Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

1996 - 1998

The Bearded Lady

3rd January 1996

Episode 1

Hetty Waintthropp is annoyed at the cards celebrating her sixtieth birthday--they all offer her well wishes for ""joining the club"" of senior citizens and old-age pensioners, even though she's not entitled to a pension. Determined to make something of herself, Hetty gets a job at the local post office, where she proves her mettle quite quickly by throwing out a troublemaking biker and chasing down a shoplifter.

Eye Witness

10th January 1996

Episode 2

Hetty is called on by a pair of worried parents whose deaf-mute son, Malcolm, has disappeared while out bird-watching on the day he was to meet his mail-order bride from Thailand.

Fingers

17th January 1996

Episode 3

A restaurant owner in Italy is sent a package apparently containing his son's index finger plus a photo of him in front of graffiti art in Manchester and a warning: Silence and await instruction. The distraught family finds solace when who should be taking a holiday in Italy than Hetty Wainthropp? After snooping at her passport and learning she's a detective, they come to her and she accepts their case. As Hetty investigates, she discovers that Gianni may be involved in a bad loan connected to the mafia.

Widdershins

24th January 1996

Episode 4

Hetty and Robert travel to the small village of Readsby, where his revered elderly uncle, a former professional soccer player, has apparently committed suicide. But Hetty doesn't believe it -- for one thing, where's the suicide note? And when she begins to suspect that the villagers of Readsby, once a notorious haven for witches, are engaged in satanic practices, she's determined to prove that they were somehow involved -- with surprising results!

A High Profile

31st January 1996

Episode 5

A desperate Hetty takes Geoffrey up and down the streets and sidewalks of town advertising the detective agency. This proves to be a wise method of business, as they pick up a client: a woman whose estranged son, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, has disappeared from his sheltered housing unit. As Hetty investigates, she discovers that the woman's son, Reg, has had a hard time being accepted by society, as well as his stepfather, who turns out to have been the person who threw Reg into the streets in the first place. As it becomes clear that Reg has gone off his medicine, Hetty finds herself in a race against the clock to try and find the man before he hurts himself or others in his delusional state.

Safe as Houses

7th February 1996

Episode 6

An old friend of Hetty's - her partner in a music-hall routine years ago -- seeks her help in locating her troubled foster daughter, Chrissie. A teenage mother, Chrissie has disappeared just as a series of arson attacks on local homes have occurred --and Chrissie has a history of setting fires! As Hetty and Geoffrey look for Chrissie, a local newspaper photo competition reveals more than the photographer intended, prompting Geoff to dress in drag -- blonde wig, high heels and all -- to confront the arsonist. Hetty picks up a much-needed reward for her work in this case, and at the presentation of the check, proves that the new gumshoe hasn't lost her knack for the ol' soft-shoe!

Top Cast

Patricia Routledge•Dominic Monaghan•Derek Benfield

Instead of spending her golden years lying down, the indomitable Hetty Wainthropp found her calling late in life. Combining common sense, her husband, and her pocketbook, this senior sleuth takes on all the cases the police deem too minor.

Watch Providers 🇬🇧

Now TV

ITVX Premium

Production Companies

+1 more

Full Cast

Patricia Routledge Image

Patricia Routledge

Hetty Wainthropp

Dominic Monaghan Image

Dominic Monaghan

Geoffrey Shawcross

Derek Benfield Image

Derek Benfield

Robert Wainthropp

Suzanne Maddock Image

Suzanne Maddock

Janet Fraser

Full Crew

Michael Wearing

Producer

Nigel Hess Image

Nigel Hess

Music

Malcolm Dalton

Art Direction

Mark Warman

Musician

Phillip McCann

Musician

Roger Litherland

Carpenter

showData