Hmmm...  Thanks, Administrator; there's something very suspicious about this Bergerac chap.  Let's examine the facts:

- He claims he's never been to Shields;

- An enhancement of his image seems to indicate that it was taken in Shields;

- He has a mysterious 'cousin' who lives near Marsden;

- He was spotted by Galan while shopping in Jersey.

Perhaps he has a public and a private image, similar to Spiderman?  Privately he lives quietly in Shields but in public he claims to be a sergeant in the Bureau des Etrangers?  Or perhaps it's the other way around; he's an ordinary policeman in Jersey posing as a playboy in Shields?

Come on members, we need to get to the bottom of this, so anyone with further clues or suspicions should submit them here...

You're right WK, that Bergerac's a strange one indeed. I'm convinced I saw him in Shields a few days ago, buying a copy of the Gazette of all things...and he was eating a Dickson's saveloy! Unless this mysterious cousin of his is his double, I think there's something awry...

Shields!? Never heard of it! Galen - you should have gone to Specsavers (the one in King Street). You've got as much chance as Muhammad Ali ever visiting the place as spotting me there! Also, I must point out that, after careful inspection and analysis, I've deducted that an astonishing three images on this website have been digitally modified as to deliberately misinform and hoodwink it's members. The three false images are as follows: the b&w pic of the man with the wig and the "photo" of Barrie Soloman in the 'strange but true section' and the one of me standing on harbour beach with the Groyne in the background in the 'favourite stamps' section...apparently. I can, in fairness, verify that all other images are real.

Good news, Galan, I caught up with Marie LaVeau.  Believe-it-or-not she was working as a fortune teller at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in Shields.  She had eight pounds fifty on her so I took the lot.  The way I see it she owes you a pound, plus interest, less the 30p finders fee we agreed upon, which I reckon means you get your pound back.  I get seven pounds fifty including your finders fee and interest on my fiver, less expenses because I had to get the bus from the market to the pier head.

Anyway, she begged me for mercy so I agreed that I wouldn't throw her into the Fires of Mount Doom if she would tell me what she knew about Bergerac.  Well, apparently he went to her to have his fortune told only last week, so let's see how he talks his way our of that one!

Then I threw her into the Fires of Mount Doom.  We Ringwraiths have an honesty rating somewhere between home improvement contractors and lawyers.

RE-SULT! Thanks WK, that's great news indeed. Just let me know how much I owe you for getting my pound back and I'll waiive a cheque to you forthwith...whatever the final sum...it was, er, well worth it I'm...er...sure. Can't help but shed a sympathetic tear at poor Marie's fate though. Still a pounds, a pound. As for Bergerac, he's unbelievable - I knew it was him I saw in Shields the other day...methinks the "lady" doth protest too much. I think we should all confront him (sympathetically of course) and demand to see his 'papers'...i.e. a copy of the Shields Gazette from the day he was born. Signing off, dear friends, Galen.

Enough said Bergerac.

(If you triangulate the distances on the road-sign in the background, I think you'll find he's plumb in the middle of Shields.)

Two words...."PHOTOSHOP!"

As you all probably already know, I'm a freelance photographer.  In my line of work what matters most is being in the right place at the right time and getting the right shot.  I work for anyone and have in the past worked for the Shields Gazette.  I'll have a look through my archived stock and see if I can find anything that will shed any light on the Bergerac saga.

I also have been known to take some photos in my time, mainly because I don't need to close one eye when using a camera.  This gives me the huge advantage that I don't need to twist my face up to keep one eye shut, so my photos are fantastic.