The Bill

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This article is about the TV series, The Bill. For the Polish punk rock band, see The Bill (band).

Template:Infobox television

The Bill is a long-running British television police procedural shown on ITV1, at 8PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Catch-ups of the show can bee seen on ITV3.

The setting is the Sun Hill district of the fictional London borough of Canley. Other police stations in the Borough, mentioned but (usually) never seen, are Barton Street, which is the location of Borough Headquarters, Stafford Row and Spicer Street. Canley is approximately contiguous with the real London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The Bill is somewhat unique among police shows: it takes a serial format and it does not focus on one particular area of police work. Instead, the show's time is equally divided between the work of officers on one shift in the Uniform division, and the work of the CID.

It started as a one-off drama for ITV entitled Woodentop: this pilot show starred Mark Wingett as PC Jim Carver and Trudie Goodwin as WPC June Ackland on Carver's first day on the beat at Sun Hill police station. It was originally devised by Geoff McQueen, and it impressed ITV so much that they decided to make a series out of it. Goodwin continues to star on the now twice-weekly show, while Wingett left the cast in early 2005.

In October 2003, a special episode of The Bill was broadcast live from its London studios to mark the show's 20th year on air. At 8pm on Thursday, 22 September, 2005 another episode was broadcast "live" to mark the ITV Network's 50th anniversary. The episode was written by Graham Mitchell and co-produced and directed by Sylvie Boden.


Contents

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The originals

The first episode of The Bill proper was transmitted in 1984 and, with the exception of Carver and Ackland, the cast was almost totally revamped (PC Dave Litten is still played by Gary Olsen and Colin Blumenau played the same character with a slightly different name - Taffy Edwards rather than Taffy Morgan. The character of DI Galloway was retained but recast; Reg Hollis is referred to but does not appear onscreen, although we do hear Reg's voice over the police radio. The first episode also features an appearance by Christopher Ellison playing DS Burnside - although his first name here is Tommy). The Sub Divisional Officer was Chief Superintendent Charles Brownlow.

Image:Brownlow.jpg

The pilot episode, made in 1983 was called "Woodentop" (a reference to police officers) and featured the show's longest-running character, Seargeant June Ackland (Trudie Goodwin) and also Mark Wingett as PC Jim Carver.

The original format was shows of fifty minutes in length. Only 35 episodes were made in the first three series of The Bill, and these are known as "the originals". The first series has it's own unique title sequence, featuring images of the feet of two uniformed officers walking towards the camera interspersed with shots of the streets of Sun Hill. Then the camera zooms in on the male officer's helmet and the title of the show appears, followed by the credit "Devised by Geoff McQueen". All this is accompanied by the first version of the iconic title music: written by Andy Pask & Charlie Morgan and entitled Overkill.

For the second series in 1985, the titles were completely changed: now, they began with a shot of the Area Car approaching the camera with blue light flashing and siren wailing, and then its tyres screeching as the music began: the camera would end up with a close-up on the blue light atop the car. Two-second action shots of various members of the cast were then shown, interspersed with images of the blue light. "The Bill" and "Devised by Geoff McQueen" would then appear over a hold shot of the light, and then the episode would begin. The originals are also noted for their extremely long end credits, which last over one and a half minutes and feature the plodding feet again, this time walking away from camera. There has been three versions of these "walking feet"; Paul Page-Hanson's size nines appeared twice. * Source: The Bill: The Inside Story (book by Rachel Silver).

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Changing to serial format

After the conclusion of the 1987 series, the decision was taken to drastically change the format. The Bill would now run year-round, and instead of one 50-minute episode, two 25-minute episodes would air every week.

The title sequence was also updated with a new Area Car, new cast shots to reflect changes, and the first remix of Overkill, by Pask & Morgan: this version is better-known than the original. It also introduced another trademark to the titles: Sergeant Bob Cryer was always the last person to be shown. In this title sequence, he is talking and nodding.

The series continued relatively unchanged (except for cast) until 1992: This sequence is unique in that it does not actually feature the area car driving towards camera, and simply begins with the police light spinning before cutting through the cast footage. The credit "The Bill" is shown over a shot of the new area car driving past camera, and Cryer is now shouting at someone. From January 1993 three half-hour episodes were shown each week. In 1994, the title sequence changed once again to one closer resembling the one seen in 1988, with the new area car driving towards camera again and Cryer started looking up in amazement.

