Heartbeat - The Complete Series 12 [DVD]

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Lord Ashfordly goes on holiday to Bermuda over Christmas, leaving Ashfordly Hall under the watch of an old army pal. He harbours a young hooligan who attempts to steal valuables, and the man tries to impart a valuable life lesson in a violent way. Meanwhile, Blaketon and Peggy create competing Santa's Grottos. Ventress is upset when his wife falls ill, and Gina, Helen, David and Bellamy draw lots on who gets to host him for Christmas dinner. A crashed car is found to have been used in a Liverpool robbery, suggesting a new group of criminals are loose in the area, and the only lead is a sketch. Blaketon joins Ventress in surveillance of the wife of an old friend, who is convinced that she is having an affair. Gina also goes away, leaving Bernie and Dawn in charge of the pub. Peggy tries to sell Angora goats. When an attempt to remedy vandalism and petty theft at a farm is seen as interference, Gina sends Susie to match the old farmer's feisty spirit. The activity escalates to arson, and Steve suspects a deeper motive behind the crimes. Meanwhile, David is arrested while protesting at the high number of lorries passing through the village to Jim Pinder's quarry, while Vernon is viewed as a traitor for chauffeuring Pinder. PC Bradley befriends a woman whose daughter resents being dragged away with her, straining his relationship with Dr. Summerbee. However, he soon learns that the woman is being hounded by a ruthless reporter, who is intent on exposing her dark past, forcing her to make a decision that will break her daughter's heart. Meanwhile, Vernon and David decide to raise goats for their milk, but Bernie is forced to ask Oscar for help when they cause trouble around Aidensfield.

The stories are generally simple, such as the search for a missing watch (this was the episode which included the family violence). The story is rarely predictable, though, and even when it is, it's fun to watch the characters develop the storyline.Dawson links an explosion in the woods to armed criminals, and Joe goes undercover at a local quarry to infiltrate the gang. Joe tries to save a conflicted man from a life of crime but places himself in danger when his cover is blown. Meanwhile, Peggy exploits a rumour that the explosion was caused by a meteorite when she learns how valuable space debris is. Ashfordly police find themselves dealing with a modern-day "Robin Hood", and discover a connection between their robberies and a series of envelopes to elderly residents carrying cash stolen during each robbery. At the same time, Blaketon and Ventress join forces to help investigate the disappearance of an estranged son who left home after a heated argument with his father. Both find their cases colliding, when it transpires that the robberies are related to questionable business ethics over the construction of a new housing estate.

A seriously ill fugitive pursues a vendetta against the Ashfordly police by manipulating two young boys to do his dirty work, leading PC Joe and DS Dawson into finding and apprehending him. Meanwhile, Dawn teaches PC Younger ballroom dancing so that he can partner with Joyce Jowett at a charity event, and David takes up pottery to aid Peggy's collaboration with a furniture retailer. The police station's reputation comes under scrutiny when evidence suggests that someone from within the force is responsible for a string of burglaries. Meanwhile, Vernon hosts an exclusive painting weekend at Ashfordly Hall but is put in a compromising position by the absence of his life model. A businesswoman attempts to seduce David.An insurance salesman is shot dead outside his home, and a disgruntled customer of the victim is the initial suspect in the crime. As Ashfordly police handle the investigation, PC Mason discovers that not only did the victim sell fraudulent policies, but he also led a complicated double life, and soon discovers that the latter may have been found out by one of the wives he had. Meanwhile, Ventress stays at the Aidensfield Arms while his house is being repaired, causing problems for all, while Sgt. Miller and Peggy both attempt to stop a war hero from drinking himself to death while on hard times.

Merton organises a search of the moors after a farming couple are reported missing, leaving Jenny and Liz to look after their bemused children, whilst Gina and Bellamy take over at the farm. Meanwhile, Vernon decides to treat his nearest and dearest following his windfall, and takes a reluctant Bernie to a posh country hotel. After a failed robbery, one bumbling robber shoots the other in the foot then hitches a ride with Johnny "The Traveller" Lee. He is soon apprehended by police, and Johnny is unamused when the other robber break into the Aidensfield Arms. Claude Greengrass helps organise an illegal trap-racing meeting in the streets of Aidensfield. 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. 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. While Ashfordly police are tasked with protecting a suspected Nazi collaborator who is visiting the area, Sgt. Miller begins acting strangely, leading PC Joe to discover that he is being extorted for his cooperation in exchange for his daughter's safety. Meanwhile, Peggy becomes convinced she has a serious illness, which worries David, Gina settles into motherhood, and Dawn becomes interested with a mysterious Frenchman visiting the Aidensfield Arms.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.

One of Liz's patients develops a drinking problem while her husband is abroad, having left her with two mischievous boys. Liz's attempts to help lead to trouble with Steve when she is caught drink driving. Meanwhile, a gambling addict kidnaps David and demands a ransom from Vernon. Bellamy and Gina return from their holiday with the news that they're expecting a baby. The Ashfordly team pursue Aidensfield's version of armed robbers Bonnie and Clyde. When the runaway heiress is injured on the run, her ruthless boyfriend kidnaps Helen, who provokes the pair by advising her patient to end the partnership. Meanwhile, Peggy is incensed when Rosie manages the garage in Bernie's absence, and instructs David to organize a funeral in a madcap scheme to have Bernie leave the garage to David in his will. A 17-year-old girl disappears after an argument with her father, and Joe searches for her American boyfriend who is taking extreme measures to prolong his stay in Yorkshire to avoid being drafted into the American Army and sent to Vietnam. Meanwhile, David and Peggy's scheme to find treasure with an old metal detector puts them under suspicion when bronze statues are stolen from local estates. 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. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

A dysfuctional family causes personal troubles for the police officers when Bellamy accidentally runs down a local boy whilst chasing joyriders. His father demands compensation and his sister, a maid at Ashfordly Hall, falls pregnant, claiming Steve is the father. Meanwhile, David is hired by Lord Ashfordly to rid his estate of moles. Trevor and Stuart Chivers break into the home of Gerard Sefton, an elderly First World War hero, after he is taken to hospital following an accident, but while Trevor is more interested in making money for new things, Stuart takes a shine to Sefton's life, just as Mike begins investigating their recent behaviour. Maggie reconciles with Neil following a home birth, after discovering that she still retains feelings for her husband. Vernon becomes a bodyguard, hired by Ashfordly to protect a Russian guest, Prince Nikolas. Mike hosts his niece Anne and her friend Louise, both teenage hippies. Alcohol and drugs are consumed, leading to Louise almost dying, but she is saved by Dr. Summerbee who has taken over Neil's old practice. Bellamy resigns from the police and plans a grand romantic proposal to Gina, but is impeded by a series of mix-ups. A burglary enquiry takes an unexpected turn when the victim is found to be leading a double life and the break-in may have been part of an insurance fraud. Meanwhile, Blaketon falls for the charms of a lady solicitor and joins Ventress to help her find the beneficiaries of an unusual bequest, but the ageing detectives struggle to work in a partnership. David is recruited as their driver, and finds himself acting as peacemaker. Local troublemaker Gary Tyler, who currently has a suspended sentence, is shot by Lord Ashfordly's estate manager after trespassing on his land, forcing Mike to investigate what Tyler was doing there and discovering another person is involved. Greengrass offers to help a local reporter out when they run out of petrol and gets the chance to write their own weekly column in the local newspaper, but his plans to voice his own opinions on people don't work out well.