{"id":58011,"date":"2025-08-11T00:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T00:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/58011\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T00:05:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T00:05:09","slug":"tv-fans-gobsmacked-as-hetty-wainthropp-investigates-stars-reunite-decades-after-show-ended","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/58011\/","title":{"rendered":"TV fans gobsmacked as Hetty Wainthropp Investigates stars reunite decades after show ended"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fans of the small screen were stunned to see the lead stars of iconic BBC crime drama Hetty Wainthropp Investigates reunite together decades after their show ended<\/p>\n<p>16:45, 10 Aug 2025Updated 16:46, 10 Aug 2025<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_TRMRMMGLPICT000019977260.jpg\" alt=\"Dame Patricia Routledge and Dominic Monaghan starred in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates from 1996 until 1998\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Dame Patricia Routledge and Dominic Monaghan starred in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates from 1996 until 1998(Image: BBC-1)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">TV fans were blown away when Hollywood star Dominic Monaghan took his social media followers for a walk down memory lane as he reunited with an old small screen co-star. While the 48-year-old actor is best known for playing Merry Brandybuck in Peter Jackson&#8217;s Lord of the Rings trilogy, he has a past as a TV sweetheart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">And one of his biggest hits on the box was playing Geoffrey Shawcross in the classic <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/bbc\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"BBCLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC<\/a> cosy crime show Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. The series, which aired from 1996 until 1998 starred Dame <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/patricia-routledge\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Patricia RoutledgeLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Patricia Routledge<\/a> in the lead role.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">On Saturday, Dominic took to <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/instagram\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram<\/a> to share a selfie of himself with his 96-year-old co-star. The pair looked in good spirits as they posed for the camera and smiled towards the lens. It comes as <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/tv\/tv-news\/itv-axes-noel-edmonds-big-35694903\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ITV axes Noel Edmonds&#8217; big TV comeback after just one series<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/rylan-clark-shares-nightmare-plane-35706417\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"35706417\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rylan Clark shares &#8216;nightmare&#8217; plane journey that left him saying &#8216;I didn&#8217;t think I&#8217;d be here&#8217;<\/a>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/princess-andre-asks-katie-price-35706353\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"35706353\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Princess Andre asks Katie Price sad question about surgery before brand new face<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_Hyacinth-Bouquet-actress-in-ultra-rare-sighting-at-the-age-of-96-as-she-reunites-with-co-star.jpg\" alt=\"Dame Patricia Routledge and Dominic Monaghan starred in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates from 1996 until 1998\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>The duo reunited over the weekend(Image: dom_monaghan_\/Instagram)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Dominic sported short cropped hair, had a bit of designer stubble, and appeared casual in a simple black top. While Dame Patricia looked regal in a green jacket, white top and with jewellery on display.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Sharing the snap on his main grid, Dominic shared his appreciation, admiration and respect for his elder co-star. In a touching note, he wrote: &#8220;25 YEARS later! So wonderful to see Dame Patricia.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Detailing their continuing friendship, he wrote: &#8220;We always shared a love of acting, of actors, of the natural <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">world<\/a> and all of the curiosities of life, it was fantastic to spend a couple of hours doing the same! She still tells fantastic stories, loves great food and wine, and as always is sharp as a tack, with fantastic skin and style.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Dominic continued: &#8220;She taught me so much, and continues to do so, aging with a class and quality I hope to emulate.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">He rounded out his post, typing: &#8220;#hettywainthroppinvestigates forever!&#8221; and added the hashtag: &#8220;#becurious.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">The update stunned Dominic&#8217;s followers &#8211; and fans of Dame Patricia and her backcatalogue of work. Many took to the comments section to share their joy over the charming snap.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">One thrilled fan typed:&#8221; This is the best!! I loved you two in Hetty Wainthrop! You had such a good relationship on screen.&#8221; And another, gushing over Dame Patricia, wrote: &#8220;So absolutely lovely to see someone aging as they should, naturally. Far more beautiful than all these plastic celebrities.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_Photocall-for-new-BBC-production-Keeping-up-Appearances.jpg\" alt=\"Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Dame Patricia is well known for playing Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearance(Image: Mirrorpix)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">The appearance of the iconic TV star prompted many others to recall some of there other work &#8211; notably her role in the legendary sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">One wrote: &#8220;Hyacinth Bucket was such an institution in my childhood home and then watching Hetty Wainthrop Investigates as a teen made Patricia Routledge a stable in my life in a whole new way. (And yes, I think we all had crushes on you).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">And another, in reference to the script of the sitcom, typed: &#8220;Did she bring her sister Violet. She&#8217;s the one with the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/mercedes-f1\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Mercedes<\/a>, sauna and room for a pony\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Keeping Up Appearances ran on the BBC from 1990 until 1995 and was a ratings smash &#8211; pulling in over 16 million viewers. Dame Patricia has scaled back her acting in recent years, but has still appeared on-screen &#8211; most recently in 2024 where she featured in a special documentary about Keeping Up Appearances in which she reflected on her time on the show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Follow Mirror Celebs on <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@mirrorshowbiz\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"TikTokLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/story.snapchat.com\/p\/e938f430-2c82-432e-9424-9522e5dc822c\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"SnapchatLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Snapchat<\/a>, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mirrorceleb\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"InstagramLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MirrorCeleb\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"TwitterLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Twitter<\/a>, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MirrorCeleb\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"FacebookLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@MirrorCeleb\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"YouTubeLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">YouTube<\/a> and <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@dailymirror\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"ThreadsLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Threads<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fans of the small screen were stunned to see the lead stars of iconic BBC crime drama Hetty&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,31558,96,31557,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-58011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-dominic-monaghan","tag-entertainment","tag-patricia-routledge","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}