7.5/1029 votes#1 - Speed
Season 13 Episode 1 - Aired 9/7/2003
Sgt Merton finds himself under pressure when a group of youths commit a number of serious offences in the area - and are suspected of drug-dealing when Liz Merrick hands in amphetamines found stashed in a local boy's bedroom. She refuses to reveal who passed on the drugs to her due to patient confidentiality rules, but Merton heads for the surgery regardless, pretending to see Jenny, who promptly calls off the wedding when she discovers her fiance used the visit to sneak a look at the patient list.
Director: Paul Walker
Writer: John Flanagan, Andrew McCulloch
7.3/1027 votes#2 - Dog Days
Season 13 Episode 2 - Aired 9/14/2003
Police are baffled when there seem to be too many motives behind an arson attack on a warehouse. David is not impressed by Vernon's new found wealth and Bernie regrets getting involved with his latest bright idea.
Director: Jonas Grimås
Writer: Brian Finch
7.8/1028 votes#3 - Mother's Little Helpers
Season 13 Episode 3 - Aired 9/21/2003
Liz Merrick faces a trying time after one of her patients misses an appointment to discuss medication, and subsequently ends up charged with drink-driving, Vernon discovers money can't buy him happiness as he gets lonely in his new home - little suspecting excitement is just around the corner when his pal David is kidnapped and held for ransom. Elsewhere, Merton is delighted that Jenny has agreed to marry him and Bellamy is shocked to find out Gina is carrying his baby.
Director: Andrew Morgan
Writer: Peter Gibbs
7.7/1029 votes#4 - Fool for Love
Season 13 Episode 4 - Aired 10/5/2003
A masked man gets away with thousands of pounds from an armoured van giving a distraction to Jenny and Sgt. Merton's Wedding.
Director: Paul Walker
Writer: Susan Wilkins
7.6/1026 votes#5 - A Family Affair
Season 13 Episode 5 - Aired 10/12/2003
Police hunting down a bogus water board official find themselves investigating a suspicious death. Blaketon seeks to rectify a miscarriage of justice by reinstating a pre-war darts tournament.
Director: Frank W. Smith
Writer: Candy Denman
7.6/1026 votes#6 - The Holiday's Over
Season 13 Episode 6 - Aired 10/19/2003
Merton and Jenny return early from honeymoon. The police are called out when people coming home from holidays discover they have been burgled. Vernon's aspirations rise higher.
Director: Jonas Grimås
Writer: Neil McKay
7.8/1027 votes#7 - Waifs and Strays
Season 13 Episode 7 - Aired 10/26/2003
Three farm children are left orphaned, leaving Steve to help the oldest child fight a custody battle. Vernon opens a campsite, but it is David who is left to entertain the campers.
Director: Andrew Morgan
Writer: Richard Monks
7.9/1030 votes#8 - Brought to Book
Season 13 Episode 8 - Aired 11/2/2003
Steve tries his hand at community policing when he takes a group of troublesome lads on an outward bound course. Vernon tries to get involved with Eastern mysticism when a visiting guru needs premises for a meditation course.
Director: Noreen Kershaw
Writer: John Flanagan, Andrew McCulloch
7.9/1028 votes#9 - State of Mind
Season 13 Episode 9 - Aired 11/9/2003
An elderly man appears to be losing his mind, but Steve and Liz are determined to prove that he doesn't need to go into a home. Vernon is frustrated when he's called to jury service, leaving David with an impossible work schedule to juggle.
Director: Judith Dine
Writer: Candy Denman
7.6/1024 votes#10 - Down to Earth
Season 13 Episode 10 - Aired 2/22/2004
The police have to intervene when a woman complains about a neighbouring farmer's dead cow, and Vernon gets a nasty surprise when he hatches a plan for a compost business.
Director: Jonas Grimås
Writer: Jane Hollowood
7.1/1028 votes#11 - Mountains and Molehills
Season 13 Episode 11 - Aired 2/29/2004
Steve finds himself in trouble when a maid at Ashfordly Hall takes more than a shine to him. David invents a novel way to rid the estate of moles, and makes a new friend in the process.
Director: Adrian Bean
Writer: Susan Wilkins
7.2/1026 votes#12 - The Dear Departed
Season 13 Episode 12 - Aired 3/7/2004
A recently widowed woman arrives in Aidensfield wanting to bury her late husband in the family grave, but the dead man's brother refuses to co-operate because of an old feud. Vernon and David pay a visit, hoping to persuade him otherwise - only to find themselves held at gunpoint - and when it emerges the coffin is full of money and the deceased is alive and well, a shocking case of fraud is uncovered. Meanwhile, Oscar is among the locals under suspicion when a widely disliked, hardened criminal returns to the village - and soon ends up murdered.
Director: Andrew Morgan
Writer: Brian Finch
7.6/1029 votes#13 - Dangerous Whispers
Season 13 Episode 13 - Aired 3/14/2004
Gina Ward makes a surprise return to Aidensfield and Bellamy encounters a key informant who might come in useful - but finds himself in trouble when the man disappears before he can offer a tip-off about an imminent armed robbery. Meanwhile, Vernon acquires a bargain miniature railway which he hopes will impress the new estate manager, and it emerges Dr Liz Merrick may have feelings for Lord Ashfordly's recently appointed land agent.
