The cars of Heartbeat Nick Larkin on the cars that became a TV staple
Nick Larkin explains why we still have much to thank TV classic car-fest, Heartbeat for even now, ten years after the show was axed
It’s a strange world when one of the most effective ever showcases for classic cars of a less exotic nature turns out to be a long-running familyoriented television drama.
For seemingly countless years, viewers across Britain slumped contentedly with bellies full of Sunday tea as Ford Anglia 105E panda cars, Minis and ancient Austins wobbled through magnificent North Yorkshire Moors scenery in a 1960s never-never land, centred on the fictional village of Aidensfield. The year is not usually precise, but there’s steam trains and miniskirts abound.
It was a happy time. We are talking, of course, about Heartbeat.
Never, ever underestimate the might of this Yorkshire Television nostalgiafest, the title of which reflected its medical ( heart) and police ( beat) subject matter.
An incredible 372 episodes were made, the first airing on 10 April 1992, which was actually the Friday after John Major had been elected prime minister, so the programme was a welcome respite from election fever.
The last episode, after 18 series, was shown on Sunday 12 September 2010. The show attracted huge audiences around the world and even spawned a hospital-based spin-off – The Royal to quench viewers’ thirst for nostalgia. Many of those viewers were seeing those classic cars every week. Some vehicles, like the wonderful human characters in the programme, hung around for years and became deeply loved, while and others were just there for an episode or two.
Although there were other automotive stars on TV programmes, such as Inspector Morse and Bergerac, Heartbeat was really the first to give a wide range of classics top billing.
Today, the value of a car that appeared in the series will be boosted and there are tours of Heartbeat country and Aidensfield (actually Goathland) .
We can also watch repeats of Heartbeat on ITV3, and armchair classic experts can once again risk having a cake knife embedded in their skull by angry family members if they disturb their viewing: ‘The ADO16 MkIII was not around in 1969 and the Triumph Herald did not have radial tyres. And look at that DVLA recent issue replacement registration number. I shall complain to ITV!’
Ah, bliss. Speaking of classics that left an impression, lets look at some of the show’s all-time greats.