Sammy Maxton is found injured on Shafton Moor and witnesses heard a shot and saw Barry Rooksby running from the scene and driving away with is daughter Suzy. Rooksby has recently lost his job as game keeper and blames Maxton for telling lies about him to get the job himself. Alice Jessop is released from hospital after a stroke and hires the butler Alan Lester to look after her. A couple of days later Eileen discovers that a valuable clock is missing from Mrs. Jessop's home Gina is nervous because she has to appear in court to apply for the license to run the Aidensfield Arms. Steve tries to comfort her, but his mind is more occupied by the American pool match, which Greengrass is arranging. But his pool table is confiscated as evidence when it turns out that it was stolen, and Greengrass is under pressure to get a new one. He soon finds out that American pool tables are rare in North Riding. The preparations for Nick's and Jo's wedding are in full swing, and Phil is hoping that Nick will ask him to be the best man. A ghost from nurse Bolton's past arrives in Aidensfield. Her husband Neil who hopes they can back together again.

Sergeant Blaketon is out on patrol when he is overtaken by a long-haired bully wearing a leather jacket on a motorcycle. He catches up with him while he is parked at a petrol station, and when he is asked for his name the "bully" introduces himself as Mike Bradley, the new police constable. After getting a much needed haircut PC Bradley soon has his baptism of fire when two armed criminals take Greengrass and Gina hostage so that they can hide in their catering truck and get into a pipeline compound to empty the safe. And they make it very clear that they are not afraid to use their firearms. Blaketon has a hard time facing retirement and asks for more tests, but he has to wait another week for the results of these tests. His heart will give him an answer much sooner than that.

Sergeant Blaketon is recuperating from his heart attack and cannot get back to work fast enough, when Dr. Bolton informs him that his days on the police force are over due to risk of another heart attack. That does not suit him at all and especially not when he learns that the Deighton family is back in Aidensfield. The Deightons have done mischief in the area before and they are definitely up to no good this time either. From his hospital bed Blaketon tells his constables to keep a close eye on them. Greengrass lets Lieutenant Craig and her girl scouts camp on his land. That brings the girls on a collision course with the Deightons when they stage a paper chase.

Nick and Jo Rowan return from their honeymoon in Spain. They find out that he has been made acting sergeant at the Ashfordly police station, while Blaketon has taken over the post office. A fair is visiting Aidensfield and one of its main attractions is the wall of death and its riders Dirk and Liam. Especially 15-year old Tracey Knight is fascinated by Dirk who has promised her a spot on the show. Dirk is seriously injured when he crashes off the wall during practice. The police soon find out it was not an accident. Another attraction is the mouse show, which Greengrass' lurcher Alfred decides by eating the favourite owned by the very unpopular Trevor Lammas. The next day Greengrass finds his dog lying on the floor with all signs of poisoning and accuses Lammas, who starts to have a series of small mishaps.

Greengrass buys a used police car at an auction, where Bernie Scripps recognizes the former racing driver Russell Palmer, who now works for his cousin Keith Hibbert. Hibbert and Palmer are arrested after a brawl at the Aidensfield Arms and have to spend the night in prison at the police station under the watchful eyes of PC Bradley, who has the night watch. During the night Palmer complains of head aches and early next morning he is found dead in his cell. Hibbert accuses PC Bradley of beating Palmer up and thus causing his death. Acting sergeant Rowan has no other option than to launch a full investigation and suspend Bradley. Meanwhile Greengrass has converted his police car into a taxi cab and happens to overhear a little too much on his radio.

Somebody has been snatching Gina's empty bottles and PC Bradley has offered to stake out the pub. Meanwhile his past is catching up with him due to the death in custody case. His former girlfriend Penny turns up in Aidensfield with her baby son Tommy claiming that Bradley is the father. But also the gangsters Linden and Martin, who Bradley helped put away when he was with the Met, are eager to get hold of him when their sentences are reversed. Greengrass is "liberating" some fish from Lord Ashfordly when he befriends the tramp Tessa, who is doing a little liberating herself.

Nathaniel Clegghorn believes his farm is haunted and has sent for paranormal investigators to authenticate it so that he can arrange guided tours for a fee. Greengrass thinks that is a brilliant idea and produces a couple of "ghostly manifestations" himself. An old acquaintance of Oscar Blaketon and the police, Jimmy Turpin, is back in Aidensfield and Blaketon warns sergeant Rowan that he might be up to something. He is, but gets his daughter Mitzi and her husband Johnny Wyler to do the dirty work. Nick Rowan has got a new job with the Royal Mounted Police and he and his family prepare to leave for Canada. PC Bradley takes over his position as village bobby in Aidensfield. Neil Bolton is tired of working at the hospital and has a look at Kate Rowan's old practice in Aidensfield.

