Many police series have come and gone, but not since the days of Dixon of Dock Green has there been a programme to capture the public's imagination than the goings on at the fictional Yorkshire Village of Aidensfield.

Starring familiar favorites, Nick Berry as PC Nick Rowan, Derek Fowlds as the domineering Sgt Blaketon and Bill Maynard as the lovable rogue, Claude Greengrass, this latest recap of the top British Cop series starts off with Rowan coming to terms with the sudden death of his wife and trying to get back to work, despite having to adjust to his new life as a single parent.

He is immediately thrown in the deep end when he teams up with a former girl friend putting their lives in danger to go undercover to try and infiltrate a local gangster's organization and a betting scam.

But alongside the tension and drama the video has some superb comic moments in one of the next episodes, as the town's special Constable's personal quest to apprehend Greengrass on the charge of pilfering his prized fruit and veg for a forthcoming Garden Show.

And Heartbeat would not be Heartbeat would not be Heartbeat with out Greengrass causing a stir in the village when having been recruited to dig out PC Alf Ventres's new Cesspit for his new house, falls inadvertently on an unexploded bomb.

And as he is halled to the surface by the use of an army crane, Greengrass's predicament was best summed up by the sneering Blaketon as he was left hanging in mid air by the crane - "Not before time."  

As well as it's strong nostalgia content, Heartbeat shows that it is still possible to produce quality television without shock tactics like some soap operas.  And even though some of the stars featured on this new release have moved on to pastures new, the stories continue to charm audiences and is now as popular as ever as it enters its second decade.

Heartbeat Series 5 is out now on Granada VCI

 

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