It’s been more than 15 years since drama series Heartbeat left our screens – but it is still fondly remembered by fans. Back in 1992, the show aired for the first time on ITV and quickly became a hit with viewers.
The period drama series, set in 1960s North Yorkshire, followed the lives of a group of police officers, medical staff and residents in the fictional areas of Ashfordly and Aidensfield. Watched regularly by its millions of fans, it aired for a total of 18 series until 2010 when it was cancelled, leaving fans distraught.
It may be more than 30 years since the first episode aired, but it remains one of ITV’s top-rated and much-loved dramas, with devoted fans watching repeats on ITV3, Wales Online previously reported.
Like many hit shows, Heartbeat was also responsible for launching quite a few careers – and we wanted to take another look back at just a number of them. Many went on to to star in other popular soaps, films and theatre productions, whereas others moved away from the spotlight and found new careers.
Here, we take another look back at the cast of Heartbeat and where they are now. This list isn’t intended to be comprehensive, but you can see how many characters you remember in our list below.
Nick Berry – Nick Rowan
Nick Berry shot to fame as Simon Wicks in EastEnders from 1985 to 1990. In Heartbeat, he played the main character of PC Nick Rowan for the first six years of the show.
After leaving in 1998, Nick starred in BBC’s Harbour Lights, as well as the crime drama In Deep. He returned to EastEnders in 2012 for a one-off special following the death of his on-screen mother, Pat Evans.
Nick, who also released a pop song in 1986, Every Loser Wins, has now retired from acting. Nick married is married to former Levi’s model Rachel Robertson and the couple have two sons.
Niamh Cusack – Kate Rowan
Niamh Cusack played Dr Kate Rowan for three years from 1992 before her character died from leukaemia, leaving her onscreen husband, PC Nick Rowan, a widower. Since leaving the show in 1995, Niamh has continued to act on stage and on screen.
She has appeared in Always and Everyone, New Tricks, Silent Witness and The Virtues. More recent credits include Brassic, The Tower, and Death in Paradise, 2024 film We Live In Time and Channel 4’s Big Mood.
The Irish actress is from the Cusack acting dynasty and her siblings include Sinead Cusack, who is married to Jeremy Irons. Away from TV, she’s married to fellow actor Finbar Lynch and together they have a son.
Tricia Penrose – Gina Ward
Whilst not appearing in the show until series two, Tricia Penrose played the show’s longest-running character – Gina Ward. The Liverpool actress was only supposed to appear on Heartbeat for 12 months, but ended up staying for 18 years.
Tricia also appeared as Gina in two episodes of the Heartbeat spin-off The Royal in 2003. She later went on to appear in popular shows such as Brookside, The Royal, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
Tricia has also made appearances on reality TV shows such as Celebrity Masterchef and the 2013 series of Celebrity Big Brother. She now works as a radio presenter.
Jason Durr – Mike Bradley
Jason Durr played PC Mike Bradley from 1997 until 2003. His character arrived from London and initially rubbed people up the wrong way before settling into village life.
He went on to play various roles in many TV shows The Wrong Side of the Rainbow, Mysterious Island and Summer Solstice. In 2016, he joined Casualty as David Hide until 2023 and he also appeared in Holby City as the same character.
The actor has three children with TV presenter and gardener wife, Kate Charman. More recently, the actor has starred alongside former Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach in the stage show Cluedo 2.
Bill Maynard – Claude Jeremiah Greengrass
Bill Maynard played the loveable rogue Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, from the start of the show until 2000. He is said to have left the show due to concerns about his health.
Bill turned up in the Heartbeat spin-off The Royal as Greengrass. He also appeared in The Moorside in 2017.
Bill passed away in 2018 at the age of 89. He is also remembered for starring in Carry On films.
Mark Jordon – Phil Bellamy
Mark Jordon played PC Phil Bellamy from 1992 until 1997. Since his time ended on the show, Mark played Daz Spencer in Emmerdale in 2014 and returned to the show between 2017 and 2024.
He was previously married to Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran with who he has two children. He is now married to Emmerdale star Laura Norton and has two more children.
