About Me

I remember seeing the first full page advert taken out in the national media to advertise the new ITV show, The Bill. That was in October 1984. I've watched ever since... just thought I'd share my thoughts.

Tuesday 22 September 2009

Trust Me (Part 2) / Long Gone

RECORDED in January of this year, the original TX date for this episode of The Bill was intended to be, if I recall correctly, 07/07/09. In other words, before the revamp of the series. It was interesting to note that the preview disc I received featured Claire Goose as Inspector Rachel Weston as well as boasting the old theme music and opening and closing credits.

These scenes have all be edited out of the version to be transmitted this week, and new scenes with Alex Walkinshaw as Inspector Smith filmed to replace them - an interesting insight into the making of an ongoing TV drama.

Oh, and talking of insights, the first two episode titles for October have been announced. Ep 009: Long Gone will screen on ITV1 on Thursday 1st October (see synopsis below), followed by Ep 006: Fall Out on Thursday 8th October.

Now for that synopsis, or should that be sneak preview...

THE BILL
Trust Me (Part 2): Episode 689
Thursday 24 September 2009, 21.00 to 22.00, ITV1
Repeated on ITV1 on Friday 26 Sept at 22:35 and ITV3 on Monday 29 Sept at 23:00
*Guest starring Kelly Harrison as Fran Morris*

A week after involving terrified Fran Morris (Kelly Harrison) in a sting to catch dangerous drugs’ boss Damian Tucker (Dorian Lough), D.S. Max Carter (Christopher Fox) and D.C. Jo Masters (Sally Rogers) are called to attend a scene at Fran’s house.

They are stunned to find her being wheeled into an ambulance with serious head injuries and quickly discover that her 12 year old son Noah (George Sear) is missing. Max is convinced that although Damian is behind bars, he has something to do with it.

Max questions Damian in prison, but he calmly insists he had nothing to do with Fran’s injuries or Noah’s disappearance. As the investigation continues, Max and Jo discover that one of Damian’s associates, Tyson Archer (Duane Henry), visited Fran’s flat before she was found unconscious.

Tyson is brought in for questioning where he eventually admits he tried to tempt ex-drug addict Fran with some heroin on Damian’s orders, but she refused. He left her with a sample but when he later found out it was uncut, he went back to the flat to warn her.

He swears that when he went back, she was already unconscious and he assumed that she had taken the drugs. However, Jo and Max are confused when forensics prove that Fran didn’t have any drugs in her system...

Later that day, Noah is finally found in a flat belonging to Fran’s friend, Lyn Emery (Lu Corfield). Lyn explains that Noah must have seen Fran being attacked and terrified, ran to her house to hide.

While Fran remains unconscious in hospital, Max is forced to bond with Noah in order to find out what happened, but Noah remains tight-lipped and nervous. Max re-visits Damian and says he knows that Damian tried to kill Fran with the uncut heroin. Max warns him that if he ever threatens Fran or Noah again, he’ll make it known to Damian’s cellmates that he’s a grass and leave him to deal with the backlash.

Back at the station and in a desperate attempt to get Noah to open up, Max suggests they head back to the flat and walk through the morning’s events. Noah agrees, but when they reach the flat, he shuts down again.

Frustrated, Max talks to the forensic department to see if they can shed any light on the situation and the Sergeant is stunned when he finally uncovers the truth...

THE BILL is a talkbackTHAMES production and a direct commission by ITV. This episode was written by Jeff Dodds, directed by Paul Wroblewski and produced by Matt Strevens.

THE BILL
Long Gone: Episode 009
Thursday 1 October 2009, 21.00 to 22.00, ITV1
Repeated on ITV1 on Friday 2 October at 22:35 and ITV3 on Monday 5 October at 23:00


