The Bill series 23
| The Bill | |
|---|---|
| Season 23 | |
 Series 23 DVD cover | |
| No. of episodes | 88 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 3 January – 13 December 2007 |
| Series chronology | |
Series 23 of British television drama The Bill was broadcast from 3 January until 28 December 2007. The series consisted of 92 episodes, and saw the conclusion of the show's longest running-storyline, featuring the disappearance of schoolgirl Amy Tennant. This series saw the return of single-themed episodes, removing much of the serialiased format formally introduced in 2002 under producer Paul Marquess. This series also became the first series where episodes were aired out of production order, making the broadcast order significantly different to the production order.
This series saw the return of several multi-part story arcs, the likes of which had last featured in the second half of Series 17. Again, several new characters were introduced into the show, including several semi-regular characters, such as non-operational police staff and crime scene examiners. The series also saw the departure of the show's longest-running cast member to date, with Trudie Goodwin leaving the role of June Ackland, and her final episode being broadcast on 8 March 2007. This was also the last episode not to feature an on-screen title. A new title sequence was introduced at the beginning of the series, however, the theme tune remained the same, albeit slightly re-arranged.
Episodes 484 and 485 were the first episodes to be broadcast out of production order. Despite at the time not even being billed for broadcast, and the 'previously' and 'next time' segments not matching the episodes around them, the episodes were brought forward due to heavy demand from the British viewing public, who were on tenterhooks to see the conclusion of the long-running Zain Nadir and Kristen Shaw storyline. This also meant that the 'previously' and 'next time' segments on the subsequent episodes had to be re-edited to show this, and that two small additional scenes had to be recorded to be placed into Episode 480 to reference the death of Honey Harman. For the DVD release, to avoid confusion, these episodes have been re-numbered and now serve as 480 and 481, with the following four episodes re-numbered to 482–485 respectively.
On 2 April 2014, the complete series was released on DVD in Australia as a Region 0, playable anywhere in the world. The DVD release carries in the episodes in broadcast order, rather than production order; meaning that the DVD synopsis printed on the sleeve is heavily incorrect. The DVD synopsis also removes all titles (including those carried on screen), and continues to tally the episodes by number. The DVD release does not contain episodes 540–542, "Moving Target" Parts 1–3, due to licensing rights for these episodes not being available.
Cast changes
Arrivals
|
Departures
|
Episodes
| # | Title | Episode Notes | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Games of War" | TBA | Laurence Moody | Chris Smyth | 3 January 2007 | 471 |
| 2 | "'Till Hell Freezes Over" | TBA | Alan Macmillan | Simon Moss | 4 January 2007 | 472 |
| 3 | "The New Generation" | Karen Henthorn guest stars. | Alan Macmillan | Mark Johnson | 10 January 2007 | 473 |
| 4 | "Two-Time Loser" | TBA | Richard Signy | Malcolm Campbell | 11 January 2007 | 474 |
| 5 | "An Article of Faith" | TBA | Richard Signy | Richard Ommanney | 17 January 2007 | 475 |
