THE best sort of publicity cannot be bought at any price. Islanders were well aware of this when Jim Bergerac, the Jersey detective, was on television screens around the world, but the principle also applies to the episode of Countrywise broadcast last night.

Presenter Paul Heiney and his colleagues did a magnificent job of highlighting some of the glories of Jersey life, even if he constantly and gratingly referred to being ‘on’ the Island instead of ‘in’ it.

But Mr Heiney’s ignorance of the local idiom will have done nothing to take the shine off the programme as far as UK viewers are concerned. They were treated to a fascinating and generally very well researched tour of some of the places and activities which make this such a special part of the world.

The value of the programme as an advertisement for tourism is evident. It showed an ideal destination rich in natural attributes on the coast and inland. It also emphasised that Jersey has far more to offer than its portrayal in the popular media might suggest. As Mr Heiney indicated, there is far more to this community than high finance and millionaires.

However, if the programme amounted to an excellent public relations exercise for consumption by the outside world, showcasing much that we can be proud of, it will also have helped Island residents focus on the many reasons for being grateful for Island life.

The pressures of work and everyday life can obscure the many benefits of living in a community which still has a rural heart and a margin consisting of incomparable coastal scenery. Reminders of what we have and hold of the sort offered by Mr Heiney, his co-presenters and his crew are of great value.

But the good work was not the exclusive preserve of the ITV team. The Islanders who took part spoke eloquently about subjects ranging from the Jersey cow to the splendour of the low-water banks and gullies around La Rocque and Seymour Tower.

They will, no doubt, have persuaded many viewers in the UK that Jersey is a place to experience. It is probable that they will also have convinced many of their fellow residents that there is so much to see and do here that a holiday at home is an option well worth considering.