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The Best Episodes of Heartbeat

Every episode of Heartbeat ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Heartbeat!

The Best Episodes of Heartbeat

Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.
  1. Background image for Bitter Harvest
    8.8/10(98 votes)

    #1 - Bitter Harvest

    S2:E4

    Local farmer, Reg Manston notices one of his cows looks very ill and asks Nick to visit him. On Nick's arrival, Manston tells Nick that he suspects the animal may infected with the highly contagious disease known as Foot and Mouth. The local vet - Martin Thomas is called in performs test on Manston's herd. He phones the ministry of Agriculture while and sends the his tests away for confirmation of the disease. Meanwhile Nick as part of the regulations of the disease has to guard the farm entrance to check no one enters or leave the farm. The whole area becomes affected by the outbreak when it means that no social events can happen at the risk of the disease spreading, which annoys George whose bar is totally empty of customers. Meanwhile another farmer (and Manston's neighbour), Sam Carver is breaking the disease outbreak regulations by transporting his infected dead sheep to another area. In the meantime Manston's herd are shot and burned to prevent the disease from spreading. After

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    Director:Ken Horn
  2. Background image for Daniel
    8.7/10(48 votes)

    #2 - Daniel

    S13:E15

    Gina goes into premature labour after she attempts to break up a fight between two men in the pub. At the hospital Blaketon recognises one of the two men from the pub brawl, Robert Flint, who was also involved in a major drugs case several years before for which he was never charged. Merton is determined to nail Flint this time around and impress the Division in the process.

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    Director:Adrian Bean
  3. Background image for Affairs of the Heart
    8.6/10(41 votes)

    #3 - Affairs of the Heart

    S7:E12

    It's Nick and Jo's wedding day! The episode starts with Nick's stag night, where he receives several bottles of very potent wine from Claude and a suspect garden ornament from Blaketon! The next day Nick goes for a drive but has to stop for a road accident, involving a man who's girlfriend had driven a car at him when he told her he was married. She panics and drives off in Nick's car. Stranded, Nick has to run for help and finds someone to take the injured man to hospital. Back at the police house Phil and Alf are getting worried about Nick's absence. Nick phones Phil to tell him what's happening and then its a mad dash to the church. Meanwhile Blaketon is devastated to discover that he has failed his medical and will have to retire. The ceremony is lovely and Katie and Maggie are bride's maids. Nick's Granddad is annoyed that Greengrass is selling off his jellied eels to his own family, Phil is nervous about his speech and Nick tells Jo he's taking her to Spain for their honeymoon. I

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  4. Background image for Peace and Quiet
    8.6/10(44 votes)

    #4 - Peace and Quiet

    S7:E13

    Mike Bradley arrives in Aidensfield and his first encounter with Blaketon is when he stops Mike for speeding. Mike was expecting a quite country beat, but his first experience in Aidensfield turned out to be anything but that. A local construction site is raided by armed robbers, Gina and Claude get caught up in the process and Alfred gets shot. Mike arrives on the scene and is also injured, but luckily he attends to Alfred. Claude and Gina help chase the robbers, but Blaketon catches them first when their car crashed down an embankment. Blaketon runs to help but ends up having a heart attack. Funnily enough it is Claude who saves him, which he asks Blaketon to remember in the future!

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    Director:Tim Dowd
  5. Background image for Thief in the Night
    8.5/10(68 votes)

    #5 - Thief in the Night

    S5:E3

    Kate comes out of hospital with baby Sarah. The atmosphere is extremely sullen and Nick neglects his work, which doesn't go down well with Blaketon. Nick receives reports of prowlers hanging around at night, but he doesn't do anything about it. The next day Mr Copeland complains to Blaketon about Nick's inefficiency and about a tank of petrol he has had stolen. Blaketon is on the warpath and unaware of Kate's condition, goes round to the police house and tears a strip off Nick. Kate realises she can't keep it a secret any longer so Nick finally tells Phil the bad news. Blaketon feels awful for what he said and goes back to apologise. Kate is finding it difficult to cope and asks Nick to take her for a picnic in the hills. But this has disastrous repercussions when she goes down with pneumonia, which immediately worsens her condition. Emotions are running high, and by the time Kate dies everything comes to a head. After the funeral, Nick sees David Stockwell with a petrol can, realising

