Heartbeat - Season 14

The residents of Aidensfield are horrified when Steve Crane's replacement is none other than Robert Walker, the son of a notorious gangster. As he deals with an arson case on his first day, Rob must first tackle the repercussions of his father's past, in particular from Blaketon, who harbours a grudge against Rob himself. Meanwhile, Vernon shows his softer side when he and David are asked to decorate the house of an old man obsession with Shakespeare, Liz and Ben's fundraising efforts brings out the charitable side of the most miserly residents, whilst Jenny and Merton return from a break away and try to put the past behind them.

Merton is unimpressed by Rob's methods of dealing with a blackmailer who begins terrorising the owner of a refuge, one of Liz's patients - and Alf Ventress' goddaughter. Meanwhile, Vernon, Bernie and David embark on a venture in the world of publishing with a famous publisher on the verge of bankruptcy.

The Ashfordly station's reputation comes under scrutiny when evidence from a spate of burglaries suggests the culprit is someone within the force. Meanwhile, Vernon hosts an exclusive painting weekend at Ashfordly Hall and offers his expertise to the amateur artists, but he is put in a compromising position when his life model fails to show up, whilst a flirtatious businesswomen makes several attempts to seduce David.

A ruthless loan shark forces a desperate family man trying to pay for his daughter's wedding into engineering a robbery at the warehouse where he works. Unable to pay the loan and fearful for his life, he confides in Blaketon, leaving the former cop in a difficult position. If he passes on the information to Rob, he'll either destroy a family or put a man's life in grave danger. Meanwhile, David causes all manner of trouble for the locals when he takes up photography as a hobby and catches the villagers in a compromising position.

Merton works alongside CID to investigate the suspicious death of a fox hunter, but Rob thinks it's an open-and-shut case when he finds evidence that puts a local poacher under suspicion. Meanwhile, Vernon is outraged when David forgets to collect the chairman of the taxi licensing committee and attempts to win her round by recreating her favourite dance at the town fete, and with Bernie away, he seizes the opportunity to assert his authority at the garage by employing a young girl who creates quite an impression.

As he begins a new romance with a lonely single mother, Bellamy is forced to confront painful memories when he is targeted in a series of attacks. After being mistaken for his colleague, Rob begins to suspect a recently released prisoner who Bellamy put behind bars years previously is responsible. Meanwhile, Lord Ashfordly demands answers from Merton when his greenhouse is stolen, and his day worsens when two irritating Australians, claiming to be distant relatives, turn up at Ashfordly Hall. Elsewhere, Bernie receives a shock when he returns from holiday to find new employee Rosie working at the garage, but is soon won over by her talents and bubbly personality.

Rob and Merton investigate a security van raid in Ashfordly and are convinced there is a link to a recent robbery at a local airfield, but a senior officer visiting from Middlesbrough dismisses their claims. Meanwhile, Vernon takes a sudden interest in the flower show when he discovers David might be the owner of a rare, potentially prize-winning fuchsia and turns to Blaketon and Ventress for help when the plant suddenly disappears.

David becomes a local hero after he intervenes when armed robbers raid a local estate during a dinner party, much to Bernie's exasperation when his celebrity status effects his work. Bellamy joins DI Shiner to investigates and come to the conclusion the robbers were amateurs after finding the stolen items in a crashed car. However, they soon reconsider when the police station is raided for the stolen jewels. Meanwhile, Ben receives an exciting job offer in Kenya and asks Liz to accompany him - as his wife! Jenny is aghast at the thought of losing her best friend, leaving the village GP with a difficult dilemma.

The team investigate the murder of an ex-army recluse and archaeological enthusiast and suspect a building dispute could provide a motive. Things get complicated when his estranged wife and her lover show up in the village with money in mind. Meanwhile, Vernon attempts to raise the depressed spirits of his young relative Gareth by matchmaking him with Rosie. After a disastrous date, Rosie orders Vernon to draw Gareth's attention away from her, but his plan to do so leaves David convinced he has a chance with the beautiful mechanic, causing him and Gareth to become rivals for her affections, whilst Jenny's erratic behaviour leaves Merton worried.

