THE
boss of The Bill has quit after securing the cop show a £175million
contract in one of the biggest deals in TV history.But the departure of Paul Marquess has spelt doom on set, with key cast members convinced it means the end for them, too.
Under Marquess, The Bill has had four glorious years of murder, incest, more murder, gay love, straight love, lost love, love-cheating, explosions, deception, double-crossing and other bad stuff.
But now it's the end of an era. Our source at Sun Hill says: "Several senior cast members have got contracts coming up for renewal soon and are seriously worried.
"Everyone knows new bosses like to do away with the old to make way for the new, so there are lots of concerned faces around."
When Marquess became executive producer, he axed 20 characters out of 28. However he has tried to reassure the cast that the end is not necessarily nigh, saying: "I'm sure there will be some changes but they won't be as dramatic as the open-heart surgery it needed when I got here."
Marquess, a former Corrie and Brookside executive who also came up with the idea for Footballers' Wives, took over at The Bill in 2001 amid flagging ratings.
He introduced his trademark over-the-top plots and the series now enjoys a regular audience of eight million viewers.
His parting gift to the show is a contract to stay at ITV1 for the next five years. He tells us: "When I arrived The Bill needed to change, and change fast. Now we've just secured a massive new deal and I want to go while I'm still really enjoying it.
"I've had a great time and don't want to leave it until I get bored."
The good news for telly fans is that Marquess is off to launch a new company with Endemol, the makers of Big Brother, who have never ventured into drama before.
As the master of ludicrous plots which viewers love, we have high hopes for whatever he churns out first.