Heartbeat - The Complete Series 12 [DVD]

Product Information

A man claims to be a local farmer who had suffered amnesia during a London air raid in the 1940s and was presumed dead. He tries to resume his life, though his wife has married an ill and abusive man, who seems to know more about the circumstances of his rival's disappearance. Meanwhile, Lord Ashfordly's displays strange behaviour after consuming Peggy's peculiar batch of mushrooms. Younger asks Rosie for driving lessons to prepare for an official police course, and she is horrified when rumours spread of their presumed romance. Merton is not happy at the prospects of dozens of dangerous drivers when Aidensfield hosts a prestigious automotive hill-climb. The villagers are not happy either, and the team race to prevent disaster when a saboteur begins causing chaos. Meanwhile, Bernie finds an old car in a cowshed and renovates it, giving Vernon a chance to scoop the winnings in the hill-climb event. The Ashfordly team joins forces with Dawson and a shady MI5 agent in the hunt for a suspected Soviet spy, but Carol soon discovers the agent has secrets of his own after witnessing a stand-off at a railway station. Meanwhile, Peggy fancies herself as the next Miss Marple when an old note among a dead friend's belonging raises questions about her cheating husband's disappearance. Miller suffers from a toothache.

Lord Ashfordly faces protests from villagers in Aidensfield over his decision to close off a footpath on his land, but Mike has suspicions that the protest's organisers may be linked to a recent arrival who served time in prison for a robbery, of which the stolen money they took has yet to be found. Greengrass decides to become a chimney sweep after discovering it has a lucrative side business attached to it, but he soon makes a mess of things. Wealthy couple Diane and Cecil Palmer return from Africa with their son Peter, and attempt to settle down in Aidensfield. However, things soon problematic, as Peter struggles with his new life, while his parents face embarrassment hosting a dinner party, placing strain on their marriage. When Diane goes missing after heading out for a drink, following a row with Cecil, Ventress soon deduces what happens when he and Mike learn that Peter has also disappeared. Merton is reluctant to start a police investigation when one of Liz's patients becomes convinces that her husband is trying to kill her, until she is nearly killed by a runaway tractor. Meanwhile, Vernon's pest control solution jeopardises Aidensfield's chances of winning the "Best Kept Village" award, provoking Blaketon's wrath. Steve becomes attracted to Gina's cousin Diana, while Bellamy neglects his police work to plan the wedding and faces a dilemma regarding the choice of best man. The male co-owners of a new restaurant in Ashfordly find their new business targeted with sabotage that causes them grief, but when Mike investigates he soon discovers a connection between the men and the recent arrival of Gina's friend to the area. Greengrass decides to go searching for a fortune in Anglo-Saxon relics from a local man's land, but soon worries that he has uncovered a murder. Maggie makes a decision regarding the future for her unborn child.The death of a young man and subsequent disappearance of his son is linked to the disappearance of a baby three years earlier, suggesting the baby's broken parents may be responsible. Following Rosie's departure, Bernie's spirits are lifted when he makes a large amount of money selling an inherited Rolls-Royce. Miller's worst nightmare comes true when it becomes apparent that there are two Peggy Armstrongs. The police are puzzled when a retired colleague of Ventress and Blaketon's seems to become the unlikely victim of vandalism. Suspicions arise over his sudden return to the village and his connection to a prominent judge staying at Ashfordly Hall. Meanwhile, Vernon encounters dangerous wildlife as he stashes cash in Ashfordly woods before a visit by a tax inspector, but tries to turn the incident into another money-making scheme, leading him into further peril. The team search for a young boy who disappears after discovering his mother is having an affair with a family friend, who is later seriously injured in a road accident. Meanwhile, Younger fills in for the lollipop lady and starts a friendship with a bullied boy. Gina and Bellamy arrange for Rob to date a hairdresser, but he realises he still is not over the loss of Helen. Miller is outraged when a nits infestation grips the Ashfordly station. Carol is delighted when her fiancé visits her on leave from the Navy, whilst Peggy and David experience a slight cash-flow problem. An accountant and his family crash into a tractor after being chased down a country lane by another car. PC Mason and Sgt. Miller are intrigued by the family's erratic behaviour and discover that they are fleeing from a gangster who will do anything to retrieve incriminating documents. Meanwhile, David comes into some money and buys an old Jeep with a surprising military history, one which surprises those who fought in the second world war.

