The Bill: Difference between revisions
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'''''The Bill''''' <!-- The Bill |
'''''The Bill''''' <!-- The Bill was a [[police procedural]] television series that was broadcast on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, entitled ''[[Woodentop (The Bill)|Woodentop]]'', which was broadcast in August 1983. In its final year on air, ''The Bill'' was broadcast once a week, usually on Tuesdays or Thursdays, in a one-hour format. The programme focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work. At the time of the series' conclusion, ''The Bill'' was the longest-running [[police procedural]] [[Television in the United Kingdom|television]] series in the [[United Kingdom]], and was among the longest-running of any British television series. The series was produced by [[Thames Television]]. The series name originated from "Old Bill", a [[List of police-related slang terms|slang term for the police]]. This was also [[Geoff McQueen]]'s original title idea for the series, before he eventually decided on "The Bill". |
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Although highly acclaimed amongst fans and critics alike, the series attracted controversy on several occasions. An episode broadcast in 2008 was criticised for featuring fictional treatment for [[multiple sclerosis]], and another episode in the same year resulted in [[litigation]], submitted by [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] [[George Galloway]] for [[defamation]]. The series has also faced more general criticism, concerning the levels of violence it portrays, particularly prior to 2009, when it occupied a [[watershed (television)|pre-watershed]] slot. During its time on air, ''The Bill'' won [[List of Awards of The Bill|several awards]], including [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]]s, a [[Writers' Guild of Great Britain]] award and the title of "best drama" at the [[Inside Soap Awards#2009|Inside Soap Awards]] in 2009, the latter being the series' fourth consecutive win. Throughout its twenty-seven-year run, the programme was always broadcast on the main ITV network. In later years, episodes of the show were repeated on [[ITV3]] on their week of broadcast. The series has also been repeated on other digital stations, including [[UKTV Gold]], [[Alibi]], [[Watch (TV channel)|Watch]] and [[UKTV G2]]. In March 2010, executives at ITV announced that the network did not intend to recommission ''The Bill'', and that filming on the series would cease on 14 June 2010. The last ever episode of the series was aired on 31 August 2010. |
Although highly acclaimed amongst fans and critics alike, the series attracted controversy on several occasions. An episode broadcast in 2008 was criticised for featuring fictional treatment for [[multiple sclerosis]], and another episode in the same year resulted in [[litigation]], submitted by [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] [[George Galloway]] for [[defamation]]. The series has also faced more general criticism, concerning the levels of violence it portrays, particularly prior to 2009, when it occupied a [[watershed (television)|pre-watershed]] slot. During its time on air, ''The Bill'' won [[List of Awards of The Bill|several awards]], including [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]]s, a [[Writers' Guild of Great Britain]] award and the title of "best drama" at the [[Inside Soap Awards#2009|Inside Soap Awards]] in 2009, the latter being the series' fourth consecutive win. Throughout its twenty-seven-year run, the programme was always broadcast on the main ITV network. In later years, episodes of the show were repeated on [[ITV3]] on their week of broadcast. The series has also been repeated on other digital stations, including [[UKTV Gold]], [[Alibi]], [[Watch (TV channel)|Watch]] and [[UKTV G2]]. In March 2010, executives at ITV announced that the network did not intend to recommission ''The Bill'', and that filming on the series would cease on 14 June 2010. The last ever episode of the series was aired on 31 August 2010. |
Revision as of 08:30, 17 September 2013
The Bill | |
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![]() An image from the final opening title sequence of The Bill. | |
Genre | Police procedural Drama |
Created by | Geoff McQueen |
Starring | Main cast |
Theme music composer | Andy Pask Charlie Morgan |
Composer | Simba Studios |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 26 |
No. of episodes | 2400[1] (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Lloyd Shirley (1984–87) Peter Cregeen (1987–89) Michael Chapman (1989–98) Richard Handford (1998–2002) Chris Parr (2002) Paul Marquess (2002–05) Johnathan Young (2005–10) |
Production locations | London, England |
Running time | 22–4 minutes (commercial ½ hour w/1 break) 42–6 minutes (as of 2010) (commercial hour w/3 breaks) |
Production companies | Thames Television (1984-2001) Talkback Thames (2002-2010) |
Original release | |
Network | ITV |
Release | 16 October 1984 31 August 2010 | –
Related | |
The Bill
- ^ "The Bill cast fight back tears as they film show's 2,400th, and final, episode". Daily Mail. London: Associated Newspapers. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
Categories:
- Use British English from February 2011
- Use dmy dates from November 2012
- 1984 British television programme debuts
- 2010 British television programme endings
- 1980s British television series
- 1990s British television series
- 2000s British television series
- 2010s British television series
- British crime television series
- ITV television dramas
- Police procedural television series
- Television series by FremantleMedia
- Television shows set in London
- The Bill