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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!

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Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Heartbeat Season 2 Episode 2 - End of the Line
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - End of the Line

    S2:E2

    An elderly widower, a Mr. Miller from London comes and stays in the village and stays in a boarding house opposite the police house run by Mrs. ?. Milner however is not a well man and has to visit Kate at the surgery. Meanwhile Claude has been asked to do a barn clearance, and Nick buys the remains of an old MG off him for only £25. Claude dramatically underestimates its real value and is later annoyed by this, and complains to Blaketon. Milner it seems has an old grudge against Nick and he wants his revenge. It turns out that when Nick was down in the Met he arrested Milner's granddaughter after she stabbed her husband in self defence. Milner now wants to hurt Nick, the way Nick hurt him. He takes Kate as a hostage and is armed with a pistol. Kate manages to talk Milner round because she has to rush off to give a young girl a vital injection.

    Director:Bob Mahoney
    Writer:David Martín

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  2. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 12 - Affairs of the Heart
    8.8/10(42 votes)

    #2 - 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

    Director:John Anderson
    Writer:Jane Hollowood

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  3. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 13 - Peace and Quiet
    8.8/10(47 votes)

    #3 - 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!

    Director:Tim Dowd
    Writer:Peter Barwood

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  4. Heartbeat Season 10 Episode 10 - Cold Turkey
    8.5/10(39 votes)

    #4 - 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.

    Director:Noreen Kershaw
    Writer:Peter Gibbs

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  5. Heartbeat Season 3 Episode 2 - Riders of the Storm
    8.4/10(48 votes)

    #5 - 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

    Director:Tim Dowd
    Writer:Brian Finch

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  6. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 1 - Bad Apple
    8.4/10(42 votes)

    #6 - 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'.

    Director:Ken Horn
    Writer:Peter Gibbs

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Heartbeat

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  7. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 4 - Closing Ranks
    8.4/10(40 votes)

    #7 - 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!

    Director:Tom Cotter
    Writer:Jane Hollowood

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  8. Heartbeat Season 10 Episode 7 - The Traveller
    8.4/10(36 votes)

    #8 - The Traveller

    S10:E7

    Nat Coopeer is a 'traveller'. He and a mate tries unsuccessfully an armed robbery and they soon leave each other on their own. Greengrass gets involved in organizing horse races on open country roads.

    Director:Geoff Wonfor
    Writer:John Milne

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  9. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 2 - Pig in the Middle
    8.3/10(41 votes)

    #9 - 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.

    Director:Tom Cotter
    Writer:Brian Finch

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  10. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 11 - What the Butler Saw
    8.3/10(35 votes)

    #10 - What the Butler Saw

    S7:E11

    A man has been shot on the moors. A man named Ruxby was in the vicinity when the incident occurred, so he becomes a suspect. It turns out that he was only shooting rabbits at the time. One of Maggie's patients gets a new butler, but Eileen becomes suspicious when a few items go missing. Other thefts have occurred including a stolen pool table that is sold on to Claude. Gina is also thrilled to learn that she is now the licensee of the pub, but she feels Steve is trying to take over. Greengrass arranges to take bets on a pool game.It turns out that the butler had been going under a number of false identities and had been responsible for the shooting and burglaries. Nick tells Claude the pool table is stolen and its taken away. Claude has to find a replacement, and he does, but its a snooker table he later realises the balls are too big for the pockets! Maggie is surprised when her husband turns up in Ashfordly.

    Director:Tim Dowd
    Writer:Garry Lyons

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  11. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 15 - In on the Act
    8.3/10(33 votes)

    #11 - In on the Act

    S7:E15

    he has been made acting Sergeant at Ashfordly. A girl, Tracy, gets involved with two bikers from the fair who perform the ‘wheel of death'. Tracy's dad is depressed and her sister Belinda is seriously worried about him. Tracy's dad is seen threatening Dirk (one of the bikers) to leave his daughter alone. Consequently he becomes a suspect when oil is poured down the ‘wheel of death' causing Dirk to fall. It turns out Tracy was responsible but she intended to harm his partner so she could join Dirk in his act. Trevor Lamus becomes the target of a hate campaign. Soap powder is put in his beer and a grave stone put up in his name. Nick asks Mike to investigate. He finds that most of the locals including Alf had all chipped in to buy the stone. Nick realises that its awkward and when Mike points out the paper work involved he lets them all go. But he wants a word with Alf about his involvement!