| 6 | "A Week from Next Tuesday" | TBA | Reza Moradi | Chris Murray | 18 January 2007 | 476 |
| 7 | "Lead on a Merry Chase" | TBA | Reza Moradi | Tom Higgins | 24 January 2007 | 477 |
| 8 | "School of Hard Knocks" | Final Appearance of PC Honey Harman | Diana Patrick | Tom Needham | 25 January 2007 | 478 |
| 9 | "Burn Off" | TBA | Diana Patrick | Steve Griffiths | 31 January 2007 | 479 |
| 10 | "Dead Man's Hand (Part 1)" | TBA | Paul Wroblewski | Sarah Louise-Hawkins | 1 February 2007 | 484 |
| 11 | "Dead Man's Hand (Part 2)" | Departure of DC Zain Nadir | Paul Wroblewski | Sarah-Louise Hawkins | 7 February 2007 | 485 |
| 12 | "The Good Old Days" | Leslie Grantham guest stars. | Olivia Lichtenstein | Andrew Taft | 8 February 2007 | 480 |
| 13 | "Don't Cut No Ice" | Samantha Nixon is promoted to DI | Olivia Lichtenstein | Chris Smyth | 15 February 2007 | 481 |
| 14 | "The Lone Wolf (Part 1)" | TBA | Gill Wilkinson | Chris Ould | 21 February 2007 | 482 |
| 15 | "The Lone Wolf (Part 2)" | TBA | Gill Wilkinson | Chris Ould | 22 February 2007 | 483 |
| 16 | "Sticky Fingers (Part 1)" | Mike Reid guest stars. | Alan Grint | Chris Smyth | 28 February 2007 | 486 |
| 17 | "Within Striking Distance (Part 2)" | Final appearance of DAC Georgia Hobbs, guest appearance of Jim Carver | Alan Grint | Julia Wall | 1 March 2007 | 487 |
| 18 | "The Party is Over (Part 1)" | Guest appearance of Jim Carver | Alan Macmillan | Si Spencer | 7 March 2007 | 488 |
| 19 | "The Last Stop (Part 2)" | Final appearance of Sgt. June Ackland, guest appearance of Jim Carver, last numbered episode. | Alan Macmillan | Maxwell Young | 8 March 2007 | 489 |
| 20 | "Sweet Revenge" | Michael Maloney guest stars. | Robert Knights | Matthew Bardsley | 21 March 2007 | 490 |
| 21 | "Killer on The Run" | Michael Maloney and Cheryl Hall guest star. | Robert Knights | Chris Murray | 22 March 2007 | 491 |
| 22 | "Dead Men Don't Tell Lies" | Mark Bonnar guest stars. | Kim Flitcroft | Len Collin | 28 March 2007 | 492 |
| 23 | "Brotherhood" | Mark Bonnar guest stars. | Kim Flitcroft | Hilary Frankland | 29 March 2007 | 493 |
| 24 | "Daddy's Girl" | Mark Bonnar guest stars. | Laurence Moody | Chris Dunn | 4 April 2007 | 494 |
| 25 | "End of the Affair" | TBA | Lawrence Moody | Doug Milburn | 11 April 2007 | 495 |
| 26 | "Exit Wound" | Simon Merrells guest stars. | Robert Del Maestro | Scott Cherry | 18 April 2007 | 496 |
| 27 | "Pride Before a Fall" | TBA | Robert Del Maestro | Nicholas McInerny | 19 April 2007 | 497 |
| 28 | "Hunter on the Street" | DS Phil Hunter is seconded to uniform | Christopher King | Chris Murray | 25 April 2007 | 498 |
| 29 | "Role Model" | TBA | Christopher King | Tom Higgins | 26 April 2007 | 499 |
| 30 | "And Nothing But The Truth" | Michael Elwyn guest stars. | Reza Moradi | Frank Rickarby | 2 May 2007 | 500 |
| 31 | "Day of Reckoning" | Last Appearance of Senior Crown Prosecutor Matt Hinckley | Reza Moradi | Simon Moss | 3 May 2007 | 501 |
| 32 | "Blood Money (Part One)" | Simon Slater guest stars. | Robert Gabriel | Stuart Morris | 9 May 2007 | 468R |
| 33 | "To Honour and Obey (Part Two)" | Jenny Eclair guest stars. | Robert Gabriel | Stuart Morris | 10 May 2007 | 469R |
| 34 | "Baby Trade" | First appearance of PC Beth Green | David Innes Edwards | Stuart Morris | 16 May 2007 | 502 |
| 35 | "Lies That Kill" | Elizabeth Rider guest stars. | David Innes Edwards | Nicholas Martin | 17 May 2007 | 503 |
