Heartbeat in Australia
A forthcoming episode of ITV Yorkshire’s police-drama series Heartbeat will be partly set in Australia.
1960s ITV policing period drama Heartbeat will be partly set in Australia with several of the show’s main characters traveling “down-under”. The episode, which will likely be screen in the summer, will see PC Joe Mason [Joe McFadden], DS Rachel Dawson [Clare Wille] and Nurse Carol Cassidy [Lisa Kay] traveling to Australia, to the outback, in search of a missing friend.
It’s not the first time Heartbeat has filmed abroad but producers will be hoping the episode will draw back viewers who have grown tired of the series.
Ratings for Heartbeat and The Royal have slumped over the past year which partly prompted ITV’s decision to suspend production on both shows once previously commissioned episodes had been filmed. Once the ITV Yorkshire production wraps no new episodes of either shows are likely to be filmed, or commissioned, until at least 2011.
“The problem with both shows is they’re stuck in the 1960s, with bosses afraid to move into the 1970s in case ratings flop, well ratings are now flopping anyway due to the fact we’ve had more Christmases than years existed in the 1960s, the series began set in 1963 back in 1992. Sadly it seems to be too late now to move it into 1970 and save the shows, they won’t be back I will bet my wig on it.” – ATV Today TV Critic Vivian Summers
