The Bill
The Bill Logo (1998 - Present)
Genre	Police procedural/Drama (Prev. Soap)
Created by	Geoff McQueen
Starring	See current cast
Country of origin	England, United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of series	24 (as of 2008)
No. of episodes	2224 (as of 8 May 2008) (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	talkbackTHAMES (a division of Fremantle Media)
Running time	22-24 minutes (commercial ½ hour w/1 break) 42-46 minutes (commercial hour w/3 breaks)
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV (now known as ITV1)
Original run	August 16, 1983 (pilot) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Burnside MIT: Murder Investigation Team Beech is Back
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Bill is a long-running British television police procedural, first broadcast on 16 October 1984 and transmitted on ITV, at 20:00 on Wednesdays and Thursdays. If a programme is on at 20:00 on a Wednesday or a Thursday on ITV it may be on the Monday before. The Bill The Bill is a Polish punk rock band, formed in 1988 by Artur Soko Soczewica, in the Polish town of Pionki. ... The police procedural is a sub-genre of the mystery story which attempts to accurately depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Soap (disambiguation). ... Geoff McQueen (1947- 1994) was a TV series scriptwriter and dramatist best known for creating Thames Televisions The Bill. ... // See also UK Police Ranks for explanation of the titles shown here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The following is a list of episodes in the first 22 seasons of The Bill, as well as the spin-off series Burnside. The first three series, known as the originals, have only 12 episodes per series. ... talkbackTHAMES is a British television production company, a division of FremantleMedia (part of the RTL Group). ... FremantleMedia (formerly All-American Television and Pearson Television) is an independent production company that holds the rights to the Goodson/Todman game show library which includes such classic game shows as The Price is Right, Match Game, Ive Got a Secret, and Family Feud. ... For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Burnside is a spin-off from the popular and long running ITV drama The Bill. ... Beech is Back was a spin-off television miniseries of British police drama The Bill, aired in on ITV1. ... The police procedural is a sub-genre of the mystery story which attempts to accurately depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. ... is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ...

Older episodes of The Bill are broadcast on UKTV Gold regularly. UKTV Gold, (previously known as UK Gold until March 8, 2004), is a British television channel that shows mainly classic BBC entertainment programmes. ...

History

Main article: History of The Bill

Following the pilot on 16 August 1983 the first episode of The Bill was transmitted on 16 October 1984. Starting with one episode per week, featuring hour long separate storylines for the first three seasons, The Bill went on to be three half hour episodes per week between 1988 and 1998 due to a drop in ratings before going to two hour long episodes per week. From 1998 The Bill became more serialised, especially from 2002 when Paul Marquess took over as Executive Producer. Under Johnathan Young who took over as executive producer in 2005 the more sensational story lines have been dropped with more focus on crime story lines. The History of The Bill is a long and varied one, and many things have happened in the programmes 23 year run. ... Woodentop is the pilot episode of the long running British police series The Bill. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Serials in television and radio are series, often in a weekly prime time slot, that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a serial fashion, episode by episode. ... Paul Marquess is a British television producer. ... Johnathan Young is a British television producer. ...

Cast

Main article: List of The Bill characters

// See also UK Police Ranks for explanation of the titles shown here. ...

Senior Officers

• Superintendent John Heaton (Daniel Flynn)
• DCI Jack Meadows (Simon Rouse)
• Inspector Gina Gold (Roberta Taylor)
• DI Neil Manson (Andrew Lancel)
• DI Samantha Nixon (Lisa Maxwell)
• SO15 DI Karen Lacy (Liz May Brice)

Superintendent (Supt. ... Superintendent John Heaton is a fictional character in the long-running and popular ITV drama The Bill. Heaton is the most senior officer at Sun Hill. ... Daniel Flynn, born in Bromley, Kent is an English actor. ... DCI may be an abbreviation for: In government: Director of Central Intelligence, also the head of the CIA. The latter, now a defunct position, is currently called the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. ... Information Occupation Police Officer Title DCI Relationships None Portrayed by Simon Rouse Detective Chief Inspector Jack Meadows, played by Simon Rouse, is the head of CID in the long-running ITV series The Bill. ... Simon Rouse (born 24 June 1951 in Bradford, UK) is a British actor. ... Inspector is a rank in many police forces. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Roberta Taylor (born 1948 in London), is an English actress. ... DI has several meanings: Destination Imagination, an international childrens problem-solving competition Diabetes insipidus, a disease Digitally Imported, the Internet radio station Direct Injection, see fuel injection Drill instructor the IATA code for dba See also the word/name Di. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Andrew Lancel (born 3 August 1970 in Rufford, Lancashire) is an English actor. ... DI has several meanings: Destination Imagination, an international childrens problem-solving competition Diabetes insipidus, a disease Digitally Imported, the Internet radio station Direct Injection, see fuel injection Drill instructor the IATA code for dba See also the word/name Di. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lisa Maxwell in The Bill Lisa Maxwell is an English actress who was born in November 1963, in the Elephant and Castle area of London, England. ... DI has several meanings: Destination Imagination, an international childrens problem-solving competition Diabetes insipidus, a disease Digitally Imported, the Internet radio station Direct Injection, see fuel injection Drill instructor the IATA code for dba See also the word/name Di. ... Liz May Brice is a British actress best known to British viewers as convicted murderer Pat Kerrigan on ITV1s Bad Girls. ...