In 1996, an ingenious addition was made. Separate title sequences were created with specially-filled footage: one for episodes that took place during the day and one for those set at night. Again, a new Area Car in the credits, and the timing of the music was subtly changed. Instead of kicking in immediately after the screech of tyres, it now begun at the same time. In both title sequences, Cryer looks up for the camera.

Throughout this era, the focus of the show remained broadly the same: very much focused on police work, with very few personal stories for the characters unless they were on their way out. Episodes would often feature interesting crimes which were wrapped up by the end of the episode. A common plot feature would be an episode following two incidents in parallel, that started off seemingly unrelated would end up directly related. The twist was usually in how.

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The 1998 revamp

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The second major revamp of the show took place in 1998, as Richard Handford took over as Executive Producer of the show from Michael Chapman. The show's focus was altered and it went from being a drama to being a soap opera: interactions between the officers became more important. Feeling is very mixed as to whether this was a good idea, with many saying that these changes were a classic example of a television show jumping the shark. The look of the show was also updated: the old titles were thrown out entirely: the opening titles were replaced by images of police things: dayglo jackets, hats, a suspect being interviewed, and a map in CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) among other things. The theme tune was also completely revamped, with a change from the original irregular time signature of 7/8. Episodes moved to being 1 hour long later in 1998, though for quite a while the times & days the episodes were shown varied, along with the number of episodes a week (for a period in Spring 2002, only one episode was shown a week), but by late 2002, it had finally settled at 8PM on Wednesdays & Thursdays, which is still the case as of December 2005.

In Late 2000, Handford made sweeping changes to the cast. Chief Superintendent Brownlow (Sun Hill's first Sub-Divisional Officer) was removed and replaced by the smooth, enthusiastic Superintendent Tom Chandler.

DS Don Beech (Billy Murray), who always bent the rules slightly, was given an explosive exit which featured him finally crossing the line - lying in court in exchange for a £20,000 bribe paid by a gangland boss. CIB became aware of his corrupt activities and placed undercover officer DS Stanton at Sun Hill to expose him. Beech came undone when his relationship with arch villain Fallon spiralled out of control. So he fled to foreign climes (which led to a one off special, Beech on the Run, which was filmed exclusively in Australia, home to one of The Bill's largest audiences, and his own six part series Beech is Back). His corruption led to the suspension of the whole of CID and the resignation of Chief Superintendent Charles Brownlow.

PC Eddie Santini also appeared in the dock, charged with murder. He was acquitted (although he had killed the victim accidentally) but was later shot dead in cold blood by another corrupt officer.

More changes followed in 2001, as Sgt Bob Cryer was forced into early retirement by an accidental shooting - the perpetrator was the now Duty Sgt Dale Smith, at that time assigned to SO19. He was replaced by Duty Sgt Craig Gilmore. Don Beech returned for a showdown with DS Stanton, and PC Des Taviner arrived as the new Area Car Driver: he was to form an odd-couple friendship with long-standing PC Reg Hollis that would provide some of the series' greatest moments. The titles were changed again to include static cast photographs and the music was remixed to take it back closer to the 1988 Pask/Morgan mix of Overkill.

Also, a new trend emerged: no more would cases be solved in 25 or 50 minutes: now, they spanned many episodes, and quite often a minor offence dealt with by Uniform a few weeks ago would re-appear as part of the major case in CID. He also refocused the show even more on the officers' personal lives.

February 2002 saw Handford replaced by Paul Marquess, who immediately sought to make the final major changes of the retooling period. Many would argue that Marquess did more bad than good whilst he was with The Bill. Six officers were killed in an explosion accidentally caused by PC Des Taviner: he would escape for two years before finally being forced to face the music. Other changes included the decision not to replace the Chief Inspector, a rank that Marquess found desk-bound and boring, following the unfortunate death of Chief Inspector (Operations) Derek Conway (although there is still a space in the station carpark marked 'CI Ops'). Later in the year, Sub Divisional Officer Tom Chandler was replaced by Superintendent Adam Okaro, a black superintendent played by Cyril Nri.

