In the quiet North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield a policeman's lot is often a very happy one. So found PC Nicholas Rhea whose colourful and warm-hearted stories of his countryside beat in the 1960s are the inspiration behind the enormously popular television drama, 'Heartbeat'.
To an untrained eye, the villages of rural Yorkshire may seem quiet enough but, as he patrols his beat on foot or on his trusty Francis Barnett motorcycle, young PC Nick is privy to many an unfolding drama. He is on hand to help out when Aidensfield decides to enter the Best Kept Village competition and finds itself the victim of a dirty tricks campaign by its rivals. Then there is the mystery of the spontaneously combusting henhouse, and PC Nick has to cope with the consequences when the vicar tries a novel way of keeping the churchyard tidy. There are more serious matters to deal with when thefts are reported, youngsters go on the rampage and PC Nick has to deal with more of Claude Jeremiah Greengrass's nefarious activities . . .