"Heartbeat" (1992) TV series 1992-????

User Rating:

7.1/10   

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 | 18

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:

Village | Doctor | Police | Countryside | 1960s

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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 / ... (324 episodes, 1992-2007)
David Lonsdale	...	David Stockwell / ... (259 episodes, 1993-2009)
Peter Benson	...	Bernard 'Bernie' Scripps / ... (234 episodes, 1995-2009)
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 "Comedy Connections: The Fast Show (#4.1)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Heartbeat

Fun program

"Heartbeat" is a brilliant nostalgic feel-good drama set in the 1960's. It mixes gentle story lines, beautiful scenery and hit music from the period to create a madly watchable program. Sure it is not ground breaking and certainly would not win any awards for creativity but it provides the perfect form of entertainment for a Sunday night. The light and easy to digest stories are just what anyone would want the night before an early morning start for work. What makes "Heartbeat" so good is the likeable characters and combination of humour and action. It doesn't take itself too seriously and never fails to have at least one scene were you couldn't fail to laugh or raise a smile. Even though it is on 24 times a year it hasn't deteriorated into just another soap like "The Bill" or "Where the heart is" with episodes made up of mainly stand-alone parts. It is deservedly the #1 drama on UK TV with 10 million viewers and even had a spin-off made in 2003 called "The Royle".