Season 4

Insp. Crossley has an interesting idea as to what has been responsible for a series of attacks on sheep - he thinks a puma did it - much to the Ashfordly Police's amusement!!!!!!!! He keeps to his theory until Alfred is put in the frame for the crime. Claude is ordered to have Alfred destroyed, Claude violently objects and even steels Alfred back. But Nick doesn't believe Alfred is to blame and catches the real culprits in time. They were sheep rustlers, and Blaketon has great fun in informing Insp. Crossley of this fact!

Insp. Crossley suspects an old woman of being responsible for an attack of food poisoning, but Kate soon discovers it was due to something entirely different - arsenic poisoning from old wall paper. Nick points out to Blaketon that the Insp. hasn't been keeping CID fully informed which soon puts an end to his presence in Ashfordly. The police are also surprised to discover that their new Inspector is a woman - Insp. Merchison!

There is an outbreak of rabies which results in the garage owner's death. Blaketon is outraged at the owners if the dog which brought the disease into the country from abroad. However later they discover their own son has been bitten by the dog. Nick asks Claude to help the gamekeepers to look for the dog and the matter is resolved. Ashfordly Police have a new vehicle, which unfortunately Alf damages on its first time out!

Nick and Alf go on a fishing trip to Whitby. Alf is looking forward to a weeks holiday but Nick is there undercover to investigate smuggling. Nick finds out that a container dumped at sea contains counterfeit money. Alf teaches Nick about fishing and they organise a game of poker with some of the suspected smugglers. Nick takes this opportunity to force his opponent to hand over some of the counterfeit money. They are lodging with the Stirling's who own a sailing shop. Jake Stirling helps Nick and Alf set a trap for the smugglers and they are caught. Jake's girlfriend finds out she's pregnant and he wants her to have an abortion. Kate tells her its illegal. Blaketon is taking over Nick's patch while he's away which gives him a great opportunity to keep an eye on Greengrass. However he fails to find out that he's doing a very good trade in venison!

A break in occurs at the Children's Department of Ashfordly Council Offices, Nick disturbs the intruder but the burglar escapes with a file detailing an abortion. Kate helps a girl named Sandie when she cuts her hand and a toddler goes missing in Whitby. It turns out Sandie did the robbery and abducted the child believing it to be the baby she gave up for adoption. Greengrass is into pigeon racing and is horrified when peregrine falcons kill one of his pigeons. He tells Nick who, tells Claude its not a police matter. Two bird watchers then have their falcon eggs smashed for which Blaketon naturally suspects Greengrass, it turns out Lord Ashfordly's game keeper is responsible and Greengrass demands an apology from Blaketon - but doesn't get it!

There is a rugby match between the harbour men and the North Riding Police. At the pub afterwards Gina has fun flirting with one of the harbour men and with Phil. As she is driving home she notices that she is being followed. She panics, stalls her car and is chased into the woods. Greengrass notices that a young girl is in trouble and tells Nick unaware that it was Gina. Kate coaxes what happened out of her and Nick reports the crime. Inspector Merchison doesn't believe Gina, which infuriates Kate. Phil's tie is found in Gina's car, but Blaketon assures him that no one suspects him. Phil, Nick and PC Little unofficially question the harbour man from the pub and he is arrested under suspicion. Another girl in Whitby is also being followed, but luckily Nick is around when he makes an attack.Gina comes in for an identity parade and it turns out that it was PC Little who was responsible. Gina threatens to return to Liverpool just as a run away pig comes into the pub! - everyone has fun tr

Mr Parker comes to Aidensfield unable to recall the last 7 years of his life. It is suggested that when he left the village back then, he left his family and disappeared after collecting his employers payroll. Kate contacts his wife Helen who agrees to see him. Complications occur when another woman turns up claiming to be his wife. Claude goes to see 'strangers on a train' at the cinema, he then receives a strange proposal from a man who took the plot of the film a bit too seriously. It involved strangers carrying out each others crimes. Greengrass isn't interested in getting involved in such a scheme but the stranger keeps pestering him. Claude still refuses but soon finds out his barn had been burnt down shortly after he admitted the insurance was worth more than the barn itself. The stranger kidnaps Alfred, Nick and Greengrass go to investigate, and Alfred is found much to Claude's relief.