    Director:Gerry Mill
    Writer:Veronica Henry

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  12. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 18 - Bad Penny
    8.3/10(38 votes)

    #12 - Bad Penny

    S7:E18

    No description available

    Director:Garth Tucker
    Writer:Peter Barwood

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  13. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 19 - Appearances
    8.3/10(31 votes)

    #13 - Appearances

    S7:E19

    A couple of thieves are looking at the ‘wanted' adverts in the paper then robbing these items from houses in the area and selling them on. During one burglary a young girl is hurt. Greengrass and Bernie take up an interest in sculpture. Nick and Jo make a life changing decision - they have decided to emigrate to Canada.

    Director:Brian Farnham
    Writer:Carolyn Sally Jones

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  14. Heartbeat Season 3 Episode 6 - The Frighteners
    8.2/10(45 votes)

    #14 - The Frighteners

    S3:E6

    An elderly woman, Jane Thompson who lives in a cottage is receiving threatening phone calls and hears noises in the middle of the night. A landowner, a Mr Walker is keen to get his hands on the her cottage. Nick at first suspects Walker of being behind the threatening behaviour, but Blaketon warns him off. The ladies son-in-law sells the cottage and she eventually is forced to move into a home, but she's not happy and goes back to her cottage. She then refuses to vacate it. Nick arrives and discovers the cottage was not her son-in-law's to sell, making her the rightful owner. It turns out that her son-in-law was responsible for all the threats. Meanwhile Alf finds a kitten and takes it to the station as Mrs. Ventress doesn't like cats. Blaketon orders someone to go and get it put down, but everyone refuses. Blaketon ends up not being so hard and keeps the Kitten as a pet.

    Director:Alan Grint
    Writer:Brian Finch

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  15. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 3 - Small Beer
    8.2/10(35 votes)

    #15 - Small Beer

    S7:E3

    An elderly gentleman who has a job involving the security of a company's money but he believes that he won't have the job for much longer, Therefore he tries to fake the theft of the weeks wages to convince his employer that his job is still needed. A young boy is looking after his sick mother almost full time but her condition worsens and she dies. The boy runs away as he'' scared of having to go into a children's home. He ends up at Claude's place who does his best to try and help him. There is a search on for the boy and Maggie convinces Claude to tell Nick where his whereabouts. Unfortunately the boy runs away once more but Nick does manage to catch him. It is then discovered that his mother was actually his Gran, who had brought him up since his real mother was only young when she had him. The police find hi mother and he is happy to go and live with her.

    Director:Gerry Mill
    Writer:Bill Lyons

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  16. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 14 - Substitute
    8.2/10(37 votes)

    #16 - 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.

    Director:Gerry Mill
    Writer:Ron Rose

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  17. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 16 - The Queen's Message
    8.2/10(35 votes)

    #17 - The Queen's Message

    S7:E16

    Rex Hawkins the TV repair man is being threatened by Lol Baxter, because he owes him money. Rex is the lead tenor in the choir to whom the leader of the choir, Miriam has taken a fancy. Rex asks her to sack Alf from the choir, and she does, but soon asks him back when she sees Rex with someone else. Rex is beaten up outside the pub and his mother tells Nick that she thinks it was Alf who did it. Nick doesn't believe it but he has to find out what really happened. Rex eventually agrees to talk to the police and tells them it was Baxter. He got a lot of TV sets half price from Baxter (which were stolen), but they were faulty, so the customers wouldn't pay and he couldn't pay Baxter the money he owed him. Greengrass has trouble with a piece of Royal Dolton that Gina ordered for a Christmas present. Gina invites Mike to Christmas dinner, and Katie and Nick enjoy watching Jo perform in the choir.

    Director:John Anderson
    Writer:Peter Gibbs

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  18. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 21 - The Enemy Within
    8.2/10(33 votes)

    #18 - The Enemy Within

    S7:E21

    Mike and a college student become friendly. She has a Japanese camera, which causes friction between her and an old army friend of Blaketon's who's been having flash backs from the war. He causes a disturbance in the pub and Mike arrests him. Blaketon's friend is mixing up the past with the present and ends up making an attack on Mike and abducting Blaketon and abandoning him on the moors. Mike is then allowed two weeks off work so he takes the student way on holiday with him.

    Director:Garth Tucker
    Writer:Susan Wilkins

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  19. Heartbeat Season 3 Episode 7 - Father's Day
    8.1/10(51 votes)

    #19 - Father's Day

    S3:E7

    Nick arrests Blaketon's son Graham for mugging a suspected drug dealer. Graham tells the police he did it to stop him pushing drugs to the youngsters. Blaketon is horrified but insists that there's nothing he can do and that the law must take its course, to the annoyance of his ex-wife. Meanwhile, Greengrass delivers a letter to Betty Such from her late husband. It tells her that a key to his safety deposit box is in the pocket of his best suit, but he was buried in that. So Betty and her son go and rob his grave to retrieve the Key. Once they have the key they open the box which is full of money. They celebrate their good fortune and start spending the money in the pub, but Gina realises its forged and tells Nick. Betty realises the notes are all forged and she realises that her husband has set her up from beyond the grave.

