Heartbeat

Hopefully the rumors that a reunion is in the works are true. Perhaps a twenty episodes mini-series that can clearify what happened to the town and it's habitants.

So Heartbeat is to leave us after so many years of memorable moments. Some will say it should have gone years ago but for millions it is as much of the furniture as the Sunday roast.

Sure the story lines are a little far-fetched and the cast is barely recognisable from those group of people who we first welcomed into our homes in 1992 but the spirit of the show remains the same and the mix between drama and comedy is as alive as it was when Nick Berry first donned the motorbike and uniform.

We need these type of shows on TV but sadly for the network bosses it's all about ratings and keeping things fresh for the young people and Heartbeat it seems does not meet this criteria.

"Heartbeat" is a brilliant nostalgic feel-good drama set in the 1960's. It mixes gentle story lines, beautiful scenery and hit music from the period to create a madly watchable program. Sure it is not ground breaking and certainly would not win any awards for creativity but it provides the perfect form of entertainment for a Sunday night. The light and easy to digest stories are just what anyone would want the night before an early morning start for work. What makes "Heartbeat" so good is the likeable characters and combination of humour and action. It doesn't take itself too seriously and never fails to have at least one scene were you couldn't fail to laugh or raise a smile. Even though it is on 24 times a year it hasn't deteriorated into just another soap like "The Bill" or "Where the heart is" with episodes made up of mainly stand-alone parts. It is deservedly the #1 drama on UK TV with 10 million viewers and even had a spin-off made in 2003 called "The Royle".

This TV series manages to combine all the elements that make for a pleasant and at times absorbing hour in front of the TV - good varied characters, a range of occupations, although of course the policemen dominate, creative and simultaneously plausible story lines - usually one serious criminal occurrence and one lighthearted theme per episode - and all of it set in rural English village landscape (Yorkshire) which looks very nice and a contrast from urban Britain which I find mostly quite dreary and depressing. The 1960s seem a long time ago now, before Britain joined the EEC, when it still used non-decimal currency and imperial measurements, when it was still largely "monocultural", and when there were still steam trains. There are also those dinky British 60s cars, motorbikes and trucks that everyone gets around in, miniskirts and pop hits of the time on the soundtrack. What more could you ask for? Another commentator says it screens in the UK on Sunday nights - here it has always screened early on Saturday afternoons which isn't exactly prime time, a pity.

I can't believe I just heard about this show (right after it got cancelled!). It's the perfect show to just put on and relax - it's entertaining, light (with some exceptions, such as the episode in season 16 or 17 which includes a few moments of domestic violence), funny, and has a cast full of great characters.

The show began with a focus on the star role, a police officer. As time went by, the show evolved to become less a story about him than a number of stories about the various people in the town (and how they interact with one another). All of the characters are played well by the actors and are all believable - including the characters who are included as pure comedy relief. Even when a police officer leaves town (and, therefore, the show itself), a new one comes in and is instantly likable.

The stories are generally simple, such as the search for a missing watch (this was the episode which included the family violence). The story is rarely predictable, though, and even when it is, it's fun to watch the characters develop the storyline.

It's so easy to watch, I'll go through three or four a night sometimes - it's just like eating candy. I highly recommend this show to others. It's easily the most "watchable" show that I've ever seen on TV; just put it on, sit back and enjoy.