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    Director:Tim Dowd
  6. Background image for Unfinished Business
    8.4/10(41 votes)

    #6 - Unfinished Business

    S5:E12

    Alf is showing Nick the plot of land that he's bought on which to have a house built. But he's not pleased when Claude turns up with the digging equipment! Claude sets out to work but the digger soon becomes jammed. Claude goes down in to the excavation to see what's wrong and ends up trapped on an unexploded bomb. The army is brought in to diffuse the bomb and the police have to evacuate the whole village. One woman protests to leaving as a man has died in her bed and its not her husband. One little boy is missing, but Nick finds him hiding in a shed, unfortunately the bomb goes off causing the shed to collapse. Nick and the boy are fine but one soldier is killed.

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    Director:Tom Cotter
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Heartbeat

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  8. Background image for Saint Columbia's Treasure
    8.4/10(38 votes)

    #7 - Saint Columbia's Treasure

    S5:E13

    This is Peter Benson's first appearance at this show.

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  9. Background image for Toss Up
    8.3/10(40 votes)

    #8 - Toss Up

    S5:E9

    A burglar known as ‘Bero man' makes several attacks in the area, including terrifying Gina and injuring Maggie. He has also been known to bake a sponge cake in his victims houses before he leaves. The Bero man turns out to be a local girl who was feeling trapped by her family. A Bob Dylan look a like arrives and entertains everyone with his music. He is later found to be a drug dealer who gave some to two girls who were later involved in a car crash in which the driver died. Greengrass also unknowingly gets high on a hash cake that mysteriously appeared in his oven!

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  10. Background image for Old Friends
    8.3/10(40 votes)

    #9 - Old Friends

    S6:E16

    An old flame of Eileen's turns up. He is a French man named Antonin, who urges Eileen to marry him. She declines because of her commitment to Katie. Nick goes undercover as a harbour worker to catch an escapee prisoner. Phil goes missing during the operation and is found trapped on one of the boats. Claude is buying fish under false means, Nick notices what's going on and advises him to stay away from Whitby - which is where the investigation is taking place.

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    Director:Ken Horn
    Writer:Ron Rose
  11. Background image for Bad Apple
    8.3/10(41 votes)

    #10 - Bad Apple

    S7:E1

    Claude is persuaded to stand bail for a burglar purely as a business arrangement, for which he does finally get his payment from the man's wealthy wife to be. Nick buys Jo an engagement ring, which she shows off down the pub! The engagement celebrations are ruined when Jo breaks the news to her parents. Her Mother strongly objects to the marriage, and makes no secret of how much she disapproves of her daughter marrying a ‘village bobby'.

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    Director:Ken Horn
  12. Background image for Substitute
    8.3/10(32 votes)

    #11 - Substitute

    S7:E14

    Alf has to deal with a group of travellers who have a grudge against him. Alf is determined to catch them at whatever crime they're about to commit. He feels guilty for not convicting them of a crime they committed in the past during which one of his old colleagues was crippled. Alf spends time observing them and making notes, but unfortunately he is spotted and they take him and tie him up in a horse box. It is a race horse that they intend to steal, but during the process Alf makes his escape and drives off in the horse box. They follow him but road blocks have been set up and the thieves are caught. Greengrass lets some guides camp on his land but it proves more hassle than he bargained for.

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    Director:Gerry Mill
    Writer:Ron Rose
  13. Background image for Many Splendoured Thing
    8.3/10(33 votes)

    #12 - Many Splendoured Thing

    S12:E9

    It is Christmas in Aidensfield and Lord Ashfordly decides to throw a ball to celebrate his marriage, but his elegant young bride is not what the locals expect. Vernon jeopardises Bernie's funeral business by finding a more festive use for the hearse. Tricia also gets the wrong end of the stick at the Christmas party. She thinks that Mike is proposing when he gives her a jewelry box, however it only contains a locket but she manages not to let him see her disappointment.

