Die By The Sword

Loving the new look. It's amazing how you don't miss incidental music when it's not there, yet when it is, it brings a whole new sense of drama to a scene.

At last The Bill is back at the cutting edge of TV drama.

Here's a synopsis of the last episode for those who missed it. Courtesy, as ever, of The Bill press office.

THE BILL
Epsiode 008: Die By the Sword
Friday 24th July 2009 9.00 to 10.00pm ITV1
*Guest starring Andrew Tiernan as Craig Middleton*

D.I. Neil Manson (Andrew Lancel) and D.C. Jacob Banks (Patrick Robinson) meet at St Hugh’s hospital, where Banksy reveals that Danny Sissoulu (Tunji Lucas) has just died: this is now a murder enquiry.

Back at the station, prime suspect Craig Middleton (Andrew Tiernan) is interviewed and he tells the officers that he was out walking his baby in through the park when Danny, his brother Kip (Mohammed Mansaray) and friend Mo Campbell (Lanre Malaolu) confronted him with a knife. He says that he was slashed several times and punched Danny in retaliation.

Banksy is tasked with updating the grieving Sissoulu family and Danny’s mother, Miriam (Sara Powell) is furious at the suggestion that her sons may have had knives on them. The officers are convinced that Kip knows exactly what happened the night Danny died, but are frustrated that they can’t get him to open up. Determined to get a result, Superintendent Jack Meadows (Simon Rouse) insists to Neil that they need to put surveillance equipment in the Sissoulu’s house and Banksy shouldn’t be told about it...

Elsewhere, Mo is finally traced and taken to the station for questioning. He admits a fight broke out between Danny and Craig when Craig confronted them for no reason, but swears there were no knives involved.

Banksy soon discovers that the boys were involved in an anti-knife campaign and tells Neil that the family should now be left alone. However, when surveillance in the Sissoulu’s house show Danny’s parents Miriam and Joseph (Mo Sesay) telling their daughter to delete a shocking video clip on their computer, Neil realises that they need to get their hands on the hard-drive.

Later, while the family are at the mortuary, Neil arranges for the surveillance team to retrieve the clip. However, Banksy turns up unexpectedly and Neil is forced to tell him what’s going on. Banksy is bitterly disappointed that Neil didn’t trust him and later has an angry altercation with D.S. Max Carter (Christopher Fox), who knew about the operation.

However, he is horrified when he and Neil watch the clip which shows Danny showing off with some knives. With the evidence mounting, Mo’s gangster facade starts to crack and reveals the truth, stunning the officers.

THE BILL is a talkbackTHAMES production and a direct commission by ITV. This episode was written by Tom Needham, directed by Paul Wroblewski and produced by Ciara McIlvenny.