The Bill is a long-running British television police procedural television series which ran from 16 August 1983 to the show's cancellation on 31 August 2010, named after a slang term for the police. The characters are all police officers or civilian staff at the fictional Sun Hill police station in London.

Senior officers The following actors appeared as senior officers in The Bill. Simon Rouse, as Jack Meadows, appeared in 884 episodes, including the series finale "Respect", aired on 31 August 2010. He is the longest serving actor to portray a character in a senior role. Andrew Lancel, as Neil Manson, and Alex Walkinshaw, as "Smithy", also appeared in the series finale. The character of DI Roy Galloway appeared in the pilot episode, "Woodentop", aired on 16 August 1983, played by Robert Pugh. This character would go on to be portrayed by John Salthouse from 1984.

Notable senior officers Peter Ellis played Chief Superintendent Charles Brownlow from the start of the series in 1984 to 2000, when the character tendered his resignation in light of the Don Beech scandal. He was emphatically the longest serving station commander after serving for 16 years, with Adam Okaro a distant second with 4 years. He made a guest appearance in 2002 to attend the funerals of the six officers killed in the station fire. Cyril Nri played Superintendent Adam Okaro from 2002 to 2006, initially replacing the deceased Tom Chandler as Superintendent before accepting a promotion to Borough Commander in 2006. He was the highest ranking black officer in the series' history. Christopher Ellison appeared intermittently between 1984 and 2000 as Frank Burnside. A majority of his time on screen was as a DI; however, he was a DS when he first appeared, and had become a DCI by the time he left. Ellison's popularity as the rogue officer led to an ill-fated spinoff Burnside after his exit in 2000 which lasted for one series. Lisa Maxwell played DI Samantha Nixon from 2002 to 2009, when the character transferred to the child exploitation unit. Roberta Taylor played Inspector Gina Gold from 2002 to 2008, the character leaving due to the stress of the job. Simon Rouse played Detective Chief Inspector/Superintendent Jack Meadows from 1992 until the series finale. He was the longest-serving character to appear in the finale. He was with the show for 20 years; however, he was a guest character in 1990 and 1991. Colin Tarrant played Inspector Andrew Monroe from 1990 to 2002, replacing Christine Frazer. He appeared in over 700 episodes, more than any other high-ranking uniform officer. Only Simon Rouse as Jack Meadows had more appearances by a senior officer during the series' history. The character was killed in the Sun Hill explosion in 2002. Ben Roberts played Chief Inspector Derek Conway from 1988 to 2002. He was the second-longest serving uniform manager, with his 14 years only eclipsed by the 16 years of Charles Brownlow. The character was killed by Jeff Simpson in a drive-by petrol bomb attack. Alex Walkinshaw played Dale "Smithy" Smith from 1999 until the series finale. Walkinshaw had made three one-off appearances in the series before becoming a regular member of the cast. He returned to the show in 2003, having been a PC between 1999 and 2001, by then promoted to Sergeant. He spent six years as a Sergeant, taking centre stage in several major storylines; they included the death of two lovers, one of which led to a false imprisonment, while he was stabbed on duty in his later days as a Sergeant. During the 2009 revamp, he was promoted to Inspector, holding that rank until the show ceased production in 2010.

