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Remaking the old Bill

Sam Callis as Sergeant Callum Stone in The Bill
  • Posted at 5:55pm
  • 28 July 2009
  • by WilliamGallagher-RT
  • 3 comments

The Bill has radically regenerated - and the gamble paid off for the first of its new, slicker, faster-paced and post-watershed episodes as a healthy 4.5 million viewers tuned in.

It's still The Bill at heart - the stories and the core of the long-running hit haven't been touched, but everything else was up for grabs.

Even the famous theme wasn't sacred: executive producer Johnathan Young says replacing it was a hard decision but that the team had also considered having no theme tune at all. Everything to do with the look and the feel of the show was re-examined and ultimately changed for its move into the post-watershed world.

It feels like a film: night-time driving shots are moodily lit and expensive-looking. The pace isn't quite as staccato, there's a rhythm to it, and that's underscored by the under scoring: incidental music has been added to take away the documentary feel of the old show.

Missed it? Can't wait for the next one? Take a peek at the new-look show with clips on the official The Bill site. Unfortunately The Bill isn't available to watch in full on the ITV Player, but use Radio Times online to see when new episodes are on ITV1 and when they'll be repeated on ITV3.

There's no turning your back on the old-style The Bill: take a look at the show's quite incredible range of star turns, the very top TV and film actors who got their start in the cop show that has been on our screens and part of our lives since 1983.

But as all fans know, assembling the evidence and collaring the suspects isn't the end of the tale: it can all come down to the opinion and the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service.

This time you're the CPS: what's your verdict on the revamped The Bill? Post a comment below and let us know.

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Comments

  • Posted on 07 September 2009
  • at 8:59pm
  • by Nicola

The Bill moves with the times and the storylines are good. However, I do miss the old theme tune but the show is repeated on Watch and Alibi

  • Posted on 31 July 2009
  • at 10:26pm
  • by James

Yeah great new look, but why change the theme tune??

  • Posted on 29 July 2009
  • at 8:30pm
  • by Tim

Great gritty new look ... shame that the old theme tune has disappeared !!!

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