The Heartbeat Cast Members & Their Characters

Sunday nights in our house back in the nineties were all about Heartbeat. The series was based on the Constable series of novels written by Nicholas Rhea and was produced by ITV studios. Heartbeat was set in a small fictional village called Aidensfield in the 1960s. It followed the lives of the North Yorkshire residents of the village, in particular, the village police force.

You can see a full list of all Heartbeat episodes here.

Heartbeat Cast Members and who they played

Heartbeat aired for an impressive eighteen years before being pulled and had a regular prime time Sunday evening slot.

As it ran for such a long period of time, it was inevitable that there would be a large turnover of cast and characters, here are some of the most popular Heartbeat cast members along with who they placed in the popular period drama.

The Aidensfield and Ashfordly Police Cast

Nick Berry – PC Nick Rowan

Nick Berry is arguably the most famous of the regular Heartbeat cast members. He went on to play the part of Simon Wicks in Eastenders as well as releasing a pop single called Every Loser Wins.

Derek Fowlds – Sgt Oscar Blaketon

William Simons – PC Alf Ventress

Mark Jordan – PC Phil Bellamy

Jason Durr – PC Michael Bradley

Simon Molloy – DI Shiner

Philip Franks – Sgt Raymond Craddock

Ryan Early – PC Thomas Nicholson

Duncan Bell – Sgt Dennis Merton

James Carlton – PC Stephen Crane

Jonathan Kerrigan – PC Robert Walker

Steven Blakeley – PC Geoffrey Younger

John Duttine – Sgt George Miller

Clare Wille – DS Rachel Dawson

Rupert Ward-Lewis – PC Don Wetherby

Medical Cast

Niamh Cusack – Dr Kate Rowan

Frank Middlemass – Dr Alex Ferrenby

Peter Firth – Dr James Radcliffe

Kazia Pelka – Nurse Maggie Bolton

David Michaels – Dr Neil Bolton

Clare Calbraith – Dr Tricia Summerbee

Sarah Tansey – Pharmacist Jenny Latimer

Aislin McGuckin – Dr Liz Merrick

Sophie Ward – Dr Helen Trent

Lisa Kay – Nurse Carol Cassidy

Leon Ockenden – Dr Chris Oakley

Aidensfield Residents

Bill Maynard – Claude Jeremiah Greengrass

Geoffrey Hughes – Vernon Scripps

Gwen Taylor – Peggy Armstrong

Stuart Golland – George Ward

Tricia Penrose – Gina Ward

Rupert Vansittart – Lord Ashfordly

David Lonsdale – David Stockwell

Anne Stallybrass – Eileen Reynolds

Juliette Gruber – Joanna Weston

Peter Benson – Bernard Scripps

Bernard Gallagher – Graham Weston

Arbel Jones – Mary Ward

Fiona Dolman – Jacqueline Rosemary Lambert

Martin Ledwith – Andy Ryan

Richard Lintern – Ben Norton

Vanessa Hehir – Rosemary Cartwright

Murray Head – Jack Hollins

Josefina Gabrielle – Debbie Black

Nikki Sanderson – Dawn Bellamy

Guest Stars appearing in the Heartbeat Cast

As well as the regular members of the Heartbeat cast, there were also regular guest appearances and cameo roles played by some well-known celebrities.

• Richard Todd
• David Essex
• David McCallum
• Charlotte Church
• Michelle Dockery
• John Nettles
• Philip Jackson
• Geraldine Newman
• Siobhan Finneran
• John Simm
• Gary Barlow
• David Dickinson
• Todd Carty
• Philip Glenister
• Lulu
• George Cole
• Ray Illingworth
• Brian Close
• Margaret Tyzack
• Roy Dotrice
• Roland Gift
• Ralf Little
• Dickie Bird
• Daniel Craig
• Clive Swift
• Jean Alexander
• Geoffrey Bayldon
• Tim Brooke-Taylor
• Twiggy
• Benedict Cumberbatch
• Noel Fitzpatrick
• Leslie Phillips
• Lindsey Coulson
• George Layton
• Gabrielle Drake
• Robin Ellis
• Leslie Grantham
• George Baker
• Paul Nicholas
• Brigit Forsyth
• Jan Francis
• Peter Vaughan
• Celia Imrie
• Helen Lederer
• Alan Price
• Sam Kelly
• Duncan Preston
• Rodney Bewes
• Bobby Ball
• Tommy Cannon
• Russ Abbot
• Jon Culshaw
• Freddie Garrity
• Miranda Raison
• Dave King
• Richard Walsh

Regular Heartbeat Cast Members who appeared in more than one episode

Some Heartbeat cast members only appeared in a small number of episodes. Here is a full list of other cast members including who they played and when they appeared.

