The 31-year-old will star as Joe Mason, a policeman who causes a stir in Aidensfield with his individual approach towards crime prevention.
Mason has previously appeared in TV dramas including Sparkhouse, The Trouble with Men and Women and Sex, Chips & Rock N' Roll.
Jonathan Kerrigan has played PC Rob Walker since 2004, but has decided to leave the show at the end of its current series.
McFadden said: "Heartbeat is a great show and I’m really looking forward to playing the new cop. I got to know Yorkshire while working on Sparkhouse and really love it, so I can’t wait to get there and start filming in the beautiful countryside.”
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