Aidensfield’s finest! Sunday night staple Heartbeat, which ran for 18 years, saw a raft of fresh-faced actors launch their careers – but where are the stars of the 1960s police drama now?
- Set in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, Heartbeat entertained viewers with nearly 372 episodes from 1990 to 2010
- Read more: 90s star Nick Berry looks unrecognisable from his heartthrob days after spotted out on a coffee run
With its catchy theme tune, spectacular rural scenery and all-star cast, Heartbeat dominated the Sunday night TV schedules for 18 series.
The 1960s police drama – set in North Yorkshire – put heartthrob Nick Berry back on screens after he left his role as Simon Wicks in EastEnders.
The show quickly became a huge hit for people looking to escape ahead of the working week – and attracted audiences of up to 13 million at its peak. The small village that doubled up as fictional Aidensfield, Goathland, became a tourist attraction.
However, by 2009 it was revealed that Heartbeat had lost millions of viewers, with between just 5 million tuning into series 18, with the axe coming a year later.
A revival was rumoured but never materialised.
This week, Berry, now 60, was spotted buying coffee close to his home, and while the star who played Heartbeat’s central character has long since turned his back on acting, many of those he worked alongside are still very much on our screens.
Here, FEMAIL looks at what happened to the cast of the much-loved show, which eventually aired its final episode in 2010…
Nick Berry starred at Sergeant Nick Rowan, a police officer who finds himself suddenly living in the quaint rural fictional village of Aidensfield in North Yorkshire
The cast of Heartbeat, which ran for 18 series on ITV from 1990 until 2010 and spawned spin-off show The Royal and Heartbeat Chronicles
SERGEANT NICK ROWAN, PLAYED BY NICK BERRY
Sergeant Nick Rowan in Heartbeat (left) played by Nick Berry. This week, the actor looked worlds away from his EastEnders and Heartbeat heyday while stepping out for a coffee on Sunday
After becoming a household name playing Simon ‘Wicksy’ Wicks in BBC soap EasteEnders in 1985, actor Nick Berry left the show in 1990 and decamped to ITV and the Yorkshire Dales for a six-year stint as Heartbeat’s Sergeant Nick Rowan.
The handsome police officer arrived in the fictional village of Aidensfield as a young PC and left, 96 episodes later, promoted to Sergeant.
He faced tragedy along the way; after marrying wife Kate (Niamh Cusack), a doctor, in the show, the couple had a daughter Katie…before Kate was diagnosed with, and eventually died from leukaemia.
The policeman would later marry school teacher Jo Weston in the show.
On the Square: The star, now 60, who made his last TV appearance in 2012 at the funeral of his on-screen EastEnders’ mother Pat Butcher, cut a very low-key figure on the outing (pictured as Simon Wicks in 1985)
There was also a brief pop career during his EastEnders’ heyday: in 1986 Berry released a single, Every Loser Wins, which became the second biggest-selling record in the UK that year – it helped the actor amass a fortune said to be worth £5million at the time.
Following on from the role of Sergeant Rowan, he appeared as harbour master Mike Nicholls in Harbour Lights before apparently becoming disillusioned with the world of acting.
West Ham fan Nick is now 60 and made his last TV appearance in 2012 at the funeral of his on-screen EastEnders’ mother Pat Butcher.
After marrying his wife Rachel Robertson in 1994, the star, who grew up in Hackney and trained to be a pilot, eventually stepped away from the screen aged 39 to help raise his two then young sons Louis and Finley – the family live in Epping, Essex.
PC PHIL BELLAMY, PLAYED BY MARK JORDAN
After playing a policeman in four episodes of Coronation Street, Mark Jordan landed the part of PC Bellamy in Heartbeat, and quickly became a fan favourite. Right: As Jordan looks now – the actor stayed in Yorkshire for his other most famous role, playing Daz Spencer in Emmerdale in 2014, and from 2017 to 2019
Fresh-faced but still curly of hair, Mark Jordan, now 58 and most famous for playing Daz Spencer in Emmerdale, appeared in Heartbeat as PC Phil Bellamy, Sergeant Nick Rowan’s younger policing sidekick.
It wasn’t his first time in uniform, Jordan had previously appeared in four episodes of Coronation Street in 1988 as PC Wilson.
And his success as PC Bellamy in Heartbeat saw him playing the same role in spin-off show The Royal in 2003 and 2004.
Before landing the part of Daz Spencer in Emmerdale, which he first played in 2014, and then from 2017-2019, Johnson enjoyed a tour of British staples, starring in Casualty, Hollyoaks and Doctors.
In 2019, he described a ‘year of hell’ after he was accused – and later cleared of – attacking a pensioner in a ‘drunken row’ while toasting his engagement to fianceé Laura Norton.
Off-screen romance: Jordan is married to Laura Norton, who he met when he joined Emmerdale in 2014 (pictured playing Daz Spencer and Kerry Wyatt in the show)
The soap star couple share a son called Jesse, born in 2021, and daughter Ronnie, born in 2022
He told The Mirror at the time: ‘I was portrayed as a violent drunk. I’d never been in a fight before, never been in trouble with the law, never been in a cell or a police car, apart from a 1960s one in Heartbeat.’
Mark, who shares two children with his ex-wife, Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran, has a younger son, Jesse, born in 2021, and daughter Ronnie, born in 2022, with his current partner, his former Emmerdale co-star Laura Norton, 39.
Their two children both have Usher Syndrome, a rare genetic condition, with Jordan dedicating much of his time to raising awareness of the condition – both he and Norton are patrons of the charity CureUsher.
