History Series / HettyWainthroppInvestigates

A British mystery drama shown from 1996 to 1998. The series stars Patricia Routledge (or Mrs. ''[[Series/KeepingUpAppearances Bouquet]]'' to you) as Hetty, who on her sixty-fourth birthday decides that her life requires a bit more spice and adventure. An insightful and observant woman, she decides to open a detective agency. Along with her supportive husband Robert (Derek Benfield) and 'Young' Geoffrey (Dominic Monaghan), their lodger, she investigates a number of mysteries and helps those in need seek justice.

* CastingGag: This isn't Patricia Routledge's first foray into the mystery genre, having voiced the mother of Literature/LordPeterWimsey in a number of BBC Radio adaptations.

The premise and characters derive from the 1986 novel ''Missing Persons'' by David Cook (who would co-write the BBC show). ITV had already made their own feature length adaptation of the novel, but opted out of a full series, with the BBC series choosing to rewrite it's own origin pilot. The show ran for four series, while the BBC commissioned a fifth, it never came to be.

* RealityEnsues: Into the LittleOldLadyInvestigates genre; Hetty is a registered private investigator who actively stays away from major cases that are the police's jurisdiction, and tends to focus on smaller-scale incidents.

* EmbarrassingCoverStory: A client hires Robert and Geoffrey to find out if his fiancee is faithful; they bring in another man to approach her and see if she's willing to cheat. When he takes her out to a jazz club, Robert and Geoffrey keep watch, but this attracts her attention and she says they look familiar. The man tries to throw her off the scent by saying they're probably drug dealers.

* RealityEnsues: Into the LittleOldLadyInvestigates genre; Hetty is a registered private investigator who actively stays away from major cases that are the police's jurisdiction, and tends to focus on smaller-scale incidents.

** In another episode, Hetty investigates the possibility that the death of Robert's uncle is connected to

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: One episode is based around Hetty investigating claims that a medium is blackmailing her clients. Hetty catches the woman out - but the medium ''did'' come out with many accurate details about Hetty's life and family.

* AbuseMistake: Once, when Hetty fell down a staircase while walking in high heels and bruising her legs, D.C.I. Adams asked her to pose as a victim of spousal abuse and investigate a shelter for battered women; somehow the shelter's location was revealed to a few of the women's husbands, possibly resulting in at least one death.

* PlayingAgainstType: A moderate example, as both characters have somewhat matronly atmosphere to them and have dedicated long suffering husbands - but Hetty is personality wise completely different to Patricia Routledge's most famous prior role Hyacinth. Whereas Hyacinth is an oblivious social climber, Hetty is not only happily working class but also very astute.

The premise and characters derive from the 1986 novel ''Missing Persons'' by David Cook (who would co-write the BBC show). ITV had already made their own feature length adaptation of the novel, but opted out of a full series, with the BBC series choosing to rewrite it's own origin pilot.

The series and characters derive from the 1986 novel ''Missing Persons'' by David Cook (who would co-write the BBC show). ITV had already made their own feature length adaptation of the novel, but opted out of a full series, with the BBC series choosing to rewrite it's own origin pilot.

A British mystery drama shown from 1996 to 1998. The series stars Patricia Routledge (or Mrs. ''[[KeepingUpAppearances Bouquet]]'' to you) as Hetty, who on her sixty-fourth birthday decides that her life requires a bit more spice and adventure. An insightful and observant woman, she decides to open a detective agency. Along with her supportive husband Robert (Derek Benfield) and 'Young' Geoffrey (Dominic Monaghan), their lodger, she investigates a number of mysteries and helps those in need seek justice.

A British mystery drama shown from 1996 to 1998. The series stars Patricia Routledge ([[HeyItsThatGuy or Mrs.]] ''[[KeepingUpAppearances Bouquet]]'' [[HeyItsThatGuy to you]]) as Hetty, who on her sixty-fourth birthday decides that her life requires a bit more spice and adventure. An insightful and observant woman, she decides to open a detective agency. Along with her supportive husband Robert (Derek Benfield) and 'Young' Geoffrey (Dominic Monaghan), their lodger, she investigates a number of mysteries and helps those in need seek justice.

* RealityEnsues: Into the LittleOldLadyInvestigates genre; Hetty is a registered private investigator who actively stays away from major cases that are the police's jurisdiction, and tends to focus on smaller-scale incidents.

* KitchenSinkDrama: Although a more light-hearted example than the usual, given the OopNorth setting and the working class characters the series could almost be described as a Kitchen Sink version of MissMarple.

* LittleOldLadyInvestigates: Hetty. A somewhat more realistic example than most, in that most of Hetty's cases were fairly small-scale in nature (or at least started off that way) and matters that the police were unlikely to be interested in.