38-575: Sarah Victoria M Tansey (born 1971) is a British actress. She had a role in Heartbeat as pharmacist Jenny Merton (née Latimer) who was brought in to help Dr Summerbee ( Clare Calbraith ) in the Aidensfield surgery. When Dr Summerbee was killed off, Jenny continued as the pharmacist alongside Dr Merrick, but she developed mental health symptoms and was diagnosed with mania , which was Sarah and Duncan Bell ’s (Dennis Merton) exit storyline. Other roles included
76-455: A large backlog of unbroadcast episodes could be cleared. Some newspaper reports interpreted this as meaning the show would be permanently cancelled. A report in The Telegraph suggested Heartbeat may return in "a new lower budget form". In March 2009, a meeting to discuss the future of the show took place between ITV bosses and Heartbeat cast and crew members. The mood after the meeting
114-457: A survey was carried out by the Whitby Gazette , a newspaper local to the area in which the show is set, asking "Do you think that popular ITV show Heartbeat should be axed after 16 years?" 71% of respondents voted "No", 19% voted "Yes" and 10% voted "Don't Care". Series 18 was unusually protracted. Filming ran from May 2008 to May 2009. It premiered on 12 October 2008 and took a break after
152-424: A time when ITV had two commercial breaks and therefore have a running time of around 50 minutes. However ITV Encore has 60-minute programme slots which include three commercial breaks, so some scenes are edited or have been completely removed, purely for timing reasons. An example of this was the series 7 episode 22 "Unconsidered Trifles", in which the scene with PC Mike Bradley and Bernie Scripps herding cows back into
190-577: Is a list of specials made for Heartbeat , most of which were behind-the-scene documentaries. All were later included in DVD boxsets for specific series of the programme: The series was filmed at various locations around North Yorkshire . These include shots on the moors and frequent mentions of local roads (like the A171). Exterior scenes of Aidensfield are filmed in the village of Goathland in North Yorkshire, with
228-524: Is a period drama set within the North Riding of Yorkshire during the 1960s. Plots for each episode are centred around the fictional locations of Aidensfield and Ashfordly, occasionally including the real town of Whitby . Some episodes featured references to the counterculture movement of the 1960s . The programme's title was chosen by writers to represent the series' key characters who worked as police officers and medical staff – "heart" for
266-528: Is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in EastEnders from 1985 to 1990, and as PC Nick Rowan in Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart singles with " Every Loser Wins " in 1986, which went to number one, and the theme song from Heartbeat , a cover of the Buddy Holly song " Heartbeat ", in 1992. Berry started acting at the age of eight, and attended
304-548: The Constable series of novels written by Nicholas Rhea, and produced by Yorkshire Television until it was merged with ITV, then by ITV Studios , from 1992 until 2010. The series is set in the North Riding of Yorkshire during the 1960s, with plots centred on the fictional locations of Aidensfield and Ashfordly. The programme initially starred Nick Berry , Niamh Cusack , Derek Fowlds , William Simons , Mark Jordon and Bill Maynard , but as more main characters were added to
342-554: The Constable series were used for creating the setting and plots in Heartbeat , under guidance from Rhea. The series was originally intended as a launch platform for actor Nick Berry , following his involvement on the BBC 's soap opera EastEnders . Berry and actress Niamh Cusack were the prominent main actors of the programme for its first two series. Storylines mainly focused around both their characters, as they offered aid to those around
380-523: The Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. Berry played minor parts on television, film and stage, until his big break playing Simon 'Wicksy' Wicks in the BBC soap opera EastEnders , joining the series shortly after its inception in 1985 and staying until the end of 1990. Berry's character was thought up overnight and had been scheduled to appear later. However, he was introduced to restore
418-530: The Hollies ' 1974 song " The Air That I Breathe ", Led Zeppelin 's " Black Dog " (1971), Lynyrd Skynyrd 's " Free Bird " (1974) or Pink Floyd 's 1971 instrumental " One of These Days ". The end scene of the series 17 episode "You Never Can Tell" is accompanied by the Flying Pickets ' 1983 song " Only You ", an episode which featured a guest appearance by the band's lead singer Brian Hibbard . Although Heartbeat
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#1733086220677456-501: The UK that year, remaining at number one for three weeks. Its composers, Simon May , Stewart James and Bradley James, received an Ivor Novello Award . Berry returned to EastEnders after his musical career stalled but left again in an 'open to return' storyline which was aired in December 1990. His character has only made one brief re-appearance since in an episode dated 13 January 2012, marking
494-444: The beginning, when early series consistently drew over 10 million viewers, achieving a peak audience of 13.82 million in 2001, and 12.8 million viewers in 2003. Its success eventually led to a spin-off series, titled The Royal , as well as a special episode, and three documentaries. In June 2010, ITV announced the cancellation of Heartbeat after its eighteenth series, following discussions on its future. Heartbeat
532-442: The cast balance distorted by the unexpected departure of actor David Scarboro who played the original Mark Fowler . Scarboro's departure meant many of his functions as one of the senior of the young characters would need to be taken over by another character and thus Wicksy was introduced rather sooner than originally planned and Berry was cast with minimal delay. He was quickly hailed as EastEnders' top pin-up and during this time
