Blaketon receives complaints about rock music being broadcast from a pirate radio station. Nick and Phil who have been enjoying the music, reluctantly seek out the station which is broadcasting from a ship at sea. But they are pleased to discover it is out past the 3 mile limit. Nick, Gina, Phil and Maggie go to a club one night where Maggie's brother is working as a DJ, he is also the DJ on the pirate radio ship. Things take a different turn when Maggie's brother discovers that some of the people he's working with are distributing LSD. Joe Norten is back in Aidensfield after doing time for arson, but he is doing his best to go straight. His friends however tempt him into trying the LSD which makes him fall off a building to his death. Nick goes undercover as a DJ to investigate. The ship moves back into the 3 mile limit and the dealers are caught, but Nick lets the pirate radio continue! Blaketon is annoyed when the evidence he had against Greengrass for making whisky goes up in smoke

Sitting Off the Dock of the Bay

Derek Fowlds

William Simons

Tricia Penrose

Bill Maynard

Nick Berry

Mark Jordon

Kazia Pelka

Stuart Golland

Rob Gittins

Lee Sheward

Nigel Duckett

John Darnell

Blood Sports

Saint Columbia's Treasure

There is a village dance, everyone is having a good time until a group of rockers start to cause trouble, and throw what they think is a piece of lead through the window. But this â€˜lead' turns out to be gold, which was part of a large amount that was stolen 7 years ago. Kate isn't feeling well and starts to get worried about her symptoms, but doesn't voice her concerns. One of Kate's patients Nettie Pickard has a wishing well in her garden, and Kate , suddenly feeling superstitious, makes a wish. Nettie's house is later trashed. The man responsible was a local councillor who was searching for the rest of the gold because he knew it was Nettie's husband who found it originally and thought it must have been hidden in the house. He is later caught digging the gold out of the well. Kate is willing the baby to arrive.

Wishing Well

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.

Expectations

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

Thief in the Night

Nick isn't coping very well alone with Katie, and ends up calling his Mum to come and help out for a while. Mr Dewhurst complains to Nick that his neighbour has been shooting at his cat, but later when he sees the opportunity he takes his revenge, and his neighbour ends up in hospital. Maggie suggests that Nick should think of letting Katie be fostered for a while, but he is horrified at the idea. Phil and Alf help out by baby sitting Katie, but Phil has to end up taking her with him to the station, where he has a slight accident with baby powder Claude's nephew comes to visit and arranges to take bets on a darts game. Phil persuades Nick to come out to the pub. Phil, Nick and Alf end up involved with the darts match which ends up in a brawl out side. Blaketon isn't pleased that all 3 of his men were present at an illegal darts match!

Domestic

Ruby asks Blaketon to dinner, they then meet on a number of other occasions, Phil and Alf enjoy teasing Nick over his mum's potential romance with Oscar! - but to Ruby's disappointment, Blaketon doesn't take the hint, and Ruby pronounces him â€˜dead from the neck down'! An illiterate man , Eddie is outraged when a cottage to rent was promised to him by his Aunt but it ends up being sold. His girlfriend calls of their wedding because they don't have a house. Another man is after his girlfriend and sets out to frame Eddie for smashing several windows, but Nick eventually uncovers the truth. Greengrass tries his luck at selling some of his property, but it back fires. Auntie Eileen comes to visit, but the way Ruby sees it is that it leaves her free to go back to London, as she assumes Eileen will stay and help out for a while - which as we know, it ends up being a bit longer than that!

Vacant Possession

A German man, Dieter comes to the village in search of his fathers grave. Many of the locals take exception to him, especially a young man (who's part of moorland rescue) knows that the Dieter's father bombed his parents house in the war. Nick can't understand peoples attitude to him, and Gina agrees. An old man who has been coming to Aidensfield with his wife on holiday for years suddenly goes missing with Claude. A search is mounted and Dieter wants to help. But he goes off track on the moors and falls in a swamp. Nick does his best to help him but eventually the man from moorland rescue is persuaded to save him. Nick apologises to Maggie for what he said to her after Kate's funeral. Maggie notices a run away train, Nick chases it only to find that its the old man and Claude who had been driving it! - Blaketon is annoyed that he can't charge Greengrass but has to hand the matter over to the transport police!

We're All Allies Really

Barry's wife, Sophie isn't well so when she takes the car out she nearly runs down Claude then crashes in to the bus shelter nearly hitting some children. Sophie is confused, and later accidentally walks out of a shop with out paying. Sophie is suffering and eventually asks Barry to end her life by setting fire to their home. And later Nick discovers that is exactly what he did. Nick vaguely understand his motives after seeing Kate suffer but he realises its complicated. Gina and George have a go at pigeon racing and a father who has kidnapped his daughter arrives at the pub.

Sophie's Choice

This episode is a strange but good one! Alf is witness to a UFO sighting but canâ€˜t remember what happened. Maggie suggests that Alf should see a hypnotist to fill in the missing moments. Blaketon is keen to cover it up and puts Alf on sick leave. Nick argues that there's nothing wrong with Alf. Alf however is worried that his experience might put his job on the line. Nick encourages Alf to stick to his guns and helps him stand up to the authorities that wanted to put it down to his imagination. Eileen and Blaketon have a game of golf, and they spot an unusual triangle shaped mark on the green! Everything is sorted out in the end. Greengrass has won a cruise, but is terrified of sailing so he ends up selling it.

Gone Tomorrow

A burglar known as â€˜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!

Toss Up

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, â€˜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.

It's All in the Game

Arthur Wakefield suffers a heart attack after tackling Terry Tinniswood when he tried to burgle his home. Arthur dies, but Mrs Wakefield manages to identify Terry from photos and then from a line up. The Tinniswood family however claim that Terry was at home all night. Mrs Wakefield then sets out to make Terry feel guilty and insecure. Special Constable Cowley who thinks he knows everything is assigned to help Nick on his patch, but Nick isn't pleased with the idea. Cowley is determined to win the prize for the best gooseberries in the up coming flower show. - But his wife makes sure that doesn't happen. Greengrass' plan to cheat in the show goes horribly wrong!

Vigilante

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.

Unfinished Business

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

A father has kidnapped his son from his wife and brought him to Aidensfield. The boy becomes ill with polio, so a mass vaccination is arranged. Once the boy is taken to hospital his dad runs away, but Nick says he won't go far as he is worried about his son. It turns out that he too, has polio and he's found just in time. The boys mother arrives after having hired a private detective to find her son, but she admits she drove her husband into snatching their son. Blaketon is now president of the rugby club, and Phil is on the team. Greengrass has a go at playing talent scout, but his plan doesn't work out. Nick meets Jo the new school teacher and the fact that he's noticed her is obvious!

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

Sitting Off the Dock of the Bay

Seasons18

Season 5 Episodes15

Cast8

Crew4

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Episode Summary