Sergeants

• DS Max Carter Christopher Fox

• Sergeant Dale Smith (Alex Walkinshaw)

• Sergeant Callum Stone (Sam Callis)

• DS Stuart Turner (Doug Rao)

• Sergeant Nikki Wright (Gillian Taylforth)

This article is about the rank of sergeant. ... Max Carter will be the newest DS in 2008 at Sunhill in The Bill. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ... Sergeant Callum Stone, is an upcoming fictional character of the ITV1 Police drama The Bill. ... Sam Callis, is an upcoming character in the ITV long running program The Bill, when he joins he will be Sgt. ... Detective Sergeant Stuart Turner is a character in the long-running TV series The Bill. ... Doug Rao is a South Korean actor. ... Sergeant Nikki Wright is a character in the English television series The Bill. ... Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955 in London) is an English actress. ...

Police Constables

• PC Sally Armstrong (Ali Bastian
• PC Beth Green (Louisa Lytton)
• PC Will Fletcher (Gary Lucy)
• PC Benjamin Gayle (Micah Balfour)
• PC Diane Noble (Kaye Darling)
• PC Nathaniel Roberts (Ben Richards)
• PC Tony Stamp (Graham Cole)
• PC Roger Valentine (John Bowler)

Constables Constables is a boarding house in the asteemed public school Uppingham. ... Information Occupation Police Officer Title Police Constable Call sign SO 680 Spouse(s) N/A Portrayed by Ali Bastian Sally Armstrong is a fictional character in the ITV1 police procedural The Bill. ... Ali Bastian (born 1974)[1]is a television actress best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2006. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Louisa Claire Lytton[1] (born 7 February 1989) is an English actress from Islington, London. ... Police Constable Will Fletcher is a character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... Gary Edward Lucy (born 27 November 1981 in Chigwell, Essex), is an English television actor. ... PC Benjamin Gayle is an upcoming fictional character in the ITV Police Drama The Bill. ... Micah Balfour is an english actor who will play PC Benjamin Gayle in the ITV 1 Police Drama The Bill. ... PC Diane Noble is a fictional character on the long running ITV show The Bill. ... Information Occupation Police Officer Title Police Constable Call sign N/A Portrayed by Ben Richards PC Nathaniel Roberts is an upcoming fictional character in the ITV1 Police Drama The Bill. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Police Constable Tony Stamp is a popular character in the long-running British ITV Drama The Bill. ... Graham Cole (born Graham Coleman-Smith on 16 March 1952 in Willesden, London, England) is a British actor. ... Police Constable Roger Valentine is a character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... John Bowler (born Newcastle) is an English actor who plays PC Roger Valentine in ITVs The Bill. ...

Detective Constables

• DC Jacob Banks (Patrick Robinson)
• DC Grace Dasari (Amita Dhiri)
• DC Jo Masters (Sally Rogers)
• DC Stevie Moss (Lucy Speed)
• DC Terry Perkins (Bruce Byron)
• Trainee DC Kezia Walker (Cat Simmons)
• DC Mickey Webb (Chris Simmons)

Gumshoe redirects here. ... Constables Constables is a boarding house in the asteemed public school Uppingham. ... Patrick Robinson is a novelist and former newspaper columnist. ... Information Occupation Police Officer Title Detective Constable Portrayed by Amita Dhiri Detective Constable Grace Dasari is a fictional character in the long running ITV drama The Bill. ... Amita Dhiri (born 1968 in Brighton, England) is a British actress. ... Detective Constable Jo Masters is a character in the long-running ITV police drama The Bill. ... Sally Rogers as DC Jo Masters in The Bill Sally Rogers (born Manchester, England, 1964) is an actress currently best known for her role as DC Jo Masters in ITVs The Bill. ... Detective Constable Stevie Moss is an upcoming fictional character in the ITV drama The Bill. ... Lucy Speed (born August 31, 1976, in Croydon, Surrey) is an English actress, probably best known for her role as Natalie Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Detective Constable Terry Perkins is a character in ITV cop-drama The Bill. ... Bruce Michael Byron is best known for his role as DC Terry Perkins in The Bill. ... Trainee Detective Constable Kezia Walker is a character in the ITV drama The Bill. ... Cat Simmons is a actor based in Britain. ... Detective Constable Mickey Webb is a popular character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... Chris Simmons (b. ...

