The (Old) Bill

33 years after it began, familiar faces from hit police drama reunite

FOR 26 years it was one of the nation’s best-loved TV dramas, following the lives of officers at Sun Hill police station in East London.

Now some memorable faces from The Bill have reunited to mark the return of the hit crime series to British screens.

All 2,421 episodes of the ITV show, which ran continuously from 1984 until 2010, will be shown by UKTV’s Drama channel.

Yesterday six cast members came together to share memories alongside a 1990s Vauxhall Vectra police car used in the series.

Among them was Trudie Goodwin, 65, who played Sergeant June Ackland from 1984 until 2007.

She said: ‘If the Drama channel re-run is going to take another 26 years, let’s hope we’re all still here so we can come back in 2043 and celebrate The Bill once more.’

The show won a Bafta in 2009 for best continuing drama and was notable for featuring early parts for actors including Keira Knightley, Sean Bean and David Tennant.

Mark Wingett, 56, who played DS Jim Carver, said: ‘It was a wonderful thing to be part of, particularly because we were custodians of our characters, who we knew so well, and if we disagreed with the script we could make suggestions that would be used.’

Also at the reunion were Eric Richard, Graham Cole, Lisa Maxwell and Chris Simmons. The Bill will air from noon on weekdays from August 14 on Drama.

1 CHRIS SIMMONS

The 42-year-old found fame as cocky and ambitious detective constable Mickey Webb in The Bill, starring in 334 episodes between 2003 and 2010.

After leaving, he made guest appearances in BBC dramas Casualty, Doctors and EastEnders and has also performed in pantomimes in recent years.

2 LISA MAXWELL

She played Samantha Nixon, a formidable officer who went on to become a detective inspector, from 2002.

She stayed on The Bill until 2009 when she quit for the sake of her health because of the long hours. The 53-year-old revealed she had suffered two miscarriages the previous year.

After leaving The Bill she became a regular panellist on ITV’s lunchtime chat show Loose Women, but quit in 2014 claiming ‘it’s not the same show’ as when she joined.

Miss Maxwell married her long- term partner Paul Jessup in 2014. The couple have a 17-year-old daughter, Beau.

3 MARK WINGETT

Wingett starred in the firstever episode of The Bill and continued in the role of Jim Carver for 787 episodes until 2007. The 56-year-old was central to several major plotlines, including his character’s struggles with alcoholism, gambling and as a victim of domestic violence.

Since leaving the show he has appeared in BBC daytime series Missing and has also directed several theatre productions.

He has a daughter and a stepson with long-term partner Sharon Martin, a make-up artist. The couple split for a short period in 2000 after it was discovered Wingett was having an affair with an extra from The Bill.

4 TRUDIE GOODWIN

She played Sergeant June Ackland from 1984 to 2007, which included a short marriage to her on-screen colleague Jim Carver.

After leaving the show, the 65year-old took on the role of Georgia Sharma in ITV soap Emmerdale between 2011 and 2015.

She has been married to her husband Kit Jackson since 1979. They have two daughters Jessica, 33, and 29-year-old Elly, who is part of the Grammy-winning pop duo La Roux.

GRAHAM COLE

The show’s longest-serving actor, he appeared in more than 1,100 episodes as PC Tony Stamp for 25 years from 1984 to 2009.

Before The Bill he had uncredited roles as various monsters in Doctor Who, while since leaving he has performed in numerous pantomimes.

In 2010, he was awarded an OBE for his work with charities, including ChildLine and the Voluntary Police Cadets. The 65-year-old has a grown-up son and daughter, Matthew and Laura, with his wife of 28 years Cherry.

ERIC RICHARD

He starred as desk sergeant Bob Cryer from the show’s inception in 1984 until 2004. He has since appeared in BBC dramas Casualty and Holby City and this year had a small role in Christopher Nolan’s war epic Dunkirk.

The 77-year-old celebrated his 30th wedding anniversary with wife Tina last year. In 2004 his twomonth-old grandson Charlie became the youngest known victim of the Asian tsunami. The baby died in his father’s arms after being hit by a wave on holiday in Sri Lanka.

‘A wonderful thing to be part of’