570-455: The cast being changed throughout its broadcast history, as new characters were introduced to replace those who left the show. Sixties pop music features prominently in episodes, notably from the Beatles and Chuck Berry, forming the backbone of Heartbeat ' s soundtrack, although music from other decades sometimes is played in episodes. Some 1970s records appear anachronistically , such as
608-587: The farm shed was completely omitted. Since ITV Encore's closure in 2018, all series of Heartbeat now air each week day on ITV3 . Ratings slowly declined after series 13. The schedule was split in half to incorporate the launch of The Royal from Series 12. Series 1 and 2 (1992–1993) aired between April and June, Series 3–6 (1993–1996) moved to the autumn schedule between September and December when there were either 10 or 16 episodes per series. Series 7–11 (1997–2002), comprising 24 episodes, aired between September and March. The ITV medical drama series The Royal
646-448: The funeral of his on-screen mother, played by Pam St Clement . In 1992, Berry was cast in the role of policeman PC (later Sgt) Nick Rowan in ITV 's drama series Heartbeat (1992–98). Berry recorded the title song " Heartbeat " in 1992, a cover of the 1958 Buddy Holly hit, which reached number two in the UK singles chart and spawned a second album. His wife Rachel Robertson also appeared in
684-404: The medical themes featured regularly in the programme, and "beat" for a policeman's "beat" or area that he patrols. Each episode's set of storylines were inspired by those of the Constable series of books, written by Nicholas Rhea (the pen-name of former policeman Peter Walker), which were focused on a police constable in the 1960s who came to Aidensfield. Many of the characters and locations in
722-402: The opening titles after being elevated into the series' main cast – up until the fifth series, both Berry and Cusack were prominently featured in the opening credits, but this changed in later series so that by the beginning of the seventh series, all actors in the main cast were given credit for their involvement. After the fifth series, storylines became less centralized around
760-506: The original two-commercial-break format and latterly with three breaks. These repeats run daily each weekday lunchtime, with a second airing in an early-evening timeslot. Episodes from different series were shown on ITV3 at weekends. As of autumn 2015, series 1–10 of Heartbeat was being aired on the then-new ITV Encore channel, which was only available on the Sky TV platform (until ITV Encore ceased broadcasting). These episodes were broadcast at
798-556: The police office Liam Ketman alongside Stephen Tompkinson in the BBC crime drama In Deep . Berry retired from acting and ran his own production company called Valentine Productions. Berry resigned from the company in October 2019. Just before he joined the cast of EastEnders , Berry fractured his skull in a car crash but went on to make a full recovery. During his time in EastEnders , Berry
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#1733086220677836-549: The programme's demise. A spokesman said "The temptation is to just cancel long running shows. But if you do that you can spend years trying to find replacements that achieve the same viewing figures." Kathleen Beedles, the new producer as of series 18, originally said Heartbeat was expected to continue until at least series 20 (at the time scheduled for 2010–11). However, it was announced on 28 January 2009 that production of both Heartbeat and its spin off show The Royal would be suspended for an unspecified period of time so that
874-591: The series in small one-off roles. Berry’s era ended with a one-off twin episode special showing his character's new career as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer . In 1998, Berry left Heartbeat for the BBC One series Harbour Lights . Filmed around the area of Bridport he played harbourmaster Mike Nicholls, which ran for two series. Berry's other credits include The Mystery of Men with Neil Pearson and Warren Clarke , Respect , Paparazzo , "Duck Patrol", The Black Velvet Band with Todd Carty , and playing
912-490: The series, additional actors included Jason Durr , Jonathan Kerrigan , Philip Franks , Duncan Bell , Clare Wille , Lisa Kay , Tricia Penrose , Geoffrey Hughes , Peter Benson and Gwen Taylor . Production of episodes involved filming of outdoor and exterior scenes around the North Riding, including in and around Whitby and Goathland , with interior scenes filmed at The Leeds Studios . Heartbeat proved popular from
950-686: The show seemingly remained set in 1969 until the end of Series 18's broadcast in 2010, never moving into the 1970s. The episode titled "One Small Step", which was the 21st episode of Series 16, took place at the time of the July 1969 Apollo 11 moon landings. Heartbeat had five main stars over the course of its 18 series run, i.e. Nick Berry as Nick Rowan (Series 1–7, 1992–1998), Jason Durr as Mike Bradley (Series 7–12, 1997–2003), James Carlton as Steve Crane (Series 12–13, 2003–2004), Jonathan Kerrigan as Rob Walker (Series 14–16, 2004–2007), and Joe McFadden as Joe Mason (Series 17–18, 2007–2010). The following
988-555: The show's future, ITV continued to maintain that reports of the show being "axed" were untrue, saying that production was "taking a rest" so that stockpiled episodes could be aired. However, on 25 June 2010, ITV finally confirmed that the show would be cancelled after series 18, with a spokesman saying " Heartbeat has been an important part of the television landscape over the last 18 years and we are incredibly proud of what it achieved in its heyday as one of ITV1's top rated dramas". Nick Berry Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963)
