|
Although Taggart (ITV, 1983-) began a few months earlier, The Bill looks poised to supplant Dixon of Dock Green (BBC, 1955-1976) as the longest-lasting police drama in British television history. In March 2004 ITV took the unprecedented step of commissioning 480 new episodes, taking it to at least 2010. Its longevity can be attributed to strong writing and acting, and a willingness to move with the times, an approach which has seen it change format several times. It began as Woodentop, a one-hour segment by Geoff McQueen for Thames' Storyboard anthology (ITV, 1983) chronicling the arrival of probationary PC Jim Carver at the (fictional) Sun Hill police station in London's East End. Only Carver (Mark Wingett) and June Ackland (Trudie Goodwin) remain from the pilot. Among many popular characters to have come and gone over the years are slightly bent copper Frank Burnside (a magnetic, sneering performance by Christopher Ellison), eternally patient desk sergeant Bob Cryer (Eric Richard, 17 years in the role), scruffy-but-kind 'Tosh' (the late Kevin Lloyd) and Viv Martella (Nula Conwell), dramatically killed-off after nine years service. The Bill began as a series of 11 one-hour episodes, retaining that format for the following three years, with top-notch scripts by McQueen, Barry Appleton and Christopher Russell and smooth direction by well-established professionals like Peter Cregeen (who set the style in Woodentop) and Michael Ferguson. In a bold decision, the series, already shot on video rather than film, switched in 1987 to a soap-style twice-weekly half-hour format. This move heralded its most popular period. The show became a proving ground for rising young actors, including Robert Carlyle, Kathy Burke and Sean Bean. More recently it has attracted strong guest stars, including Denise Van Outen, Hugh Laurie and Rik Mayall (particularly good as a villain in 1997's three-part 'Humpty Dumpty'). The early introduction of a Black PC, Lyttleton (Ronny Cush), created a stir, as, more recently, did the first openly gay characters, PC Craig Gilmore (Hywel Simons) and WPC Gemma Osborne (Jane Danson). The Bill switched to three nights a week in January 1993, returning to twice a week in 1998 in a one-hour slot, with a more soap-like emphasis on ongoing storylines incorporating the characters' private lives. This approach seemed vindicated when, after 17 years on EastEnders (BBC, 1985-), Todd Carty signed up in July 2003. The Bill celebrated its 20th anniversary with a 'live' episode in October 2003. Sergio Angelini
|
1. Giving evidence (2:22)
