What do you do if you wake up on your 60th birthday with a desire to become a private investigator? Become one, if you’re Henrietta “Hetty” Wainthropp (the late Patricia Routledge), the main character in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. The dream detective drama, which is something akin to Midsomer Murders meets Vera, features four brilliant series which are available to watch this week - and we'd highly recommend not missing out.
How does Hetty manage it, you ask? Well, fortunately, she has the assistance of a teenager called Geoffrey (Dominic Monaghan), as well as her husband, Robert (Derek Benfield), who’s rather good at taking care of things at home while she's busy taking care of "business". Think local scams, suspicious deaths and some rather shady business at a retirement condo where Hetty goes undercover - and, somehow, totally unnoticed.
With all four series of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates available to stream on the BBC now, here’s everything you need to know about the series, including the cast, plot and how to watch it.
What is Hetty Wainthropp Investigates about?
The detective drama, which ran for four series on the BBC from 1996 to 1998, stars the late Patricia Routledge as Hetty Wainthropp, a retired, working-class woman from Lancashire, who happens to have a knack for sleuthing. Needless to say, she hasn't always been a private investigator, but turning 60 is all the incentive she needs to find her true calling.
When the police find crimes too trivial or minor to investigate, Hetty is more than happy to turn her hand to them and it turns out she's pretty good at it. Fortunately, Hetty isn’t alone as she forms a bond with Geoffrey Shawcross (Dominic Monaghan), a clever but somewhat troubled teenager who becomes both her lodger and assistant. Hetty also has a rather patient husband in the form of Robert (Derek Benfield), who enjoys tending to the home while Hetty heads off on her escapades.
Over the course of four brilliantly compelling series, Hetty investigates everything from missing persons to community tensions, pension fraud and blackmail. We also often see Hetty seek the help of DCI Adams (John Graham Davies) – in fact, DCI Adams tends to rely on Hetty just as much as she does him!
Who’s in the cast of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates?
The main cast of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates includes:
- Patricia Routledge (Keeping Up Appearances) as Henrietta “Hetty” Wainthropp
- Derek Benfield (First of the Summer Wine) as Robert Wainthropp
- Dominic Monaghan (Lost) as Geoffrey Shawcross
- John Graham Davies (Heart) as DCI Adams
- Suzanne Maddock (Land and Freedom) as Janet Fraser
- Frank Mills (Coronation Street) as Frank Wainthropp
Is Hetty Wainthropp Investigates any good?
Yes – it might be three decades since it first aired, but it's still seriously addictive viewing. The cases Hetty investigates aren’t wildly dramatic or even that surprising, but they don’t need to be as it’s such fun trying to untangle them with her. There’s also plenty of emotion throughout the series, which makes a change from the moodier, more atmospheric detective dramas that tend to arrive on our screens these days.
How can I watch Hetty Wainthropp Investigates?
You can watch all four series of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates now on BBC iPlayer.
What other detective dramas can I watch now?
If you enjoy brilliantly baffling murder cases, we’d recommend My Life is Murder. The series takes us into the world of Alexa Crowe (Lucy Lawless), a fearless investigator for whom no case is too tricky. And when she’s not solving crime? She's baking bread, which helps her navigate the many mysterious cases she's faced with. You can watch My Life is Murder on Acorn TV via Prime Video. For something a little grittier, we’d suggest Annika. DI Annika Strandhed (played by Nicola Walker) heads up a new specialist Marine Homicide Unit (MHU) in Scotland, which requires her to investigate the mind-boggling murders that wash up in the waterways. Annika is available to watch on Netflix.