Overview Character Actor Duration Episodes Ranks Adam Okaro Cyril Nri 2002–2006 204 Supt (2002–2006); Ch Supt (Borough Cmdr) (2006) Charles Brownlow Peter Ellis 1984–2000 346 Ch Supt Jack Meadows Simon Rouse 1990–2010 (recurring 1990–1992)884 DSI (1990–1992); DCI (1992–2009); Supt (2009–2010) Kim Reid Carolyn Pickles 1990–1992 53 DCI (1990–1992); Det Supt (1992) John Heaton Daniel Flynn 2006–2009 132 Supt Tom Chandler Steven Hartley 2000–2002 115 Derek Conway Ben Roberts 1988–2002 402 Ch Insp (1988–2002); A/Supt (1994–1996) Philip Cato Philip Whitchurch 1993–1995 77 Ch Insp Frank Burnside Christopher Ellison 1984–1986, 1988–1993, 1998–2000 250 DS (1984–1986); DI (1988–1993); DCI (1998–2000) Neil Manson Andrew Lancel 2003–2010 275 DI (2003–2010); A/DCI (2005) Samantha Nixon Lisa Maxwell 2002–2009 281 DS (2002, 2003–2007); A/DI (2002–2003); DI (2007–2009) Chris Deakin Shaun Scott 1994–2000 265 DS (1994–1995); A/DI (1995); DI (1995–2000) Liz Rawton Libby Davison 1996–1999 135 DC (1996–1999); DS (2000); DI (2001) Alex Cullen Ged Simmons 2000–2002 80 DI Sally Johnson Jaye Griffiths 1993–1995 70 DS (1993); DI (1994–1995); PI (2003) Roy Galloway John Salthouse 1984–1987 35 DI Claire Stanton Clara Salaman 1999–2000 33 DS (1999–2000); DI (2001) Dale "Smithy" Smith Alex Walkinshaw 1999–2001, 2003–2010 387 PC (1999–2001); Sgt (2003–2009); Insp (2009–2010) Andrew Monroe Colin Tarrant 1990–2002 704 Insp Gina Gold Roberta Taylor 2002–2008 344 Christine Frazer Barbara Thorn 1988–1990 61 Rachel Weston Claire Goose 2008–2009 41 Sgt (2008); Insp (2008–2009)

Senior officers timeline Character Years 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10Superintendents Ch Supt Charles Brownlow Supt Jack Meadows Det Supt Supt Det Supt Kim Reid A/Supt Derek Conway A/Supt Supt Tom Chandler Supt Adam Okaro Supt John Heaton Chief Inspectors Ch Insp Derek Conway Ch Insp Philip Cato Detective Chief Inspectors DCI Kim Reid DCI Frank Burnside DCI Jack Meadows Inspectors Insp Christine Frazer Insp Andrew Monroe Insp Gina Gold Insp Rachel Weston Insp Dale Smith Detective Inspectors DI Roy Galloway DI Frank Burnside DI Sally Johnson DI Chris Deakin DI Alex Cullen DI Liz Rawton DI Claire Stanton DI Samantha Nixon A/DI DI Neil Manson

Sergeants

The following actors portrayed Sergeants and Detective Sergeants. Both of the series' original lead actors, Trudie Goodwin and Mark Wingett, portrayed Sergeants, with Goodwin appearing in 978 episodes as Sergeant June Ackland, and Wingett appearing in 784 episodes as DS Jim Carver. Sally Rogers, Sam Callis, Christopher Fox and Lucy Speed, as Sergeants Jo Masters, Callum Stone, Max Carter, and Stevie Moss, respectively, appeared in the series finale "Respect". Eric Richard's role as Sergeant Bob Cryer was widely lauded as the standout performance on The Bill. Sergeant Matthew Boyden, played by Tony O'Callaghan, is notable as the murder of his character launched the spin-off series Murder Investigation Team in 2003.

Notable sergeants Billy Murray appeared in The Bill between 1995 and 2000, playing DS Don Beech. He spent five years at Sun Hill, eventually going on the run after accidentally killing DS John Boulton when his corruption caught up with him. He was involved in a six-part mini-series, Beech is Back, after a 90-minute special aired in Australia in 2001, eventually being jailed for murder by Boulton's former fiancée, Claire Stanton. Beech made six guest appearances in 2004 before escaping from prison. Tony O'Callaghan played Sgt Matt Boyden for 12 years, from 1991 to 2003. Boyden was involved in several major storylines including two relationships with underage girls, and a long-running plot involving his daughter Amy's drug addiction, a recurring storyline that led to the character's death when Boyden was shot dead by his daughter's boyfriend so that she could profit from Boyden's life insurance. Tony O'Callaghan also appeared in an earlier episode as a criminal (series 5 episode 81). Eric Richard played Sgt Bob Cryer from 1984 to 2004, holding the record for the show's longest serving Sergeant (17 years). The character retired in 2001 when he was accidentally shot by then PC Dale Smith; however, he made a number of recurring appearances between 2002 and 2004. Tony Scannell played DS Ted Roach from 1984 to 1993, when the character left Sun Hill after punching Inspector Andrew Monroe. He made two guest appearances in 2000 before the character was killed off-screen in 2004. Trudie Goodwin played June Ackland from 1983 to 2007, appearing first in Woodentop. She began as a WPC before promotion to Sergeant in 1996, holding that rank until the character retired in 2007, having fallen in love with school teacher Rod Jessop (Richard Hope). Ackland's storylines included being targeted by an assassin, being wrongfully arrested for corruption, marrying long-term friend DC Jim Carver, being the target of an elaborate revenge plot by PC Gabriel Kent, and being critically injured in a collision with the station's area car. When Goodwin left The Bill in 2007 she was not only the longest serving cast member in the history of The Bill, but also held the world record for the longest time an actor has portrayed a police character.