As a terrible thunderstorm rocks Aidensfield, Merton and Bellamy investigate the murder of a retired policeman who was about to flee to Spain with his sister-in-law, whilst Jenny starts behaving oddly after realising the strain that comes with being a policeman's spouse. Meanwhile, Vernon is convinced poker is his game, but he ends up gambling away Greengrass' old truck when he makes the mistake of challenging Rosie's uncle, a professional hustler. A rematch results in him losing his and David's profits, causing Rosie to recruit an eccentric relative to teach her gambling uncle a lesson.

It's all change in Aidensfield as new doctor Helen Trent arrives with her wealthy husband Matt, whilst Liz plans her wedding to Ben and departure for Kenya. With so much change at the surgery, Jenny's life begins to spiral out of control as her mind is in danger of unravelling. Merton is desperate to help, but when he does so, he finds himself on the wrong side of the law on suspicion of abusing his wife. Back at the surgery, Helen finds it hard to adjust to the slow pace of Yorkshire, and it soon becomes clear that not all is well in her marriage.

Liz and Ben's wedding day arrives, but Vernon's efforts to make the party go off with a bang ends in chaos when Ben finds himself assisting Rob and the team when a banker's wife is kidnapped. Merton faces the toughest decision of his life as the extent of Jenny's mental issues becomes clear, forcing him to choose which is most important to him: his wife or career. Helen Trent's dreams of a fresh start for her marriage look set to be shattered, and Bellamy is delighted when he is promoted to acting sergeant in Merton's absence.

An aging jazz band, led by an old acquaintance of Vernon's, visit Aidensfield to perform at a Christmas concert. Disaster strikes when they are left with a newborn baby after picking up a teenage hitchhiker on her way home to see her parents for the holidays, leaving Rob with the task of bringing two estranged famillies together for Christmas. Meanwhile, Gina takes centre stage at the Christmas concert with her rendition of "Winter Wonderland", whilst a mix-up leaves both Blaketon and David taking on the role of Father Christmas.

Rob is forced to confront his criminal past when he undertakes his own unofficial investigation into a series of violent burglaries against the elderly residents of Aidensfield, but his snooping into the lives of his father's dangerous associates looks set to have a profound impact on the officer's family when he finds evidence that could nail a major underworld figure for an unsolved armed robbery, which would also put his own father behind bars. Meanwhile, David falls for Matthew Trent's former mistress and finds himself acting as a secret messenger in their sordid affair, leaving Gina, Bernie and Rosie suspicious of his behaviour. Elsewhere, a fresh new constable shows up at Ashfordly station for his first day - PC Geoff Younger, much to the man-eating sergeant Nokes' delight.

Ventress puts his acting skills to the test when Bellamy and Rob hunt for a batch of stolen Russian icons which have been unloaded from a fishing boat belonging to a convicted smuggler, and suspect an assault victim at the Aidensfield Arms might be involved when they discover his criminal connections. Meanwhile, Vernon embarks on another hare-brained scheme when he meets an Italian truffle salesman, and Alfred is the key to his success, whilst Helen is puzzled by a young girl's baffling history, leading her to uncovering a horrifying case of child abuse.

Blaketon rallies the villagers in a protest against the new Ashfordly sergeant, former York officer George Miller, when he decides to close the police house in Aidensfield and introduces a state-of-the-art Ford Zephyr police car that fails to catch the culprits to a series of wage snatches, which leaves Rob in serious danger when he is left to apprehend them without backup. Meanwhile, David's heart of gold gets him into trouble when he promises to throw a birthday party for a lonely old lady who becomes depressed when her 100th birthday goes un-marked, whilst a nurse takes a shine to Rob after he is hospitalised.

Miller is unimpressed by Rob's rebellious streak when he bends the rules in a spectacular way whilst trying to prevent a highly professional robbery. Meanwhile, Bernie's odd behaviour leaves his nearest and dearest fearing the worst, whilst Gina gives Rosie a makeover ahead of her date, but she receives a shock when Rosie's mystery man turns out to be none other than Bellamy.

