Information About

Episode3.1 (the Bill)




  • Directed by Michael Ferguson


This is an episode of the long running British Police drama The Bill , broadcast on the ITV Network.


SYNOPSIS


Alec Peters and Tom Penny notice a suspicious person outside, who has been eyeing the station overnight. When they investigate, they find that he has been looking for PC Muswell, with whom he has a score to settle. Meanwhile, Jim Carver finds life hard settling into CID when he and Roach allow a thief to slip through their net.


NOTES


  • As with the previous series, the opportunity is taken by writer/creator Geoff McQueen to use the first episode as (effectively) a pilot in itself, removing and changing characters and setting things up for the next eleven episodes. The new Sun Hill sets are also introduced, giving Series Three a fresh look from the previous two. While arguably less realistic than the original sets, they were much more adaptable to different filming conditions. The CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) room is also introduced for the first time.


  • Inspector Brian Kite makes his debut here. He is the first 'regular' Duty Inspector to appear on the programme since the original pilot episode. Although PC Pete Muswell is crucial to the subplot, he has already left Sun Hill by this point and doesn't appear in the episode.


  • Jim Carver begins his CID secondment and training in Series Three. He would then remain in CID, more or less, until the character left the show in 2005.