Armed with a self-effacing manner and a lively sense of humour, Nicky quickly discovers that being a good cop doesn't always win you friends. Stuck away from the land of the living as a night detective, he learns that new friends are in short supply”the other detectives look upon him with suspicion and his boss DI Carter doesn't do much to make his new recruit welcome. Although his methods can, at times, be unorthodox, Nicky always tries to do the right thing, even if it does make him unpopular with his new colleagues.

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

Inspector Robert Lewis and Sergeant James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them.