ROUND UP OF INFORMATION

ROUND UP OF INFORMATION (5/4/02)

Be warned! There are some major spoilers below!

I thought it was about time to round up some of the latest information flying around about The Bill recently.

The first article is from today's The Sun newspaper...

THIS is the moment PC Jim Carver SNOGS tough-talking Sgt June Ackland in The Bill.

Cheeky Carver, played by Mark Wingett, 41, will amaze fans of the ITV1 drama by copping off with his boss as a firebomb destroys Sun Hill nick.

He and June, alias actress Trudie Goodwin, 50, have been in the show for 19 years. Their blazing passion will be screened on April 16. A show spokesman said: “Viewers will be stunned.”

Fans of the show have also received their first ever e-mail from the Executive Producer, Paul Marquess. He says that he hopes to write at least once a month to let the fans know what is in store for the programme and what goes on behind the scenes.

He continues with talking about the exciting developments coming up in the next week: "After all the leaks and speculation, the Sun Hill fireball is finally approaching. We've recently finished shooting some extra material for the key episode (008) and I'm absolutely delighted by the results. It's a real Sun Hill landmark with cracking performances from all involved and a massive twist. It's going to be screened as part of a special The Bill week on ITV1; keep your eye on the official website for more details."

As far as I can ascertain, the 'special week' will consist of:

Episode 008: Tue 16th April, 8:30 - 9:30pm, ITV1 (the actual episode the station gets burnt down)

Episode 009: Wed 17th April, 8:00 - 9:00pm, ITV1

Episode 010: Thur 18th April, 8:00 - 9:00pm, ITV1

Marquess also reveals more details on the future direction of characters: "You can look forward to a big story for June and Jim as well as Jack Meadows and Mickey Webb's slow and steady campaign to bring Chandler down. Poor old Tony Stamp will face his biggest nightmare since he ran a man over a couple of years back and Nick Klein takes his first steps down a road which could lead to hell. We will also see Danny Glaze wrestling with 'survivor guilt' and watch as Debbie McAllister gets into a very tricky situation indeed.

He also describes what plans he has in store for the new characters: "DC Eva Sharpe (Diane Parish) immediately crosses swords (and trades punches) with DS McAllister and Inspector Gina Gold (Roberta Taylor) promises to make June's life unbearable. The return of Luke Ashton (Scott Neal) sends various pulses racing far too fast and PC Gary Best (Ciaran Griffiths) decides that Tony Stamp's much too soft for his own good. As it turns out, he's right..."

He concludes with a message for those of us who are slightly wary about all the changes he is making to the show: "If I sound horribly upbeat and excited, it's because I am. After all, I've seen the first twenty episodes of the newly serialised Bill. I hope, when the time comes, you'll enjoy them as much as I have."

"I do understand that some of you will be wary of change and it's possible that a favourite character will be disappearing but I hope you'll bear with me. The new intake is very strong very strong indeed. And their interaction with the old guard should provide terrific entertainment."