Merton's police work has consequences for his marriage when he has to investigate Liz and his own wife after a former car racing driver dies from an insulin overdose. Vernon more than meets his match in a charismatic promoter of a pyramid selling scheme, who enrols Vernon to embark on a mission to make Aidensfield sparkle with a new brand of cleaning products. A veterans' reunion draws noise complaints, and to everyone's surprise Ventress was a commando in their unit during the war. Greengrass organises their shooting party on the Ashfordly estate, but they find a man shot dead. Bradley had earlier found evidence suggesting the man was involved in fraud, but finds it suspicious. Greengrass's views help Maggie decide how to handle the conflicting wishes of Graham Rysinski and his dying mother. Accused of colluding with Gina, Bellamy is taught the meaning of the word by her. A desperate family man trying to pay for his daughter's wedding is extorted by a loan shark into engineering a robbery at his workplace. Fearful for his life, he confides in Blaketon who must choose between ruining the family or protecting the man's life. Meanwhile, David causes trouble when he takes up photography and catches the villagers in compromising positions. With Merton on honeymoon, acting sergeant Ventress searches for a bogus waterboard official who has been robbing the elderly, but his attention turns to a suspicious death linked to one of the burglary victims. Meanwhile, Blaketon restages a pre-war darts tournament with a rival pub, the White Lion, to reclaim a silver trophy that the Aidensfield Arms had originally won. David is upset when Blaketon rejects him as a team-member and joins the White Lion darts team instead. Gina faces an obstacle to her impending marriage to Bellamy when she learns police rules do not allow wives to hold a pub licence. Lord Ashfordly's niece arrives following the collapse of her marriage, and her prize racehorse is stolen for ransom. A biker gang arrives in town, bringing romance for Rosie. Bernie risks alienating Gina when he blames the bikers for a robbery at the church. Gina and Bellamy race to save Debbie's daughter Jane from a seedy photographer.Farmer Malcolm Colbourne suffers problems at his farm, including the destruction of a new tractor he bought from dealer John Bennett, leading Mike to investigate and discovering the truth about Colbourne's past during the Second World War and the difficulty he faced in the years afterwards. Greengrass and David become involved in helping a local woman move furniture out of her old home, unaware it actually belongs to her ex-husband who she is in dispute with. Cash is stolen from a blind man's home, leading the team to a farmworker's revolt against an unpopular businessman and a shady practice of covering-up injuries and unsafe work practices. Carol finds reason to believe the businessman is abusing his teenage daughter. Meanwhile, David becomes the guardian angel for a suicidal naturist who jumps off a bridge, and Peggy tries to make some money from the strange man. Sgt. Dennis Merton arrives under disrepute following his demotion from CID, as DI Shiner calls on Ashfordly police to help with a stakeout operation on a known criminal. However, it soon causes problems for PC Ventress, when his arrest of the criminal's son leads to his past involvement with them coming to light. Meanwhile, Vernon decides to become the manager to a naïve trainee boxer, but seeking to make him a decent fighter leads him to taking action that he soon regrets. Ashfordly police find they have a thief in Aidensfield, who was involved in a crime spree in Whitby. Investigating the matter, they discover a link between the latest targets and a new arrival to the village. Meanwhile, Vernon offers to help a travelling circus find somewhere to set up a winter camp, but Lord Ashfordly soon regrets agreeing to his request when Vernon tries to capitalise on the situation.