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Why I Love...The Bill

Cast members of The Bill
  • Posted at 5:16am
  • 15 March 2007
  • by DavidWhitehouse-RT
  • 5 comments

Now let's not go over the top here. State-enforced, compulsory watching of The Bill - a system whereby all under 18s spend an hour every Thursday under armed guard having their eyes held open by Clockwork Orange-style forceps - probably isn't the key to building a crime-free utopia. But it should be!

The Bill, you see, is the single most true-to-life, realistic and downright educational series on British TV, and that includes David Attenborough's wildlife documentaries (which, while great, are only really true to life if you're a chimp, or David Attenborough).

Want your children to learn right from wrong, or at least avoid that awkward pubescent bit where shoplifting seems like a good idea? Then stick them in front of The Bill. It should be on the National Curriculum.

American cop shows like CSI: Wherever or The Wire might be excellent, but they're far removed from modern everyday British existence. With their organised cartels and hitmen, these shows are about as reflective of our experiences of crime as the episode of The Chuckle Brothers where Paul and Barry get an allotment is of our experience of gardening.

In other native efforts meanwhile, like the dire Mersey Beat, it seems like the murders taking place are just inconvenient distractions for the attractive police officers who otherwise would be having loads of sex with each other in the toilets of trendy bars.

The Bill mixes business with pleasure too of course; it would hardly succeed if it pretended its officers didn't have a social life after all.

But there is nothing of the Hollywood about it. Who can forget DC Jim Carver fishing through the Sun Hill bins for more booze? Or DI Burns's breakdown? Or PC June Ackland snogging Mark Fowler from EastEnders before he turned out to be a mentalist who enjoyed pretending to be her son?

In fact, with Corrie fast becoming a slapstick half-hour and EastEnders a morgue, The Bill is closer to us (except maybe for that bit about the incest) than any other series on TV. It certainly influences our impressions of British policing more than anything else, including the actual police.

The classic British copper isn't the chiseled superman we're wanted to believe in. It's PC Tony Stamp waddling across the road to help a confused pensioner, or PC Reg Hollis, the only man on TV whose face looks like it could fold into something else entirely, moving a drunk along the street.

Kind of makes you want to leave your front door unlocked, doesn't it? Kind of.

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Comments

  • Posted on 21 December 2008
  • at 1:26pm
  • by saucy

i love the bill

  • Posted on 29 November 2008
  • at 11:10am
  • by Anna

I loved the bill since PC Luke Ashton was in it, I had quite an obbession with him, but now I really love Srgt Dale Smithy, I think he should be involved in the storylines more, I am writing a letter to the show and I am giving them a new storyline, where Srgt Dale Smithy is in charge of a new trainee recruit called Josie McKenize, and they have to assist to an unstable father whose just stabbed himself after learning he has lost custody to his two kids, Josie tries to do first aid on him but looses and holds her and Dale captive in his home. Inspector Rachel Weston soon finds that Dale and Josie havent come back from their patrol and asks CID Will Fletcher to do a search on them, he discovers that Dale has abondeded his car outside an house, and also hears screams he fears the worst. Will reckons that Josie and Dale are hostages in the house, and tries to get Dale on the radio, which makes the father more paranoid and takes Josie as the final ransom deal. Will rescues Dale, and both of them rush to get to Josie where the father has her at the egde of the tower block with a bomb, he threatens that if either of them move the bomb will go off, Dale plays the hero of the hour, and to his horror the father jumps of the roof taking Josie with him, but Dale manages to grab hold of her and pulls her back to safety, Will discards of the bomb and tells the bad news of the mother. Hopefully they'll like it! I ceritinaly do, what do you all think?

  • Posted on 26 November 2008
  • at 5:39pm
  • by Patty O'Heater

The Bill is excellent. The only problem is the character Beth. The actress - and I use the word in its loosest sense - is not up to anything like the standard of the rest of the cast. She has 2 facial expressions, bemused or smug grin. I have yet to see her deliver more than 2 sentences consecutively, which leads me to believe that she is incapable of remembering her lines. I thought that there were minimum height requirements for the police. The costume department cannot even get a uniform small enough - she just looks swamped by the uniform. Whoever approved her for the show should hang their head in shame! Apart from that, the show is excellent.

  • Posted on 07 February 2008
  • at 1:43pm
  • by MOTC

I think that The Bill is great! Luckily, the random background music was only shown on the Romanian special!

by Guest Thu 15 March 2007, 5:16am

Strange but I thought that was one of the Bill’s finer moments, amazing that the episodes should be filmed on location in Romania with excellent production techniques and the music gave the whole thing a real film style feel. Other than the content I do really like the way this program is produced incorporating many different styles.

  • Posted on 28 November 2007
  • at 2:27pm
  • by highwaybrenton

I think The Bill is a amazing programme my favioute tv programme of all time. I am 20 years old and i been weatching The Bill Since I was little about 5 years old and I am a Huge The Bill fans

The main Reason why The Bill is the Storylines,Laws we all must follow, Great Drama. The Law is really important and watching The Bill makes me more happy.

Also in my Mind, Young man like me should be happy to go out with police ladies. so you know the age is over 18 years old and to share and Discover then Law.

I just Want to say i would love The Bill to be Adverting on Cinemas and posters across The Uk to attract more The Bill fans and to make people people watch The Bill

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