Quote:
Originally Posted by
HenryDuBrow 
As far as recreating a time period, in this case the 60s, this drama series is one of the best at it ever made. Truth be told I don't watch it myself, but the bits I've caught of it from time to time is enough to say they really nailed the era to a T. Most other productions attempting it, even big budget movies, really don't catch it quite like this show. In fact, the bigger a production and the more detail, the less convincing it sometimes is. This series gets it right though, it looks and feels good, making it quite a joy to behold. The only aspect I think is somewhat 'misplaced' is actually forcing the many famous pop and rock hits down our throats at every opportunity, like saying 'guess which decade this is set in, folks'. It's the trademark of the series perhaps to blast those songs on the soundtrack, but I think it's overkill, where a song here and there playing on a radio in the background would simply make it even more realistic. I know that happens too. It's not as if the songs even suit the situations they're played in anyway, they're just randomly cranked out here it would seem, where it did serve a purpose storywise in say The Wonder Years or even a sitcom like WKRP In Cincinnati.
I respect what you're saying, but I disagree with the part of your post about the music played in Heartbeat.
The series recreated the 1960's very well (the setting, costumes, locations, stories and 60's soundtrack (on occasions some songs from the early 70's were played). Occasionly they would venture out of Aidensfield and Ashfordly, and have part of an episode in Whitby.
Bill Maynard's Greengrass was the best of the countryside/village rogues in the series. After he left the series, there was a short wait before Geoffrey Hughes joined as Vernon Scripps, brother of Bernie (who owned the village mechanic garage). Didn't like Gwen Taylor as Aunt Peggy though. She stayed with the series up to it's cancellation by ITV.
Altogether there were five lead bobbies in Aidensfield during the series' run (Nick Berry, Jason Durr, James Clayton, Jonathan Kerrigan and Joe McFadden), my favourite era being when Jason Durr was in the show (he joined halfway through the seventh series).
Part of the enjoyment of Heartbeat (it was one of the few series which the whole family could watch) was the soundtrack. There weren't many songs which didn't suit a scene. I didn't feel they were intrusive, some were emotional, funny and exciting (for example, Hold Tight by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Titch was an exciting track) and suited the scenes (both spoken or unspoken scenes). Some episodes had hardly any music in them.
It's a series worth investing in definitely.
*****
I'm hoping once Network get to Series 12 of Heartbeat, that they'll start releasing spin-off series The Royal (which lasted for eight series, and whose last episode premieres on ITV1 a week on Sunday). It was set at a hospital in Elsinby.
