The tangential gamma-ray spectrometer (TGRS) of the JET tokamak fusion facility is an important diagnostics for investigating the fast particle evolution. A well defined field of view for the TGRS diagnostics is essential for its proper operation and this is to be determined by a rather complex system of collimators and shields both for the neutron and gamma radiations. A conceptual design for this system has been carried out with the main design target set to maximize the signal-to-background ratio at the spectrometer detector, the ratio being defined in terms of the plasma emitted gamma radiation and the gamma-ray background. As a first phase of the TGRS diagnostics upgrade a set of two tandem collimators has been designed with the aim of determining a quasi-tangential field of view through JET tokamak plasmas. A modular design of the tandem system has been developed in order to allow for the construction of different configurations for deuterium and deuterium-tritium discharges. The internal structure of the collimators consists of nuclear grade lead and high density polyethylene slabs arranged in an optimized pattern. The performance of a simplified geometry of the tandem collimator configuration has been evaluated by neutron and photon transport calculations and the numerical results show that the design parameters can be attained. (C) 2011 EURATOM. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.