The Bill poster

The Bill

★ 6.7 5K votes 1984–2010 26 seasons · 2404 episodes Canceled ITV1
Long-runnerA show whose sheer longevity shapes how it's watched.This show: 9/10British TVThe British television sensibility: tone, restraint and format traditions.This show: 9/10ProceduralA case or problem of the week, solved by a formula that works.This show: 8/10Ensemble castMany characters carrying equal weight.This show: 8/10WorkplaceThe job and its social ecosystem as the stage.This show: 7/10EpisodicSelf-contained episodes you can watch in almost any order.This show: 7/10
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Starring
Graham ColeJeff StewartTrudie GoodwinSimon RouseEric RichardMark Wingett
Written by
Geoff McQueen
Starring
Graham ColeJeff StewartTrudie GoodwinSimon RouseEric RichardMark Wingett
Written by
Geoff McQueen
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
0255075100

The Bill Episode Ratings Heatmap

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About

"Britain's longest-serving beat cop drama"

The Bill follows the officers of a fictional London police station, Sun Hill, through their daily grind of petty crime, major cases, and station-house politics. Over its enormous run it shifted from stark, almost documentary-style procedural drama into something closer to ongoing soap, with revolving casts and interwoven personal storylines. The tone stays grounded and workmanlike rather than flashy, more about routine and consequence than twists. It rewards patience and familiarity with recurring characters, feeling less like a show you binge and more like a habit you settle into over years.

Watch it for

the unglamorous, procedural realism of everyday policing rarely matched by flashier crime shows.

Maybe skip if

you want tight, self-contained arcs rather than a sprawling, slowly evolving ensemble.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

Showing the latest 500 of 2,404 episodes.

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Season 202004
7.8422293h 23m
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Season 212005
7.72K10486h 33m
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Season 222006
7.51K9175h 28m
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Series 232007
7.62K9276h 21m
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 two long running-storylines, the disappearance of schoolgirl Amy Tennant and DC Zain Nadir’s undercover drug sting, prior to the return of single-themed episodes, removing much of the serialiased format formally introduced in 2002 under producer Paul Marquess; episode titles also started appearing on screen again from Episode 20 onwards. Several episodes were aired out of production order, most notably the final parts of the six episodes for the Zain storyline.
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Series 242008
7.51K8872h 28m
The 24th series of The Bill, a British television drama, was the antepenultimate series of the programme. This series was the last to feature the killing of an officer, PC Emma Keane. The death on-screen led to the resignation of the longest serving character, PC Reg Hollis, his controversial exit off-screen after actor Jeff Stewart attempted suicide on set, after being axed by producers following 24 years on the show. Another long-term character, Inspector Gina Gold, left the show after six years as part of the aftermath of the storyline, Gold retiring after becoming increasingly terrified at the thought of losing another officer.
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Series 252009
7.11K6550h 26m
The 25th series of The Bill, a British television drama, was the penultimate series of the programme. This series saw the show transition to a post-watershed time slot of 9pm, dropping from two episodes to one week-by-week as ITV aimed to save up to £65 million. Producers used the post-watershed slot to introduce "darker, more gritty" storylines. DI Samantha Nixon left prior to the transition, after seven years on the show, in a special two-parter storyline that included a cameo appearance by her daughter Abigail , who was a recurring character on the show from 2002 to 2005. A six-part storyline came as part of the end of the twice-weekly episodes, Conviction, that concluded with four cast members leaving, including Superintendent John Heaton DCI Jack Meadows was promoted into the role. The four characters were part of seven who left as part of the revamp, however the axing of PC Tony Stamp after 22 years on the show proved controversial.
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Series 262010
7.45853125h 14m
The 26th and final series of The Bill, a British television drama, was the last series of the programme. Nearly two years after the final episode, Supt. Jack Meadows was featured in an episode of Leipzig Homicide, which involved him investigating a suspected murderer who has been living in London. In the episode it is revealed that at some point during the year and a half following the events of Respect, Meadows had retired.

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Graham Cole P.C. Stamp, PC Tony Stamp, P.C. Tony Stamp
Jeff Stewart P.C. Hollis, PC Reg Hollis, P.C. Reg Hollis
Trudie Goodwin W.P.C. Ackland, Sgt. June Ackland, Sgt. Ackland
Simon Rouse DCI Jack Meadows, D.C.I. Meadows, D.C.I. Jack Meadows
Eric Richard Sgt. Cryer, Sgt. Bob Cryer, Bob Cryer
Mark Wingett DC Jim Carver, D.C. Carver, PC Jim Carver
Andrew Paul P.C. Quinnan, P.C. Dave Quinnan, PC Dave Quinnan
Colin Tarrant Insp. Monroe, Insp. Andrew Monroe, Insp Andrew Monroe
Tony O'Callaghan Sgt. Boyden, Sgt. Matthew Boyden, Sgt Matthew Boyden
Huw Higginson P.C. Garfield, P.C. George Garfield, George Garfield

Crew

Geoff McQueen

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