# Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is a British crime drama television series, starring Patricia Routledge as the title character, Henrietta "Hetty" Wainthropp, that aired for four series between 3 January 1996 and 4 September 1998 on BBC One. The series, spawned from a pilot episode entitled "Missing Persons" aired by ITV in 1990, was co-created by writers David Cook and John Bowen, co-starred Derek Benfield as Hetty's patient husband Robert, and Dominic Monaghan as her assistant and lodger Geoffrey Shawcross. It marked Monaghan’s acting debut.
Other co-stars in the series include John Graham Davies as local chief of police DCI Adams; Suzanne Maddock as Janet Frazer, a feisty young auto mechanic; and Frank Mills as Robert's brother Frank. In the United States, episodes have broadcast as part of PBS's anthology series Mystery!. A parody of the series, entitled Wetty Hainthropp Investigates, aired on 12 March 1999 as part of the Comic Relief telethon starring Victoria Wood, Julie Walters and Duncan Preston.

## Production

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is based on characters from the novel Missing Persons (1986) by David Cook, who co-wrote the episodes with John 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, the cornet solo was 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. In 2017 Suzanne Maddock shared her memories of making Hetty Wainthropp Investigates in a 45-minute interview for "The Bill Podcast" and explained how she felt disappointed for the fans of the series that they did not get to see a proper conclusion to the series.

## Synopsis

Hetty Wainthropp is a retired working-class woman from Darwen in northwest 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. All four series are available to stream on ITVX Premium.

## Cast

* Patricia Routledge as Henrietta "Hetty" Wainthropp
* Derek Benfield as Robert Wainthropp
* Dominic Monaghan as Geoffrey Shawcross
* John Graham Davies as DCI Adams
* Suzanne Maddock as Janet Frazer
* Frank Mills as Frank Wainthropp

## Episodes
### Pilot (1990)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1 | "Missing Persons" | Derek Bennett | David Cook | 30 May 1990 (1990-05-30) |
| During a visit to childhood friend Edith, retired housewife Hetty Wainthropp discovers that Edith’s husband, Frank, has a son by a previous marriage. Hetty decides to turn amateur detective to trace him. When this gives her a taste for detection, Hetty decides to set up a private detective agency. |||||

### Series 1 (1996)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1 | "The Bearded Lady" | John Glenister | John Bowen & David Cook | 3 January 1996 (1996-01-03) |
| Hetty's part-time job in the Post Office leads to an investigation of pension fraud, which begins with the uncovering of the death of a bag lady. But was it an accident? |||||
| 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. |||||
| 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. |||||
| 4 | "Widdershins" | Robert Tronson | John Bowen & David Cook | 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? |||||
| 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. |||||
| 6 | "Safe As Houses" | Robert Tronson | John Bowen & David Cook | 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 (1996–1997)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 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? |||||
| 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. |||||
| 3 | "Not all there" | 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? |||||
| 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. |||||
| 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. |||||
| 6 | "Woman of the Year" | Rob Benfield | John Bowen & David Cook | 10 January 1997 (1997-01-10) |
| Hetty goes undercover as a "battered wife" in a Woman's Aid refuge. |||||

### Series 3 (1997–1998)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 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. |||||
| 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. |||||
| 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 Indian restaurant owners. |||||
| 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. |||||
| 5 | "Child's Play" | John Glenister | Brian Finch | 2 January 1998 (1998-01-02) |
| The Wainthropps' nephew has been excluded from school. But has he been wrongly accused? |||||
| 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. |||||
| 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. |||||
| 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. |||||
| 9 | "How Time Flies" | David Giles | Jeremy Paul | 30 January 1998 (1998-01-30) |
| Hetty's trip down memory lane on a steam train is interrupted by an absent-minded clock mender who is being pursued by two small-time crooks. |||||

### Series 4 (1998)

| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Something to Treasure" | Philip Martin | David Giles | 24 July 1998 (1998-07-24) | 5.55 |
| A widow calls on the Wainthropp Detective Agency to investigate the theft of a book written by her late husband. ||||||
| 2 | "Family Values" | Brian Finch | David Giles | 31 July 1998 (1998-07-31) | 6.54 |
| Robert and Geoffrey go undercover when Hetty is asked to investigate the circumstances of a death. ||||||
| 3 | "Digging For Dirt" | Peter Gibbs | Mike Vardy | 7 August 1998 (1998-08-07) | 6.51 |
| Hetty is called in to mediate when a local councillor's mother refuses to leave her flat, which is earmarked for demolition. ||||||
| 4 | "Mind Over Muscle" | Peter Gibbs | Robert Tronson | 14 August 1998 (1998-08-14) | 6.92 |
| Hetty's latest client is her hairdresser whose husband is attacked, seemingly at random, in a gents' toilet. ||||||
| 5 | "Blood Relations" | Philip Martin | Robert Tronson | 21 August 1998 (1998-08-21) | 7.24 |
| A reunion with her long-lost cousin sets Hetty on the trail of smugglers in a quiet Yorkshire fishing village. ||||||
| 6 | "For Love Nor Money" | Jeremy Paul | Mike Vardy | 4 September 1998 (1998-09-04) | 7.44 |
| Robert’s brother Frank comes to stay and brings Hetty the case of a missing Victorian school mum. ||||||

## DVDs

All four series have been released on DVD in the United Kingdom and United States by Acorn Media. In Australia, the series was released by Madman Films. In Belgium and the Netherlands, the series was released by Lime-Lights Pictures.
| DVD Name | Release Date | Release Date | Release Date |
| DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
| Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: Missing Persons | 29 March 2005 | 9 May 2005 | — |
| Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete First Series | 7 September 2004 | 11 October 2004 | 31 October 2007 |
| Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Second Series | 9 August 2005 | 22 January 2007 | 9 April 2008 |
| Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Third Series | 31 January 2006 | 5 March 2007 | 9 July 2008 |
| Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Fourth Series | 27 June 2006 | 10 September 2007 | 8 October 2008 |
| Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Collection | 4 September 2007 | 7 January 2008 | 20 October 2009 |
| Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Collection - Remastered | — | 14 August 2017 | — |