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Trudie Goodwin, who played June Ackland, on how this final plot twist will lead to tears
Friday, 26 March 2010
I was saddened, but not surprised, to hear that The Bill is to be axed. Having played June Ackland for 24 years, Sun Hill was an important part of my life.
In its heyday – when it was watched by 16 million viewers weekly – The Bill attracted some great writers and directors who understood the tight format, and how to shoot quickly and efficiently without compromising character or storyline.
One great episode took place inside a police van as we waited to be deployed to quell a riot. It was composed of just two handheld shots – one before the ads and one after – and the sense of boredom and frustration inside the van was brilliantly captured.
The key to the show then was that the plot was seen entirely from the point of view of the police. The audience only knew what we knew: there was no dramatic irony. We also never forgot that the police are human: part of the internal life of Sun Hill was the way that characters bickered and joked with each other so that, whatever the rigours of the job, viewers could see the funny side of the characters. That was also true of us as actors and crew: I have extremely fond memories of the seriously rude and seriously funny people I spent my working hours with. It was laughter that saw us through long gruelling hours of shooting, shivering on Thames' Bank at three in the morning, or huddled in freezing concrete estate stairwells with only a sense of humour to keep us going.
We never won awards but we plodded on knowing well-acted, tight scripts and our pioneering use of handheld cameras would always be appreciated by loyal fans. I left two years ago, finally finding the 14-hour-days too much. I'm sad to see it ending; sad for the people who worked tirelessly for the programme over all those happy years; people without whose close friendship and many talents we would never have lasted so long. I think I can say, for all of us, tears will be shed.
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The Bill cast and crew were left in "stunned disbelief" yesterday after being told to go home as the show was 'all over'.
ITV bosses confirmed that the £30m-a-year soap would be axed this autumn due to a massive slump in viewers.
Early morning calls were made to the cast and crew to break the news, with those due on set told to take the day off.
A senior member of The Bill "family" told The Sun that he was already at the studio when he heard the news. "We were setting up for filming when a guy from the props department came down and told us simply, 'It's over - we're all out of work'."
Show producer Talkback has entered into a 30-day consultation with staff.
Trudie Goodwin, who played Sun Hill's June Ackland for the show's entire run, said she was "saddened, but not surprised" by the announcement. "I'm sad to see it ending; sad for the people who worked tirelessly for the programme over all those happy years; people without whose close friendship and many talents we would never have lasted so long. I think I can say, for all of us, tears will be shed," she said.
A tribute was also made by the former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, who said its transformation into a soap opera in recent years was "inevitably doomed". "The Bill fell between the pull for audiences of its origins and the desire of its scriptwriters to match the soaps, with the inevitable consequence of falling viewing. I am sorry at its passing. 'Good night, all'," he said.
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I'm sad to see The Bill end as it once was a quality drama back in the days of Burnside, Lines and Jim Carver and June Ackland were still wet behiind the ears police constables. But it has lost it's way with bringing in eye candy and soapstars over quality actors.
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Surely they can turn it around somehow? the axe seems a bit harsh..
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The only hope would be that a company who actually cared about the viewers took it on. They would really need to bring it back to what it once was. Get rid of the talentless bimbos who were just there for ey candy. Bring back strong characters like Tony Stamp and Burnside. People who the viewers cared about. Return to the 8pm slot for an hour a week and have more light-hearted storylines amongst all the constant kidnappings, murders, rapes and explosions. Oh yes and get rid of that God Awful theme music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCcTo6xhmkE
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Or my all time favourite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFzRKkH9KM
Of course that was pre Gabriel K*nt
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Actor Mark Wingett has claimed that The Bill's move into a post-watershed slot last year was an "unwise decision".
The star, who played PC Jim Carver in the police procedural drama, also said that the lack of promotion during the revamp may have hurt the ITV1 show.
"I think moving the slot was an unwise decision. It kind of got lost. Also it wasn't promoted in a very good way - the big soaps get loads and loads of promotion. And I think the audience has changed," he told the BBC.
Wingett, who was the main focus of the programme's pilot Woodentop in 1983 and starred in the series for a further 21 years, branded the show's recent axe "dreadful".
He added: "When we did The Bill back in the '80s we had no meddling by ITV, it was completely isolated making a programme with 12 actors in a small studio - an ex-tobacco warehouse in the East End of London.
"Certainly when I left five years ago it had a huge hangar-sized warehouse down in Merton, employed about 500 people and 32 main cast in it plus a dozen guest actors in each episode. It was an extraordinary operation, the largest set I've ever been on. I can see that its expensive to run. Maybe that's the problem - that it became a factory drama."
DS
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Jeff Stewart who played Reg Hollis -:
When I left in January 2008, I was the last remaining actor from the original cast, which started in March 1984.
The fun that was had everyday on set - and when I say laughter I mean uncontrollable laughter - because of people being funny. You all get to know one another's sense of humour and sensitivities.
People were very kind to each other and that went from the cleaners to the guys who drove the trucks. The making of The Bill ran so smoothly it was like a Swiss watch.
When I first heard the news, I almost became emotional but I held back. I know myself and I know at some point today I'm going to hear a piece of music, or have a thought and it's going to set me off. It's upsetting because it's a beautiful, well-run show. It's done brilliantly to have survived up until today quite honestly, because there is competition out there.
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Mark Wingetts interview on the BBC
It's dreadful - I was the leading character in the pilot episode called Woodentop. I was in the show for 21 years.
I think moving the slot was an unwise decision. It kind of got lost. Also it wasn't promoted in a very good way - the big soaps get loads and loads of promotion. And I think the audience has changed.
The beauty of The Bill is that it has always changed with the times. In my time it changed half a dozen times, it changed format, it changed focus - it went into the personal lives and became a soap opera, now it's stepped outside that.
I don't think there was enough sex and violence in it. Times have changed so much now... I think their hands were cuffed behind their back to what content they were allowed to show.
When we did The Bill back in the '80s we had no meddling by ITV, it was completely isolated making a programme with 12 actors in a small studio - an ex-tobacco warehouse in the East End of London. Certainly when I left five years ago it had a huge hangar-sized warehouse down in Merton, employed about 500 people and 32 main cast in it plus a dozen guest actors in each episode. It was an extraordinary operation, the largest set I've ever been on. I can see that its expensive to run. Maybe that's the problem - that it became a factory drama.