P.C. Mel Ryder (Rhea Bailey) attends a scene where she finds a frightened seventeen year old man covered in bruises. As she tries to talk to him, he walks away and drops a piece of paper. Mel examines the leaflet which is a Missing Person’s appeal from five years ago concerning 12 year old David Jarvis (Alex Matten).
Mel gently approaches the young man again and he tearfully admits that he’s David.
At the station D.S. Stevie Moss (Lucy Speed) talks to David who is clearly traumatised. Through careful questioning David eventually admits that he was imprisoned and abused by a man called Gareth. He also tearfully recalls a crucifix above Gareth’s bed. D.S. Max Carter (Christopher Fox) examines the previous evidence from when David first went missing, but can’t find a connection to the name ‘Gareth’.
Meanwhile, David’s sister Michelle (Joanna Horton) is brought into the station. Overcome with emotion, she is asked to identify David on a television screen, but she is unable to confirm whether it’s her missing brother…
As the investigation continues, local man and known sex offender, Gareth Hartill (David Phelan) is arrested. Gareth appears genuinely stunned by the allegations that have been made against him and finally confesses to meeting David the night before and paying him for sex.
However, when the pair got back to Gareth’s house, David became hysterical and ran out. As gaping holes start to appear in David’s version of events, Max realises that David isn’t telling them the whole truth about his captivity.
After further investigation, the team are stunned to learn that David is actually missing person Simon Eastfield and Stevie breaks the devastating news to Michelle.
Despite lying about his identity, Max and Stevie are convinced Simon did suffer horrendous abuse at some stage in his life and work together to establish what really happened.
The Sergeants quickly discover that the prime suspect in the David Jarvis case, Terence Scanlon, could be linked to Simon and visit his house, which has been empty since his death a few years previously.
They are horrified when they think the Scanlon’s bedroom was the one Simon was abused in and their fears are confirmed when they find an imprint of a crucifix on the bedroom wall.
Back at Sun Hill, Simon reveals what really happened to him: it also becomes apparent Simon and David did know each other as 12 year olds. Simon clearly knows what happened to David when he went missing, but will he reveal the truth to Stevie…?
THE BILL is a talkbackTHAMES production and a direct commission by ITV.
This episode was written by Chris Ould, directed by Reza Moradi and produced by James Hall.

Trust Me (Part 1)

BRILLIANT performance from Kelly Harrison as reformed drug addict Fran Morris in this episode.

THE BILLTrust Me (Part 1): Episode 688
Thursday 17 September 2009, 21.00 to 22.00, ITV1
Repeated on ITV1 on Friday 18 Sept at 22:35 and ITV3 on Monday 21 Sept at 23:00
*Guest starring Kelly Harrison as Fran Morris*

Following days of surveillance, D.S. Max Carter (Christopher Fox) and D.C. Jo Masters (Sally Rogers) raid the house of Jimmy Mack (Leo Conville), aware that he has just received £40,000 worth of heroin. However, the officers are frustrated when they fail to uncover the bulk of the drugs or Jimmy’s missing girlfriend, Rochelle Chapman (Susannah Fielding).

Elsewhere, P.C.’s Sally Armstrong (Ali Bastian) and Roger Valentine (John Bowler) are called to the home of former prostitute and drug addict Fran Morris (Kelly Harrison), where her young son Noah (George Sear) has collapsed after having taken some unknown tablets found next to him.

Roger quickly realises that Noah has taken Diazepam – the same ones that were found at Jimmy’s house. How is Fran connected to Jimmy..?

Back at Sun Hill, Max and Jo interview Jimmy with his solicitor, Damian Tucker (Dorian Lough) by his side. Jimmy claims not to know where the drugs or Rochelle are and when pushed to reveal the name of his boss, he clams up.

As the investigation continues, Fran reveals that she is a good friend of Rochelle’s and admits she turned up at her house that morning with Jimmy’s heroin. Fran swears she hasn’t touched drugs in a year and flushed the package down the toilet.

The case takes a sinister turn when Rochelle is later found at Fran’s flat, tied to a chair, having been beaten by someone clearly wanting the drugs back, but Rochelle is too terrified to name anyone. Max is convinced that Fran knows more than she’s letting on and tells Roger and Sally to search her flat where they find the heroin in the estate’s bins.

Fran is forced to admit that when she discovered who the drugs belonged to, she was determined to give them back, knowing the violent and dangerous drugs boss would kill Rochelle. Max and Jo are frustrated that none of their witnesses will name names, but are stunned when Fran sees Jimmy’s solicitor, Damian in the station and reveals that he’s the man they’re after…

Max tells Fran that they desperately need her to take part in a sting in order to arrest Damian and put him behind bars, but Fran refuses point blank. Much to Jo’s disapproval, Max finally coerces her into helping them by promising her cash and protection. But frightened for her life and that of her son’s, will Fran be able to pull it off..?

THE BILL is a talkbackTHAMES production and a direct commission by ITV. This episode was written by Greg Evans, directed by Paul Wroblewski and produced by Matt Strevens.

Innocence Betrayed

MASTERCLASS: If you’re old enough to remember Jeff Rawle as Billy Liar in the 60 sitcom of the same name or as Plantagenet in Doctor Who: Frontios, or more recently as George Dent in the satirical news comedy Drop The Dead Donkey, you will know that as an actor he is quite riveting – as he is in this episode of The Bill, bringing unexpected depths to a thoroughly nasty character.

