View Full Version : 'Bill' star suspended after outburst
The Bill's longest-serving cast member Jeff Stewart has been suspended for a week after losing his temper on set.
According to The Sun, the actor, who has played PC Reg Hollis on the ITV1 police drama since 1984, stunned the crew with his behaviour during filming last Wednesday.
A source said: "Jeff was totally out of line. Directors are used to getting grief from actors but this went way too far.
"Bosses decided he should be suspended for a week to give him time to calm down."
The Bill's executive producer Johnathan Young confirmed: "Jeff Stewart has been suspended from filming for a week, following an incident on set on Wednesday 12th December."
The 52-year-old suffered an emotional breakdown last year after collapsing and being taken to hospital. He later admitted that he had spent time in rehab but felt he was back on track.
Poor old Reggiebabe:crying:
I can't imagine him having an outburst. I wonder why he lost his rag.
Blimey - doesn't seem the type of guy to have an outburst to me. Hope he's not heading for another breakdown.
TaintedLove
22-12-2007, 00:14
Ok I`ll admit it.... he got suspended because he and another cast member (who I can`t name for legal reasons but to give you a hint it sounds like Merry Gherkins) were fighting over me and Reg lost. That`s why he was in a bad mood
:D
Chloe O'brien
22-12-2007, 23:04
How do you know about this big of gossip TL do tell. I'm surprised Jeff has had a hissy fit but I supposed everyone looses their rag at some point. Let's hope he back to the Reg we love soon.
Ok I`ll admit it.... he got suspended because he and another cast member (who I can`t name for legal reasons but to give you a hint it sounds like Merry Gherkins) were fighting over me and Reg lost. That`s why he was in a bad mood
:D
How do you know about this big of gossip TL do tell.
I think TL is pulling your leg HH.
thestud2k7
09-01-2008, 03:47
VETERAN telly cop Jeff Stewart slashed his wrists on the set of The Bill last night — minutes after being sacked.
Jeff, 52, who has played PC Reg Hollis since 1984, was rushed to hospital after security men raised the alarm at the studios in Merton, South London.
Jeff had been suspended just before Christmas after a furious outburst on the set.
Yesterday he was told his contract on the ITV1 show — in which he was the only original 1984 cast member left — was not being renewed.
Distraught Jeff returned to his dressing room at around 6.30pm and cut his wrists.
He then dialled out of the room and begged for help — sending security at the studios in Merton, South London, racing to help him and calling an ambulance.
The actor was taken to St George’s Hospital in nearby Tooting, where he remained under observation last night.
Last night a source on the ITV1 cop show said: “This was a desperate cry for help. It’s extremely sad. He is in hospital and is being cared for.”
Jeff was devastated by the suspension, but an insider said: “He was totally out of line. Directors are used to getting grief from actors but this went way too far.
“Bosses decided he should be suspended for a week to give him time to calm down.”
Jeff has struggled since suffering an emotional breakdown in 2006, when he collapsed and was taken to hospital.
He was treated at the Priory clinic and later admitted: “It’s true I was in a bit of a state. In fact I’d hit rock bottom and was on medication.
“But there is no way I would ever take my own life and I can’t really explain what happened that evening. I was probably in a worse state than I was prepared to admit — and I did go to the Priory for a few days to get back on my feet.
“The Bill has given me a great focus in life and this recent illness has renewed my relish for acting and for life in general.”
In 1996, Jeff was accused of smoking cannabis and indulging in sado-masochistic sex. He was a close friend of former Bill star Kevin Lloyd, alias Tosh Lines, who died from drink-related problems in 1998.
A source at The Bill said: “This is desperately sad and we just want Jeff to get better.
“Thankfully his injuries aren’t life-threatening, but everyone is just devastated for him.”
source: the sun
i cant beleve they are axeing reggiebabe
Do TV companies not have a heart and give their actors some much needed support and care when they need it most? Why sack him after he got suspended already? I don't watch The Bill much these days but did a few years ago and always liked Reg.:(
Do TV companies not have a heart and give their actors some much needed support and care when they need it most? Why sack him after he got suspended already? I don't watch The Bill much these days but did a few years ago and always liked Reg.:(
I dont think we can blame the tv company for this. Yes it is unfortunate that he decided to take this action but there must have been a valid reason he was sacked...they cant just do it for no reason
Jeff Stewart has been in The Bill since the show began
The Bill actor Jeff Stewart, who plays PC Reg Hollis in the ITV police drama, was treated in hospital after an incident on set on Tuesday.
An ambulance was called to the studios in Merton, south-west London.
A spokeswoman for the show confirmed "an incident" took place and that Stewart is not currently in hospital. A further statement is due shortly.
Press reports said the 52-year-old star harmed himself after being told his contract would not be renewed.
Stewart has been in the show since it began in 1984.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We got a call at 5.50pm last night to an address at Deer Park Road, SW19.