    Director:Terry Marcel
    Writer:Brian Finch

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  20. Heartbeat Season 3 Episode 8 - Endangered Species
    8.1/10(45 votes)

    #20 - Endangered Species

    S3:E8

    Mentally handicapped man - David Stockwell who lives with his elderly mother hears dogs barking in the woods at night and goes to investigate, but his mother follows him and gets injured in a hit and run when a Land Rover cuts her down in the woods. David runs to the pub for help and Nick and Kate get David's mother to the hospital. Nick asks David what happened and he tells Nick about the dogs and the Land Rover, however the next morning after David speaks to his mother his story changes and he insists she only fell. Nick suspects his mother is protecting someone and goes to the hospital to talk to her, but she also insists she fell. Nick is still suspicious and continues his investigation into the accident. Meanwhile David finds an injured badger in the wood and takes it home and with Kate's help nurses it back to good health. Nick meanwhile suspects the Land Rover was driven by badger baiter's and Claude shows him a recently dug up badger set near David's home. Nick then goes to see

    Director:Tim Dowd
    Writer:Michael Russell

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  21. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 7 - The Family Way
    8.1/10(31 votes)

    #21 - The Family Way

    S7:E7

    A little boy is injured in a car accident. The driver becomes involved with the police but Blaketon finds that not everything's straight forward.. Jo's Dad is extremely distresses about the death of his wife. His cap is found by a railway line and is handed in to the police. Nick asks him about it, and he admits he considered taking his life, but the thought of what it would do to Jo brings him back to his senses. Nick is understanding as he knows how terrible was when he lost Kate. It is this conversation that seems to break some barriers between them and he now approves of Nick's relationship with Jo. Claude's brother Cyril is in the area looking for property.

    Director:Ken Horn
    Writer:Brian Finch

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  22. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 10 - Playing with Trains
    8.1/10(32 votes)

    #22 - Playing with Trains

    S7:E10

    Blaketon is worried about his up coming retirement, he discusses it with Alf and tells him he has decided to apply for an extension of service. There are major thefts from a fur factory which leads to a police chase aboard a train, but only two out of the three men are caught. The other is found later when his son reluctantly leads the police to him. Claude has a metal detector and thinks he's struck gold!

    Director:Gerry Poulson
    Writer:James Stevenson

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  23. Heartbeat Season 7 Episode 24 - Love Me Do
    8.1/10(34 votes)

    #23 - Love Me Do

    S7:E24

    The new Sergeant arrives and that puts Phil, Mike and Alf on their guard. He seems very pedantic over things like uniform, and takes exception to Alf's little habits such as smoking on duty. There is a dance at the village hall, everyone's there and Mike is keen to spend time dancing with Maggie. Unfortunately Sgt Cradock beats him to it! A young girl is at the dance and spends time unsuccessfully trying to get Mike's attention. Later she goes missing and a full search of the woods is mounted. Cradock doesn't have much time for Blaketon's advice, and eventually the girl is found, and her kidnapper arrested.

    Director:Sue Dunderdale
    Writer:Jane Hollowood

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  24. Heartbeat Season 10 Episode 8 - Child's Play
    8.1/10(34 votes)

    #24 - Child's Play

    S10:E8

    Sue Driscoll surprises Bellamy with a sudden visit. Stanley Leroy and John Wilson are mystery guests at Aidensfield Arms. Edna, a psychic, warns that something terrible is going to happen and a headmaster is evasive about a boy's disappearance.

    Director:Steve Goldie
    Writer:Michael Hall

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  25. Heartbeat Season 10 Episode 9 - Fallen Heroes
    8.1/10(33 votes)

    #25 - Fallen Heroes

    S10:E9

    A local cricket team volunteered at World War I and now their sole survivor of the battles refuses to pay taxes because their old club's house is to be demolished. A car is crashed in a single accident and lot of money disappears from the car, an soon a 'Robin Hood' helps the War Veteran and his mates' families.

    Director:Paul Walker
    Writer:Johnny Byrne

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Best Episodes Summary

"End of the Line" is the best rated episode of "Heartbeat". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Bob Mahoney and written by David Martín, it aired on 4/25/1993. This episode scored 1.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Affairs of the Heart".