1026-557: The shows Casualty , Where the Heart Is and The Bill . She has also appeared in films Far from the Madding Crowd (1998) and Beginner's Luck (2001). She is married to actor Hywel Simons . This article about a British television actor born in the 1970s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Heartbeat (British TV series) Heartbeat is a British police procedural period drama series, based upon
1064-570: The sixth episode, then continued from 19 April 2009 to 14 June 2009. The last nine episodes were shown between 18 July 2010 and 12 September 2010 in the UK, but in Sweden on TV4 from 25 August 2009 to 4 September 2009, and in Denmark on TV 2 Charlie from 16 December 2009 to 24 December 2009. As of 19 May 2023, Heartbeat continues to be aired on TVO in Ontario, Canada. During the period of uncertainty about
1102-437: The summer months (often billed on-screen as "Classic Heartbeat"), typically at 5.00 pm or, in 2006, at 4.00 pm. In 2006, episodes from the first few series were repeated again. Most of the swearing ("bloody", "bastard", etc.) and violence that was present in the early episodes was edited out for these daytime broadcasts. For several years (as of 2016) Heartbeat reruns from series 11–18 have shown on ITV3 , formerly in
1140-546: The village and beyond, though the tone of plots was portrayed with grittiness and social realism . From the third series onwards, the role of the village policeman continued to be central to the storyline, but supporting actors were redefined as the programme's main cast, with their characters elevated in presence, effectively developing Heartbeat into an ensemble drama that was themed as more cosy and comfortable compared to more modern TV police dramas. The changes were more notable by how supporting actors gained more prominence in
1178-696: The village constable, focusing on separate storylines that retained a set structure within episodes: one focusing on a crime solved by the village constable and his colleagues at Ashfordly police; one focused on a medical issue that the village doctor and/or nurse would treat; and a side story focused on the programme's "lovable rogue" character which mainly was designed as comic relief, but sometimes featured light-hearted plots. In addition, over-arching storylines covering several episodes or even series, provided sub-plots between main characters, allowing for character and relationship development between them, with additional characters added in over time. In time, Heartbeat saw
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1216-581: The village's railway station also appearing occasionally. Other prominent filming locations include Whitby , Otley and Scarborough . The "Heartbeat: Changing Places" special includes location filming in Canada and in series 18, two episodes were filmed on location in Queensland, Australia. When Heartbeat first began on 10 April 1992 it aired on Fridays at 9.00 pm (on the ITV Network) but from series 2 it
1254-413: Was besieged by fan mail from female admirers. Berry soon took a break from EastEnders to tour and make an album from which the number-one single " Every Loser Wins " came in 1986. The song was heavily featured within EastEnders in a plotline referred to as The Banned in which the youths of Albert Square formed a pop group and performed the songs on screen. It was the second-biggest-selling single in
1292-518: Was broadcast over 18 years from 1992 to 2010, the show remained set in the 1960s throughout its entire run. Series 1, which broadcast in 1992, was set in 1963 at the very earliest, but mostly in 1964, due to mentions of Christine Keeler in the first episode, the Dallas police at John F. Kennedy's assassination being mentioned in the past tense, and Lyndon B. Johnson being the current US president. By roughly Series 8, Heartbeat had reached 1969, and yet
1330-413: Was filmed, and where the Heartbeat -themed tourist trade was seen as an important part of the local economy. In January 2010, rumours were published that Sky might buy Heartbeat from ITV and take over its production. In February 2010, it was reported that Adam Crozier , the newly appointed ITV chief executive, would be responsible for making the decision about the future of the show. In March 2010,
1368-489: Was moved to Sunday evenings in the 7.00 pm or 8.00 pm timeslot. All Heartbeat episodes are around 42–51 minutes long (one hour with adverts). The opening episode of Series 11 was planned to be the show's first two-hour episode, but it was eventually split into a two-part story, "Sweet Sixteen" and "She's Leaving Home". In 1994 a one-off feature-length episode was filmed, starring Lloyd Owen as constable Tom Merriweather. Heartbeat repeats have appeared on ITV during
1406-672: Was originally a spin-off from Heartbeat , with the twelfth-series Heartbeat episode "Out of the Blue" serving as an introductory pilot for the show, with the Aidensfield police officers conducting parts of their investigations in "The Royal" hospital. The series initially had close ties with Heartbeat , and several Heartbeat characters made an appearance. Over time, however, the crossovers were dropped and The Royal developed its own identity. On 5 June 2001, ITV planned cutbacks for dramas such as London's Burning , Heartbeat and Peak Practice to make room for new commissions which could have seen
1444-471: Was reportedly pessimistic about the show's long-term survival. Actor Steven Blakeley , who played PC Younger, said the cast were to be released after series 18, indicating the show had been cancelled and filming had finished. News of the show's alleged cancellation prompted protests from Heartbeat fans around the world, as well as from communities in the Yorkshire Television region where the series
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