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  14. Background image for A Winter's Tale
    8.2/10(42 votes)

    #13 - A Winter's Tale

    S4:E16

    Lady Whitly complains that she has had Christmas trees stolen. Kate is treating a young boy with breathing problems. His brother and sister are the ones selling the stolen Christmas trees to make money to send their brother to Switzerland which would benefit his health. Lady Whitly at first refuses to drop the charges against the children but later has a change of heart. Kate asks Claude to play Santa and he reluctantly agrees. Nick forgets to buy the turkey so he ends up buying a huge one from Claude! Thinking Blaketon would be alone at Christmas, Nick asks him to Christmas dinner, but he ends up bringing his son along as well. Kate knew nothing about the invitation so she looks a little surprised when she finds out they're cooking for four!

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    Director:Tim Dowd
  15. Background image for The Best Laid Plans
    8.2/10(39 votes)

    #14 - The Best Laid Plans

    S6:E14

    Suzanna Temple-Richards moves back into the area after having served time for drugging her husband, but when a woman she knew in prison turns up asking her for money she begins to get worried, and events take a turn for the worst. The woman turns out to be an escaped prisoner who is planning to escape to Spain with her boyfriend. Luckily the police realise what's happening and Suzanna is found tied up in the boot of their car. Eileen finds it hard to accept Jo staying over at the Police House, Nick talks to her about it, and everything is sorted out, she says that she thinks Kate would have liked Jo.

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  16. Background image for Pig in the Middle
    8.2/10(40 votes)

    #15 - Pig in the Middle

    S7:E2

    A long lost friend of Claude's comes to stay called Ellen Highwater, she moves in with him for a brief period. At first Claude takes full advantage of her cooking and cleaning but eventually she takes things too far, especially when she takes some of his money for the shopping and she even suggests Alfred should have a kennel! ‘Sweaty Betty' has a vendetta against Special Constable Cowley, who mysteriously goes missing. Betty is the suspected of having something to do with it but Nick is surprised when she tells him that she has an alibi, in that she was with her ‘boyfriend' on the night in question. Jo has to move out of her cottage when her dad can't renew the lease, but luckily Maggie offers her, her spare room.

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    Director:Tom Cotter
  17. Background image for Closing Ranks
    8.2/10(38 votes)

    #16 - Closing Ranks

    S7:E4

    There is an out break of handbag snatches in the area, the police know who the perpetrators are but can't prove anything. Phil decides to take matters into his own hands when his Gran is the next victim. To ensure a conviction he plants her purse on the suspect, and asks Nick to go along with it, he does, but in court the suspect's solicitor finds holes in the evidence and Blaketon realises what's happened. The case is dropped. Blaketon is angry and threatens to report Phil and Nick for the incident but informs them the next day, that just this once he would let the matter drop. Blaketon then turns to Alf for help with the case, and they set up a successful identity parade, which provides enough evidence to make the charges stand up in court. Meanwhile Jo is having problems with her mother disapproving of Nick and Claude is told there's more to a stuffed ram than meets the eye!

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    Director:Tom Cotter
  18. Background image for Bad Penny
    8.2/10(37 votes)

    #17 - Bad Penny

    S7:E18

    No description available

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  19. Background image for Fire and Ashes
    8.2/10(34 votes)

    #18 - Fire and Ashes

    S8:E19

    Maggie Bolton tells Neil that they are going to have a baby, but she's quite troubled about it and takes a small trip with Gina. Small fires in the area worry the police, and Greengrass has a railway carriage for holiday guests, but that makes Blaketon angry.

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    Director:Gerry Mill
  20. Background image for Cold Turkey
    8.2/10(35 votes)

    #19 - Cold Turkey

    S10:E10

    A new bank manager is very unwilling to lend out money and his son moves away from home in sympathy with the empty-handed. Bellamy and Gina prepare expensive luxury as Christmas gifts to each other.

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  21. Background image for Accidents Happen
    8.2/10(38 votes)

    #20 - Accidents Happen

    S15:E26

    A jailbird gets out to assist on a hidden agenda. Debbie changes her ways as a known person reunites in her life. A local child acts spiteful at the death of his pet. He creates a bomb and plants it in the Aidensfield Police House. The bomb explodes which kills Helen leaving Rob devastated by her death.

