"Heartbeat" (1992)TV series 1992-????

Directors:

Martin Curry
Philippa Langdale

Writers:

Patrick Harbinson (writer)
Stephen Leather (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17

Release Date:

10 April 1992 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Crime

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

1960s | Countryside | Police | Village | Doctor

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

William Simons	...	PC Alf Ventress / ... (333 episodes, 1992-2008)
Mark Jordon	...	PC Phil Bellamy / ... (324 episodes, 1992-2007)
Derek Fowlds	...	Oscar Blaketon / ... (318 episodes, 1992-2008)
Tricia Penrose	...	Gina Ward / ... (312 episodes, 1993-2008)
David Lonsdale	...	David Stockwell / ... (231 episodes, 1993-2008)
Peter Benson	...	Bernard 'Bernie' Scripps / ... (207 episodes, 1995-2008)
Bill Maynard	...	Claude Jeremiah Greengrass / ... (155 episodes, 1992-2000)

Also Known As:

Classic Heartbeat (UK) (rerun title)

Runtime:

50 min (274 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Askwith, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Yorkshire Television (YTV)

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).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Cult of...: All Creatures Great and Small (#2.1)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Heartbeat

Enjoyable English 1960s nostalgia

This TV series manages to combine all the elements that make for a pleasant and at times absorbing hour in front of the TV - good varied characters, a range of occupations, although of course the policemen dominate, creative and simultaneously plausible story lines - usually one serious criminal occurrence and one lighthearted theme per episode - and all of it set in rural English village landscape (Yorkshire) which looks very nice and a contrast from urban Britain which I find mostly quite dreary and depressing. The 1960s seem a long time ago now, before Britain joined the EEC, when it still used non-decimal currency and imperial measurements, when it was still largely "monocultural", and when there were still steam trains. There are also those dinky British 60s cars, motorbikes and trucks that everyone gets around in, miniskirts and pop hits of the time on the soundtrack. What more could you ask for? Another commentator says it screens in the UK on Sunday nights - here it has always screened early on Saturday afternoons which isn't exactly prime time, a pity.