| 36 | "Inner Demons" | First appearance of Crime Scene Examiner Lorna Hart, Richard Standing guest stars. | Simon Massey | Carolyn Sally Jones | 24 May 2007 | 504 |
| 37 | "Getting Away With Murder" | Mark Bonnar guest stars. | Simon Massey | Mark Johnson | 31 May 2007 | 505 |
| 38 | "Trigger Happy" | Temporary departure of DS Phil Hunter, Mark Bonnar guest stars. | Karl Neilson | Richard Ommanney | 6 June 2007 | 506 |
| 39 | "Do or Die" | Mark Bonnar guest stars. | Karl Neilson | Neil Clarke | 7 June 2007 | 507 |
| 40 | "On the Edge" | Suzanne Shaw and Mark Bonnar guest star. | Robert Knights | Steve Griffiths | 13 June 2007 | 508 |
| 41 | "Better Off Dead" | First appearance of Grace Dasari, last appearance of Mia Perry | Robert Knights | Emma Goodwin | 14 June 2007 | 509 |
| 42 | "Old Wounds" | Georgina Bouzova, Nick Brimble and Brian Croucher guest star. | Jan Baeur | Julian Perkins | 20 June 2007 | 510 |
| 43 | "Judgement Call" | TBA | Jan Baeur | Steve Attridge | 21 June 2007 | 511 |
| 44 | "A Model Murder (Part One)" | First appearance of Crime Scene Photographer Rachel Inns | AJ Quinn | Clive Dawson | 27 June 2007 | 512 |
| 45 | "A Model Murder (Part Two)" | TBA | AJ Quinn | P.G. Morgan | 28 June 2007 | 513 |
| 46 | "Match Day Violence" | Adrian Lukis guest stars. | Richard Signy | Andrew Taft | 4 July 2007 | 514 |
| 47 | "Cop Killer (Part One)" | First appearance of PC Sally Armstrong, first and last appearance of PC Billy Rowan | Richard Signy | Chris Murray | 5 July 2007 | 515 |
| 48 | "Cop Killer (Part Two)" | TBA | Michael Cocker | Tom Higgins | 11 July 2007 | 516 |
| 49 | "Behind Closed Doors" | TBA | Michael Cocker | Julia Wall | 12 July 2007 | 517 |
| 50 | "Man Down (Part One)" | TBA | Robert Del Maestro | Maxwell Young | 18 July 2007 | 518 |
| 51 | "Death or Glory (Part Two)" | Final appearance of PC Lewis Hardy | Robert Del Maestro | Maxwell Young | 19 July 2007 | 519 |
| 52 | "Copy Cat Killer" | Darren Day, Alice Henley and Laura Aikman guest star. | Julie Edwards | Jane Marlow | 25 July 2007 | 520 |
| 53 | "Trail of Blood" | TBA | Julie Edwards | Sally Tatchell | 26 July 2007 | 521 |
| 54 | "A Model Murder: Uncovered" | TBA | Alan Macmillan | Si Spencer | 1 August 2007 | 522 |
| 55 | "Caught by the Killer" | Final appearance of Crime Scene Photographer Rachel Inns | Alan Macmillan | Matthew Bardsley | 2 August 2007 | 523 |
| 56 | "Good Cop, Bad Cop" | First appearance of Sgt. Callum Stone | Kim Flitcroft | Jonathan Rich | 8 August 2007 | 524 |
| 57 | "Killing Me Softly" | TBA | Kim Flitcroft | Matthew Leys | 9 August 2007 | 525 |
| 58 | "Dicing with Danger" | Return of DS Phil Hunter, Michael Brandon guest stars. | Diana Patrick | Carl Austin | 15 August 2007 | 526 |
| 59 | "Deadly Secrets" | Final appearance of PC Dan Casper | Diana Patrick | Len Collin | 16 August 2007 | 527 |
| 60 | "Diamonds Are Deadly" | Dermot Crowley guest stars. | Ben Morris | James Hall | 22 August 2007 | 528 |
| 61 | "Code of Silence" | Christopher Fox guest stars. | Ben Morris | Chris Murray | 23 August 2007 | 529 |
| 62 | "Crash Test" | TBA | Karl Neilson | Stuart Morris | 29 August 2007 | 530 |
| 63 | "Up in Smoke" | TBA | Karl Neilson | Nicholas McInerny | 30 August 2007 | 531 |
| 64 | "Deadly Shame (Part One)" | Chris Walker guest stars. | Simon Massey | Chris Ould | 5 September 2007 | 532 |