Police Staff

• Crime Scene Examiner Edward Olosundman "Eddie Olosunde" (Jason Barnett)

Upcoming Character Changes

Departing

• DI Karen Lacy (Liz May Brice) (Temporary secondment ends 15 May)

Liz May Brice is a British actress best known to British viewers as convicted murderer Pat Kerrigan on ITV1s Bad Girls. ...

Returning

• June Jessop (Trudie Goodwin) (Returns Temporarily 2008)
• Rod Jessop (Richard Hope) (Returns 2008)
• Vicky Jessop (Abigail Hardiman) (Returns 2008)

Actress, born c1953, best known for playing Sgt. ... Richard Hope (born 22 June 1978 in Stockton) is an English footballer who currently plays for English League Two club Shrewsbury Town. ...

Arriving

• Bethany Jessop (Sinead Moynihan) (Arrives 2008)
• PC Mel Ryder (Rhea Bailey) (Arrives June 2008) [1]
• Sgt. Rachel Weston (Claire Goose) (Arrives July 2008) [2]
• PC Will Fletcher (Gary Lucy) (Transfers to CID Spring/Summer 2008) [3]
• PC Leon Taylor (Dominic Power) (Arrives Summer 2008) [4]
• PC Millie Brown (Clare Foster) (Arrives Summer 2008) [5]
• PC Arun Ghir (Abhin Galeya) (Arrives Summer 2008) [6]

Sinead Moynihan in Drop Dead Gorgeous Sinead Moynihan (born 1982) is a British model and actress. ... Claire Goose (born 10 February 1975) is a British actress. ... Police Constable Will Fletcher is a character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... Gary Edward Lucy (born 27 November 1981 in Chigwell, Essex), is an English television actor. ...

Setting

The Bill is set in and around Sun Hill police station in the fictional London borough of Canley in East London. Other police stations within the Canley Borough Operational Command Unit (BOCU), mentioned but (usually) unseen, 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, but filming takes place all over London, mainly in South London and particularly the London Borough of Merton, where the Sun Hill set is located (on Deer Park Road, SW19). The main locations used when the show is filmed on an estate are the Cambridge Estate, in Kingston, south west London and the High Path Estate, in South Wimbledon, south west London (approx 10 minutes walk from the main set). Other main estates used are Durand Close, in Carshalton, and Roundshaw estate opposite Mellows Park in Wallington, London. Sometimes scenes are filmed in East London and notably the London Docklands standing in for Canley. Canley is also the name of a real district within the city of Coventry, some 100 miles north of London. Sun Hill is a fictional London suburb which is the setting for British police television drama series The Bill. ... The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. ... A Basic Command Unit (BCU) is the largest unit into which territorial British Police forces are divided. ... The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames in East London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... South London area South London (known colloquially as South of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. ... The London Borough of Merton is a London borough in south west London. ... Sun Hill is a fictional London suburb which is the setting for British police television drama series The Bill. ... Carshalton is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Sutton, located 10 miles (16. ... , Wallington is a rather retarded town in the London Borough of Sutton situated 10. ... East London area East London is the name commonly given to the north eastern part of London, England on the north side of the River Thames. ... The 02 and Canary Wharf from the Royal Victoria Dock. ... For other uses, see Coventry (disambiguation). ...

The Bill is unusual among police shows: it takes a serial format and it does not focus on one particular area of police work. The show focuses on the work and lives of patrol and response officers on one relief in the uniform division, and the work of the CID. In its current serial format, some stories are cleared up in an episode or two, whereas others can stretch over months or even in some cases approaching a year. Serials in television and radio are series, often in a weekly prime time slot, that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a serial fashion, episode by episode. ... Charles Vincent, founder of the Metropolitan Police CID The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of all British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces to which plain clothes detectives belong. ...

