The series, spawned from a pilot episode entitled "Missing Persons" aired by ITV in 1990, was co-created by writers David Cook and John Bowen, co-starred Derek Benfield as Hetty's patient husband Robert, and Dominic Monaghan as her assistant and lodger Geoffrey Shawcross.

A parody of the series, entitled Wetty Hainthropp Investigates, aired on 12 March 1999 as part of the Comic Relief telethon starring Victoria Wood, Julie Walters and Duncan Preston.

Prior to the pilot going into production, Patricia Routledge read the story Missing Persons for BBC Radio 4's A Book At Bedtime in February 1987.

[4] Hetty Wainthropp is a retired working-class woman from Darwen in northwest England, who has a knack for jumping to conclusions and solving crimes of varying bafflement which often are too minor to concern the police.

Although on occasion her husband offers assistance, he more often than not tends to the home while Hetty gads about the countryside with young Geoffrey in search of resolution and justice.