Overview Character Actor Duration Episodes Ranks June Ackland Trudie Goodwin 1983–2007 978 PC (1984–1996); Sgt (1996–2007) Jo Masters Sally Rogers 2005–2010 177 DC (2005–2010); Sgt (2010) Callum Stone Sam Callis 2007–2010 100 Sgt Bob Cryer Eric Richard 1984–2004 789 Matt Boyden Tony O'Callaghan 1991–2003 702 Alec Peters Larry Dann 1984–1992, 2004 173 Tom Penny Roger Leach 1984–1990 141 Ray Steele Robert Perkins 1993–1996 136 Craig Gilmore Hywel Simons 2001–2003 101 John Maitland Sam Miller 1990–1993 80 Nikki Wright Gillian Taylforth 2006–2008 56 Joseph Corrie Roland Oliver 1990-1991 10 Diane Noble Kaye Wragg 2006–2009 61 PC (2006–2009); Sgt (2009) Sheelagh Murphy Bernie Nolan 2003–2005 119 Sgt (2003–2004); PC (2004–2005) Yvonne Hemmingway Michele Austin 2003–2006 157 PC/ (2003–2006); A/Sgt (2004, 2005); Sgt (2006) Max Carter Christopher Fox 2007–2010 69 DS Rosie Fox Caroline Catz 1998–2000 10 PC (1998); DS (1999–2000) Alistair Greig Andrew Mackintosh 1989–1998 288 DS Stevie Moss Lucy Speed 2008–2010 62 DC (2008–2009); DS (2009–2010) Phil Hunter Scott Maslen 2002–2007 240 DS Ted Roach Tony Scannell 1984–1993 210 Debbie McAllister Natalie Roles 2000–2004 192 Don Beech Billy Murray 1995–2000 186 Mike Dashwood Jon Iles 1984–1992 155 DC (1984–1992); DS (1996) John Boulton Russell Boulter 1995–2000 138 DC (1994); DS (1995–2000) Geoff Daly Ray Ashcroft 1996–2000 115 DS Danny Pearce Martin Marquez 1993–1995 80 Jo Morgan Mary Jo Randle 1993–1995 62 DC (1993); DS (1993–1995) Vik Singh Raji James 2000–2002 43 DS Stuart Turner Doug Rao 2006–2009 108 DC (2006); DS (2006–2009) Ramani DeCosta Thusitha Jayasundera 2003–2006 92 DC (2003); DS (2003–2006); A/DI (2005)

Sergeants timeline Character Years 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10Sergeant A Sgt Bob Cryer Sgt Craig Gilmore Sgt Dale Smith Sgt Jo Masters Sergeant B Sgt Tom Penny Sgt John Maitland Sgt Ray Steele Sgt June Ackland Sgt Callum Stone Sergeant C Sgt Alec Peters Sgt Matthew Boyden Sgt Sheelagh Murphy Sgt Yvonne Hemmingway A/Sgt Sgt Nikki Wright Sgt Rachel Weston Sgt Diane Noble Detective Sergeant A DS Ted Roach DS Danny Pearce DS John Boulton DS Debbie McAllister Detective Sergeant B DS Frank Burnside DS Alistair Greig DS Claire Stanton DS Vik Singh DS Phil Hunter DS Max Carter Detective Sergeant C DS Jo Morgan DS Geoff Daly DS Samantha Nixon Detective Sergeant D DS Chris Deakin DS Don Beech DS Ramani De Costa DS Stuart Turner DS Stevie Moss

Detective constables