Oscar Blaketon gets a visit from Jim Ryan, his sergeant from the war in the Far East who has recently lost his wife. He enjoys seeing his old friend, but he gets worried about him, when Ryan sees a couple of biology students, Jill and Kathy, with a Japanese camera at the Aidensfield Arms and goes completely mad. Greengrass buys a herd of sheep from his friend Charlie Blunkett, but when the sheep turns out to be stolen, Greengrass wants his money back. Only Blunkett suddenly remembers nothing about any sheep and Greengrass must resort to drastic means to clear his good name.

Oscar Blaketon gets into trouble when two young criminals steal his car and run away from an accident they have caused, because he will not account for his whereabouts at the time of the accident and did not report the car stolen. Meanwhile the two criminals, Joey Sharp and Frank Collins, supplies drugs to the schoolgirl Lizzie Tyler and her friend Babs. Greengrass overhears how PC Bradley talks to a friend about buying classic motorcycles and spots an opportunity to earn a quit or two. He even knows where hen can get his hands on some if he can get Bernie Scripps to assemble them.

The schoolboys Trevor and Stuart Chivers break into the house of WWI hero Gerard Sefton, while he is in hospital, and smashes up everything searching for money. The boys also have a little sideline collecting "lost" golf balls at the golf club and selling them to Claude Greengrass. But the youngest, Stuart, is fascinated by Sefton's war exploits and visits the old man at the hospital. When PCs Bellamy and Ventress want to question the boys their battleaxe of a mother says that her little "angels" have nothing to do with it, and throws them out.

There has been a dance at the youth club in Aidensfield and 15-year old Maureen asks PC Bradley if he would walk her home. Bradley thinks it is only a schoolgirl prank and tells her to ask a boy of her own age. She has a crush on him, but she also claims that somebody is following her. And a couple of nights later Maureen disappears on her way home from the club. The new sergeant, Raymond Craddock, arrives at Ashfordly police station. He is very narrow-minded and goes strictly by the book and when his mind has been made up it stays that way - even if he is wrong.

The neighbours Clive Harris and Stuart Parsons are not the best of friends to put it mildly. When Oscar Blaketon tries to mediate between their families Parsons' wife Frances and his son-in-law John Nixon are rushed to hospital with signs of food poisoning. Naturally Harris comes under suspicion, but when Gina gets ill with the same symptoms PC Bradley is sure there is another reason. While Gina is in hospital her aunt Mary comes to Aidensfield to visit her. Bernie sells a car to Laslo Riles for Claude Greengrass, but when Riles goes bankrupt before he can pay Greengrass makes him pay in kind. Thus the old scoundrel suddenly becomes the proud owner of a snake.

Alec Formby and his fiancée Sonia Harding are on route with a radioactive isotope to a laboratory in Leeds and make a stop at the Aidensfield Arms to get something to eat. When they have finished their car has been stolen. The Police recover the car again after it has been involved in an accident, but the lead bottle containing the isotope is gone. Greengrass' brother Cyril calls on him with a business proposition He has bought a racing dog and needs a place to keep it for a couple of days. The dog is very fast and Greengrass races the dog without his brother's knowledge.

Brian Rider buys his first car at Marsden Motor Co. and like all young men he likes it sporty and fast. When the proud new car owner takes his vehicle for a fast spin he loses control and collides with a stone wall. His mother blames Marsden for selling her son a defective car. But it is destroyed by fire before forensics can have a look at it. And that is not Marsden's only trouble. His wife has been caught shoplifting on several occasions and it turns out that she has been beaten as well. PC Bradley thinks Marsden is behind both incidents. Greengrass has bought a couple of racing pigeons and wants everybody to buy shares. But it appears that even Greengrass does not know everything about racing pigeons.

