Emotion on the Heartbeat set as the series ends

Just weeks after young actress Stephanie Parker took her own life following the cancellation of her show Belonging, fellow TV drama star Tricia Penrose was reduced to tears while filming the final scenes of Heartbeat.  

The small screen favourite, who plays pub landlady Gina Bellamy, has been a fixture in the Sixties-era police series since 1993, having joined the show a year after it started.  

"Tricia, in particular, has found it hard to take, as she has been involved for almost all 19 series. There have been lots of tears," revealed a source.   

Cast members discovered the demise of the long-running,  Yorkshire-set show - the latest programme to fall victim to the credit crunch - when it was reported in the papers.  


There's a small silver lining for Heatbeat fans, though, as the last episode is not expected to be broadcast until late 2010