The Bill 

Uniform officers and detectives from an inner London police station enforce law and order on a day to day basis.

Creator:

Geoff McQueen

Stars:

Graham Cole, Jeff Stewart, Trudie Goodwin

7 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Graham Cole	...	P.C. Stamp / ... 1,204 episodes, 1984-2009
Jeff Stewart	...	P.C. Hollis / ... 1,020 episodes, 1984-2008
Trudie Goodwin	...	Sgt. June Ackland / ... 978 episodes, 1984-2007
Simon Rouse	...	DCI Jack Meadows / ... 884 episodes, 1990-2010
Eric Richard	...	Sgt. Cryer / ... 788 episodes, 1984-2004
Mark Wingett	...	D.C. Carver / ... 783 episodes, 1984-2007
Andrew Paul	...	P.C. Quinnan / ... 710 episodes, 1987-2002
Colin Tarrant	...	Insp. Andrew Monroe / ... 704 episodes, 1990-2002
Tony O'Callaghan	...	Sgt. Matthew Boyden / ... 697 episodes, 1989-2003
Huw Higginson	...	P.C. Garfield / ... 670 episodes, 1989-2000
Lisa Geoghan	...	W.P.C. Polly Page / ... 604 episodes, 1991-2004

Storyline

Uniform officers and detectives from Sun Hill police station enforce law and order on a day to day basis. A policeman's job is much more than just catching criminals; in order to survive each day they must deal with frustrating members of the public, and often their own colleagues. From petty thieves to violent drug dealers, life is never easy for the members of the Metropolitan Police Force.

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Plot Keywords:

cult tv | famous opening theme | police | detective | uniform | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Canley Gazette - fictional online news site (official tie-in site) Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1984 (UK)

Also Known As:

Чисто английское убийство

Filming Locations:

Croydon Town Centre, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thames Television, Talkback Thames

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min (1988-1998) 50 min (1984-1988, 1998-2010)

Sound Mix:

Mono Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The series was highly influential in popularizing the use of hand-held video cameras in UK television drama, something which was still relatively rare in 1984.

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Quotes

DC Jo Masters: D'ya know, I don't know who put what on your porridge this morning, but this whole sergeant-major impression is getting a little bit annoying.
DS Phil Hunter: You keep your tights on alright, I'll do it myself!

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Crazy Credits

There were actually three versions of the credits featuring the plodding feet. There was a blue-tint version used in the original episodes in the 1980s, a 1990s fuzzy, overcast version and mid-1990s fine weather version.

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Connections

Referenced in Comedy Connections: Don't Wait Up (2007)

User Reviews

Long running British TV Police Drama

Created by Geoff McQueen, The Bill began life in 1983 as the pilot 'Woodentop', which centered on PC Jimmy (Mark Wingett) Carver on his first day at fictional Sun Hill. Other characters included WPC June Ackland, PC Taffy Morgan and Sgt Wilding. The following year it returned, slightly changed and with McQueen's original title of The Bill. For its first three years it had three series of one hour episodes, before it went into a half hour format in 1988, a format to stay for ten years.

Many say that the show was at its best in the nineties (my favourite era was 1995-2000) with the familiar 'plodding feet credits', great detective storys and such characters as DI Frank Burnside, Insp Andrew Monroe, DC Liz Rawton, PC Vicky Hagen, DS Don Beech and many other greats.

Although the show went through some changes from 1998, including a revert back to hour episodes, and some delving into personal lives, the show changed beyond all recognition in 2002, when new producer Paul Marquess killed off much of the cast and took to a permanant serialised format. For many fans of the show, that was the end of The Bill...