History     1994

1994 was both a very happy and very sad year for The Bill. The show celebrated its 10th anniversary in October 1994, and the episodes shown for the anniversary week included DI Johnson on a charge of manslaughter following the death of Lee Ruddick - a suspected drug dealer who died in a crack raid (Backlash); the discovery of a World War II bomb (Taken on Trust); and Conway's birthday party to which all the Sun Hill regulars attended - this was the first time they all appeared in the same episode (Bridgework).

However, all this was tempered by the sudden early death in July of the show's creator, Geoff McQueen (pictured), at the age of just 46. He had been interviewed about the success of the show just a few weeks earlier. His fundamental idea was that everything should be seen from the point of view of the police: "We talked about it at length and we agreed that it would always be the police officer's story, that nothing should be shown without one of our police men or women being there. So you'd never see two villains talking, planning a job. You'd never see a man beating his wife in their house or see an accident or a fight happen on the streets unless one of the police characters was passing by or knocking at the door or trying to make an arrest."

"We also agreed to keep out of the police officers' homes. If they had problems at home I wanted to see how it was affecting their work at the station rather than how the work at the station was affecting them at home. Immediately you go into the police officers' private life it's the kiss of death to a police series as I see it."

Geoff, who lived, wrote and fished in a quiet corner of the countryside in Mulrose, Scotland, said that he had a hunch The Bill would last - but he hadn't dared hope it would reach its tenth birthday. He agreed to let 'his baby' be chopped in half to allow The Bill to switch to half-hour episodes in 1988 - on certain conditions: "I wanted new writers to have a chance to cut their teeth on it. I wanted new directors to be hired and as many new actors as possible. I think we've managed to use more newcomers than any other series."

He also insisted that The Bill kept its large policemen's feet on the ground. "It was important to keep a balance between life on the streets and the politics of policing. I'm actually far more interested in the beer-and-darts set than the white-wine-and-soda set."I'm very pleased with the way my characters came to life. Tosh is terrific, and I always felt that Burnside was very powerful. But the big achievement is the teamwork in keeping the standard up. Michael Chapman has done a marvellous job in holding it all together. It's looking as fresh now as when it first came out."

In that year the search for a nine-year-old boy uncovered the world of computer pornography (Games); DI Sally Johnson arrived at the station quickly making her mark (Second Sight); and Conway won the confidence of a young drug addict who had information about a murder (Just Say No). Carver failed to turn a blind eye when DC Boulton from Barton Street assaulted a man (Faith In The System); the disappearance of an eleven-year-old directed Morgan's attention to a men's group that had been helping divorced men abduct their own children (No Access); and when a sergeant from B relief was accused of sexual harassment by a probationary WPC, Steele as sergeants' Fed Rep, faced a clash of loyalties (Cutting It). 

Garfield complained to Cato (pictured) that the relief were undermanned when McCann was badly beaten during a warehouse burglary (Ducking and Diving); Johnson ran a joint operation with Customs to find a dealer supplying Sun Hill with heroin (Gone Away); and a suspect in a malicious phone calls investigation had surprising information for CID which helped track down a sex offender (Menace). Jarvis and McCann were assigned to help close down a pirate radio station (Killjoys); Greig suspected a caretaker of burgling his own school (Final Straw); and Conway arranged a party to sound out the Deputy Assistant Commissioner about changes to the upper ranks, with Meadows, Cato and Brownlow also seizing the same opportunity (Bottleneck). 

DC Skase's (pictured) chauvinism wound up Croft (Honour and Obey); Quinnan discovered an aging hippie inciting youngsters to steal car radios (Butter Wouldn't Melt); and Cato and Steele clashed over casual remarks included in the minutes of a meeting (No Way To Treat A Lady). Conway and Monroe had to deal with the aftermath of a near-fatal traffic accident caused by a fourteen-year-old joyrider (All Along The Watchtower); Skase's occupation with crack dealers made him fair game for a set-up (Snowblind); and whilst investigating an assault, Boyden met an old flame and helped her deal with her violent husband (Within Limits).

A drugs raid brought Page a surprise reunion with an old school friend with dodgy connections (The Road Not Taken); Woods uncovered a customer's scheme to take revenge on a cowboy builder (Fallen Angel); and a fatal collision between a lorry and a car created problems for Monroe when there was case of mistaken identity (High Drivers). Morgan was determined to track down a boy who had been abducted by his father (Best Interests); Chris Deakin, the new DS, arrived at the station (Unfinished Business); and differing attitudes at Sun Hill toward domestic violence gave Datta an awkward time (War Of Nerves). 

Meadows and Conway clashed over how to handle a crack problem on the Abelard Estate (Skinning Cats); a telesales girl was found injured, with Johnson and Deakin's enquiries revealing a sordid background of sexual harassment and office cover-ups (Wall Of Silence); and aggravation between two ethnic communities threatened to escalate (Right Way, Wrong Way). A stolen car left a trail of destruction through Sun Hill with Stamp and Hollis in hot pursuit in the Area Car (Instant Response); Loxton and Quinnan were drawn into a world of romance, intrigue and violent affections when called to attend an incident at the local tea dance (The Sixth Age); and Morgan left Sun Hill to join the Regional Crime Squad (Taking Stock). Brownlow transferred to Area (Pass The Parcel) and Conway, Cato and Meadows battled for his job - Conway eventually being made Acting Superintendent (Pipped At The Post).