| 65 | "Deadly Shame (Part Two)" | Chris Walker guest stars. | Simon Massey | Chris Ould | 6 September 2007 | 533 |
| 66 | "A Life of Lies" | Michael Brandon and Anna Wing guest star. | Steve Kelly | Sally Tatchell | 12 September 2007 | 534 |
| 67 | "Russian Roulette" | Michael Brandon guest stars. | Steve Kelly | Steve Griffiths | 13 September 2007 | 535 |
| 68 | "Identity Fraud" | Stephen McGann guest stars. | Kate Robinson | Alan Pollock | 19 September 2007 | 536 |
| 69 | "Back from the Brink" | TBA | Matt Bloom | Simon Moss | 20 September 2007 | 537 |
| 70 | "Dead and Buried" | Final appearance of PC Leela Kapoor | Matt Bloom | Simon Moss | 26 September 2007 | 538 |
| 71 | "Cracking Under Pressure" | First appearance of PC Benjamin Gayle, Anton Phillips guest stars. | Roberto Bangura | Nicholas Martin | 27 September 2007 | 542 |
| 72 | "Rough Justice" | TBA | Roberto Bangura | Scott Cherry | 3 October 2007 | 543 |
| 73 | "Back from the Dead" | John Rogan, Nicky Henson and George Layton guest star. | Diana Patrick | Doug Milburn | 4 October 2007 | 544 |
| 74 | "Take it to the Grave" | Nicky Henson, John Rogan and Linal Haft guest star. | Diana Patrick | Tom Higgins | 10 October 2007 | 545 |
| 75 | "Uncut Killer" | TBA | Robert Knights | Richard Ommanney | 11 October 2007 | 546 |
| 76 | "Collateral Damage" | Last appearance of Phil Hunter, first appearance of Nate Roberts | Robert Knights | Si Spencer | 17 October 2007 | 547 |
| 77 | "Line of Fire (Part One)" | Tim Preece guest stars. | AJ Quinn | Clive Dawson | 18 October 2007 | 550 |
| 78 | "Line of Fire (Part Two)" | TBA | AJ Quinn | Steve Trafford | 24 October 2007 | 551 |
| 79 | "Deadly Intent" | Orlando Wells and Albert Moses guest star. | Richard Signy | Steph Lloyd-Jones | 25 October 2007 | 548 |
| 80 | "Stealth Attack" | Sid Owen guest stars. | Richard Signy | Steve Ballie | 1 November 2007 | 549 |
| 81 | "Tortured Soul" | TBA | David Jackson | Si Spencer | 8 November 2007 | 552 |
| 82 | "Moving Target (Part One)" | Tom Chadbon, Colin McFarlane and Vic Tablian guest star. | Paul Wroblewski | Steve Ballie | 14 November 2007 | 539 |
| 83 | "Moving Target (Part Two)" | Tom Chadbon, Colin McFarlane and Vic Tablian guest star. | Paul Wroblewski | Steve Ballie | 21 November 2007 | 540 |
| 84 | "Moving Target (Part Three)" | Final appearance of CSE Lorna Hart | Paul Wroblewski | Frank Rickarby | 28 November 2007 | 541 |
| 85 | "Love, Lies and Limos" | Sid Owen and Dominic Power guest star. | James Larkin | Andrew Alty | 5 December 2007 | 554 |
| 86 | "Trapped" | Sid Owen and David Ryall guest star. | James Larkin | Will Shindler | 6 December 2007 | 555 |
| 87 | "Blackmailed" | Sid Owen and Harry Landis guest star. | Matthew Whiteman | Chris Dunn | 12 December 2007 | 556 |
| 88 | "Operation: Brass Balls" | Sam Kelly guest stars. | David Jackson | Andrew Taft | 13 December 2007 | 553 |
| 89 | "Zain Inside Out (Part One)" | Return of Zain Nadir | Robert Knights | Stuart Morris | 19 December 2007 | 566 |
| 90 | "Zain Inside Out (Part Two)" | Final appearance of Zain Nadir | Robert Knights | Sarah-Louise Hawkins | 20 December 2007 | 567 |
| 91 | "Assault on Sun Hill (Part One)" | First Appearance of DS Max Carter | Darcia Martin | Matthew Bardsley | 27 December 2007 | 568 |
| 92 | "Assault on Sun Hill (Part Two)" | Joseph Kpobie guest stars. | Darcia Martin | Len Collin | 28 December 2007 | 569 |
| Series | |
|---|---|
| Notable episodes |
|
| Spin-offs |
|
| Characters | |
| Lists | |
