The series producer of long-running ITV1 cop drama The Bill has left the show after less than six months, due to "creative differences".

Carson Black's departure is understood to have been prompted by a disagreement with The Bill's executive producer, Paul Marquess, about the future direction of the show.

Mr Black is said to have favoured dumping The Bill's serial element of ongoing storylines about the private lives of Sun Hill police station's bobbies and going back to the show's original format, which focused on police procedural plots that were wrapped up in a single episode.

The Bill ran in its original, thrice weekly, half-hour format from 1984 until 1998, when then-executive producer Richard Handford turned it into a serial drama with two weekly, hour-long, episodes.

Mr Marquess is understood to favour continuing with a mix of the serial elements and one-off crime stories, rather than a dramatic shift back to The Bill's previous focus on police procedural storylines.

Mr Black's departure comes as The Bill production team prepare for the first ever live edition of the show, which will be broadcast later this month as part of celebrations to mark the programme's 20th anniversary.

Mr Marquess will take over Mr Black's responsibilities until a new series producer is appointed.

"Carson Black has stepped down from his role as series producer of The Bill as a result of creative differences. His departure will have no impact whatsoever on the live episode we are making at the end of October," a spokeswoman for The Bill's producer, Thames, said.

The live edition of The Bill will be produced at Thames' production base in Merton, south London, where Channel Five soap Family Affairs and ITV1 detective drama MIT are also made.

It will be co-produced by Donna Wiffen and Sue Mather.

Mr Black was appointed as series editor of the show by Mr Marquess in April and took up his new job the following month.

He joined RTL subsidiary Thames from the BBC, where he had been series producer of BBC1 daytime drama Doctors.