• Jack Deam – Alan Maskell (1992).
• Eileen O’Brien – Susan Maskell (credited as “Mrs Maskell”) (1992).
• Barrie Rutter – Walter Maskell (credited as “Mr Maskell”) (1992).
• Suzanne Hitchmough – Sandra Murray (1992).
• Shirley Stelfox – Mrs. Parkin (1992).
• Anne Rye – Angela Hamilton (“Miss Hamilton”) (1992–1993)
• Andy Abrahams – unnamed local magistrate (1992–2003).
• Mike Kelly – Malcolm Mostyn (1993).
• Dean Gatiss – Graham Blaketon (1993–1994, 4 episodes).
• Sue Holderness – Joan Forrester (1993, 2 episodes).
• Russell Boulter – Inspector Crossley (1993–1994, 3 episodes).
• Melanie Kilburn – Rosie Tinniswood (1993, 1995, 2 episodes).
• Karen Meagher – Inspector Murchison (1994, 7 episodes)
• Julia Lane – Christine Ferguson (1994, 6 episodes).
• Lucy Robinson – Jennifer Radcliffe (1994, 3 episodes).
• Emelye Robinson – Susan Radcliffe (1994, 2 episodes).
• Lesley Nicol – Rita Stirling (1995, 3 episodes).
• Jenny Agutter – Susannah Temple-Richards (1994, 1996, 2 episodes).
• Harry Beety – Joseph Walker (1995, 9 episodes).
• Diane Langton – Ruby Rowan (1995–97, 6 episodes).
• William Ash – Joe Norton (1995, 2 episodes).
• Mark Addy – “Norman” (1995–96, 2 episodes).
• Mary Healey – Mrs Watkins (1996, 4 episodes).
• Elizabeth Bennett – Joyce Jowett (1996–2009, 16 episodes).
• Kenneth Cranham – Charlie Wallace (1996, 2 episodes).
• Wanda Ventham – Fiona Weston (1996–1997, 4 episodes).
• Steven Townsley – Billy Burke (1996, 3 episodes).
• Dominic Rickhards – Steve Adams (1997, 5 episodes).
• Carol Royle – Lady Patricia Brewster (1997–2003, 4 episodes).
• Charlotte Mitchell – Bessie Bellamy (1997–1999, 4 episodes).
• Stratford Johns – Cyril Isaiah Greengrass (1997, 1998, 2 episodes).
• Alan Halsall (later appearing on Coronation Street as Tyrone Dobbs) – Trevor Chivers (1998–1999, 4 episodes).
• Stefan Podolchuk – Stuart Chivers (1998–1999, 4 episodes).
• Lesley Clare O’Neill – Doreen Chivers (1998–1999, 3 episodes).
• Keeley Forsyth – Sue Driscoll (1998, 2000, 7 episodes).
• Phillippa Wilson – Penny Craddock (1998–1999, 2000, 2002, 7 episodes).
• Maggie Tagney – Gladys Smethurst (1998–2000, 5 episodes).
• Georgie Glen – Sgt Jennifer Nokes (2000–2001, 2003–2004, 2005, 2010).
• Paul Opacic – Graham Rysinski (2000, 3 episodes).
• Susan Jameson – Edwina Lambert (2000–2001, 2 episodes).
• Barbara Bolton – Mrs Kellett (2001–2005, 9 episodes).
• Francis Matthews – Dr James Alway (2002-2003, 4 episodes).
• Christine Bottomley – Susie Ward (2002, 5 episodes).
• Beatrice Kelley – Olive Winstanley (6 episodes, 2003–2009).
• Anita Carey – Barbara Crane (2 episodes, 2003).
• Trevor Ray – William Barraclough (2 episodes, 2003–2004).
• Jane Hazlegrove – Diane Crichard (4 episodes, 2004).
• Helena Calvert – Clare Owen (4 episodes, 2005).
• Victor McGuire – Brian Parker (2005, two episodes).
• Tim Brooke-Taylor – Ronnie Smethers (2005, 2008, 2009, 4 episodes).
• Lauren Drummond – Jane Black (2005–2006).
• Gabriella Dixon – Susan Black (2005–2006).
• Jack Ferguson – Peter Black (2005–2006).
• Geoffrey Chater – Col Hal Clifford (2004, two episodes as different characters)