From 1983 to 2004 he starred as Neville Hope in the series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Whately starred as DI Robert Lewis in the television series Lewis from 2006 to 2015. He has also had recurring roles in the TV series Angels, Look and Read, The Broker’s Man, and Masterpiece Mystery. Whately was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter to The Guardian in 2014 opposing Scottish independence.