LIVE EPISODE NEWS (15/10/03)

More news has been revealed about the upcoming live episode of The Bill...

According to Ananova:

"The Bill will mark its 20th anniversary with a live hour-long edition.

Programme bosses have lined up an episode packed with stunts and the murder of one of the regulars later this month.

A team of 200 people will be working on the show which will be aired on October 30.

A spokeswoman for The Bill said: "It's hugely ambitious but we are going to see what we can do."

Scripts for the show have been under lock and key but members of the cast were shown them this week.

Programme regulars such as Lisa Maxwell, Scott Maslen and Todd Carty will be taking part.

Paul Marquess, executive producer of The Bill, said: "We're nervous but excited about going live. We first talked about doing a live show over a year ago. It's 20 years since the pilot, Woodentop, aired, the ratings are soaring so we felt it was the ideal time to try something really ambitious to celebrate the show's incredible success."

The live special will be broadcast entirely from the show's studios in Merton, south west London.

The show, which has undergone a number of revamps over the years, pulls in more than eight million viewers."

Teletext reports that a character will die:

A Sun Hill favourite will die in The Bill's 20th anniversary special live episode, to be screened on October 30.

ITV1 chiefs are staying silent about who will be killed off but there are a few favourites for the chop.

In the episode a vicious drunk holds a knife to the throat of DC Juliet Becker (Rae Baker); and PC Gary Best (Ciaran Griffiths) is out for revenge on the man who he believes killed his dad. Another possible victim is killer cop Des Taviner (Paul Usher)."

Finally, soon to be on thebill.com...

The live episode promises to be an action-packed hour of dramatic scenes, exciting stunts and high tension. Viewers will see the tragic murder of a Sun Hill regular, while a familiar face reappears – this time on enemy lines – and another surprise figure lurks in the shadows.

Things are tough from the start as PC Cathy Bradford tries to talk down a vicious drunk holding a knife to the throat of terrified DC Juliet Becker. Meanwhile PC Gary Best’s father is missing and an empty, bullet-ridden van awash with blood is the only clue to his whereabouts. A tip-off leads to a gruesome find and Gary goes looking for revenge.

Viewers will also see two of THE BILL’s longest serving officers, DC Jim Carver (Mark Wingett) and Sergeant June Ackland (Trudie Goodwin), share poignant moments as they reminisce about the past 20 years. And Sergeant Sheelagh Murphy, stunned by events unfolding around her, comes to terms with losing Des and makes a life-changing decision.