The Bill (mostly the pre-soap decent episodes) on UK TV play

[dontpaintyourteeth]

It was only good when Tosh Lines was in it

[Fambo Number Mive]

I can picture this and it was a disused factory site I think that had skateboarders or BMXers also playing there. Isn't Steve newly qualified or they have a new area car? It doesn't come out of nowhere.

It might also be Chekhov's area car in that the Sunhill boys ultimately beat the  Barton Street (surely) boys in a real life moment. With an area car.

Have got a minor obsession with finding and watching this ep now you have mentioned it. What brought it to mind @Fambo Number Mive ?

I've thought about it quite a lot on and off over the past year, I quite like episodes where Sun Hill interact with the other stations. I've had a look on the Billaton (http://thebillaton.uk/) but am struggling to find it.

[Fambo Number Mive]

It was quite disconcerting watching old Series 8-9 of The Bill and seeing my old neighbourhood on there.

Was that in South London? I seem to recall a lot of the Bill was filmed there.

[Des Wigwam]

It was quite disconcerting watching old Series 8-9 of The Bill and seeing my old neighbourhood on there.

Disconcerting? Seeing somewhere I know on the TV is one of the greatest things ever! Am currently watching Boon on ITVX - on ep3 now - and it's all 80s Edgbaston or Digbeth. Splendid.

[Edit - Digbeth autocorrects to Diabetes - just not quite funny enough to leave as is]

[Camp Tramp]

Was that in South London? I seem to recall a lot of the Bill was filmed there.

They filmed a lot in Sutton. I used to live on the St Helier estate in Carshalton/Morden, yet to see my actual road but I live in hope.

[Gurke and Hare]

In the early and mid- periods the location footage tended to be almost exclusively near where the current station set was located, so north-west inner London at first, around the Ladbroke Grove area, and subsequently around Morden/Wimbledon with occasional trips to Croydon - the market that some scenes happen in is Surrey Street Market in Croydon. the last few series though, they go hog wild and from being the force for an area of a fictional East London borough they become the force for pretty much anywhere from Tower Bridge to London City Airport, both of which are referenced by name and are far too distant that they'd be policed from a single station. The location changes are quite jarring sometimes too - the one I watched yesterday had them take a call in Abbotsbury Road in Morden and head to an incident at Royal Victoria Dock on the other side of London where someone was threatening to jump from a footbridge into "the river" despite it being very obvious to anyone watching that the bridge isn't over a river.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I wonder if anyone's ever tried to make a map of Canley based on how it's described in the Bill. The main fictional locations I can remember are the Hoxton Road, Jasmine Allen Estate and Canley Fields. 

[Gurke and Hare]

I wonder if anyone's ever tried to make a map of Canley based on how it's described in the Bill. The main fictional locations I can remember are the Hoxton Road, Jasmine Allen Estate and Canley Fields. 

They've tried, but nobody that they sent to survey Canley Fields came back alive.

[George White]

I had to look up Harry Haines. Yep, completely forgottable. Surprising as that actor can do menace pretty well and has a presence.

IAP2 builder is in Saved - S13e11 on catch up. Appears about a minute in as en ex colleague trying to recruit Jim to a private security gig. They talk unconvincingly about "blonde pieces" and other past legendary escapades for about 20 seconds to establish their rapport.

The episode goes on to revolve around a young tom they nick on a raid who is from Leicester but has a curious home counties accent. They don't explore her back story enough to explain this.

Why is the slang they use so awkward? Did I just not notice it at the time or has a lot of it just dropped out of use?

HarryHaines now runs a pub in Temple Bar...

[zip o lightning]

It's so long since I've seen the early Bill episodes, but was there ever an episode where Chief Superintendent Brownlow referred to the time he met an American tourist mass murderer in Trafalgar Square?

Werewolves being real in the Bill universe could have opened up so many plotlines.

[BlodwynPig]

wooah!

https://youtu.be/iKDVXlCFwxI?t=156

[Fambo Number Mive]

Been thinking about PC Francis "Taffy" Edwards, whom the relief hated, partly because he moaned a lot but there also seemed to be a lot of anti-Welsh prejudice among characters in the Bill. Tony Stamp openly hated the Welsh at one point.

And when he transferred back to South Wales all the relief wanted to see if he had any spare articles of uniform. I remember Reg Hollis asking for short sleeved shirts.

Poor Edwards.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Tosh Lines

He's our Sippowicz.

[Gurke and Hare]

They're putting all the old ones back up - the first five series are there again now.

[Gurke and Hare]

Into the home straight now. Just got to the point where they make the insane decision to change the theme music. Why would you do that, it's one of the absolute signature aspects of the show. Also, and more actually damaging is the introduction of incidental music, and it's the worst type of "Be sad now!" incidental music.

Also, a couple of characters left and to replace their ranks they just went "Well, we'll make him an inspector and her a sergeant." which I'm pretty sure isn't how it works in the police.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Watching Series 2 Episode 3 and Sergeant Penny is smoking a pipe. Different world.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Series 6-9 up there now as well as 1-5.

[Fambo Number Mive]

My favourite episode of the Bill, Roger and Out (S5 E112) is up there. Other great episodes are Double Trouble (S3 E8), I Thought You'd Gone (S5 E108), Market Forces (S6 E52), Now We're Motoring (S6 E87), Hijack (S7 E7), A Can of WOrms (S7 E95) and Punch Drunk (S9 E28).

What are your favourite episodes of the Bill?

[LordMorgan]

They're putting all the old ones back up - the first five series are there again now.

Putting them up where ?

[jamiefairlie]

Putting them up where ?

His godamm ass!

[Gurke and Hare]

His godamm ass!

Alright Starsky.

UKTV Play.

[LordMorgan]

My favourite episode of the Bill, Roger and Out (S5 E112) is up there. Other great episodes are Double Trouble (S3 E8), I Thought You'd Gone (S5 E108), Market Forces (S6 E52), Now We're Motoring (S6 E87), Hijack (S7 E7), A Can of WOrms (S7 E95) and Punch Drunk (S9 E28).

What are your favourite episodes of the Bill?

I'm going to rinse all of these
Thank you

My favourite as mentioned is the David tennant episode.
He was super creepy. It was an hour long episode , and it was tense to find the missing girl

I would highly reccomend

[Camp Tramp]

(S07E31) Caught Napping which is a continuation of (S06E103) Safe As Houses.

The first episode is a protection episode, the follow-up deals with the fallout from it.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Great shout, gave these a watch last night and both of them were excellent.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Watching S7EP32. "If it looks like he's clocked you, give him a tug" made me smile. Probably belongs in the childish thread to be fair.

[Camp Tramp]

(S07E98)On The Take.

Isn't mentioned as such, but could easily be a continuation of the last two stories I mentioned.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I love that episode, I'm surprised I didn't include it in my list.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I've just finished reading "Reaching a Verdict: Reviewing The Bill 1983-1989" by Edward Kellett. Wonderful look at the first few series of the Bill, really enjoyed it.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Just remembered another one of my favourite episodes with some very (intentionally) silly bits mixed with some real grimness - S9 Ep4 High Hopes and Low Life.

Always fascinated by the use of comedy in serious drama.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Is Mike Jarvis the tallest character who was a police officer in the Bill? And Beth Green the smallest?