Since 2002, the format of the show and its cast has remained reasonably steady: officers still depart and arrive on a fairly regular basis, but the retooling period begun to an extent in 1998 and accentuated by the change of executive producers is now more-or-less complete and the show's format is pretty much fixed for the foreseeable future: mainly combined Uniform-and-CID efforts to solve a big case that spans several weeks, with smaller cases and personal relationships filling the rest of the screen time, with the odd major event such as a large road traffic accident or an in-depth study of the handling of armed robbery and hostage situations. The main titles and music were changed again in 2003 to their current look: more generic police images, but the theme has been totally changed and now resembles a pumped-up version of the original 1984 version of Overkill.

The ultimate change was made in 2004 when the programme announced the departure of DC Jim Carver. Carver had been in the programme since the start; in fact the show was originally about a new police officer called Jim Carver with Jim saying the first line. Many fans were irate that the show could fire someone seen as indispensable and had caused the birth of the show, but this was the way of the then executive producer Paul Marquess. Mark Wingett has been reported as saying that it was his decision to leave as he couldn't handle the pressure of the show any more.

Fortunately the show has had the sense not to kill the character, although a return is unlikely, with Carver deciding that he must leave Sun Hill for good in order to sort his life out; he had a major gambling problem, and previously had successfully overcome an alcohol problem. More recently, actor Mark Wingett has suggested that a return of the character might not be out of the question. Such a return would be perfectly in the style of the programme: The characters of Yorkie Smith, 'Taffy' Edwards, Tom Penny, Mike Dashwood, Kim Reid, Frank Burnside, Ted Roach, Bob Cryer, Don Beech and Alec Peters all made (sometimes semi-regular) return appearances after they left the series.

In early 2005, the station suffered another explosion, this time caused by disaffected PCSO Colin Fairfax, who drove a van into the front of the station, killing DC Ken Drummond, (who was in the back of the van) SRO Marilyn Chambers and PC Andrea Dunbar (a journalist under cover). Shortly after the episode aired, Paul Marquess was signed away by Endemol, the makers of Big Brother, to head their new drama division. His replacement is Johnathan Young.

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Current cast

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Police Constables

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Criminal Investigation Dept - Constables

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Sergeants

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Senior Officers

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Uniform

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C.I.D.

  • Det. Ch Insp Jack Meadows (Detective in Command) (Simon Rouse) - Has been Acting Superintendent
  • Det. Insp Neil Manson (Andrew Lancel)
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Civilian Staff

  • Dr Harding (FME & Previously Nurse) (Gillian McCutcheon)
  • Mrs Jones (A Cleaner)
  • Miss Smith (A table wiper)
  • Miss Brown (A canteen lady)
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Other recurring characters

  • DCI Frank Keane. Keane is a Detective Chief Inspector with the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) and takes over investigations into the conduct of both serving and retired Police Officers. He recently was involved in the investigation into Louise Larson as it was believed that Sgt. Smith was the murderer. Keane is also the father of PC Emma Keane.
  • Mia Perry. Perry is the Metropolitan Police Service's Press Officer and has recently been making a recurring appearance when there are big investigations going on within Sun Hill. She was recently involved in the Louise Larson case and also the Bombastic Nightclub disaster.
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Popular characters from previous series

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Divisional Commanders

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Detective (Chief) Inspectors

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Uniform Inspectors

  • Ch. Insp (Operations)/Acting Superintendent. Derek Conway (Ben Roberts) [deceased (car was firebombed shortly prior to the Sun Hill 2002 explosion)]
  • Ch. Insp. Philip Cato (Philip Whitchurch) [resigned]
  • Insp. Andrew Monroe (Colin Tarrant) [deceased (killed in the explosion during the riots at the station. PC Des Taviner was later arrested for throwing the petrol bomb which caused the explosion)]
  • Insp. Christine Frazer (Barbara Thorn) [transferred]
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Detective Sergeants