In his career, he has also starred in Casualty, Coronation Street, Doctors and Rocket’s Island. After work on stage, The Mirror reported how he was set to make a TV comeback as Ray Wood in ITV drama series The Long Shadow.
Derek Fowlds – Oscar Blaketon
Derek played Sgt Oscar Blaketon for the duration of the show, 18 years. For the first seven series of Heartbeat, he was a sergeant before a heart attack forced him to retire and take on other jobs, including becoming the owner of the Aidensfield Arms pub.
After the series came to an end, Derek had roles in other TV shows like Casualty and Doctors. Despite effectively retiring from acting after the show ended, he did write his autobiography, A Part Worth Playing in 2015.
Earlier in his career, he was known for his role as Bernard Woolley in Yes Minister, a part he played for four years. Derek died at the age of 82 in January 2020.
William Simons – Alfred Ventress
Welsh-born William played PC Alfred Ventress also for the whole length of the show. His character quickly became popular with viewers with Ventress appearing in the show after the PC retired from the force.
Post Heartbeat, the Welsh-born actor gained a role in Casualty, as well as The Bill, The Royal, Coronation Street, and Emmerdale. William died in 2019 at the age of 78.
David Lonsdale – David Stockwell
David Lonsdale, from Southport, played the character of David Stockwell from 1996 until the show ended in 2010. While many will remember Greengrass as the show’s comic relief, others will know David Stockwell as the comical village buffoon.
Since the show ended, Lonsdale has appeared in Casualty, Emmerdale and Vera. He also starred in films The Real Full Monty and Downton Abbey.
The actor has been married for over 30 years and has three children. In more recent years, he has starred in The Bay, Anne, The Suspect and The Reckoning.
Clare Wille – Rachel Dawson
Clare Wille played local DS Rachel Dawson, who had a relationship with PC Joe Mason, for four years. First joining Heartbeat in 2006, she remained on the show until its end in 2010.
The Cheshire-born actress went on to have a recurring role as Trish Davidson in Coronation Street in 2012. Since Corrie, she has starred in Victoria, W1A, Vera and Silent Witness.
She has also made appearances in TV shows Defending the Guilty and Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators. More recently, she joined the cast of Doctors as Davinia Hargrove.
Peter Benson – Bernie Scripps
Peter played Bernie Scripps in Heartbeat between 1995 and 2010. Bernie was the drama’s funeral director and he also ran a garage in Aidensfield.
After the show ended, he played two different cameo roles in Casualty in 2011 and again in 2013. His other credits included A Touch of Frost, The Bill and Coronation Street, in which he played the recurring role of Mr Murdoch.
Peter died in September 2018 at the age of 75.
Nikki Sanderson – Dawn Bellamy
Nikki Sanderson appeared as the popular Dawn Bellamy from 2008 to 2009. Her character was sent to stay with Gina at the pub to get away from a bad crowd in Manchester and she soon became a fan favourite.
After appearing on Coronation Street as Candice at just age 13, the actress continued down the soap line, appearing as Maxine Minnver in Hollyoaks.
She has played Maxine since 2012, and her character is still on the show and has won several awards throughout her career. Through the years, she has also starred in the likes of Holby City and Casualty.
Joe McFadden – Joe Mason
Joe McFadden played PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat from 2007 until 2010. After Heartbeat, he appeared in Casualty and then became a Holby City favourite as Raffaello “Raf” di Lucca.
In 2017, he waltzed his way further into the limelight after partnering with Katya Jones on Strictly Come Dancing – taking the crown. He has also forged a successful career in theatre.
Joe has starred in the UK tour of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, The Rocky Horror Show and 2:22 A Ghost Story. In 2024, Joe announced his engagement to artist Rob Smales.
Geoffrey Hughes – Vernon Scripps
Liverpool actor Geoffrey played Vernon Scripps, who replaced Greengrass as the loveable rogue in the village. He was also known to millions of viewers as Twiggy in The Royle Family and Onslow in Keeping Up Appearances.
But he shot to same in Coronation Street binman Eddie Yeats in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier in his career, he also provided the voice of Paul McCartney in animated film Yellow Submarine.
He died in 2012, aged 68, after a battle with prostate cancer.