GINA BELLAMY, PLAYED BY TRICIA PENROSE
A regular behind the bar in the Aidensfield Arms, Gail Bellamy was played by Tricia Penrose for 18 years. Right; the actress pictured in 2018
Clearly hugely proud of her time on the 60s drama, Penrose’s Instagram account bio still reads: ‘I played the part of Gina in ITV’s Heartbeat for 18 years.’
The Liverpool-born star, now 53, quickly became a pin-up after playing pub worker Gina Bellamy in the Aidensfield Arms in the show.
PC Bellamy and his love affair with pub landlady Gail proved hugely popular, with the birth of their son at the finale of series 17 proving a ratings winner
When her uncle, the pub’s owner, died in the series, she became landlady – and went on to wed local bobby PC Phil Bellamy (Mark Jordan).
The arrival of their son, Philip, brought series 17 to a heartwarming end.
In real life, Penrose was betrothed to TV presenter Mark Simpkin, and the couple, who wed in 2003 but are now thought to have separated, went on to have two children together. Their wedding at Adlington Hall, Cheshire, was covered by Hello in 2003.
While Penrose starred in spin-off series The Royal and Heartbeat Chronicles, when the main show ended, she gravitated towards reality television, starring on shows such as Big Star’s Little Star, Celebrity Pointless and, in 2013, Celebrity Big Brother.
The doting mum now broadcasts via Radio Wirral and BBC Radio Manchester, and lives in Cheshire.
DAWN BELLAMY, PLAYED BY NIKKI SANDERSON
Nikki Sanderson, who’d already appeared in Coronation Street, arrived in series 17 of Heartbeat, playing landlady Gina Bellamy’s niece. Soap favourite Sanderson pictured at the Soap Awards in 2023
Already a soap favourite after playing Candice in Coronation Street, Nikki Sanderson arrived in Aidensfield to stay with her aunt, Gina Bellamy, bagging a job at her pub at the same time.
After going off the rails in Manchester, it was hoped a stint in the North Yorkshire village would keep Dawn on the straight and narrow.
Sanderson left the show in 2009, a year before its long run ended and has remained one of the country’s highest profile soap stars ever since. Since 2012, she’s graced the screens of Channel 4, playing Maxine Minnver in Hollyoaks.
After going off the rails in Manchester, it was hoped a stint in the North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield would keep Dawn Bellamy (Nikki Sanderson) on the straight and narrow
Sanderson has been dating fellow soap actor Anthony Quinn since 2022
Now 39, the actress is in a relationship with Hollyoaks and Emmerdale actor Anthony Quinn, 38. The pair became romantically involved last year.
In an interview with The Sun, Anthony said of their romance: ‘I slid into the DMs and that was it. I was lucky enough to get a date and the rest is history.’
Last week, Sanderson was in court as a witness in Prince Harry’s phone hacking case, she told the High Court that Mirror Group Newspapers’ pursuit of her career and personal life had left her in a ‘constant state of anxiety’, focusing on 37 articles written about her by the newspaper group between 2003 and 2009.
GREENGRASS, PLAYED BY BILL MAYNARD
Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, known just as ‘Greengrass’ was played by Bill Maynard; he eventually had to leave the police drama following ailing health
The character, far right, wore a distinctive floppy black hat and red neckerchief in the show
No self-respecting Heartbeat fan would ever forget Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, played by TV stalwart Bill Maynard.
The grumpy rogue was constantly bumping into members of the local constabulary thanks to his often misjudged entrepreneurial ways.
In real life, many of Heartbeat’s audience were already familiar with Bill Maynard’s work – he’d been a regular in the Carry On film series and also 50s TV hit Great Scott – It’s Maynard.
Bill Maynard appearing as Greengrass in Heartbeat spin-off The Royal
Greengrass wore a distinctive floppy black hat and red neckerchief in the show and proved such a hit with fans he appeared in spin-off show The Royal.
He had two children from his first marriage to Muriel Linnett between 1949 and 1983, when she died of cancer. In 1989 he wed actress Tonia Bern, widow of land speed record holder Donald Campbell, but when she filed for divorce eight years later he publicly revealed how he had never really loved her.
The actor shared many similarities with his character with Greengrass, including a fondness for racehorses, greyhounds and the occasional drink.
Already a pensioner when filming began, poor health saw him exit the show after appearing in 155 episodes.
In 2018, the 89-year-old died after an accident involving his mobility scooter – he had suffered with health problems in the years prior after having several strokes.
DAVID STOCKWELL, PLAYED BY DAVID LONSDALE
Odd job man David Lonsdale played lovable villager David Stockwell. Right: The actor pictured in 2016
Alongside Greengrass, more humour was injected into Heartbeat via David Stockwell.
He was played by David Lonsdale, who was a familiar face thanks to his role as Peter Barlow in Coronation Street in the Eighties.
Lonsdale playing David in the final series of Heartbeat in 2009
Bachelor Stockwell resided with his mum in the show and was frequently led astray by Greengrass – but Aidensfield’s residents looked out for him; one episode saw him leave viewers reaching for tissues after Gina Bellamy asked him to be godfather to her newborn son Philip.
Following on from Heartbeat, minor roles have followed, including panto and in TV series Vera, The Bay and Anne. The father-of-three also presents a radio show on Mighty FM.
BERNIE SCRIPPS, PLAYED BY PETER BENSON
Sticking around: Funeral parlour director Bernie Scripps was played by Peter Benson for 15 years
The enterprising Yorkshireman also owned the local garage; he featued until the show’s end in 2010
Slim-faced Bernie Scripps, played by Peter Benson, was a jack of all trades in Heartbeat…he ran the Aidensfield garage, and also the local funeral parlour.
Scripps had staying power though, Benson played him for 15 years until the show was axed in 2010.
Following the major role of his career, the actor appeared in smaller roles in shows including A Touch of Frost and Coronation Street before his death at the age of 75 in 2018.
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