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. Wingett left the cast in early 2005, while Goodwin's last episode was broadcast on 8 March 2007 (coincidentally the last episode since the serialised format was introduced by Paul Marquess to be broadcast without an episode title). For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... Woodentop is the pilot episode of the long running British police series The Bill. ... Mark Wingett (b. ... Detective Sergeant Jim Carver was a police officer in the long running ITV drama The Bill. ... Actress, born c1953, best known for playing Sgt. ... WPC may stand for: Woman Police Constable, in the British police (now obsolete) World Powerlifting Congress World Peace Council World Petroleum Congress WP Carey & Co LLC - a publicly-held company Womens Press Collective Wendell Phillips Center at the University of the Pacific World Puzzle Championship Wood Plastic Composites This... June Acklands first scene in the pilot, Woodentop. ... Geoff McQueen (1947- 1994) was a TV series scriptwriter and dramatist best known for creating Thames Televisions The Bill. ... For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Trivia

• Despite new opening titles and a new version of the previous theme tune being introduced in very early 2007,the previous music can still be heard on certain episodes of the show a year or so on.Sometimes the opening and closing titles feature the modernised version and the break bumpers the old version,or vica verca.
• PC Billy Rowan was the first officer to die in his first episode (Cop Killer Part 1, 05/07/07).
• 2006 is the first year since 2001 that has not involved the death of a police officer in the series although the death of PC Honey Harman was filmed in 2006 but not aired until 2007.
• The first line spoken in Woodentop was Jim Carver (Mark Wingett), saying "Okay Carver, let's do it" as he got out of bed. They were also the final words spoken by the character when he left the series in 2005.
• The fictional telephone number of the station located on the notice board at the front desk is 020 7511 1642. The police station's address is: Sun Hill Police Station, 2 Sun Hill Road, Canley, London, E1 4KM^[1]
• In the 2005 live episode, since the action was filmed live at the Sun Hill set, crowds of people watching the filming can be seen across the road from the station entrance. Also, in the scene where the car flips over, a boom mike operator can be seen running across the screen,^{[citation needed]} apparently unaware that he is being filmed.
• Burnside (Christopher Ellison) was originally called "Tommy" when he guest starred in series one and two, but when he appeared as a regular character from 1988 onward his first name was changed to "Frank". This was because there was a real-life "Tommy Burnside" serving in the Metropolitan police at the time.
• The CAD room (Computer Aided Dispatch) was the centre of all radio communications for Sun Hill police, until 2006. In 2007 the Met revamped their communications (with radios changing from analogue to digital). Now there is an external control centre adjoining Sun Hill station called IBO or Integrated Borough Operations which provides all the local knowledge to the officers on the beat.
• In 1998, Kevin Lloyd who played DC Alfred "Tosh" Lines, died of alcohol abuse, and in January 2008, Jeff Stewart who played PC Reg Hollis attempted suicide in his dressing room on the set, both after being told by The Bill bosses that their contracts would not be renewed.
• The police uniforms used in the series are genuine and are locked away for security reasons every night with no complete uniform being locked in any one cupboard.
• Real police officers took such a dim view of previews they were shown from the first series of The Bill that they refused to attend the launch party. The Police Federation later attacked the programme for implying that racial prejudice existed within the Force.
• When filming on location, The Bill does not have permission to use sirens. These are added in the dubbing suite.^[2]
• In the early days of The Bill a local resident registered her protest at what she deemed to be a stereotypical portrayal of council estates as hotbeds of crime. She held up filming by stationing herself in the background with an ironing board, iron and basket full of laundry.
• The doors of Custody used to be made of plywood, with the resounding "bang" also being added in the dubbing suite. In May 2007, they were changed to metal doors, which lock fully.^[2]
• The Bill is recorded at Bosun House which is the building portrayed as Sun Hill Police Station instead of a studio set. Bosun House is situated in South Wimbledon, London
• In November 2006, thieves stole editing machines and master tapes from the shows studios in Merton, South West London. Posing as a worker and wearing a high-visibility jacket, one of the thieves followed a real worker into the studios and took the equipment, walked out with it and was driven off in a getaway van.^[3] This caused continuity problems for all storylines between 2007 and the end of time. Two episodes (468 and 469) were dropped from the schedules in late December 2006, and it is rumoured that the stolen tapes contained scenes from these episodes. The scenes were re-filmed, with the episodes being re-edited to fit continuity with present story lines and were transmitted Wednesday 9 May (Episode 468, renamed Blood Money) and Thursday 10 May (Episode 469, renamed To Honour and Obey).

