Heartbeat - The Complete Series 13

I lived in England from 1998 to 2000, and I became a fan of Heartbeat. To me, being an American, it was different, quirky, funny, and heartwarming all at once. I even went to Goathland (the real Aidensfield) on vacation in 2004. I've bought every series of Heartbeat on DVD, and it was nice to see it from the beginning, and to see the episodes again that I saw in "real time" when I lived there. It was sad to see Greengrass go, but I think they'd done about all they could do with his character. Geoffrey Hughes made a good replacement as Vernon Scripps, Bernie's long lost half-brother, coming onto the show in series 10.As much as I like the show, they've re-hashed the same story lines over and over again...the stranger in town gets blamed for burglaries or break-ins, when it's actually a resident of Aidensfield - we've seen that one time and time again. Someone comes to town and sells Greengrass or Vernon some stolen goods. And how many "get rich quick" schemes have backfired on Greengrass or Vernon? It was nice to see Vernon actually get filthy rich for a while! Of course he had to lose it somehow and go back to being poor.New coppers and doctors are sure bets to die a gooey death in Aidensfield too.Anyway, toward the end of series 13 the show seems to take on a darker, more serious tone. Maybe in 2003 and 2004 they were trying to compete with some other more serious night time soaps in England, or perhaps people had seen enough of the same old Heartbeat, having been on for more than 12 years. We all know that in TV shows and soaps, people can fall madly in love only to go through a bitter and painful break-up a couple of years or series later. It's the law and that's how it has to be, sorry!The video quality gets a little better with each series of the DVDs. It's a shame that some of the original songs couldn't be used on the DVDs though - mostly the Beatles songs are replaced with no-name singers/groups re-doing the Beatles originals.Hard of hearing or deaf people will complain about the lack of subtitles on these DVDs too - rightfully so - I don't think there's an excuse for not having subtitles these days. But then again, I have several UK TV shows on "Network" brand DVDs and none of them have subtitles, where almost every BBC or 2/Entertain DVD HAS them.So while I still love Heartbeat, the story lines tend to get a bit repetitive and there are no real surprises anymore. It's still a good show, and Nick Berry still sings the theme song, years after he left the show. But I'll keep waiting for the young copper and the new doctor-of-the-week to stick around and grow old gracefully in Aidensfield, avoiding gooey deaths. And maybe someday Gina and Phil will finally get married. (That doesn't happen until near the end of series 16 - I just cheated and looked ahead on IMDb!)

What i enjoy about series 13 of Heartbeat is there is really not many changes at all. I mean we welcome Ben Norton & say goodbye to PC Steve Crane, but that's the lot, no more changes this time. But this series does have the epsidoe "Daniel" which is one of the most upsetting episodes of Heartbeat ever, while i don't want to give it a way, make sure you have chocolate & a pack of tissue as you will need it!Disk 1:Series 13 – Episode 1: Speed (7th September 2003)Series 13 – Episode 2: Dog Days (14th September 2003)Series 13 – Episode 3: Mother's Little Helpers (21st September 2003)Series 13 – Episode 4: Fool for Love (5th October 2003)Disk 2:Series 13 – Episode 5: A Family Affair (12th October 2003)Series 13 – Episode 6: The Holiday's Over (19th October 2003)Series 13 – Episode 7: Waifs and Strays (26th October 2003)Series 13 – Episode 8: Brought to Book (2nd November 2003)Disk 3:Series 13 – Episode 9: State of Mind (9th November 2003)Series 13 – Episode 10: Down to Earth (22nd February 2004)Series 13 – Episode 11: Mountains and Molehills (29th February 2004)Series 13 – Episode 12: The Dear Departed (7th March 2004)Disk 4:Series 13 – Episode 13: Dangerous Whispers (14th March 2004)Series 13 – Episode 14: Scent of a Kill (21st March 2004)Series 13 – Episode 15: Daniel (28th March 2004)Series 13 – Episode 16: One Thing Leads to Another (4th April 2004)Disk 5:Series 13 – Episode 17: No Hard Feelings (11th April 2004)Series 13 – Episode 18: Difficult Times (18th April 2004)Series 13 – Episode 19: Nowhere Man (25th April 2004)Disk 6:Series 13 – Episode 20: Swan Song (2nd May 2004)Series 13 – Episode 21: Strangers on a Train (9th May 2004)Series 13 – Episode 22: A Call to Arms (16th May 2004)Disk 7:Series 13 – Episode 23: Muck and Brass (23rd May 2004)Series 13 – Episode 24: Double Trouble (30th May 2004)Series 13 – Episode 25: Little Angel (8th June 2004)

like these type of dramas, good humour from some of the actors in the back stories of the series, some of them should have had a series of their own.

Good quality

Heartbeat has never been shown in the US, but I started watching it at the recommendation of one of the cast members I met through social media. I had to buy an all-zone DVD player to be able to watch it, but after starting with series 8 through 10, I immediately ordered series 1 through 7, and am now working my way through to the end. Series 13 is still as funny and occasionally heart-wrenching as the other series have been, and well worth watching. But you Brits already knew that!

I love all the Heartbeats and this is as far as I've got to buying at the moment. One slightly weak entry into the proceedings for me is Vernon becoming wealthy squire of the manor type character - grand house, no servants. Prefered it when he was more realistically an aspiring entrepreneur living in squalor with David.

If you have watched any Heartbeats and enjoyed them I can recommend every single one.I have the whole series now.If you watch one a night you will have over a years entertainment.

Good condition. Quick delivery