Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

Hetty Wainthropp is a retired, down-to-earth, working-class woman from Darwen, a small town in northwest England. Despite her humble background, Hetty has an uncanny ability to solve a wide range of cases, often those too minor or seemingly trivial for the local police to take seriously. Her keen instincts and talent for jumping to conclusions make her an unexpected but effective detective, and her investigative adventures take her across the countryside in search of answers to mysteries both puzzling and personal.

While Hetty’s husband, Robert (Derek Benfield), occasionally lends a hand with her cases, his role is primarily focused on managing their home life, often tending to the household chores while Hetty is off on another investigation. She’s rarely seen without her young assistant, Geoffrey Shawcross, a 17-year-old reformed shoplifter who helps her navigate the more technical or tricky aspects of their cases.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates offers a refreshing change of pace for its star, Patricia Routledge, who was widely known for her portrayal of the prissy, status-obsessed Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances. In this new role, Routledge showcases her incredible range as an unlikely private investigator. The series is charming, clever, and full of character, with Hetty's persistence and wit making her an incredibly endearing lead.

For Routledge, this role was a chance to break free from a character which had the potential to typecast her for a long time. While Keeping Up Appearances remains a beloved sitcom, Hetty Wainthropp was a far more grounded, sympathetic character that allowed Routledge to demonstrate her full acting ability. In a sense, the role rejuvenated her career, giving her the chance to embrace a different genre and showcase a more subtle, nuanced performance. This series allowed her to avoid the trap of being confined to a single role for the rest of her career, showing that she had much more to offer.

The series also played a pivotal role in launching the career of Dominic Monaghan. Monaghan, who played Geoffrey, was virtually unknown at the time but would later find fame in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Lost. His performance as the quirky, often comic sidekick provided a perfect contrast to Routledge’s more grounded portrayal of Hetty, making for an engaging dynamic that elevated the series beyond its typical detective formula. Monaghan’s performance hinted at the talent he would go on to display in more high-profile projects, marking Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as an important stepping stone in his career.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates was inspired by characters from David Cook’s 1986 novel Missing Persons, in which Hetty's success in tracing the long-lost son of a friend gives her a taste for detection and she sets up as a private detective. The events in the novel were based on Cook’s own mother’s experiences. Before the pilot was produced, Patricia Routledge had already read Missing Persons for BBC Radio 4's A Book at Bedtime in February 1987.

In 1990, ITV aired a feature-length pilot of Missing Persons, starring Tony Melody as Robert Wainthropp and Garry Halliday as Geoffrey Shawcross. However, ITV decided not to continue with the series. The storyline from this pilot was not carried over into the later BBC series, which began with a fresh premise where Hetty is introduced as a detective on her first case, meeting Geoffrey for the first time. The portrayal of Hetty in the BBC series also differed significantly from her character in the pilot. In the earlier version, Hetty had a more dramatic, theatrical manner. Additionally, her living situation in the pilot was much more upscale than the modest home she would have in the series. David Cook co-wrote the episodes alongside John Bowen to create a whole new set of adventures.

Throughout the series, Hetty frequently seeks guidance from DCI Adams (John Graham-Davies), the local police detective, who—though initially sceptical of her methods—often comes to rely on her insights and occasionally even enlists her help with cases. Their professional relationship evolves over time, with Adams recognizing Hetty’s unique skills and determination in solving cases that others overlook.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates balances the charm of small-town mysteries with moments of genuine suspense and humour. Hetty’s character, though often portrayed as an amateur, proves time and again that a sharp mind, a bit of tenacity, and a deep sense of justice are all it takes to crack a case. At the time of writing (February 2025) all four series of this delightful detective drama are available to stream on ITVX Premium, offering viewers the chance to revisit Hetty’s many adventures and her clever approach to solving even the most seemingly insignificant of crimes.