Police officers in South Australia A police officer (or policeman/policewoman) is a warranted worker of a police force. ... In the British Police, Woodentop is a slang term used by Criminal Investigation Department detectives to refer to uniformed police officers. ... Sun Hill is a fictional London suburb which is the setting for British police television drama series The Bill. ... Frank Burnside is a fictional character from ITV’s The Bill portrayed by Christopher Ellison. ... Christopher Ellison (born in London in 1946) is a British actor. ... Metropolitan Police redirects here. ... Kevin Reardon Lloyd (28 March 1949 - 2 May 1998) was a British actor, born in Derby, and trained at East 15 Acting School, London. ... Jeff Stewart is a Scottish actor born 28 October 1955 in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. ... Police Constable Reginald Reg Percival Hollis is a popular fictional character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... Police Federation may refer to: Police Federation of England and Wales Police Federation for Northern Ireland Scottish Police Federation This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Sun Hill is a fictional London suburb which is the setting for British police television drama series The Bill. ... South Wimbledon is a place in the London Borough of Merton in south west London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Merton may refer to: // People Gerald Merton, English astronomer (1893–1983) [1] [2] Paul Merton (1957–), British actor and comedian Robert Carhart Merton (1944–), American economist Robert King Merton (1910–2003), American sociologist Thomas Merton (1915–1968), American Cistercian monk and author Walter de Merton (ca. ... Greater London is divided into a number of constituencies for London Assembly elections. ...

Reappearing actors

• Several members of the regular cast have appeared in The Bill in the past as other characters:
  • John Bowler (PC Roger Valentine)
    • 30 April 1996
    • 31 October 2002
  • Bruce Byron (DC Terry Perkins)
    • "Grey Matter" (4 October 1994) as Mr. Smee.
    • "A Policeman's Lot" (17 January 1997) as Paul Archer.
    • "Without a Prayer" (19 March 1998) as John Shaw.
    • "The Squad" (18 May 2000) as Detective Inspector Lomax.
  • Sam Callis (Sgt Callum Stone)
    • Karl Radford in the episodes
      • 9 September 2004
      • 23 September 2004
      • 17 November 2004
      • 18 November 2004
      • 23 November 2004
      • 23 December 2004
      • 29 December 2004
  • Kaye Darling (PC Diane Noble)
    • "Over the Edge" (20 April 2000) as Police Constable Beckett;
  • Daniel Flynn (Supt John Heaton)
    • "The Assassins" (20 December 1988) as Strathvane.
  • Melanie Gutteridge (PC Emma Keane)
    • Episode 216 (20 May 2004) as Annette Flemming.
  • Micah Balfour (PC Ben Gayle)
    • (April 2006) as Asher Campbell
  • Andrew Lancel (DI Neil Manson)
    • "Heat" (7 September 1995) as Paul Thomson
    • "Payback" (1 May 1997) as Davie Eaden
  • Lisa Maxwell (DI Samantha Nixon)
    • 2 March 2001
  • Sally Rogers (DC Jo Masters)
    • 16 June 1994
  • Chris Simmons (DC Mickey Webb)
    • 18 December 1998
    • 1 September 1999
  • Roberta Taylor (Insp Gina Gold)
    • 6 December 1990
    • 4 August 1992
    • 2 November 1993
  • Alex Walkinshaw (Sgt Dale Smith)
    • 17 August 1993
  • Lucy Speed (DC Stevie Moss)
    • 19 September 1993 as Vicky Belham
    • 27 August 1996 as Hayley Robinson
    • 12 January 2006 as Leanne Brown
  • (Christopher Fox)(DS Max Carter)
    • 23 August 2007 as Keith Harkness

John Bowler (born Newcastle) is an English actor who plays PC Roger Valentine in ITVs The Bill. ... Police Constable Roger Valentine is a character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... Bruce Michael Byron is best known for his role as DC Terry Perkins in The Bill. ... Detective Constable Terry Perkins is a character in ITV cop-drama The Bill. ... Sam Callis, is an upcoming character in the ITV long running program The Bill, when he joins he will be Sgt. ... Sergeant Callum Stone, is an upcoming fictional character of the ITV1 Police drama The Bill. ... PC Diane Noble is a fictional character on the long running ITV show The Bill. ... Daniel Raymond Flynn (born 16 April 1985) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for the Northern Districts. ... Superintendent John Heaton is a fictional character in the long-running and popular ITV drama The Bill. Heaton is the most senior officer at Sun Hill. ... Melanie Gutteridge is a British actress, best known for playing the role of PC Emma Hinkley in the ITV television series The Bill. ... PC 361 Emma Keane was a fictional character in the long-running ITV Drama The Bill, played by Melanie Gutteridge. ... Micah Balfour is an english actor who will play PC Benjamin Gayle in the ITV 1 Police Drama The Bill. ... Andrew Lancel (born 3 August 1970 in Rufford, Lancashire) is an English actor. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Lisa Maxwell in The Bill Lisa Maxwell is an English actress who was born in November 1963, in the Elephant and Castle area of London, England. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Sally Rogers as DC Jo Masters in The Bill Sally Rogers (born Manchester, England, 1964) is an actress currently best known for her role as DC Jo Masters in ITVs The Bill. ... Detective Constable Jo Masters is a character in the long-running ITV police drama The Bill. ... Chris Simmons (b. ... Detective Constable Mickey Webb is a popular character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... Roberta Taylor (born 1948 in London), is an English actress. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lucy Speed (born August 31, 1976, in Croydon, Surrey) is an English actress, probably best known for her role as Natalie Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Detective Constable Stevie Moss is an upcoming fictional character in the ITV drama The Bill. ... Max Carter will be the newest DS in 2008 at Sunhill in The Bill. ...