Bellamy tries to impress Miller by going it alone to investigate a marketeer suspected of using sheep to conceal his true criminal activities. Meanwhile, the arrival of a tax inspector throws the residents into a panic. Vernon bears the brunt of the taxman's wrath when countless dodgy deals come back to haunt him. When Bernie finally tires of his ways, the entrepreneur resorts to drastic measures to deal with his debts, with heartbreaking consequences. Elsewhere, Gina loses patience with Blaketon when he interferes in yet another one of her romances.

Rob's new girlfriend Clare is under suspicion when a wild party ends in tragedy with a drugs-related death, and Miller's negative opinion of the rebellious officer deteriorates further when he discovers Rob was present at the drug-fuelled event. Meanwhile, David is delighted when his aunt, Peggy Armstrong, turns up in Aidensfield. The battleaxe is quick to take advantage of David's grief for his late mother and Vernon Scripps by moving in with him and setting up an illegal vodka still. Ventress knows Peggy of old and fills Blaketon and Gina in on the newcomer's dubious past.

Miller and his men find a vital clue in the most unlikely place when a crimewave hits Ashfordly railway station and a number of freight wagons mysteriously disappear. Meanwhile, Aunt Peggy decides to play dirty when Bernie competes in the local bowls tournament. Elsewhere, a new romance begins when Helen and Gina's girls night out coincides with Bellamy and Rob's lads night out.

Rob investigates a series of sinister animal thefts when he is called to the scene of a horseriding accident. Meanwhile, Aunt Peggy takes advantage of Blaketon's absence at the Aidensfield Arms by hosting a poker tournament, but he returns early from his golf trip and bars her and David from the pub. Elsewhere, Joyce Jowett irritates the officers at Ashfordly by constantly complaining about bad smells and noisy lorries, and the atmosphere is awkward between Helen and Rob following their night of passion.

With Rob on holiday, Bellamy investigates when a young boy is accidentally shot at Ashfordly Hall and accuses the new estate manager of exploiting youngsters for child labour, but he uncovers a far more complicated situation, leaving him with an unwelcome reminder of the past as he tries to help a desperate father concealing a devastating secret from his son. Meanwhile, Peggy's new venture of guided tours in the area is cut short by a terrifying encounter.

Lord Ashfordly plays host to a group of young offenders, led by his old army friend, as part of a rehabilitation programme, but it soon becomes clear that not all of the youngsters are prepared to see the error of their ways after a spate of disturbances occur in Aidensfield. Meanwhile, Blaketon and Ventress go on the hunt for a lonely old lady's beloved dog, and when she offers a £50 reward for its return, Peggy attempts to con the spinster by buying a similar dog, whilst Bellamy brings a little happiness into a troubled boy's life.

The team find themselves with a host of vengeful suspects when a widowed father trying to rebuild his shattered life becomes the target of a hit-and-run accident. Meanwhile, Aunt Peggy's new batch of illegal cigarettes land Younger in hot water when it turns out that they contain an unexpected ingredient, and when the real owners show up, Ventress comes up with a plan to get them both out of trouble.

The team find themselves with a host of vengeful suspects when a widowed father trying to rebuild his shattered life becomes the target of a hit-and-run accident. Meanwhile, Aunt Peggy's new batch of illegal cigarettes land Younger in hot water when it turns out that they contain an unexpected ingredient, and when the real owners show up, Ventress comes up with a plan to get them both out of trouble.

When Gina finds a severed hand in her dustbin, the team immediately start searching for more body parts and find evidence to suggest that one of Lord Ashfordly's most closest allies could be a ruthless murderer. Meanwhile, Aunt Peggy invests in a freezer for her latest venture of selling rabbits and pheasants, only to find herself at the centre of a murder enquiry. Elsewhere, Blaketon befriends a private investigator who has been sent to Aidensfield to dig dirt on Helen on behalf of her cheating husband ahead of their divorce, whilst Bernie is spooked when things start going missing at the garage.