List of The Bill characters

The Bill is a long-running British television police procedural television series, 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.

Main cast and characters

The following cast members were part of the original cast, appearing in the pilot episode "Woodentop".

Character	Actor	Duration	Episodes	Ranks
June Ackland	Trudie Goodwin	1983-2007	882	P.C./Sergeant
Jim Carver	Mark Wingett	1983-2005	720	P.C./D.C./D.S.
Francis "Taffy" Edwards	Colin Blumenau	1983-1990	111	P.C.
Dave Litten	Gary Olsen	1983-1986	12	P.C.

The following cast members were part of the final cast, appearing in the series 26 finale "Respect, Part 2".

Character	Actor	Duration	Episodes	Ranks
Jack Meadows	Simon Rouse	1990-2010	842	D.S.I./D.C.I./Superintendent
Dale "Smithy" Smith	Alex Walkinshaw	1999-2010	388	P.C./Sergeant/Inspector
Mickey Webb	Chris Simmons	2000-2010	333	D.S./D.C.
Neil Manson	Andrew Lancel	2003-2010	275	D.I.
Terry Perkins	Bruce Byron	2003-2010	210	D.C.
Roger Valentine	John Bowler	2004-2010	227	P.C.
Jo Masters	Sally Rogers	2005-2010	177	D.C./Sergeant
Grace Dasari	Amita Dhiri	2007-2010	95	D.C.
Callum Stone	Sam Callis	2007-2010	100	D.S./Sergeant
Mel Ryder	Rhea Bailey	2008-2010	69	P.C.
Jacob Banks	Patrick Robinson	2008-2010	65	D.S.
Eddie Olosunje	Jason Barnett	2008-2010	71	C.S.E.
Leon Taylor	Dominic Power	2008-2010	70	P.C.
Stevie Moss	Lucy Speed	2008-2010	62	D.C./D.S.
Kirsty Knight	Sarah Manners	2010	19	P.C.

The following cast members portrayed characters who held ranks of Superintendent or higher, but appeared in neither the first nor final episodes of the series.

Character	Actor	Duration	Episodes	Ranks
Adam Okaro	Cyril Nri	2002-2006	204	Supt./Ch. Supt.
Charles Brownlow	Peter Ellis	1984-2002	346	Ch. Supt.
John Heaton	Daniel Flynn	2006-2009	132	Supt.
Tom Chandler	Steven Hartley	2000-2002	115	Supt.

Former cast

note: characters are ordered by rank, and sub-ordered by total number of episodes

Throughout its 27 years, The Bill featured a large ensemble including original cast members Trudie Goodwin and Mark Wingett, Lisa Maxwell who later appeared in Loose Women, the EastEnders stars Gillian Taylforth, Scott Maslen, Roberta Taylor, Todd Carty and Gary Lucy, the Australian actor Daniel MacPherson, the crime-drama and comedy star Caroline Catz, Emmerdale actress Natalie J. Robb and, as a special guest star, Serena Gordon.

