Heartbeat was 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 by ITV, then by ITV Studios 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, 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.
Over the course of its run, Heartbeat featured a number of former cast members from The Bill including Mark Powley.
More information on the series can be found on the Heartbeat Wiki.