THE BILL
Innocence Betrayed: Episode 010
Thursday 10 September 2009, 21.00 to 22.00, ITV1
Repeated on ITV1 on Friday 11 September at 22:35 and ITV3 on Monday 14 September at 23:00
*Guest starring Jeff Rawle as George Fielding*

After a raid, Paul Brewer (Michael Colgan) is arrested for having indecent images of a young girl on his lap top. At the station, D.S. Max Carter (Christopher Fox) and D.C. Jo Masters (Sally Rogers) interview Paul, who insists that the images would have been on the laptop when he bought it from a car boot sale.

However, when Max and Jo reveal the images were downloaded after he bought it, Paul finally admits he lent the laptop to a friend, George Fielding (Jeff Rawle), who he met in prison 10 years ago when he was serving time for burglary.

D.C. Jacob Banks (Patrick Robinson) is tasked with visiting George, who is a convicted paedophile. After Banksy explains why he’s there, George has no hesitation in telling the D.C. that he downloaded the images onto Paul’s computer and that Paul knew nothing about it.

Banksy is surprised by George’s admission, as he had been doing so well, even asking to be re-housed when teenage girls moved into his street. Back at the station, Jo and Banksy discover that the images weren’t downloaded but taken with a camera.

The pair put this to George who insists that he got the images from the internet and denies knowing who the girl in the photos is. Could she be in further danger..?

The girl is soon identified as four-year-old Lucy Gearie (Millie Missen) and Max is faced with the difficulty of explaining the situation to her parents, Kevin (George Calil) and Monica (Rebekah Manning).

They are both horrified by the news but manage to establish that on the day the pictures were taken, Monica’s brother-in-law babysat had been babysitting Lucy. Max is stunned to learn that Lucy’s uncle is Paul and heads straight back to the station to re-question him.

Paul finally tells Max that the day he was looking after Lucy, he had invited George over but accidentally fell asleep. When he woke up, he discovered George taking pictures of Lucy and horrified, threw him out of the house. He explains that despite what George had done, he didn’t want to get him into trouble, as George looked out for Paul when they were in prison together.

Banksy questions George, who corroborates Paul’s story, but the officer remains unconvinced. Is Banksy naive in thinking that a convicted paedophile is innocent and covering for someone else, or can he prove his theory right..?

THE BILL is a talkbackTHAMES production and a direct commission by ITV. This episode was written by Chris Ould, directed by Jamie Annett and produced by James Hall.

Powerless

MAGGOTS! This episode has to boast one of the most gruesome opening scenes ever...

THE BILL
Powerless: Episode 015
Thursday 3 September 2009, 21.00 to 22.00, ITV1
Repeated on ITV1 on Friday 4 September at 22:35 and ITV3 on Monday 7 September at 23:00

D.I. Neil Manson (Andrew Lancel) and D.S. Max Carter (Christopher Fox) work together when the gruesome discovery of seventeen year old Ashley Simmon’s (Sophie Benjamin) body is made.

The pair head to the children’s home where she had been reported missing by her foster mother, Francis Baines (Claire Hackett), who is distraught by the news that Ashley was killed by a gun shot to the heart. Francis tells the officers that Ashley left the home several months before to live alone, but kept in regular contact. She explains that Ashley was never in trouble and wouldn’t have been involved in anything dangerous.

The news is broken to the rest of the teenagers in the home, including Ashley’s close friends Kai Miller (Ralph Laurila), Paige Farrelly (Georgia Groome) and Ashley’s younger brother, Tyler (Reece Noi). All three are questioned by the officers and support Francis’ claim that Ashley was a good person who never got into trouble, but Neil is concerned that Tyler seems to know a lot more then he’s letting on...

Back at the station, D.C. Grace Dasari (Amita Dhiri) informs Neil that a car belonging to Elliot Johns (Nick Nevern) was seen circling the warehouse where Ashley’s body was dumped. Elliot is brought in for questioning and smugly tells Neil that he was at home with his girlfriend, Maxine Clements (Clare Calbraith) on the night in question.

Maxine, clearly high on drugs is brought in to make a statement and frustratingly confirms Elliot’s alibi. However, later that day Max and Neil are shocked when they realise Maxine is also Tyler and Ashley’s mother and that the last phone call Ashley made was in Maxine’s flat.

Neil and Grace go to Maxine’s to arrest her for perverting the course of justice and discover her high on drugs and screaming, as she has just been told about Ashley’s murder. Inside, forensics reveal bloody handprints and blood spray on the wall which prove Ashley was murdered there - but why and by whom?

In C.I.D., as Neil and Max prepare to interview Maxine and Tyler, Max makes derogatory comments about the children from the home and reveals his narrow minded opinions. A seething Neil sends the other officers out of the room and tells Max in no uncertain terms that if he makes any similar comments, he’ll be off the case.

During Neil’s interview with Tyler, the teenager breaks down and eventually reveals that it was him who shot Ashley by accident, after they fought over a gun they found at Maxine’s.

