Heartbeat (British TV series)

This article is about the UK drama series. For the 1988 U.S. series, see HeartBeat (1988 TV series). For the 2016 U.S. series, see Heartbeat (2016 TV series). For the similarly-named BBC children's show, see Hartbeat.

Heartbeat
Opening title (series 9–16)
GenrePolice procedural
Period drama
Created byJohnny Byrne
Keith Richardson
Gerry Mill
Based onConstable series
by Nicholas Rhea
Starring
Opening theme"Heartbeat" performed by Nick Berry
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series18
No. of episodes372 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersKeith Richardson
(369 episodes, 1992–2010)
Kathleen Beedles
(12 episodes, 2008)
Producers
  • Gerry Mill (187 episodes, 1996–2004)
  • Archie Tait (97 episodes, 2004–2008)
  • Steve Lanning (20 episodes, 1993)
  • Martyn Auty (16 episodes, 1994)
  • Carol Wilks (15 episodes, 1995)
  • Stuart Doughty (10 episodes, 1992)
Running time45–51 mins. per episode
Production companyYorkshire TV (now part of ITV Studios)
Original release
NetworkITV
Release10 April 1992 (1992-04-10) –
12 September 2010 (2010-09-12)
Related
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Heartbeat is a British police procedural period drama series, based upon the Constable series of novels written by Nicholas Rhea, and produced by Yorkshire Television until it was merged with ITV, then by ITV Studios[1] from 1992 until 2010. The series is set in the North Riding of Yorkshire during the 1960s, and takes place in real-life and fictional locations. Most episodes' focus on separate stories sometimes intersect with one another; some episodes focus on a single major incident.

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 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 the beginning, when early series consistently drew over 10 million viewers,[2] achieving a peak audience of 13.82 million in 2001,[3] and 12.8 million viewers in 2003.[4] 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.

  1. ^ "TV recruits rogue to rival Greengrass". The Daily Telegraph. 19 June 2001. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
  2. ^ "Niamh Cusack". TV.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  3. ^ "TV AND RADIO – BBC on top in ratings war". BBC News. 28 January 2002. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Entertainment – ITV1's Street heads 2003 ratings". BBC News. Retrieved 27 May 2015.