The Bill is a British
police procedural television series that ran from 1984 to 2010. The show, whose name is derived from "old bill"—a British
slang term for police officers—was unusual among police dramas in that it focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work. The series originated in 1983 as a one-off drama titled
Woodentop (another British slang term for the police, derived from the
helmets worn by British police officers), written by
Geoff McQueen and produced by
Thames Television.
ITV were sufficiently impressed with
Woodentop that they commissioned a series, which started in 1984 under the title of
The Bill. At the time of the series' end in August 2010,
The Bill was the United Kingdom's longest-running police drama and was among the longest-running of any British television series, having run for almost 27 years.
The Bill has earned various awards and nominations during its run, with the nominations in categories ranging from Best Drama to its camera and editing work to the cast's acting performance. It received nominations for eight awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, winning Best Video Cameraman in 1990 and Best Continuing Drama in 2009—an award for which it was unsuccessfully nominated in a further three years. In addition, The Bill enjoyed success at the Inside Soap Awards, where it won Best Drama six times, including four consecutive wins, as well as a nomination in 2010—losing to Waterloo Road. Other awards include a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award for Best Soap/Continuing Drama Series in 2008, Best Serial Drama at the Digital Spy Soap Awards of the same year and a nomination for Most Popular Overseas Drama at the 2005 Logie Awards. The Bill has also received multiple nominations at the EMMAs, National Television Awards, where it won Most Popular Drama in 1996 and 2004, and six Royal Television Society award nominations, having won awards in 2006 and 2008.
Awards and nominations
British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards
| Year
|
Category
|
Nominee
|
Result
|
| 1990 |
Best Video Cameraman |
Roy Easton, Rolie Luker, Adrian J. Fearnley |
Won
|
| Best VTR Editor |
John Beech,Ray Ball, Laurie Bunce |
Nominated
|
| 1991 |
Best Sound (Fiction) |
Alan Lester, Paul Gartrell |
Nominated
|
| 1994 |
Best Drama Series |
Michael Chapman (Executive Producer) |
Nominated
|
| 2005 |
Best Continuing Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2008 |
Best Continuing Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2009 |
Best Continuing Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2010 |
Best Continuing Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy Awards
| Year
|
Category
|
Nominee
|
Result
|
| 2002 |
Best TV Actress |
Diane Parish as DC Eva Sharpe |
Won
|
| 2003 |
Best TV Actor |
Cyril Nri as Superintendent Adam Okaro |
Won
|
| Best TV Actress |
Diane Parish as DC Eva Sharpe |
Nominated
|
National Television Awards
| Year
|
Category
|
Nominee
|
Result
|
| 1996 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 1999 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2000 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| Most Popular Newcomer |
Clara Salaman as DS Claire Stanton |
Nominated
|
| 2001 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2002 |
Most Popular Newcomer |
Diane Parish as DC Eva Sharpe |
Nominated
|
| 2003 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| Most Popular Newcomer |
Daniel MacPherson as PC Cameron Tait |
Nominated
|
| 2004 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2005 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| Most Popular Actor |
Alex Walkinshaw as Sergeant Dale "Smithy" Smith |
Longlisted
|
| Scott Maslen as DS Phil Hunter |
Longlisted
|
| Most Popular Actress |
Roberta Taylor as Inspector Gina Gold |
Longlisted
|
| Lisa Maxwell as DS Samantha Nixon |
Longlisted
|
| Most Popular Newcomer |
Chris Jarvis as PC Dan Casper |
Longlisted
|
| 2007 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2008 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| Outstanding Drama Performance |
Alex Walkinshaw as Sergeant Dale "Smithy" Smith |
Nominated
|
| 2010 |
Most Popular Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
Royal Television Society Awards
| Year
|
Category
|
Nominee
|
Result
|
| 2004 |
Best Lighting, Photography and Camera – Multicamera Work |
Camera team (live episode) |
Nominated
|
| 2006 |
Best Sound Drama (live episode) |
Alison Davis, Donna Wiffen, Sylvie Boden, John Osborne |
Won
|
| Best Lighting, Photography and Camera – Multicamera Work (live episode) |
Sylvie Boden, Christopher Davies, Tony Keene, Donna Wiffen |
Nominated
|
| 2008 |
Best Soap or Continuing Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2009 |
Best Soap or Continuing Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2010 |
Best Soap or Continuing Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
Inside Soap Awards
| Year
|
Category
|
Nominee
|
Result
|
| 2002 |
Best Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2003 |
Best Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2004 |
Best Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2006 |
Best Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2007 |
Best Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2008 |
Best Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2009 |
Best Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2010 |
Best Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
TV Quick & TV Choice Awards
| Year
|
Category
|
Nominee
|
Result
|
| 2001 |
Best Loved Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2002 |
Best Loved Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2004 |
Best Actor |
Cyril Nri (Superintendent Adam Okaro) |
Nominated
|
| Best Actress |
Connie Hyde (PC Cathy Bradford) |
Nominated
|
| Best Loved Drama |
The Bill |
Won
|
| 2005 |
Best Actor |
Todd Carty (PC Gabriel Kent) |
Nominated
|
| Best Actress |
Lisa Maxwell (DI Samantha Nixon) |
Nominated
|
| Roberta Taylor (Gina Gold) |
Nominated
|
| Best Loved Drama |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2006 |
Best Actress |
Roberta Taylor (Inspector Gina Gold) |
Nominated
|
| Best Loved Drama Series |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
| 2007 |
Best Actor |
Chris Simmons (DC Mickey Webb) |
Nominated
|
| Alex Walkinshaw (Sergeant Dale "Smithy" Smith) |
Nominated
|
| Best Actress |
Lisa Maxwell (DI Samantha Nixon) |
Nominated
|
| Gillian Taylforth (Sergeant Nikki Wright) |
Nominated
|
| Roberta Taylor (Inspector Gina Gold) |
Nominated
|
| Best Loved Drama Series |
The Bill |
Nominated
|
Other