The Beachcombers TV show continues to attract new fans — even three decades after its last episode aired on CBC Television. Ottawa-area podcaster Giordano Petti (left) discovered the show by watching syndicated episodes on the APTN network. In mid-2021, Petti invited Beachcombers star Jackson Davies (who played Constable John Constable) to be a podcast guest. This spring, the 22-year-old Petti contacted Davies again to let him know he was making his first trip to the West Coast.
Davies offered to be Petti’s tour guide for a daylong pilgrimage through Gibsons and its iconic landmarks. “What stuck out to me was not only the whole idea of a bucket list, which is cool,” said Davies, “but that a generation that we think knows nothing about the Beachcombers started watching it on the Aboriginal People’s Television Network and fell in love with it.”
The two met for a daylong walkabout on June 8. “If you’re looking at the TV industry, the show really represents an era gone by and something you don’t see a lot anymore, said Petti. “Beachcombers was really about being unapologetically Canadian. They weren’t just some random town; they were in Gibsons, British Columbia, a place you can actually visit.”
Davies and Petti walked the marina outside Molly’s Reach, which figured prominently in the series. A middle-aged tourist struck up a chance conversation with the duo. “I’ve been dreaming of this trip my whole life so I could see Molly’s Reach,” said the visitor, “then I get here and it’s closed for repairs.”
As Petti watched, Davies smiled and removed his sunglasses. A flash of recognition brightened the dejected tourist’s face. “I can’t believe it,” he said, shaking Davies’ hand before swapping stories about favourite episodes.
A reunion of Beachcombers cast and crew is in the works for mid-September.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
