The Best Episodes Written By John Bowen

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   8.0/10(2 votes)

   #1 - The Bearded Lady

   S1:E11/3/1996

   Hetty Waintthropp is annoyed at the cards celebrating her sixtieth birthday--they all offer her well wishes for ""joining the club"" of senior citizens and old-age pensioners, even though she's not entitled to a pension. Determined to make something of herself, Hetty gets a job at the local post office, where she proves her mettle quite quickly by throwing out a troublemaking biker and chasing down a shoplifter.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen
2. 

   8.0/10(1 votes)

   #2 - Eye Witness

   S1:E21/10/1996

   Hetty is called on by a pair of worried parents whose deaf-mute son, Malcolm, has disappeared while out bird-watching on the day he was to meet his mail-order bride from Thailand.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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   Writer:John Bowen
3. 

   8.0/10(1 votes)

   #3 - A High Profile

   S1:E51/31/1996

   A desperate Hetty takes Geoffrey up and down the streets and sidewalks of town advertising the detective agency. This proves to be a wise method of business, as they pick up a client: a woman whose estranged son, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, has disappeared from his sheltered housing unit. As Hetty investigates, she discovers that the woman's son, Reg, has had a hard time being accepted by society, as well as his stepfather, who turns out to have been the person who threw Reg into the streets in the first place. As it becomes clear that Reg has gone off his medicine, Hetty finds herself in a race against the clock to try and find the man before he hurts himself or others in his delusional state.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen
4. 

   8.0/10(1 votes)

   #4 - Safe as Houses

   S1:E62/7/1996

   An old friend of Hetty's - her partner in a music-hall routine years ago -- seeks her help in locating her troubled foster daughter, Chrissie. A teenage mother, Chrissie has disappeared just as a series of arson attacks on local homes have occurred --and Chrissie has a history of setting fires! As Hetty and Geoffrey look for Chrissie, a local newspaper photo competition reveals more than the photographer intended, prompting Geoff to dress in drag -- blonde wig, high heels and all -- to confront the arsonist. Hetty picks up a much-needed reward for her work in this case, and at the presentation of the check, proves that the new gumshoe hasn't lost her knack for the ol' soft-shoe!

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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   Writer:John Bowen
5. 

   8.0/10(1 votes)

   #5 - Lost Chords

   S2:E212/6/1996

   Hetty is called in to investigate when one by one, the contestants in the Blainthorp Muiscal Festival lose their voices. The sponsor of the festival, Oliver Hardiman wants the mystery solved but Hetty only has five days.She finds herself caught up in a battle between rival pharmacists who may be using their skills to harm the finalists.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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   Writer:John Bowen
6. 

   7.0/10(1 votes)

   #6 - Fingers

   S1:E31/17/1996

   A restaurant owner in Italy is sent a package apparently containing his son's index finger plus a photo of him in front of graffiti art in Manchester and a warning: Silence and await instruction. The distraught family finds solace when who should be taking a holiday in Italy than Hetty Wainthropp? After snooping at her passport and learning she's a detective, they come to her and she accepts their case. As Hetty investigates, she discovers that Gianni may be involved in a bad loan connected to the mafia.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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   Writer:John Bowen
7. 

   7.0/10(1 votes)

   #7 - Widdershins

   S1:E41/24/1996

   Hetty and Robert travel to the small village of Readsby, where his revered elderly uncle, a former professional soccer player, has apparently committed suicide. But Hetty doesn't believe it -- for one thing, where's the suicide note? And when she begins to suspect that the villagers of Readsby, once a notorious haven for witches, are engaged in satanic practices, she's determined to prove that they were somehow involved -- with surprising results!

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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8. 

   7.0/10(1 votes)

   #8 - Runaways

   S2:E312/13/1996

   Hetty is called in by the Mayor of Titterslow to look for his daughter who has runaway. She has learning difficulties and the Mayor and his wife want the matter of her disappearance to be kept very quiet. Hetty discovers that she left with her boyfriend, Bernard, who also has learning difficulties and that they were making their way to a country hotel.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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9. 

   7.0/10(1 votes)

   #9 - The Astral Plane

   S2:E412/20/1996

   Hetty gets mystical as she investigates Maurika Rome, a spiritualist suspected of using séances and blackmail to prey on the savings of the recently widowed. When Hetty goes undercover and invents a late husband she wishes to contact, she begins to wonder if Mrs. Rome isn't the real thing - until a woman claiming to be her "late husband's" illegitimate daughter shows up demanding money. Geoffrey's secret romance with Rome's daughter, Sara, threatens to undermine Hetty's carefully laid trap and nearly causes him to quit the agency.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Bowen

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10. 

    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #10 - Woman of the Year

    S2:E61/10/1997

    Hetty goes undercover to a women's shelter in a confidential location - and where no man may enter. Detective Chief Inspector Adams suspects that the shelter's security has been severely compromised by an inside informer. Hetty's quest to find the leak opens her eyes to the terrifying realities of spousal abuse, and results in a gripping conclusion as she leads the women in defending their sanctuary against a violent motorcycle gang.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Bowen

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11. 

    3.3/10(3 votes)

    #11 - Poison Pen

    S2:E111/29/1996

    Helga Allowby, a self-described spinster, has been accused of sending noxious poison pen letters to the residents of her village and she wants Hetty to prove her innocence. Hoping to penetrate the mistrust that pervades the village, Hetty goes undercover as Tara Hall, a visiting painter. When Hetty turns up next on the mailing list, she suspects that Miss Allowby is guilty of bad penmanship.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Bowen

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    Writer:John Bowen