Heartbeat

One of ITV’s most successful drama series of the 1990s, Heartbeat transported viewers to the idyllic, yet quietly eventful, North Yorkshire Moors during the 1960s – the era of The Beatles, Mods and Rockers, and a rapidly changing social landscape. At the heart of the series was Police Constable Nick Rowan and his wife Kate. Seeking a quieter life away from the bustle of London, the couple moved to Kate’s rural hometown of Aidensfield, where she worked as a GP and he served as the local bobby.

This simple premise, coupled with a nostalgic 1960s soundtrack and heartfelt storytelling, made Heartbeat a hit. At its peak, the series rivalled Coronation Street in the ratings, drawing up to 17 million viewers during the 1990s. Even by the time the 372nd and final episode aired in 2010, the show still attracted a loyal weekly audience of six million in the UK and had been broadcast in over 25 countries.

The show’s origins are as intriguing as its success. In the early 1980s, Yorkshire Television acquired the rights to a little-known book series by real-life rural policeman Peter Walker, writing under the pen name Nicholas Rhea. The first novel, Constable on the Hill, formed the foundation of the series. Initially shelved for being too similar to the BBC’s All Creatures Great and Small, the project was revived in 1988. By then, Walker had retired from the police as a PR inspector and had published more than 80 books, including 14 in the Constable series.

Yorkshire TV’s Head of Drama, Keith Richardson, and his team made key changes in adapting the books. Notably, Kate Rowan was reimagined as a doctor rather than a stay-at-home wife, bringing a medical angle to the series. The dual meaning behind the title – ‘Heartbeat’ for both the doctor and the policeman’s beat – added further appeal. The theme tune, Buddy Holly’s Heartbeat, and the increasing use of period pop songs created a signature soundscape, which, though initially unplanned, became central to the show’s nostalgic charm.

The main cast included Nick Berry, fresh from EastEnders, and Niamh Cusack, in her first major television role. The ensemble also featured Bill Maynard as the loveable rogue Claude Greengrass, Derek Fowlds as the by-the-book Sergeant Oscar Blaketon, and William Simons as the quietly enduring PC Alf Ventress, who remained throughout the show’s entire 18-year run. Other notable characters included young PC Bellamy (Mark Jordon), pub landlord George Ward (Stuart Golland), and his stylish Liverpudlian niece Gina (Tricia Penrose).

In 1995, Cusack left the series, and her character Kate was written out in a tragic storyline involving leukaemia during pregnancy. Nick Berry remained until 1997, when his character left for Canada to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – a departure featured in the special episode Heartbeat: Changing Places. Over the following years, several new constables took on the lead role, including Jason Durr as PC Mike Bradley, James Carlton as PC Steve Crane, Jonathan Kerrigan as PC Rob Walker, and Joseph McFadden as PC Joe Mason. After Bill Maynard’s departure due to ill health in 2000, Geoffrey Hughes stepped in as the equally endearing rogue, Vernon Scripps.

In 2003, capitalising on the success of Heartbeat, Yorkshire Television launched The Royal, a spin-off set at St Aidan’s Royal Free Hospital. Its first episode even featured the return of Greengrass – now a patient. Despite the initial popularity of both series, declining ratings led to both being 'rested' by ITV in 2009. Heartbeat had a backlog of unaired episodes, but a return never materialised, despite ongoing fan interest and protests, particularly from communities in the Yorkshire region where filming took place and where the show had become an important tourism driver.

In 2005–2007, Hornby Railways released a Skaledale model range based on Goathland station, which stood in for Aidensfield Station and also appeared in the Harry Potter films. Though Heartbeat concluded, the appetite for nostalgic period drama endures, as seen in the BBC’s 1950s-set Call the Midwife, which debuted in 2012 and revivals of The Darling Buds of May as The Larkins and All Creatures Great and Small, there's a chance, with the right timing, Heartbeat may one day be revived.