Former Coronation Street stars are to join the cast of The Bill
for a live episode of the police drama on Thursday, it was announced today.Charles Dale – who played Corrie’s Dennis Stringer – and Denise Black (Denise Osbourne) began rehearsals yesterday for the as-it-happens episode.
The live edition of The Bill is being screened for the programme’s 20th anniversary.
Dale already has experience of live TV acting after taking part in the Street’s one-off special in December 2000.
Also joining The Bill cast for this week’s episode is Cathy Shipton, best known to TV viewers for her role as Nurse Duffy in Casualty.
Dale will play crazed knifeman Mark Nevitt who is seen threatening to cut DC Juliet Becker’s throat at the start of the episode (Becker is the Sun Hill regular who is murdered in the episode - Ed )
A spokeswoman for The Bill said: “This episode of The Bill
really will be unmissable television.“Live drama rarely happens on screen these days and the actors and production team are working hard to get everything right for Thursday night.
“It’s nerve-wracking for everyone but a brilliant way to celebrate 20 years.”
Bosses of the show have asked members of the cast to be restrained at the National Television Awards two nights earlier to make sure they are on top form.
Show bosses are planning several spectacular stunts and fight scenes have been carefully choreographed.
If
anything goes wrong former Brookside actress Vickie Gates, who recently joined
the show as front desk officer Marilyn Chambers, is
being groomed to save the day.She will ad lib throughout the show and the director will cut to her while any problems with the main action are sorted out.
Cast members are learning each others’ lines in case they have to help out should anyone forget.
The episode is going out in real time, similar to the American hit series 24 with viewers seeing an action-packed hour at Sun Hill.
There will be no time delay during transmission so if anything does go wrong, there will be no time to avoid screening it.