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  22. Background image for Outsiders
    8.1/10(59 votes)

    #21 - Outsiders

    S1:E8

    A caravan of circus-folk, the Laszlos arrives in Aidensfield and camps on the village green. The locals are angry about it and demand that these unwelcome visitors leave. The vicar's daughter, Anna meanwhile falls for one of campers, the young and handsome Milos Laszlo. This angers her wealthy fiancée, Jamie Hunter. Nick then receives allegations of theft against the Lazslos and Nick goes to the caravan to investigate. Nick hears that there is a sick man in the caravan and later discovers the man has cancer and has 'returned' home to his birthplace to die. The church's safe is then broken into and Milos then becomes the prime suspect after his scarf is found at the scene. Greengrass, an old friend of the Lazslos then informs Nick that he saw Jamie Hunter pick the scarf up and Nick realizes Hunter must have been responsible for the break in. The Lazslos then leave, with Anna after realizing they are not welcome anymore.

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    Director:Tim Dowd
  23. Background image for Riders of the Storm
    8.1/10(43 votes)

    #22 - Riders of the Storm

    S3:E2

    Convict Stevie Walsh is released from prison and is on a train back to Aidensfield to see his wife and to finish some unfinished business. In the night Aidensfield gets cut off as a severe snow storm and the whole are is unreachable. The train heading for Aidensfield then crashes when the signals fail. Nick is alone and can't get police assistance, so its up to him alone to organise a rescue mission with the villagers including Claude and George to help the passengers and see to the injured which include Gina's brother, Barry and Alex, who has suffered a head injury. The injured are taken to the village hall by the villagers until outside help can reach them. Meanwhile Kate is called out by a man, whose partner - Ellen and Walsh's ex-wife is in labour and about to give birth. To Ellen's distress, Stevie helps her and Kate when they get trapped in the snow on the way to hospital, and they end up with the train passengers in the village hall where the Kate delivers the baby. Blaketon eve

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    Director:Tim Dowd
  24. Background image for Lost and Found
    8.1/10(42 votes)

    #23 - Lost and Found

    S4:E14

    A man comes to Aidensfield who has mislaid his suitcase on a train.. The suitcase contained his wife's ashes. His purpose for his visit was to try and make peace with his mother in law after a fierce misunderstanding years ago.. There is a village fete with everyone involved, whilst the police uncover some weapons from a hot dog stand. Alfred is supposed to enter the Lurcher Challenge Cup race but unfortunately George lets him loose on the ale.

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    Director:Ken Horn
  25. Background image for Expectations
    8.1/10(41 votes)

    #24 - Expectations

    S5:E2

    Joe Norton is causing trouble by smashing up pots in Nick and Kate's garden. A gypsy named Flo camps just up from Greengrass' house but he doesn't take kindly to her trying to sell him some lucky heather so she puts a 'hex' on him - Claude starts to believe that its working when everything starts to go wrong for him, so he asks to be 'unhexed'! Kate gets the result of her blood test that she sent off under another name, and it's bad news, but she keeps it to herself. Joe sets fire to the gypsy's caravan, Nick catches up with him but Joe attempts to assault him during the arrest. Clothes go missing off washing lines in the area. Kate goes into labour, and once she arrives at the hospital baby Sarah is soon born, Nick is over the moon, but his hopes are suddenly dashed when Kate tells him she has leukaemia.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for It's All in the Game
    8.1/10(37 votes)

    #25 - It's All in the Game

    S5:E10

    It is Katie's christening, and everyone is celebrating at Nicks house afterwards, when an old girlfriend of his, Gill, from the Met turns up for a visit. Nick and Gill are asked to go undercover to investigate the criminal activities of the owner of a well known gambling club. Blaketon thinks that Mr Armstrong is going to cheat in an up coming racing event by tampering with the favourite horse, ‘Fab Four'. The police are on to him, and he soon notices he's being watched so he kidnaps Gill and hides her in a horse box. Nick and Phil come to the rescue.

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    Director:Tom Cotter
    Writer:Ron Rose

Best Episodes Summary

"Bitter Harvest" is the best rated episode of "Heartbeat". It scored 8.8/10 based on 98 votes. Directed by Ken Horn and written by Jane Hollowood, it aired on 5/9/1993. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Daniel".