Notable guests

• Singer and actress Martine McCutcheon appeared in an episode of The Bill entitled "Skeletons", on 2 July 1991 as a paper girl, and again on 16 July 1992 as Amanda Jones, in an episode entitled "A Scandalous Act".
• Spice Girl Emma Bunton appeared in an episode of The Bill entitled "Missionary Work", on 23 February 1993, as a troubled teenager named Janice.
• Actress Keira Knightley appeared in an episode of The Bill entitled "Swan Song", on 13 April 1995, as a ten-year old tearaway named Sheena Rose.
• Comedian/Presenter/Actor Russell Brand appeared on The Bill when he was 18, as seen on Brand's new show Ponderland which aired 24 October 2007.
• Jesse Birdsall, the actor who played Gillian Taylforth's (Sgt Nikki Wright) character's husband in 'Footballer's Wives' once appeared as a criminal who blackmailed DS Phil Hunter.
• Daniel Radcliffe, most notable for being the leading actor in the Harry Potter films, appeared in a single 2002 episode as a boy who helped his mother with voluntary work for a local charity, and had been tricked by his friends into believing that one of the Sun Hill officers was a "child snatcher".
• Sarah Tansey, who played the recurring role of missing 7 year old Amy Tennant's stepmother Ruth Barker, is married to Hywel Simons, who played Sergeant Craig Gilmore until 2003.
• In a storyline where Gina Gold had a romantic fling with councillor Peter Harris, who turned out to be married, Roberta Taylor played opposite her real-life husband Peter Guinness.
• In an episode on 15 February 2007, the actor playing a criminal involved in a car dealership scam was called Bob Cryer.
• Letitia Dean played suspected arsonist Amanda Ronson in'Playing with Fire'in 1997.
• Footballer Emmanuel Petit played himself in the 1998 Christmas episode
• Linda Lusardi played Don Beech's girlfriend Maggie Lyons in four 2000 episodes, and return for two more in 2004.
• Craig Charles played Martin Bailey in the 1995 episode "Honey Pot".
• Ron Moody has appeared several times, including once as husband to Mollie Sugden, where the two of them were elderly con artists.
• Sylvester McCoy has made several appearances, both comic and dramatic.

Martine McCutcheon (born Martine Kimberley Sherri Ponting[1] on May 14, 1976) is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award winning actress. ... Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English pop singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. ... Keira Christina Knightley (pronounced ;[1] born 26 March 1985) is a Golden Globe-, BAFTA- and Academy Award-nominated English[2] film and television actress. ... Russell Edward Brand [1] (born June 4, 1975 in Grays, Essex)[2] is an English radio and television personality, comedian, actor, and newspaper columnist. ... Jesse Birdsall (born February 13, 1963 in Highbury, London) is a British actor, known in the UK for his starring roles in several high-profile, popular television programmes. ... Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955 in London) is an English actress. ... Sergeant Nikki Wright is a character in the English television series The Bill. ... Footballers Wives is a UK television drama surrounding the private lives of a group of professional footballers. ... Information Occupation Detective Title Detective Sergeant Portrayed by Scott Maslen DS Phil Hunter is a fictional character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... Daniel Jacob Radcliffe[1][2] (born 23 July 1989)[3] is an English film, television and stage actor. ... This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... We dont have an article called Sarah Tansey Start this article Search for Sarah Tansey in. ... Hywel Simons is an actor based in Britain. ... Roberta Taylor (born 1948 in London), is an English actress. ... Bob Cryer (December 3, 1934 - April 12, 1994) was a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Letitia Dean (born 14 November 1967 in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire) is an English actress. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Linda Lusardi (born September 18, 1958 in Palmers Green, London) is a former nude model, who is now better known as an actress and television presenter. ... Craig Charles as Dave Lister Craig Charles (born July 11, 1964 in Liverpool, England) is an English actor, stand up comedian, author, poet, and radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf. ... Ronald Moodnick, known as Ron Moody (born January 8, 1924) is a British actor. ... Mollie Sugden (born Mary Isobel Sugden on 21 July 1922, in Keighley, Yorkshire) is an English comedy actress who found fame as saleswoman Betty Slocombe in the popular British sitcom Are You Being Served? (1972 - 1985). ... Sylvester McCoy (born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith August 20, 1943) is a Scottish actor. ...

