

Midcredits 88th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting35 of 35: 35 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score69th

By decade

1960s2 · acting1970s12 · acting1980s7 · acting1990s7 · acting2000s2 · acting2010s4 · acting2020s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do John Nettles' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

The Red, White, and Black (1970)

82nd percentile spread · 50% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Poldark (2015)

Midcredits 94th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 52/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 35. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does John Nettles work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Nettles' MovieCove titles; Jane Wymark shares the most, 2.