Heartbeat (1992– )

A British police constable and his doctor wife, weary of the turmoil in contemporary London, decide to move and work in a quiet village where life is livelier than they anticipated.

Stars:

William Simons, Derek Fowlds, Tricia Penrose

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
William Simons	...	PC Alf Ventress (355 episodes, 1992-2009)
Derek Fowlds	...	Oscar Blaketon (342 episodes, 1992-2009)
Tricia Penrose	...	Gina Ward (338 episodes, 1993-2009)
Mark Jordon	...	PC Phil Bellamy (323 episodes, 1992-2007)
David Lonsdale	...	David Stockwell (259 episodes, 1993-2009)
Peter Benson	...	Bernie Scripps (234 episodes, 1995-2009)
Bill Maynard	...	Claude Jeremiah Greengrass (155 episodes, 1992-2000)

Storyline

Constable Nick Rowan is a English Policeman in the 1960's who decides to be reassigned to the same small village where his wife was born. There, he patrols the countryside as a part of a small attachment in the area dealing with the various events and problems that come up while at same time keeping a eye on Claude Greengrass, the local rogue.

---

Plot Keywords:

village | doctor | police | countryside | 1960s | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Comedy | Crime

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1992 (UK)

Also Known As:

Classic Heartbeat

Filming Locations:

Askwith, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (274 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The reason none of Nicholas Rhea's original stories were adapted for this series was because some of the real Greengrass's activities were rather bizarre, and because one of his reminiscences was a near duplication of a James Herriot story (the one about the dog who was put to sleep because he was thought to have been attacking sheep, only to be proven innocent after the fact when the real culprit was shot to death somewhat later, after he had died).

---

Goofs

In the opening titles for Series 18, a shot of David's maroon lorry has been reversed: the lettering on the number-plate is a mirror image.

---

Connections

Referenced in Drama Trails: 'Doc Martin' to 'Foyle's War' (2008)

---

Soundtracks

"Heartbeat"
(Theme song)
Written by Buddy Holly
Performed by Nick Berry

User Reviews

A good show

I've been watching Heartbeat for the past 7 years and have to say that it's a very gentle show. The show did suffer after losing the character of Greengrass but I like the way that things have picked up after a brief boring period. The character of Peggy is a bit tiresome but you can cope with her if you ignore the fact that she's supposed to be their latest replacement for Greengrass. I don't know how long this show can still continue to be set in the 60s for though when you consider the fact that soon the cast will begin to look much older than they were ten years ago. Overall it combines some great sounds of the sixties with some entertaining stories about crime.