Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Series titles. The background is formed from multiple "photographs".
Genre	Cozy Crime
Created by	David Cook (book)
Starring	Patricia Routledge Derek Benfield Dominic Monaghan John Graham Davies Suzanne Maddock Frank Mills
Composer	Nigel Hess
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	4
No. of episodes	Pilot + 27 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Michael Wearing
Producer	Carol Parks
Running time	60 minutes (per episode)
Original release
Network	ITV (pilot)/BBC1
Release	3 January 1996 – 4 September 1998

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is a British cosy crime television programme that aired four series between 1996 and 1998 on BBC One.

Patricia Routledge starred as the title character, Henrietta "Hetty" Wainthropp, Derek Benfield as her patient husband Robert, Dominic Monaghan as her assistant and lodger Geoffrey Shawcross, and John Graham Davies as DCI Adams. Later episodes include Suzanne Maddock as Janet Frazer, a feisty young auto mechanic and Frank Mills as Robert's brother Frank.

In the United States, episodes have been featured on PBS's anthology programme Mystery!.

Production

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is based on characters from the novel Missing Persons (1986) by David Cook, who co-wrote the episodes with John Griffith Bowen. The incidents in Cook's novel were inspired by his own mother's experiences. Prior to the pilot going into production, Patricia Routledge read the story Missing Persons for BBC Radio 4's A Book At Bedtime in February 1987.

In 1990 ITV broadcast a feature-length pilot, Missing Persons, featuring Tony Melody as Robert Wainthropp and Garry Halliday as Geoffrey Shawcross, but ITV opted not to pursue a series. The storyline of this episode is ignored in the subsequent BBC series, with the first episode establishing Hetty as a detective in her first case and meeting Geoffrey for the first time. The characterization of Hetty was altered considerably for the series from the pilot. The 'original' Hetty was blonde and far more 'theatrical' in her manner. Additionally, the pilot character lived in considerably better circumstances than the home seen in the series.

The BBC series was filmed primarily in Burnley, Darwen, Blackburn, Rossendale, Bolton and other locations in Lancashire.

The music for the series was composed by Nigel Hess, cornet solo performed by Phillip McCann and in 1997 the title track was awarded the Ivor Novello Award for best television theme.

The BBC series was popular with viewers, but no further episodes were commissioned after 1998. In 2008 Patricia Routledge said in an interview that the cast and crew had been told by the BBC at the end of the fourth series that a fifth series would be commissioned, but it never was.

Synopsis

Hetty Wainthropp is a retired working-class woman from Darwen in North West England, who has a knack for jumping to conclusions and solving crimes of varying bafflement which often are too minor to concern the police. Although on occasion her husband offers assistance, he more often than not tends to the home while Hetty gads about the countryside with young Geoffrey in search of resolution and justice. In many episodes Hetty seeks the help and advice of DCI Adams of the local constabulary.

Episodes

Series 1

Broadcast Wednesdays on BBC1 at 9:30pm. Produced by Carol Parks.

Total #	Series #	Title	Director	Writer(s)	Original airdate
2	1	"The Bearded Lady"	John Glenister	John Bowen & David Cook	3 January 1996 (1996-01-03)
Hetty Wainthropp's part-time job in the Post Office leads to an investigation of pension fraud, a new job as a detective, which begins with the uncovering of the death of a bag lady. But was it an accident?
3	2	"Eye Witness"	John Glenister	John Bowen & David Cook	10 January 1996 (1996-01-10)
Hetty and Robert investigate the case of a missing bird watcher.
4	3	"Fingers"	Robert Tronson	John Bowen & David Cook	17 January 1996 (1996-01-17)
While on holiday with Robert in Italy, Hetty takes on new clients, who claim their son (who lives in the UK) has been kidnapped by the Mafia who have been sending his fingers to them.
5	4	"Widdershins"	Robert Tronson	David Cook & John Bowen	24 January 1996 (1996-01-24)
Robert receives news that his Uncle Albert, a former footballer and his childhood hero, has been found dead from an apparent suicide. Refusing to believe it, Hetty discovers the village where he lived used to have witches. Is there a connection?
6	5	"A High Profile"	John Glenister	John Bowen & David Cook	31 January 1996 (1996-01-31)
Hetty helps a distressed mother to find her schizophrenic son who is in need of his medication.
7	6	"Safe As Houses"	Robert Tronson	David Cook & John Bowen	7 February 1996 (1996-02-07)
An old acquaintance asks Hetty to track down her missing foster daughter who may be responsible for a series of local arson attacks.

Series 2

Broadcast Fridays on BBC1 at 9:30pm. Produced by Carol Parks.