DVD releases

DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ...

Australia (Region 4)

The Bill is currently being released in Australia in a 12 disc wallet format, the first 5 series have been released with the 6th series to follow.

• Seasons 1-3^[4] (Episodes 1-35, plus Woodentop) was released on 10 May 2006
• Season 4 & 5^[5] (Episodes 39-83 from season 4) was released on 6 December 2006
• Collection 3: Episodes 49-96 ^[6] (Episodes 84-131 from season 5) was released on 8 August 2007
• Collection 4: Episodes 97-144 ^[7] (48 Episodes) was released on 7 November 2007
• Collection 5: Episodes 145-192^[8] (48 Episodes) was released on 9 April 2008
• Collection 6: In the very early stage of production to be released late 2008

Woodentop is the pilot episode of the long running British police series The Bill. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ...

UK (Region 2)

In the UK, The Bill has, so far, been released in a volume per season, with seasons 1 to 3 also released in a collected edition. The series 4 DVD release has been delayed. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent...

• Series 1 (Episodes 1-12) was released on 6 June 2005
• Series 2 (Episodes 13-24) was released on 17 October 2005
• Series 3 (Episodes 25-36) was released on 28 May 2007
• Series 4 (Episodes 37-83) is due to be released June 30, 2008
• Series 1-3 (Episodes 1-36) was released on 19 November 2007

is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

U.S. (Region 1)

The Bill was also released in the US with the first series, sadly at the moment no further series are planned for release. For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American...

• Series 1 (Episodes 1-12) was released on June 5, 2007.

is the 156th day of the year (157th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Theme Music

Rick Wakeman was offered the chance to write the theme tune either for this series or for "Lytton's Diary" (1985). He chose the latter, believing that it had the best potential of the two to be a long running series. It ran for two seasons. The job went to Andy Pask and Charlie Morgan who wrote "Overkill". This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

There are several versions of this theme. The first, used between 1984 - 1987, featured a guitar riff, with synthesizer, bass and drum accompaniment, with "middle-eight" sections performed on synthesisers. The second is a remix of the first, used between 1988 - 1998. Instead of the guitar riff, it was replaced with a more bouncy saxophone riff, and is better known than the original. Both versions were written in the irregular time of 7/8 with the exception of the "middle-eight" sections which were written in 4/4. The current arrangement is by Lawrence Oakley.

Overseas broadcast

The Bill has been broadcast in over 55 different countries

• It is very popular in Australia, where it is shown on the ABC1. Until late 2007 two episodes were shown per week, one at 20.30 on Tuesday and the other at the same time on Saturday. Currently two episodes are shown on Saturdays from 20:30 and repeated on the digital-only channel ABC2 on Tuesday, with older repeats sometimes shown on ABC1 at 14:00 Monday-Thursday. Additionally, older episodes can be seen on UK.TV. As of January 2008, episodes from the 1990s can be seen on weekdays, whilst episodes from 2005 can be seen on weekends.
• In New Zealand, the series is shown on UKTV twice a week
• In Sweden the show was retitled "Sunhillspolisstation" (Sun Hill Police Station) by broadcaster TV4. Now it is broadcast on Kanal 9 using The Bill, daily at approx. 15:00 with a repeat the following morning approx 04:00.
• It screens in Ireland on RTÉ One, which is currently showing episodes from 2003. However, RTÉ does not show it in its proper hour long duration, but instead splits one hour long episode into two half hour shows five days a week thus only showing two and a half episodes each week. Fans of the show and TV critics in Ireland have nicknamed it as the "Old Bill", as viewers in the Republic can watch the same episodes as the UK, on UTV.
• In Belgium the series is broadcast on één.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... UKTV is a subscription television channel in Australia and New Zealand, screening UK entertainment programming, sourced mainly from the archives of the BBC, TALKBACKThames and ITV Plc. ... TV4 is the largest commercial television channel in Sweden. ... RTÉ One (Irish: RTÉ a hAon) is the Republic of Irelands oldest and most popular television channel, operated by Irish state broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann. ... For other uses of the UTV acronym, see UTV (disambiguation) UTV (formerly Ulster Television) is the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland. ... één is a public TV station in Belgium, owned by the VRT who also owns Ketnet/Canvas/Sporza. ...

