NEWS ROUND-UP (22/04/07)

Here is a round-up of some of the stories doing the rounds at the moment:

After saying goodbye to Trudie Goodwin – who walked the beat as Sgt June Ackland for 23 years – Sun Hill welcomes a host of new recruits across its ranks.

PC Beth Green (Louisa Lytton) joins in May, and PC’s Sally Armstrong (Ali Bastian) and Billy Rowan (Ben Lee) get their warrant cards in July. But tragedy soon strikes, and Sgt Nikki Wright (Gillian Taylforth) is determined to bring a ruthless killer to justice.

Tough DC Grace Dasari (Amita Dhiri) joins the CID team in June, on a secondment from Special Projects. Her no-nonsense attitude means she doesn’t always get along with her colleagues, but she has the ability for gritty policing, and her skills are soon tested.

Action-packed episodes in July follow Supt. John Heaton (Daniel Flynn) on the trail of his nemesis, gangster Ray Moore (Mark Bonnar). When Ray is found murdered, PC Lewis Hardy (Aml Ameen) is forced to wonder if his cousin has been directly involved. When Lewis discovers his cousin has joined the Skens street gang, following the revenge attack on Ray Moore, Lewis questions his role in the force. Where do Lewis’s loyalties lie - with his family or with his career? This storyline will mark the departure of Lewis - Aml Ameen has just filmed his final scenes with the show, which air in August. According to reliable sources, it involves a high-speed helicopter chase through London.

The murder of a supermodel unites DC Jo Masters (Sally Rogers) and DS Stuart Turner (Doug Rao), but not before Jo faces a life-and-death situation.

The arrival of Sgt Callum Stone sends shockwaves through Sun Hill. He wins favour with everyone but Dale ‘Smithy’ Smith (Alex Walkinshaw). Does Smithy sense something the others have missed?

::: IN OTHER NEWS

You may have noticed that The Bill has gone back to titling each episode. It began with 'Sweet Revenge' - episode # 490, which aired on 21st March.

Over five years ago the titles were scrapped and episode numbers were introduced following the beginning of the show’s serial element. It was important to follow a linear timeline and numbering made it easy. A spokesperson from the show commented, "The titles summed up the essence of an episode and that’s exactly what The Bill have gone back to; while it still retains a serial element."

Darren Day will be guest starring in the show in a couple of months. He'll be playing photographer Jeff Slade. One of Slade’s glamorous models is found murdered: the question is – did he kill her? Suzanne Shaw, a former fiancée of Day’s and mother of his baby son Corey, was only filming for the show a couple of months ago. The former Hear’say singer will appear on screen in June playing car-crash victim Laura Matthews.

And finally, PC Hinckley will be in for a rough ride over the next couple of months as she is charged with the attempted murder of her husband, CPS lawyer Matt Hinckley. DS Phil Hunter also begins his stint in uniform next week; as far as we know, it's only a short-term placement.