Total #	Series #	Title	Director	Writer(s)	Original airdate
8	1	"Poison Pen"	Roger Bamford	John Bowen & David Cook	29 November 1996 (1996-11-29)
Basking in a glow of publicity from their last successful job, the agency has more work than it can handle. While Hetty tries to help a stricken village, can Robert and Geoffrey conduct their own case?
9	2	"Lost Chords"	Robert Tronson	David Cook & John Bowen	6 December 1996 (1996-12-06)
It's the 50th anniversary of the Blainthorp Music Festival and there is fierce competition to be chosen as the Golden Voice. Suddenly the finalists start losing their voices - and Hetty must find out why.
10	3	"Runaways"	Robert Tronson	David Cook & John Bowen	13 December 1996 (1996-12-13)
The Mayor of Titterslow wants Hetty to find his daughter, but there must be no publicity and no police. Hetty discovers where Susan planned to go, but she hasn't arrived. Why not, and who is with her?
11	4	"The Astral Plane"	Roger Bamford	John Bowen & David Cook	20 December 1996 (1996-12-20)
DCI Adams approaches Hetty with a case he cannot follow up: a spiritualist appears to be blackmailing her clients. Disguised as a grieving widow, Hetty isn't prepared for what she hears.
12	5	"A Rose By Any Other Name"	David Giles	Jeremy Paul	3 January 1997 (1997-01-03)
Gillian's family are convinced that Lester Rose wants to marry her for her money. Hetty has one week to find out if his intentions are honourable.
13	6	"Woman Of The Year"	Rob Benfield	John Bowen & David Cook	10 January 1997 (1997-01-10)
Hetty goes undercover as a "battered wife".

Series 3

Broadcast Fridays on BBC1 at 9:30pm. Produced by Carol Parks.

Total #	Series #	Title	Director	Writer(s)	Original airdate
14	1	"All Stitched Up"	David Giles	Jeremy Paul	28 November 1997 (1997-11-28)
Hetty joins a quilt making circle in order to find out who is terrorising a housing estate.
15	2	"Daughter Of The Regiment"	David Giles	Brian Finch	5 December 1997 (1997-12-05)
A bride-to-be is being stalked. When her mother seeks Hetty's help, she is totally unprepared for the consequences.
16	3	"Serving The Community"	Don Leaver	Philip Martin	12 December 1997 (1997-12-12)
Hetty faces danger when she agrees to track down a gang who have attacked local restaurant owners.
17	4	"Fisticuffs"	Don Leaver	Jeremy Paul	19 December 1997 (1997-12-19)
Hetty seeks compensation for the victim of a road rage incident in which a female driver hit another in the face.
18	5	"Childsplay"	John Glenister	Brian Finch	2 January 1998 (1998-01-02)
The Wainthropps' nephew has been excluded from school. But has he been wrongly accused?
19	6	"Pursuit By Proxy"	John Glenister	Peter Gibbs	9 January 1998 (1998-01-09)
Hetty represents a neighbour at a creditors' meeting and her agency is asked to find a missing company director and his money.
20	7	"A Minor Operation"	Jim Goddard	Philip Martin	16 January 1998 (1998-01-16)
Hetty is in hospital - an unlikely place to find her most urgent case yet.
21	8	"Helping Hansi"	Jim Goddard	Philip Martin	23 January 1998 (1998-01-23)
Hetty is asked by Hansi, a German pensioner, to help track down his sister whom he last saw during the war.
22	9	"How Time Flies"	David Giles	Jeremy Paul	30 January 1998 (1998-01-30)
Hetty's trip down memory lane is interrupted by an absent-minded clock mender who is being pursued by two small-time crooks.

Series 4

Broadcast Fridays on BBC1 at 9:30pm. Produced by Carol Parks.

Total #	Series #	Title	Director	Writer(s)	Original airdate
23	1	"Something To Treasure"	David Giles	Philip Martin	24 July 1998 (1998-07-24)
A widow calls on the Wainthropp Detective Agency to investigate the theft of a book written by her late husband.
24	2	"Family Values"	David Giles	Brian Finch	31 July 1998 (1998-07-31)
Robert and Geoffrey go undercover when Hetty is asked to investigate the circumstances of a death.
25	3	"Digging For Dirt"	Mike Vardy	Peter Gibbs	7 August 1998 (1998-08-07)
Hetty is called in to mediate when a local councillor's mother refuses to leave her flat, which is earmarked for demolition.
26	4	"Mind Over Muscle"	Robert Tronson	Peter Gibbs	14 August 1998 (1998-08-14)
Hetty's latest client is her hairdresser whose husband is attacked, seemingly at random, in a gents' toilet.
27	5	"Blood Relations"	Robert Tronson	Philip Martin	21 August 1998 (1998-08-21)
A reunion with her long-lost cousin sets Hetty on the trail of smugglers in a quiet Yorkshire fishing village.
28	6	"For Love Nor Money"	Mike Vardy	Jeremy Paul	4 September 1998 (1998-09-04)
Robert’s brother Frank comes to stay and brings Hetty the case of a missing Victorian school ma'am.

Parody Special

• "Wetty Hainthrop Investigates" (12 March 1999) — 'Comic Relief Special' starring Victoria Wood, Julie Walters and Duncan Preston.

DVD releases

The BBC series has been released on DVD by Acorn Media in the UK and United States, by Madman Films in Australia, and by Lime-Lights Pictures in Belgium and the Netherlands.

DVD Name	Release Date
	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Series 1	7 September 2004	11 October 2004	31 October 2007
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Series 2	9 August 2005	22 January 2007	9 April 2008
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Series 3	31 January 2006	5 March 2007	9 July 2008
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Series 4	27 June 2006	10 September 2007	8 October 2008
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Collection	4 September 2007	7 January 2008	20 October 2009

External links

• Hetty Wainthropp Investigates at IMDb
• Missing Persons at IMDb