Novels

A series of six novelisations of The Bill were published between 1985 and 1992, by Thames/Methuan Publishing (under the Mandarin imprint). Each book was written by John Burke, and adapted from television scripts by Geoff McQueen, Barry Appleton, Ginnie Hole, Christopher Russell, Lionel Goldstein, Al Hunter, Nicholas McInnery, JC Wilsher, Jonathan Rich and Robin Muckherjee.

The format of the books differed from the original scripts in minor details: the episodes are presented in a more serialised style, with the narrative events of separate episodes moving into and out of each other, not unlike the format used on the television series itself at present. An example of this in Book 1 is the events of the episode "The Drug's Raid", where the first part of that episode is shown to take place midway through the book, while the last part takes place several chapters later (ostensibly after DI Galloway has received new evidence several weeks later). As such, what were separate episodes on television are woven into a single narrative in the books, with completely new linking material between events in one episode and events in another.

Also, an early taboo of the series itself (whose format firmly established that we never went home with the officers to see their private lives) was broken by, for example, showing DI Galloway at home with his wife and his daughter during the first two books.

When the novels began to adapt the half-hour episodes (Book Three onwards) there is a noticeable jump in continuity, as the sudden influx of a larger cast of characters meant that not every "first episode" of each character could be adapted, so several characters can be seen suddenly appearing half way through with little or no introduction as to who they are or where they came from.

All the novelisations were published in paperback editions. The first two books were also published in rarer to find hardcover editions. The stories from Series Three of the tv series never received a novelisation because of various unavoidable production problems with that series.

• The Bill 1 (published 1985) - Adapted select episodes of Series One (1984). Cover photo of PC Jim Carver chasing a suspect.
• The Bill 2 (published 1987) - Adapted select episodes of Series Two (1985). Cover photo of Sergeant Bob Cryer in civilian clothing.
• The Bill 3 (published 1989) - Adapted select episodes of Series Four (1988). Cover photo of Sergeant Bob Cryer and Inspector Christine Fraser in Sun Hill station carpark.
• The Bill 4 (published 1990) - Adapted select episodes of Series Five (1989). Cover photo of DC "Tosh" Lines and DC Mike Dashwood.
• The Bill 5 (published 1991) - Adapted select episodes of Series Five (1989). Cover photo of DS Ted Roach.
• The Bill 6 (published 1992) - Adapted select episodes of Series Six (1990). Cover photo of Inspector Andrew Munroe and DI Frank Burnside.

Spin-offs

The Bill has spawned three spin-off productions. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ...

The first of these was known as Burnside. It lasted a single series of six episodes, the first of which debuted on 7 July 2000. The series focused on the newly promoted DCI Burnside as a member of the National Crime Squad. It was created and produced by Richard Handford. Burnside is a spin-off from the popular and long running ITV drama The Bill. ...

The second spin-off debuted in 2001, and also lasted only six episodes, although was more of a break away from the regular Bill (it was shown in the Bill timeslot) than a complete spin-off. Beech is Back focused on dodgy ex-DS Don Beech, still on the run from Claire Stanton who wants him brought to justice for the murder of her boyfriend DS John Boulton. None of the episodes were given a title, with each being part of a single six part serial. At the end Beech is brought to justice and sent to prison, although he would return in The Bill three years later. Beech is Back was a spin-off television miniseries of British police drama The Bill, aired in on ITV1. ... Detective Sergeant Don Beech was a character in the TV series The Bill. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In 2003, ITV debuted the third spin-off of the show, entitled MIT: Murder Investigation Team. The first episode investigated the drive-by shooting of Sgt. Matthew Boyden, who had been at Sun Hill for eleven years. The first series consisted of ten one-hour episodes. The second series was filmed in 2004, but not shown until mid 2005, and consisted of four ninety-minute episodes. It featured Eva Sharpe (Diane Parish) from The Bill, who had transferred to MIT. (Before it was broadcast, it was also rumoured to feature Chris Simmons as Mickey Webb, who had recently departed from The Bill, but these rumours turned out to be false). The series was created by Paul Marquess. The second series was produced by Johnathan Young. For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... Sergeant Matthew Boyden was a character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. ... Diane Parish as Denise Fox in EastEnders. ... Paul Marquess is a British television producer. ... Johnathan Young is a British television producer. ...

A German version of The Bill, utilising original Bill scripts was produced for RTL Television from 1994 to 2006. It was called Die Wache. [7] [8] RTL (formerly RTL plus) is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial, in larger population centers). ... The Bill is a long-running British television police procedural first shown on ITV1, at 8pm, usually on Wednesdays and Thursdays. ...

References

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Bill at itv.com
• The Bill at the Internet Movie Database
• The Bill at TV.com
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