  • DS Don Beech (Billy Murray) Wanted for corruption, he fled abroad to Australia to escape imprisonment. He returned to organise a robbery, but was captured and imprisoned. He escaped again and is currently on the run (exact location or circumstances unknown). Reports have come in of him being sighted in the East end of London. (A reference to the fact that Billy Murray is now playing gangster Johnny Allen in EastEnders).
  • DS Jo Morgan [deceased] Shot by gangsters
  • DS Debbie McAllister (Natalie Roles) [resigned]
  • DS Ted Roach (Tony Scannell) [Resigned — since died by stepping out in front of a car)]
  • DC/DS Mickey Webb (Chris Simmons) [transferred to M.I.T., and then National Crime Squad as DS. Returned in Episode 302 to see if DI Neil Manson was a murderer][now returned to Sun Hill CID]
  • DS/Acting DI Alistair Greig (Andrew Mackintosh) [transferred]
  • DS/Acting DI Geoff Daly (Ray Ashcroft) [transferred]
  • DS John Boulton (Russell Boulter) [murdered]
  • DS Ramani DeCosta (Community Safety Co-Ordinator) - (Thusitha Jayasundera) - formerly head of the Vulnerable Person's unit, and formerly acting detective inspector. [transferred]
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Uniform Sergeants

  • Sgt. Matthew Boyden (Tony O'Callaghan) [deceased (shot)] After twelve years in Sun Hill Boyden was shot dead by his daughter's drug-dealing boyfriend (at her request).
  • Sgt. Bob Cryer (Eric Richard)[retired on injuries] Cryer was seen as institution by fans and was the 'father figure' sergeant to his relief. He was shot by 'friendly fire' from the then PC (now Sgt.) Dale Smith during a hostage situation. He survived the shot, but was unfit to return to the job. He has returned for guest spots three times since his departure - once for the memorial service of Inspector Monroe, once to help his niece Roberta, then the station's front desk officer, solve a case, and again alongside Sgt. Peters for DS Roach's funeral.
  • Sgt. Craig Gilmore (Hywel Simons) [transferred]
  • Sgt. Alec Peters (Larry Dann) [now works in admin, Although was retired when attending Ted Roach's Funeral]
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Detective Constables

  • DC Ken Drummond (Russell Floyd) [deceased]
  • DC Danny Glaze (Karl Collins) [Emigrated - wanted for conspiracy/theft]
  • DC Duncan Lennox (George Rossi) [transferred to M.I.T.]
  • DC Alfred 'Tosh' Lines (Kevin Lloyd) [transferred to Coroner's Office] (The actor playing PC Steve Hunter is actually Kevin Lloyd's son, but the characters themselves are not related.
  • DC Jim Carver (Mark Wingett) As mentioned above, Carver was the subject of 'Woodentop'. He left Sun Hill in early 2005 in order to sort out his life. He has transferred, and has contacted Sgt Ackland since. Wingett (actor) has hinted a possible return.
  • DC Gary Best (Ciaran Griffiths) [transferred to Greater Manchester Police after being shot in a drug raid]
  • DC Kate Spears (Tania Emery) [deceased (killed in the 2001 explosion)]
  • DC Suzi Croft (Kerry Peers) [transferred]
  • DC Alan Woods (Tom Cotcher) [transferred]
  • DC Viv Martella (Nula Conwell) [deceased (the first Sun Hill officer to be killed in the line of duty, 26/03/93)]
  • DC Rod Skase (Iain Fletcher) [resigned]
  • DC/Acting DI Liz Rawton (Libby Davison) [transferred]
  • DC Rob Thatcher (Brian Bovell) [deceased (shot by S019 after killing Irene Radford)]
  • DC Tom Proctor (Gregory Donaldson) [transferred]
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Police Constables

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Civilian Staff

  • SRO Marilyn Chambers (Vickie Gates) [She died in the 2005 explosion]
  • PCSO Colin Fairfax (Tim Steed) [arrested and awaiting trial after causing the 2005 explosion]
  • SRO Robbie Cryer [Sacked]
  • SRO Jullian 'JT' Tavell (a SRO) (Nick Patrick) - {resigned - moved to live in Spain}.
  • Mr Dean McVerry (a Computer Aided Dispatch Officer) (Luke Hamill)
  • Mrs Rochelle Barratt (a drug worker for social services) (Anna Acton)
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See also

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External links

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