How Heartbeat tapped into a simple time when life was better - Yorkshire Post Letters

It's one of the most repeated British drama series of all time and no wonder. Heartbeat tapped into an epoch which reflected a reality, real or imagined, of a better time when things were simple, good triumphed over evil, there was a sense of community, and there was satisfaction at overcoming - with help from friends and family- the challenges which life throws at us.

Central to the original 18 year run was the role of the police in the community. There was a police station in every village and town; its telephone would be answered immediately; and help dispatched without delay, by Francis Barnett, BSA A65 Lightning, or humble Ford Anglia.

The various constables over the series were honest, decent and truthful and came from the various parts of the realm. Joe Mason and Sergeant Dennis Merton from Scotland (Joe McFadden and Duncan Bell), Nick Rowan from London (Nick Berry), and Yorkshireman Sergeant George Millar (John Duttine).

All were white, clean shaven, with no tattoos and no facial hair, unlike today's officers some of whom have their arms covered in permanent ink and seem to relish scruffiness.

Smartness was a prerequisite for the job and the sergeants would inspect the men at the start of each shift. The hierarchy of rank was strict ("My office, now!") and everything had to be done by the book.

It was a male dominated environment but DS Rachel Dawson (Claire Wille) proved a resourceful and diligent officer, assisted by Mason, in unmasking the one rotten apple in the police when, in an episode reprising The Great Train Robbery, the pair unmasked a detective who tipped off the robbers before a police raid.

Shot on location in Yorkshire the landscape was as important as the acting, which was superb, with no mumbling as often happens in police dramas today. And of course, the background music was rhythmic and harmonic, and added to the viewer's pleasure.

Interestingly, given today's concern about climate change, the weather was often cold and snowy. In an early episode a pregnant woman is being taken to hospital by the local doctor in a snow storm in her Series One Land Rover, which gets stuck in a snow drift. The constables' uniform reflected the weather and a time when buildings were not super-heated. Heavy greatcoats were worn over their serge uniforms along with thick leather gloves.