Tony Hodge

Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

An epic tale of a changing Britain over four decades, seen through the eyes of four friends.

After taking his young son Roddy to a remote Northumberland village, Peter Greenbank meets a violent death, leaving the boy alone with no family to speak of. Roddy is adopted and raised by Kate Makepeace, a good friend of his father’s, and develops a close friendship with Hal and Mary Ellen. But their sibling bond is put to the test as they mature. The hidden secrets of the past are painfully unearthed as their lives are intertwined by a tragic destiny.

After the mobster who murdered his partner is acquitted, semicorrupt detective Robert Bryant hires a beautiful female assassin, Maria, to kill him. When he discovers that he cannot afford Maria's services, Bryant is forced to hire another assassin, Madison, to kill her. Maria survives the doublecross and sets out to collect what's owed to her, one way or another.

Inspired by Stephen Sayers' rise from the backstreets of Newcastle's West End to the top of the criminal ladder and the authorities subsequent attempt to bring him crashing back down again.