'Heartbeat' actor puts love life on hold

Heartbeat actor Joe McFadden has claimed that the show is ruining his love life.

McFadden, who plays PC Joe Mason on the ITV1 series, admitted that he has no time to fit romance into his life because the show's filming schedule is so demanding.

"I don't really want to get involved with anyone at the moment because I just seem to be working so hard," Joe told the Daily Star. "Heartbeat takes up nearly all the year - 24 episodes a year and they each take two weeks to shoot in full.

"We're based way out in the wilds of Yorkshire - although I have got a wee flat in Leeds as well - and, quite frankly, the schedule is knackering. Trying to fit someone that you properly cared about into all of that wouldn't be very fair, would it?"

McFadden signed up for Heartbeat in April. He had previously appeared in TV dramas Sparkhouse, The Trouble with Men and Women and Sex, Chips & Rock N' Roll.

"The fact that Heartbeat is so different is the reason I wanted to do it," Joe explained. "It's also nice playing a character that you can really get to know. It's great because it's like making a film every two weeks."