Somebody breaks in at Jenny and Tim McDonald's house, but nothing seems to be taken. The next morning Tim McDonald is two hours late at work at a bank, because the intruder put back their clocks. The intruder turns out to be an old friend of Tim McDonald, a really bad apple called Carl Southall, and he claims that McDonald owes him a favour. There is an open tournament at the local golf club, and Greengrass plans to make a killing by entering a B. Scripps in the tournament and bet on him. Only it is not Bernie Scripps as the club manager Trevor Snape thinks, but Bernie's nephew Barry, who is a professional golf player. Greengrass spots an opportunity to make an even bigger killing when he learns that outside investors want to buy the club and turn it into an upmarket country club. He only has to become a member of the golf club to get a share of the sales money. That is all - or is it?

Oscar Blaketon is on his way home late one night when he sees strange lights around St. Michael's Church, but he is knocked down before he can investigate any further. Nothing appears to be missing, but a few days later a grave is desecrated and a human skull has been removed from it. Are there witches and black masses in Aidensfield? It seems so, because the farmer Mr. Follet is just wasting away as if he is bewitched and a voodoo doll and other signs of witchcraft are found on his farm. Greengrass is doing some gardening for Dorothea Cliveden, who is a queen in the cosmetic world. He surprises her one day with her face all covered in mud and learns, that people will pay a lot of money for mud intended for beauty care. Of course he cannot resist an opportunity like that.

There has been an intruder at the Moorside Lodge mother-and-baby home, but he was scared off by Paula, who had just been looking after her baby, and nothing was taken. Allan and Hazel Mansfield have a lot of problems with their baby Peter, who needs a lot of attention. Peter is taken from his pram while Mrs. Mansfield is doing an errand at the post office. He was adopted from Moorside Lodge, and sergeant Craddock believes that his natural mother may have taken him. But time is running short, because Peter is ill and may have trouble breathing without his medicine. Greengrass has found a new way to make money: laying out driveways and such. He is helped by the mechanical wiz Gary Clarkson, who has fixed his lorry.

Josh Roberts is a first class vet, but he also has developed a drinking problem after his wife's death and is almost always drunk. He forces sergeant Craddock off the road one night and Craddock orders his constables to be on a special lookout for drunken drivers in general and Roberts in particular. That does not scare off Roberts, who considers himself safe because he is the only vet in the area and he stages his own little, private war against the sergeant. There is a country fair in Aidensfield and Greengrass sees yet another opportunity to earn a quit or two and opens a stall just outside the fair and leaves David in charge. And he has some real bargains. Especially the sheep skin rugs! Phil tries to make a good impression on Sue Driscoll, the new secretary at the Ashfordly police station.

Indian Dr. Deepak Rall visits Dr. Bolton. He has practiced in Kenya and wants to hear about his prospects in the area. Dr. Rall is obviously a highly qualified doctor, but not everybody in the village likes his dark skin. Claude Greengrass has had another bright idea. Old Mr. Greaves has bought himself a guest house after having driven a mobile shop for years and Greengrass figures there must be a gold mine in mobile shops just waiting for him. He may be right, because especially tinned, Polish steak is a big hit although nobody can read the Polish labels.

Terry Matthews wants to marry his girlfriend Mel, but her father is against it so they plan to elope. Mel says goodbye to her mother and her friend Karen and the next thing she knows is that she is locked up in a room at an unknown house. Greengrass has opened a cat sitting service. That is David do the sitting and Greengrass do the financial bit. The first customer is Mrs. Leacock, but she brings not just a cat, but also a dog, a lama and a goat.

Ned Hall reports an UFO flying silently over his head one night he is collecting his sheep. He is not the only one. Sue's uncle Barry Watson and - of all people - Oscar Blaketon have made the same observation. When PCs Bellamy and Bradley investigate they find the body of cyclist Paolo Ermini near the place of Hall's sighting. Ermini was somewhat of a womanizer, and before he arrived Tony Eccles was the big name in the local bicycle club, so naturally he was not too popular with Eccles either. And there is still the UFO! Greengrass has thought up a new get very rich very quick scheme. Garden gnomes! Only much to his surprise his garden gnomes do not look very much like gnomes. More like Chairman Mao.

Lord Ashfordly's sister Patricia Brewster is visiting her brother to present her new fiancée Ronnie Harper. Sober. While his lordship is giving an engagement party in their honour one of his guests is burgled and another one was the previous night. Lady Patricia asks her fiancée, who has a criminal record, if he knows something about it, and the police have an eye on Harper too. Harper on the other hand has both his eyes set on Gina who is not insusceptible to his charm. Greengrass is harbouring two workmen, Keith and Chas, who do some renovations around the village. Among other things they are refitting Oscar Blaketon's bathroom, and he smells a rat.

