‘The Bill’ Cast Reunite A Decade On From Final Episode For Lockdown Special

The cast of The Bill have reunited (albeit virtually) for a lockdown special, a decade on from when their final episode aired.

Yep, the ITV show ran from 1984 to 2010, but now Trudie Goodwin (WPB June Ackland), Eric Richard (Sgt Bob Cyer), Mark Winket (PC Jim Carver), Chris Ellison (DI Frank Burnside) and Graham Cole (PC Tony Stamp) have all finally thrown on their police uniforms and convened again to celebrate the UKTV launch of the smash-hit crime series.

With prison bars as their backdrop, the stars all joined on a Zoom call named 'in the slammer'.

Their backgrounds then changed to pictures of Sun Hill Police Station, before flitting to show snaps of them back in the day as they reminisced about their time on the show.

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During the short clip, The Bill stars answered a series of questions from fans, submitted through UKTV's social channels, looking back on their favourite moments from set as well as their backstage secrets and jokes.

Reminiscing about the good times, Chris Ellison said: "There were no stars of The Bill, no egos.

"It was happy. Happy family people. It was a happy time for all of us."

Meanwhile Mark Wingett looked back fondly on all the "belly laughs" the cast had.

"At least once a day we would be in fits of giggles," he said.

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Of course, the cast couldn't have a reunion without talking about Kiera Knightley, who has gone on to find international fame and success.

"I did one of her first episodes she ever did on television and has she ever phoned? No," Mark joked.

While Trudie Goodwin shared a hilarious anecdote about the postman's reaction when he dropped off her police officer costume, which had been couriered over.

"When this uniform arrived yesterday, in a clear plastic bag, and was delivered by a dispatch driver, he gave me such a look," she laughed. "He obviously thought, 'What are they up to during lockdown?!"

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The cast also teased what a new series would look like in 2020.

"I don't think it would look that different," Trudie said. "I think what would be really noticeable would be the lack of police on the streets.

"That would be the major difference, because I can't remember the last time I saw a policeman walking down our street here."

Mark chipped in: "I think Jim would be alright, I think Frank would have a bit of a problem".

Before Chris intervened, joking: "Frank would be in prison!"

Now this we would like to see on screen. Come on guys, make it happen!

Topics: TV News, TV Entertainment

Joanna Freedman

Joanna is a journalist at Tyla with a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches, too. Contact her at [email protected].

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