


Pharoah was soon hired by United Productions, where Featherstone was already employed, to write a script. He had even envisioned all the characters based on the people he had met and thought of storylines. After two days in Meltham, Pharoah was determined to create the show. After conversing with the staff, Pharoah realised they had valid stories which had the potential to be explored fully on a television series. She convinced Pharoah to accompany her to Meltham where they visited a small district nursing office. When Featherstone approached Pharoah with her idea, he was uninterested in the concept because he believed it "sounded soft and sentimental". She recalled that he was keen to create a story about a teenager who wanted to break away from a tight-knit community, and thought that the two stories could be combined. Featherstone had previously worked with Pharoah writing for the BBC television drama Silent Witness. Featherstone was intrigued by a close-knit community based in Meltham, particularly the district nurses working in the town.
#Where the heart leads review series#
The Yorkshire town of Meltham became the premise for the show's setting and stories.įeatherstone's inspiration for the series came from a visit to the Colne Valley, where she attended a wedding.

The show's theme song, also titled "Where the Heart Is", was performed by the band Prefab Sprout. The production team would also use Huddersfield Town Hall as an occasional filming location. The series was filmed in the Colne valley of West Yorkshire, mainly in the villages of Marsden and Slaithwaite, and the town of Meltham. The show is a drama series and was made for ITV's "prime time" television slot. Where The Heart Is was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone. The story expands to focus on the lives of more Skelthwhaite residents, particularly those related to the nurses as well as those working in a local toilet paper factory.
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Set against the rugged landscape of Yorkshire, it follows the busy professional and family lives of District Nurses, as they bring nursing and emotional care to young and old alike." Initially, it mainly concentrated on the lives of two of the district health nurses, Peggy Snow ( Pam Ferris) and Ruth Goddard ( Sarah Lancashire). The official ITV website described the series as "an engaging story of life, love, family and people’s ever-changing fortunes in rural England. Where the Heart Is focuses on the personal lives of two district nurses in the small Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite. The final episode was broadcast on 10 September 2006.

On 12 October 2006, ITV announced that the tenth series was the last as they decided to focus on creating other shows. In later series it expanded its focus to additional characters using an ensemble cast format. Where The Heart Is initially focuses on five main characters from the Snow and Goddard family. She was employed as a script advisor and coached the cast and helped the production create an authentic representation of life in the Colne Valley communities. Margaret Tiffany, a real-life Meltham district nurse, provided Featherstone with the premise of the show. Pharoah wanted to explore the hidden conflicts that occur within the families and friends. Where The Heart Is focuses on the stories that occur in small communities without being sentimental. The series was filmed in the Colne valley of West Yorkshire, mainly in the villages of Marsden and Slaithwaite and the town of Meltham. She approached Pharoah with her ideas, and they pitched the show to ITV after the network ordered production of the first series, they – along with producer Kate Anthony – began creating the show. She was intrigued by the tight-knit community, particularly those connected to the local district nursing office. The show was created after Featherstone visited the Yorkshire town of Meltham. The show focuses on the lives of a group of district nurses and their families who reside in the town. The series first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom on 6 April 1997. Where the Heart Is (also stylised as Where The Heart Is) is a British drama television series set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite, created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone.