Character	Episodes	Portrayer	Duration	Rank	Other Ranks
Derek Conway	402	Ben Roberts	1988–2002	Chief Inspector (Ch. Insp.)	Acting Superintendent (A./Supt.)
Frank Burnside	250	Christopher Ellison	1988–2000	Detective Chief Inspector (D.C.I.)	Detective Inspector (D.I.), Detective Sergeant (D.S.)
Kim Reid	39	Carolyn Pickles	1990–1992
Rowanne Morell	22	Tanya Franks	2004–2005
Andrew Ross	15	Ron Donachie	2002–2004
Gordon Wray	13	Clive Wood	1990		Detective Inspector (D.I.)
Philip Cato	69	Philip Whitchurch	1993–1995	Chief Inspector (Ch. Insp.)	Inspector (Insp.)
Paul Stritch	13	Mark Spalding	1995
Samantha Nixon	281	Lisa Maxwell	2001–2009	Detective Sergeant / Acting Detective Inspector / Detective Inspector (D.S/Act. D.I/D.I.)
Chris Deakin	265	Shaun Scott	1994–2000 Detective Sergeant / Acting Detective Inspector / Detective Inspector (D.S/Act D.I/D.I)
Liz Rawton	135	Libby Davison	1996–2001 Detective Constable / Detective Sergeant / Detective Inspector (D.C/D.S/D.I.)
Alex Cullen	80	Ged Simmons	2000–2002
Sally Johnson	70	Jaye Griffiths	1993, 1994-1995, 2003
Roy Galloway	35	John Salthouse	1984–1987
Claire Stanton	33	Clara Salaman	1999–2000, 2001
Harry Haines	15	Gary Whelan	1992–1995
Karen Lacy	4	Liz May Brice	2008
Andrew Monroe	584	Colin Tarrant	1990–2002	Inspector
Gina Gold	344	Roberta Taylor	2002–2008
Christine Frazer	61	Barbara Thorn	1988–1990
Rachel Weston	41	Claire Goose	2008–2009
Brian Kite	12	Simon Slater	1987
June Ackland	882	Trudie Goodwin	1983–2007	Sergeant
Bob Cryer	670	Eric Richard	1984–2001
Matthew Boyden	610	Tony O'Callaghan	1991–2003
Alec Peters	173	Larry Dann	1984–1992
Tom Penny	141	Roger Leach	1984–1990, 1991
Ray Steele	136	Robert Perkins	1993–1996
Sheelagh Murphy	119	Bernadette Nolan	2003–2005
Craig Gilmore	101	Hywel Simons	2001–2003
John Maitland	80	Sam Miller	1990–1993
Diane Noble	61	Kaye Wragg	2006–2008, 2009
Nikki Wright	56	Gillian Taylforth	2006–2008
Stuart Lamont	41	Steve Morley	1989–2001
Joseph Corrie	5	Roland Oliver	1990–1991
Jane Kendall	5	Liz Crowther	1993
Yvonne Hemmingway	298	Michele Austin	2003-2006	Acting Sergeant
Jim Carver	720	Mark Wingett	1983–2005	Detective Sergeant (D.S.)
Alistair Greig	288	Andrew Mackintosh	1989–1998
Phil Hunter	240	Scott Maslen	2002–2007
Ted Roach	210	Tony Scannell	1984–1993
Debbie McAllister	192	Natalie Roles	2000–2004
Don Beech	186	Billy Murray	1995–2000
Mike Dashwood	155	Jon Iles	1984–1992
John Boulton	138	Russell Boulter	1995–2000
Geoff Daly	115	Ray Ashcroft	1996–2000
Stuart Turner	108	Doug Rao	2006–2009
Ramani DeCosta	92	Thusitha Jayasundera	2003–2006
Danny Pearce	80	Martin Marquez	1993–1995
Jo Morgan	62	Mary Jo Randle	1993–1994, 1995
Vik Singh	43	Raji James	2000–2002
Alfred 'Tosh' Lines	383	Kevin Lloyd	1988–1998	Detective Constable (D.C.)
Rod Skase	245	Iain Fletcher	1994–2000
Suzi Croft	221	Kerry Peers	1993–1998
Viv Martella	203	Nula Conwell	1984–1993