Max believes the case is closed, but Neil is convinced Tyler is covering for someone else. Can Neil and Max continue to work together to crack the case..?

THE BILL is a talkbackTHAMES production and a direct commission by ITV. This episode was written by Steve Bailie, directed by Richard Signy and produced by James Hall.

Old King Cole

INSTALLMENT three of Graham Cole's memoirs in today's Mirror: Punch-ups, robbers and autograph hunters.. my undercover work with the real Bill .

Get the impression he's not too happy about the way he was treated, although I have to ask: Is 25 years in the one show too long for any actor?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/09/22/punch-ups-robbers-and-autograph-hunters-my-undercover-work-with-the-real-bill-115875-21691524/

Monday 21 September 2009

Cole Man

STILL swithering about whether or not to buy On The Beat: My Story by Graham Cole, well maybe these insights into the publication from the Press Release issued by Splendid Books will help.

Britain’s longest serving television policeman reveals the inside story of his life in The Bill.

• Graham reveals the full story of his amazing 25 years as The Bill’s PC Tony Stamp and the ups, downs, triumphs and tragedies during that time.

• In this witty and candid memoir he tells how he went from playing monsters as an extra in Doctor Who to
becoming Britain’s most realistic screen copper.

• Packed full of secrets and fascinating behind-the-scenes details about one of British TV’s most popular series.

• Amazing, never before seen personal photographs.

• He also reveals his true feelings at his departure from The Bill after a quarter of a century and his hopes for the future.

As started in an earlier post On The Beat: My Story by Graham Cole will be published in Hardback on October 5th 2009 priced £17.99.

According to the Press Release, as well as being available direct with free delivery by phoning 0845 625 3045 and from all good bookshops, personally autographed copies will be available from www.splendidbooks.co.uk

Jeff Stewart and Miike Snow

QUICK follow up on the adventures of Jeff Stewart. The following Press Release just arrived by e-mail:

Mysterious dark-pop enigmas Miike Snow will release a new single ‘Black & Blue’ through Columbia Records on October 19th.

Continuing where their massively acclaimed debut single ‘Animal’ left off, Miike Snow will continue to surprise people as they re-twist and re-interpret the formula for widescreen and emotive 21st century pop music as we know it.

Their long awaited eponymous debut album gets a full UK release on October 26th and is already being noted as one of this year’s must have discoveries.

Having been embraced early on and adopted across the blogosphere, Miike Snow were quickly been adopted by more traditional mainstream channels.

Championed by the likes of Radio1 with support from the likes of Zane Lowe, Annie Mac, Jo Whiley & Pete Tong, NME and across the dancefloor with a series of chart busting remixes.

This continues with Black & Blue with new re-workings courtesy of Tiga, Caspa & Netsky alongside the much sort after remix of Animal courtesy of Mark Ronson.

CHECK OUT NEW VIDEO featuring an iconic UK TV stalwart... Yes fact fans. It’s Reg Hollis from The Bill (Aka Jeff Stewart).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oKQSAt4c4c

Good to see Jeff back on the screen, even if he is a bit hairier than we're used to. It's not a bad tune too...

Graham Cole - On The Beat

DISCOVER all the behind the scenes secrets of The Bill courtesy of Graham Cole aka PC Tony Stamp who has written an account of his time on the show which is currently being serialised in The Mirror.

On The Beat by Graham Cole is published by Splendid Books Ltd 2009. You can order your copy for £16 incl p& p (RRP £17.99) at www.splendidbooks.com/mirror. Or call 0845 625 3045. Or send a cheque for £16 (made payable to Splendid Books Ltd) to Splendid Books Ltd (Mirror), PO Box 813, Portsmouth, Hants, PO1 9EY.

In the meantime, you can preview the action on The Mirror website. On Saturday, it ran the piece: The Bill's PC Tony Stamp on his shock sacking after 25 years

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/09/19/if-i-don-t-act-we-don-t-eat-i-might-have-to-sign-on-the-dole-115875-21684897/

Followed today by: MY STORY BY THE BILL'S PC TONY STAMP - Reg ran up and down the studios dripping blood and shouting 'I am The Bill'

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/09/21/reg-ran-up-and-down-the-studios-dripping-blood-and-shouting-i-am-the-bill-115875-21689201/

Tomorrow's gripping instalment goes by the title: Punch-ups, prostitutes and the day I made a real arrest

Friday 18 September 2009

Jeff Stewart

REMEMBER Jeff Stewart, of course you do, good old PC Reg Hollis.

Well, he makes a guest appearance in Swedish pop band Miike Snow’s video for their new release Black & Blue.

The 52-year-old actor is almost unrecognisable in the video sporting the mop-top and bushy beard he has grown since leaving Sun Hill last year.

Check him out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oKQSAt4c4c