Director: Judith Dine
Writer: John Flanagan, Andrew McCulloch
7.5/1025 votes#14 - Scent of a Kill
Season 13 Episode 14 - Aired 3/21/2004
Dr. Merrick faces a testing time when a terrified hospital patient claims her husband is trying to kill her, but Merton seems reluctant to get involved, while Vernon picks up a bargain all-purpose pest-control solution, enlisting David's help in his eradication mission. Gina's cousin Diane arrives to help her and Phil with the wedding preparations - much to the delight of PC Crane, who's instantly smitten.
Director: Gerry Mill
Writer: Peter Gibbs
8.6/1045 votes#15 - Daniel
Season 13 Episode 15 - Aired 3/28/2004
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.
Director: Adrian Bean
Writer: Peter Gibbs
7.9/1026 votes#16 - One Thing Leads to Another
Season 13 Episode 16 - Aired 4/4/2004
After a petty thief is hurt in a car crash, Crane discovers that Merton's wife Jenny is involved in one of his shady schemes. Meanwhile, Liz is given a surprising offer when she tries to help a sick man regain his job, and David, Bernie and Vernon enter the Ashfordly Gazette poetry competion.
Director: Andrew Morgan
Writer: Candy Denman
7.5/1038 votes#17 - No Hard Feelings
Season 13 Episode 17 - Aired 4/11/2004
Crane and Merton have their hands full when a sniper strikes during a clay-pigeon shoot, and Bellamy's fiery temper only serves to make matters worse. Elsewhere, Vernon decides to venture into the bed-and-breakfast market - but his cooking skills leave a lot to be desired.
Director: Judith Dine
Writer: Susan Wilkins
7.5/1027 votes#18 - Difficult Times
Season 13 Episode 18 - Aired 4/18/2004
Dennis Merton is called to Ranby Hall to investigate the sudden death of racing driver Jack Maclean from a massive insulin overdose while he was under the care of Liz Merrick and Dennis's wife, Jenny. Meanwhile Vernon bumps into an old friend who offers him a gilt-edged business opportunity which leads him into serious trouble.
Director: Gerry Mill
Writer: Neil McKay
7.6/1030 votes#19 - Nowhere Man
Season 13 Episode 19 - Aired 4/25/2004
Steve Crane must fathom a mystery surrounding the arrival in Ashfordly of a man with no memory and blood-stained clothes. Meanwhile Vernon turns the tables on the two businessmen who tried to con him, and Jenny is furious with Dennis when he stands her up yet again.
Director: Matt Bloom
Writer: Peter Mills
7.8/1029 votes#20 - Swansong
Season 13 Episode 20 - Aired 5/2/2004
Alf Ventress is stunned to learn that a change in working regulations means that he will have to retire from the force. Meanwhile, Merton and his team go in search of a phantom sheep shearer, and romance is in the air as Blaketon acquires an admirer and Gina is asked out on a date by hunky Australian Kevin Kelly.
Director: Declan O'Dwyer
Writer: Susan Wilkins
7.8/1027 votes#21 - Strangers on a Train
Season 13 Episode 21 - Aired 5/9/2004
David has a near miss when a man is thrown from a train and rolls down the embankment into the road and the path of his oncoming car. Merton's subsequent investigation turns up a lad called Tommy fleeing the scene of the crime, and a thieving auctioneer about to make off with some valuable antiques. Meanwhile, Vernon decides to open up a donkey sanctuary and Ventress takes up a civilian administration post at the police station.
Director: Pip Short
Writer: Susan Wilkins
7.6/1027 votes#22 - A Call to Arms
Season 13 Episode 22 - Aired 5/16/2004
When Harry Hawkswell, a retired policeman and former colleague of Alf Ventress, turns up in the village he manages to put everyone's backs up by making himself a little too much at home at the police station. Meanwhile, Vernon is in a state of panic as he awaits a visit from the Inland Revenue, and Liz Merrick is confused by Ben Norton's behaviour.
Director: Judith Dine
Writer: Jane Hollowood
7.6/1026 votes#23 - Muck and Brass
Season 13 Episode 23 - Aired 5/23/2004
Merton and his team set out to find the saboteur behind a series of rigged accidents in the lead-up to the Aidensfield Hill Climb, an annual race for motor cars. Meanwhile, Liz Merrick grows concerned about a man sleeping rough who she suspects may be suffering from asbestos poisoning, and Vernon finds - then loses - a fortune.
Director: Noreen Kershaw
Writer: Duncan Gould
7.3/1029 votes#24 - Double Trouble
Season 13 Episode 24 - Aired 5/30/2004
A large sum of money is reported stolen and the subsequent investigation leads to surprising revelations. Meanwhile, Ventress and Blaketon team up to locate a pair of twins, and Jenny becomes increasingly frustrated at the amount of time Dennis spends at work.
Director: Gerry Mill
Writer: Johnny Byrne
7.9/1037 votes#25 - Little Angel
Season 13 Episode 25 - Aired 6/6/2004
When a little girl goes missing, Blaketon joins the frantic search. Meanwhile Steve and Bellamy are confronted by a precarious situation. The Aidensfield Arms is hit by a rat infestation but Vernon proposes a fool-proof rodent removal plan.
Director: Jonas Grimås
Writer: Jane Hollowood
The Best Episodes of Heartbeat Season 13
Every episode of Heartbeat Season 13 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Heartbeat Season 13!
Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.
Genres:CrimeDramaComedy
Network:ITV1
Season 13 Ratings Summary
"Speed" is the best rated episode of "Heartbeat" season 13. It scored 7.5/10 based on 29 votes. Directed by Paul Walker and written by John Flanagan, Andrew McCulloch, it aired on 9/7/2003. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Dog Days".