Duncan Lennox	189	George Rossi	1998–2003
Alan Woods	173	Tom Cotcher	1992–1996
Will Fletcher	167	Gary Lucy	2005–2010
Gary Best	162	Ciarán Griffiths	2002–2005
Danny Glaze	157	Karl Collins	1999–2003
Ken Drummond	112	Russell Floyd	2002–2005
Tom Proctor	100	Gregory Donaldson	1997–2000
Kezia Walker	98	Cat Simmons	2006–2009
Eva Sharpe	91	Diane Parish	2002–2004
Tony 'Yorkie' Smith	83	Robert Hudson	1984–1989
Suzie Sim	83	Wendy Kweh	2004–2006
Kerry Holmes	80	Joy Brook	1998–2000
Zain Nadir	80	TJ Ramini	2005–2007
Brandon Kane	72	Pal Aron	2002–2004
Rob Thatcher	54	Brian Bovell	2003–2004
Kate Spears	41	Tania Emery	2000–2002
Paul Riley	39	Gary Grant	2000–2002
Juliet Becker	26	Rae Baker	2003
Tom Baker	10	Victor Gallucci	1990–2001
Gavin Ryan	3	Alan Bond-Ballard	1996
Lorna Hart	13	Siobhan Redmond	2006-2007	Crime Scene Examiner (C.S.E.)
Faye Donelly	1	Siobhan Reilly	2008
Rachel Inns	3	Amanda Abbington	2007	C.S.E. Photographer
Matt Hinckley	30	Mark Dexter	2006–2007	Senior Crown Prosecutor
Jonathan Fox	22	Larry Lamb	2004–2005
Dean McVerry	53	Luke Hamill	2003–2006	CAD Officer
Roberta Cryer	72	Moya Brady	2002–2003	Station Reception Officer (S.R.O.)/Front Desk Officer (F.D.O.)
Marilyn Chambers	64	Vickie Gates	2003–2005
Julian Tavell	32	Nick Patrick	2005–2006
Marion Layland	48	Susan Majolier	1988–1999	Senior Officers' Secretary
Colin Fairfax	8	Tim Steed	2005	PCSO
Mia Perry	22	Jo Anne Knowles	2006–2007	Press Officer
Rochelle Barrett	20	Anna Acton	2005	Drugs Referral Officer
Terry Knowles	4	Alex Avery	2001–2002	Special Constable
Reg Hollis	873	Jeff Stewart	1984–2008	Police Constable (P.C.)
Polly Page	540	Lisa Geoghan	1992–2004
Dan Casper	114	Chris Jarvis	2005–2007
Francis 'Taffy' Edwards	111	Colin Blumenau	1983–1990
Cathy Bradford	91	Connie Hyde	2002–2004
Nate Roberts	90	Ben Richards	2007–2010
Jamila Blake	82	Lolita Chakrabarti	1996–1999
Sally Armstrong	74	Ali Bastian	2007–2009
Roz Clarke	46	Holly Davidson	2000–2001
Robin Frank	41	Ashley Gunstock	1984–1989
Timothy Able	32	Mark Haddigan	1989–1990
Ruby Buxton	28	Nicola Alexis	2002–2003
Adam Bostock	21	Carl Brincat	1994
Dave Litten	12	Gary Olsen	1984–1986
Norika Datta		Seeta Indrani	1989-1998
Claire Brind		Kelly Lawrence	1988-1989
Andrea Dunbar		Natalie J. Robb	2004-2005
Suzanne Ford		Vicky Gee-Dare	1988-1992
Millie Brown		Clare Foster	2008-2009
Delia French		Natasha Williams	1990-1992
George Garfield		Huw Higginson	1989-1999
Beth Green		Louisa Lytton	2007-2009
Kerry Young		Beth Cordingly	2002-2004
Tony Stamp	1092	Graham Cole	1984-2009
Cameron Tait		Daniel MacPherson	2003-2004
Luke Ashton		Scott Neal	1997-1999 & 2002-2003
Gabriel Kent		Todd Carty	2003-2005
Honey Harman		Kim Tiddy	2003-2007
Emma Keane		Melanie Gutteridge	2006-2008
Arun Ghir		Abhin Galeya	2008-2009
Lewis Hardy		Aml Ameen	2006-2007
Steve Hunter		James Lloyd	2004-2006
Lance Powell		Ofo Uhiara	2004-2005