"We sent an ambulance and our staff treated an adult male and took him to hospital."
Chloe O'brien
09-01-2008, 11:26
Poor Jeff I hope he gets well soon, The Bill won't be the same without him.
Jessie Wallace
09-01-2008, 22:19
Jeff Stewart has been in The Bill since the show began
The Bill actor Jeff Stewart, who plays PC Reg Hollis in the ITV police drama, was treated in hospital after an incident on set on Tuesday.
An ambulance was called to the studios in Merton, south-west London.
A spokeswoman for the show confirmed "an incident" took place and that Stewart is not currently in hospital. A further statement is due shortly.
Press reports said the 52-year-old star harmed himself after being told his contract would not be renewed.
Stewart has been in the show since it began in 1984.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We got a call at 5.50pm last night to an address at Deer Park Road, SW19.
"We sent an ambulance and our staff treated an adult male and took him to hospital."
It was on the Radio 1 news that he's tried to slit his wrists! Poor guy
Jessie Wallace
09-01-2008, 22:25
Found this on DS, just confirmed what i'd heard on Radio 1.
Actor Jeff Stewart reportedly tried to commit suicide after learning that he was sacked from The Bill.
Stewart, who has played PC Reg Hollis on the police drama since 1984, was rushed to St George's Hospital in Tooting, South London, after the incident yesterday.
He is believed to have slashed his wrists in his dressing room moments after being told that his contract would not be renewed.
The decision follows his week-long suspension last month after losing his temper during filming.
The actor alerted security at the studio in Merton, South London, before being taken to hospital, where he was kept in overnight.
An source told The Sun: "This was a desperate cry for help. It's extremely sad. He is in hospital and is being cared for."
The 52-year-old suffered an emotional breakdown last year after collapsing at his home. He later admitted that he had spent time in rehab but felt he was back on track, saying: "There is no way I would ever take my own life."
The Bill star Jeff Stewart attempted to kill himself because of gambling debts, say reports.
Stewart, who has played PC Reg Hollis on the police drama for 24 years, slashed his wrists in a suicide bid on Tuesday.
The TV star was reportedly distraught by news that his contract with the show wasn't being renewed.
A report in The Sun has claimed that Stewart gets paid £150,000, but that this doesn't cover his debts.
A source commented: "Jeff is in financial trouble. He has been sobbing and there have been a lot of tears.
"He was semi-conscious in hospital, so he has been through an ordeal. He is very badly hurt and terribly disappointed about being axed."
Stewart is alleged to have told friends: "I’m on the edge."
poor old Jeff, hes been in the show so long it must have been a shock to be axed.
The Bill star Jeff Stewart has told fans he is "progressively improving" after reportedly slashing his wrists on the set of the ITV drama.
Stewart, who plays Pc Reg Hollis, was taken to hospital on Tuesday following an "incident".
The 52-year-old, who has been in the show since it began in 1984, had been told his contract would not be renewed.
Stewart said: "I love being an actor... and the thought of this changing had an extremely serious effect on me."
Financial concerns
He added: "I want to reassure and thank everyone for all their support and good wishes.
"The last few days have been very difficult for me, but I am receiving the right care and help, and am surrounded by family and friends.
"I want to confirm that I do not have any financial concerns, or indeed any other problems, as has been reported."
Stewart was taken to hospital on Tuesday after an ambulance was called to the set in Merton, south west London.
A spokeswoman for The Bill refused to confirm details of what happened, but said there had been an "incident".
Stewart added: "I am feeling much better now, and am progressively improving.
"I have very much appreciated the kind messages of support from members of the public and other people in the business."
IT WAS one of The Bill's BLOODIEST and most DRAMATIC moments . . . only Jeff Stewart, who played PC Reg Hollis for 24 years, WASN'T acting.
And today, for the first time, the star reveals what was going through his mind when he famously CUT HIS WRISTS in his dressing room minutes after being told he was being sacked from the hit show.
"There was a blackness - a void. I wasn't thinking rationally," says Jeff, 54, in a gripping interview with the News on the World in the week The Bill too is slashed from our screens after 26 years.
The Bill star Jeff Stewart relives nightmare moment he cut his wrists
"I walked from the producer's room straight into my dressing room in shock.
"If you are told that it's about to end after 24 years of crying with laughter and working with people you think are marvellous, then that's a big thing.
"So I took it out on myself. I cut my wrists - and then I thought, 'I might die here'. The next thing I remember I was in the corridor - and there was a lot of blood."
Distraught Jeff - who had become a household name as lovable Reg - found himself plunged into an abyss of despair and grief for his lost world after his contract was ended in 2008.
The bachelor had spent nearly half his life pacing the corridors of Sun Hill police station. The Bill had meant everything to him and now it was over.