Susanna Temple Richards (Played by Jenny Agutter) is having an affair with a local man. Her husband is often seen drinking, so Susanna puts sleeping pills in his whisky to prevent him joining her on the hunt the next day. But he turns up anyway and takes a fall whilst riding, hits his head and dies. There is an enquiry and high levels of sleeping pills are found in his blood stream. Susanna is arrested. (‘The Laid Plans' in series 6 carries on from this) Archie Cutter has died and Claude asks Nick if he can look after his poultry and he agrees. But later Blaketon tells Nick, Archie was a notorious cock fighter.

A Russian defector is on the run. A Russian ship docks in Whitby and a fight amongst the crew breaks out in a local pub. One sailor thinks he's killed his skipper and asks Nick for Political asylum. When Nick and Alf take him to the immigration office he makes a run for it and they lose him. Blaketon is not impressed but when the sailor finds out that he didn't kill the Skipper he says he needs to get back on the ship. Nick and Claude arrange a plan to sneak the sailor back onto the ship and it works. During all of this Greengrass has been trout poaching with a priest! Dr Radcliff's daughter goes missing on a cliff side and a search is mounted for her - she is found unharmed.

The hours Kate is working in Whitby is putting a strain on her relationship with Nick. At the moment she is rarely at home except for weekends. Ron Cooper ends up in hospital from a breech explosion from his Lee Enfield .303 Army Riffle. Nick investigates as to why he had the gun in the first place and eventually finds hoards of old army ammunition at Cooper's farm. Greengrass has got hold of some grenades which he uses to clear Lord Ashfordly's river of most of his trout. Mrs Swinton thinks she's pregnant and Kate gives her some pills, which will determine whether she's pregnant or not by the next day. We later see Kate taking them, she tells James that she's pregnant, but she's less than pleased with the idea. She attempts to tell Nick but backs down.

Nick and Kate's relationship is really put to the test. Nick is slacking in his work, whilst James that her quality of work has also reduced. Nick confides in Blaketon and James is there for Kate to talk to about their problems. Kate tells Nick she is pregnant but he is a lot more keen than she is and is upset when she suggests bringing up the baby on her own, because of their ‘unworkable marriage'. Kate ends up performing first aid on top of a church roof, and Nick is annoyed at her for taking the risk going up there, but she informs him simply that its ‘her job'. Later the situation is reversed when Nick arrests a man with a knife. In the final scene Kate tearfully realises the baby and their marriage is most important and is upset to think she may have ruined her and Nick's special time, but Nick comforts her, telling her everything will be all right and the couple make up happily.

Kate arranges with James to do only 2 surgeries a week in Whitby as originally planned and James would help out in Aidensfield when necessary. A feud amongst a local family turns nasty and the police soon learn there's a lot more raw emotion and conflict behind the trouble as they find out more about the families recent past. Billy an of friend of Gina's turns up, who has just been released from prison. He buys Gina a stolen record player from Claude - of which Blaketon is of course suspicious! Nick and Kate are looking forward to the birth of their new baby, Nick even buys a set of toy soldiers! Kate is craving banana and marmite sandwiches or is it chips and ice cream!!

There are a series of vandal attacks on a battery hen farm, which turns out to have involved a potential girlfriend of Phil's! Nick and Kate are decorating the nursery and Blaketon is impressed when he sees it - he even gives them a teddy bear for the baby, which he suggests they call ‘Oscar'!! Claude tries a scheme to sell ‘free range' eggs - the only trouble is he's had a bit of help from the battery hens!!

A man comes to Aidensfield who has mislaid his suitcase on a train.. The suitcase contained his wife's ashes. His purpose for his visit was to try and make peace with his mother in law after a fierce misunderstanding years ago.. There is a village fete with everyone involved, whilst the police uncover some weapons from a hot dog stand. Alfred is supposed to enter the Lurcher Challenge Cup race but unfortunately George lets him loose on the ale.

The owners of Abbots Farm are in trouble when an outbreak of tuberculosis hits. Alf has trouble with the car again, only this time he gets it stuck in a river! Nick helps him rescue the car and Claude jokes about some spooky noises in the area. The police uncover some illegal exotic birds.

Lady Whitly complains that she has had Christmas trees stolen. Kate is treating a young boy with breathing problems. His brother and sister are the ones selling the stolen Christmas trees to make money to send their brother to Switzerland which would benefit his health. Lady Whitly at first refuses to drop the charges against the children but later has a change of heart. Kate asks Claude to play Santa and he reluctantly agrees. Nick forgets to buy the turkey so he ends up buying a huge one from Claude! Thinking Blaketon would be alone at Christmas, Nick asks him to Christmas dinner, but he ends up bringing his son along as well. Kate knew nothing about the invitation so she looks a little surprised when she finds out they're cooking for four!