Stuart and Trevor Chivers are at it again. Stuart has got detention with a classmate, Bernie. In revenge Bernie smashes the windscreen of the teacher's car, but the teacher Mr. Powell thinks Stuart did it. When PC Bradley questions him about it, he runs away. He is found the next day with severe stomach pains. PC Bellamy's grandmother complains about lorries rumbling through the village at night. The police cannot do anything about it, so she promises to take action herself. Oscar Blaketon has become WPO of Aidensfield and as such he is responsible for putting the village on alert in case of a war and for the village fallout shelter. Greengrass knows the perfect place for such a shelter, and he and Bernie Scripps are selling accommodations in it for a token annual fee for maintenance with great success.

PCs Bradley and Bellamy are on patrol when they are flagged down by Rachel Palmer, who claims that her sister Marianne Fuller has been attacked. Marianne Fuller is rushed to the hospital where she later dies. Meanwhile Rachel Palmer seeks comfort from PC Bradley, and she points the finger at Marianne's husband David although he seems to have an alibi. When sergeant Craddock finds out he has no other choice but to give him a couple of days leave. Gina dreams of winning a trip to Paris, but chances are slim. With Gina's birthday coming up Aunt Mary suggests a surprise party with a French theme.

Elaine Aubrey is one of Dr. Bolton's newest, but most frequent patients. So frequent in fact, that the village gossip has it that they are having an affair. He gives her a lift home from a reception at the golf club when she feels ill. Later the same evening she accuses him of indecent assault after she has had a small accident with her car. He of course denies, but why should she make a false allegation against him? Gina nearly has an accident, because somebody is mucking about with the road signs, and Greengrass encounters a re-enactment society, who is lost for the same reason. Greengrass persuades their president Mr. Pym to they re-enact the battle of Aidensfield, which "coincidentally" took place on his land. But Pym refuses to have any his men play the royalist side of the "conflict", so Greengrass has to find some people to play the royalist army.

When Jane Hayes returns to her home one night she hears an intruder upstairs, but PCs Bradley and Bellamy find only her cat when the come to investigate. But Miss Barker, who worked for the previous owner of the house, can tell a story of a servant girl, who is said to haunt the manor listening for the cries of her baby. Jane Hayes is pregnant and due any day and the next night she hears a baby crying and sees a cradle rocking in the nursery. Penny Craddock is organizing the Christmas dance and persuades Jane's husband Graham to emcee the event. They will stage a dancing competition and Greengrass promises to provide them with a trophy for a small charge of course - besides taking bets on the outcome.

Shortly before her sudden death Mildred Crosby promises Maggie Bolton a painting, which Maggie likes very much and in her will she leaves Maggie quite a bit more. Her son-in-law Roy Thornton has counted on inheriting the money and accuses Maggie of gross medical negligence and abusing her position as district nurse to influence the old lady. And all of a sudden the painting is missing. Has it been stolen by the same person or persons who have staged a series of burglaries in the area? Claude Greengrass and Bernie Scripps find a tramp, Seamus O'Toole, sleeping in Greengrass' barn. They discover that he can pick horse race winners when he is dreaming. This is too good an opportunity for Greengrass to pass by.

Barry Dixon returns to Aidensfield to start a new life when he is released from prison. But he has company. By detective Ed Baxter employed by the insurance company who had to pay up for the bank robbery that Dixon committed. Baxter starts to follow Dixon everywhere he goes hoping he will lead him to money. Ron and Doreen Tidy are on a hiking trip when they are stopped by Lord Ashfordly's keepers, who say that they are trespassing although the path is marked as public right of way on all maps. Together with the Boltons they stage a public demonstration to get Lord Ashfordly to open the path again. When the old chimney sweep Jim Fiedler dies Greengrass decides to take over his business. Especially the lucrative part of blessing newlyweds. Speaking of newlyweds things are heating up romantically between Mike Bradley and Jackie Lambert.

Maggie Bolton has discovered that she and her husband are having a baby, and that scares her because they have lost a baby before to cot death. To think things over she goes on a weekend trip with Gina. There has been a series of small fires in Aidensfield. Mostly in garbage cans and haystacks and things like that, but one night a cottage is burning, and Neil Bolton rushes in to save a baby trapped inside the house, when the roof collapses. Greengrass has bought an old railway carriage to use as a holiday cottage for paying guests. His first customers are on their way already, but he does not have the proper licenses. Nor does he need any - or so he thinks.