Character	Portrayer	Last Appearance (as Rank)
Gabriel Kent	Todd Carty	6 October 2005
Arun Ghir	Abhin Galeya	19 March 2009
Beth Green	Louisa Lytton	18 March 2009
Vicky Hagen	Samantha Robson	26 October 2001
Sam Harker	Matthew Crompton	18 April 2002
Donna Harris	Louise Harrison	27 February 1996
Lewis Hardy	Aml Ameen	19 July 2007
Malcolm Haynes	Eamonn Walker	22 August 1989
Honey Harman	Kim Tiddy	1 February 2007
Ben Hayward	Ben Peyton	16 April 2002
Yvonne Hemmingway	Michele Austin	15 November 2006
Steve Hunter	James Lloyd	12 April 2006
Mike Jarvis	Stephen Beckett	8 May 1998
Leela Kapoor	Seema Bowri	26 September 2007
Debbie Keane	Andrea Mason	22 September 1998
Emma Keane	Melanie Gutteridge	1 May 2008
Nick Klein	René Zagger	8 April 2004
Steve Loxton	Tom Butcher	14 November 1997
Amber Johannsen	Myfanwy Waring	29 December 2005
Abe Lyttleton	Ronnie Cush	10 February 1986
Cathy Marshall	Lynne Miller	19 January 1996
Garry McCann	Clive Wedderburn	12 December 2000
Ken Melvin	Mark Powley	22 May 1990
Pete Muswell	Ralph Brown	10 February 1986
Gemma Osbourne	Jane Danson	21 May 2003
Danesh Patel	Sonesh Sira	23 November 1987
Lance Powell	Ofo Uhiara	24 November 2005
Dave Quinnan	Andrew Paul	27 February 2002
Pete Ramsey	Nick Reding	25 July 1989
Luke Ashton	Scott Neal	18 June 2003
Cass Rickman	Suzanne Maddock	12 December 2002
Billy Rowan	Ben Lee	5 July 2007
Eddie Santini	Michael Higgs	2 April 2000
Nick Shaw	Chris Walker	7 December 1987
Nick Slater	Alan Westaway	31 October 1997
Ron Smollett	Nick Stringer	25 March 1993
Tony Stamp	Graham Cole	5 November 2009
Barry Stringer	Jonathan Dow	15 June 1993
Cameron Tait	Daniel MacPherson	22 July 2004
Des Taviner	Paul Usher	17 March 2004
Richard Turnham	Chris Humphreys	10 April 1990
Di Worrell	Jane Wall	16 April 2002
Phil Young	Arin Alldridge	31 October 1991
Kerry Young	Beth Cordingly	21 October 2004
Laura Bryant	Melanie Kilburn	25 May 2006