After recovering from the initial shock Jeff didn't shave or have his hair cut for more than TWO YEARS. And his shocking appearance - and bizarre dress sense - led to rumours among fans that he had suffered a breakdown.
But today the actor arrests that myth and throws it in the cells - while also making his own witness statement on the axeing of a show that has been part of our TV culture since it launched in 1984.
"I was surprised when I heard it was ending," he says. "My heart goes out to those who've lost their jobs."
Jeff knows only too well how shattering that can be. He had no inkling of what was to come when he was called in to see the producer shortly after Christmas 2007.
"The show was my universe. I wasn't expecting my contract not to be taken up and I felt safe there," he says.
"There was no warning. Then the producer just said they weren't going to be keeping me on. In the same way that I didn't like leaving school - that was what that moment was like for me. It was a huge shock.
"I had lived in dreamland for 24 years and now I was in a nightmare. My world stopped turning. I was just like, 'What? What?' After leaving the producer's office in a daze, Jeff lost control in his dressing room.
"I'd rather not say what I used to cut my wrists. I wasn't in my right mind.
"I didn't know what I wanted or why I'd done it," he says. "It was like a water boiler exploding because the safety valve wasn't functioning.
There was a lot of blood and I remember thinking 'I might die here'
"But the fact I wasn't ready to die saved me at the last moment. I suddenly thought, 'What am I doing?' It wasn't logical." All he can remember now is calling for a security guard to bring him a towel to staunch the blood and then stumbling into the corridor, bleeding heavily from his wrists.
"I remember someone fussing around me and asking if I was OK. I said something like, 'I'm OK, I will be all right'," says Jeff.
"It was like banging your knee. You jump around at first for a bit, but then you rub it and it feels all right.
"I went from the initial pain to feeling OK quickly. I even remember asking for a cup of tea! It wasn't melodramatic, it was very real."
It was reported that Jeff had walked down the corridor covered in blood shouting, "I am The Bill!"
But Jeff insists: "That didn't happen. I don't know why anyone would say I said that. It's not my personality."
After that, Jeff says everything became a blank until he woke up in hospital having his wounds stitched by a doctor - with a massive sense of relief that he was still alive.
He says: "A couple of people from the show who had taken me there looked after me. Everyone was brilliant. It made me feel relieved I was OK and that everyone else was too, and others hadn't gone into shock because of what I did."
Jeff stayed in hospital overnight before being taken back to his home in Richmond, south west London, where he was cared for by a neighbour. "Not long after I got home, my family and friends started to turn up, and people from the show and the company, with flowers and things," he says.
"The familiar faces helped me feel ordinary again. You realise life will go on, and you wonder if you'll work again."
In the months that followed, Jeff started to find his feet and received offers. He decided he wanted to put clean-cut Reg behind him and grew his curly hair long with a bushy beard.
Fears grew that he'd cracked up and become a recluse. "I wasn't reclusive at all," laughs Jeff. "I had just wanted to grow my hair and have a beard for a long time - and this was the first opportunity. So I didn't get a haircut from just before Christmas 2007 until January 2010 when my agent told me I needed to get it cut!
"But the entertainment industry loves the quirky and I seemed to get more work when I had the hair. So I'm growing it back again!"
Jeff has featured in four films and two period dramas since The Bill. He says: "You either get work after 24 years on a show like The Bill or you're never seen again. Luckily work hasn't been difficult to get, and I've not been typecast as Reg. I'm really happy again, and love life. I feel great."
But he does admit to being stunned when it was announced in March that the Bill was going.
"The public still seemed to like it and were tuning in in their millions. And it was a success because its fans came from all walks of life," says Jeff.
"I was lucky enough to meet the Queen at an ITV party years ago," he says. "From the conversation we had it was clear she enjoyed The Bill.
"Then at Christmas I go to the Tate & Lyle warehouse in East London to say hello to homeless people and it is amazing the number who say to me, 'Oh, we remember when you bought a Big Issue off us'. It's wide appeal is amazing."
But after the show's final episode airs this Tuesday, Jeff is sure its legacy will live on.
"If the letters I received are to be believed, a lot of people became policemen and women because of the show and its portrayal of friendships within the force," he says. "Seeing what it was like to be a policeman - with the camaraderie and fun - made them join up. The Bill will be missed. It set the standard for TV drama shows and whatever fills that slot will have to be nothing short of brilliant to get the ratings."
Meanwhile, Jeff will still go on enjoying being recognised by fans when he walks down the street.
"People still say 'Hello Reg!' all the time," he says. "The Bill was my hit. I wasn't like Reg in real life, but I loved the cloak of putting him on.
"He was bookish and a bit of a square but he was fascinating and brilliant - and I never got bored playing him."
Thanks for posting that. It's great to hear that he's much better than a couple of years ago.
Yes, I am glad too, he was one of the most liked characters on the show, should have given him time to sort himself out rather than getting rid of him, which no doubt added to his troubles at the time.
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