Recurring cast and characters

The following cast members portrayed characters who held ranks of Superintendent or higher. They appeared in a recurring capacity.

Character	Actor	Duration	Episodes	Ranks
Trevor Hicks	Mike Burnside	1990-1999	22	D.A.C./Assistant Commissioner
Georgia Hobbs	Kazia Pelka	2006-2007	11	D.A.C.
Roy Pearson	Adam Bareham	2004-2005	5	D.A.C.
Lisa Kennedy	Julie Graham	2010	7	Commander
Guy Mannion	Nick Miles	1999-2001	13	Chief Superintendent
Jane Fitzwilliam	Maureen Beattie	2002-2003	9	Chief Superintendent
Ian Barratt	John McArdle	2005	8	Chief Superintendent
Amanda Prosser	Serena Gordon	2005	8	Superintendent

Notable cast members

Notable characters

This is a list of the most notable characters to have appeared on The Bill, being those who have been in the series for some considerable time and have had a significant impact on the series.

• Billy Murray appeared in The Bill for 5 years playing DS Don Beech. The character was a corrupt police officer, notably having murdered DS John Boulton, forcing Beech to go on the run. Since leaving The Bill, Murray's career has included a stint on EastEnders as Johnny Allen and two films, Rollin' with the Nines and Rise of the Footsoldier. The character also spawned Beech on the Run and Beech is Back.
• Russell Boulter played DS John Boulton from 1995 to 2000, the character having first appeared as a DC in 1994. The character had a reputation for being a hard man, and was once suspected of deliberately killing a suspect, although he was cleared. He later had a relationship with DS Claire Stanton, who was an anti-corruption officer targeting Don Beech. John was ultimately murdered by Beech, leading to the collapse of CID and the removal of Charles Brownlow as Chief Superintendent.
• Tony O'Callaghan played Sergeant Matt Boyden for 12 years from 1991–2003. Boyden was shot dead by his daughter's boyfriend so she can profit from insurance money to fund her drug habit. Tony O'Callaghan also appeared in an earlier episode as a criminal (series 5 episode 30). He has also appeared in The Magnificent Evans, Family Affairs, Holby City, Doctors and Shameless.
• Peter Ellis played Chief Superintendent Charles Brownlow for 16 years from the start of the series in 1984 to 2000, when the character tendered his resignation in light of the Don Beech scandal. In 1983, Ellis appeared in the play Trafford Tanzi opposite Toyah Willcox.
• Christopher Ellison played DCI Frank Burnside for 5 years. Since leaving The Bill, Ellison has enjoyed a guest stint as Len Harker in EastEnders. Ellison has also appeared in Minder, Casualty, Judge John Deed and voiced a Doctor Who audio adventure. The character spawned spin off Burnside.
• Mark Wingett played DS Jim Carver from 1983 to 2007. After building up gambling debts, the character left Sun Hill in 2005. He briefly re-appeared in three episodes in 2007 and left at the same time as Sergeant June Ackland, whom he married in 2004. They divorced when he left for Manchester in 2005, just after the Sun Hill Fire in 2005. Since leaving, Wingett has also appeared in EastEnders, the British version of American Chopper and Spartacus.
• Eric Richard played Sergeant Bob Cryer from 1984–2001, the character leaving when he was accidentally shot by then PC Dale Smith. Prior to appearing in The Bill, Richard appeared in a number of TV programmes including Open All Hours, Made in Britain and Shoestring.
• Scott Maslen played DS Phil Hunter from 2002–07, the character was written out with a transfer to Special Operations. Since leaving The Bill, Maslen has played the character of Jack Branning in EastEnders.
• Todd Carty played PC Gabriel Kent from 2003–05, the character left when his false identity was uncovered. As well as The Bill, Carty has appeared in a number of television series including EastEnders, Grange Hill, Heartbeat and Holby City.
• Kevin Lloyd played DC Tosh Lines from 1988–98, the character was written out as having accepted a position in the Coroner's Office after the actor was sacked for turning up drunk. The actor died a week after his dismissal. His son, James Lloyd played PC Steve Hunter from 2004 to 2006.
• Andrew Paul played PC Dave Quinnan from 1989–2002 when the character left to transfer to SO10. Since leaving The Bill, Paul has enjoyed a brief stint on EastEnders as Maxwell Moon and on Where The Heart Is until the programme was axed in 2006.
• Lisa Geoghan played PC Polly Page from 1992 to 2004. After assisting a friend's suicide, she was tried for murder and returned to Sun Hill as a Civilian CAD Officer, a role which she ultimately resigned from.
• Jeff Stewart played PC Reg Hollis from 1984–2008. In 2008, the character was written out with the character resigning after being traumatised by the death of colleagues in a bomb blast. After learning of his axing from the show, Stewart attempted suicide on set by slashing his wrists.
• Lisa Maxwell played DI Samantha Nixon from 2002–09 until the character transferred to the child exploitation unit. In April 2009, she made an appearance, discussing The Bill, on The Paul O'Grady Show and now appears on Loose Women.
• Roberta Taylor played Inspector Gina Gold from 2002–08, the character leaving due to the stress of the job. Taylor has since only appeared as a guest panellist on Loose Women, The Wright Stuff and The Paul O'Grady Show.
• Graham Cole played PC Tony Stamp from 1984–2009. The character was written out as part of the 2009 revamp after producers felt that he didn't fit the new show. Cole's last episode was shown on 5 November 2009 and his departure means The Bill has no original characters remaining.
• Trudie Goodwin played Sergeant June Ackland from 1983 to 2007, appearing first in Woodentop. The character retired in 2007 after her on-screen relationship with DC Jim Carver came to an abrupt end. 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.
• Alex Walkinshaw has played Inspector Dale "Smithy" Smith since 1999. Walkinshaw made three "one off" appearances in the series prior to becoming a regular cast member and has made appearances in several other British soaps and serial dramas.
• Simon Rouse has played Detective Chief Inspector then Superintendent Jack Meadows since 1990, though the character only became a regular role in 1992. Aside from The Bill, Rouse has had small appearances in a number of other British television series including Robin of Sherwood, The Professionals, Casualty, and Minder.
• Chris Simmons played DC Mickey Webb from 2000 to 2010. He appeared twice on the show playing different roles, most notably as a criminal in 1999, before joining the cast as a regular in the following year. He left the series temporarily in 2003, as the culmination of a storyline where his character was raped. He made several guest appearances before returning as a regular in 2005.

Notable actors

This is a list of some of the most notable actors (or actors who later became well known) to have made brief or cameo appearances in The Bill.

• Keira Knightley (at the start of her career) played child burglar Sheena Rose in a 1995 episode entitled "Swan Song".
• Russell Brand (years before he became known as a comedian) played teenager Billy Case in a 1994 episode entitled Land of the Blind.
• David Tennant (at the start of his career) played kidnapper Steven Clemens in a 1995 episode of The Bill called "Deadline".
• Paul O'Grady – credited as "Paul Savage" – played transvestite Roxanne in three episodes of The Bill between 1988 and 1990.
• Sean Bean (shortly after he graduated) played robber Horace Clark in a 1984 episode of The Bill entitled "Long Odds"
• Ralf Little played Tommy Lawson in the 2001 episodes Judas Kiss, Shout, Aftershock and Night Games.
• Emma Bunton (before she joined the Spice Girls) played the role of Janice in the 1993 episode Missionary Work.
• Catherine Tate (in her early acting career) appeared in the 1993 episode Give and Take and 1994 instalment Fly on the Wall.
• James McAvoy (in his early acting career) played a Scots runaway named Gavin in a 1997 episode entitled Rent.
• Lewis Collins played a stem cell scientist named Dr. Peter Allen in the 2002 episode 034 (ep43).
• Lorraine Kelly appeared as herself in a 2003 episode when PC Cathy Bradford appeared on her GMTV show.

External links

• Official Website
• The Bill Bios