The Bill retires from TV after 26 years
The cast of television institution The Bill were left tearful and broken hearted yesterday following an announcement by ITV that it would be axing the fading police drama after a 26-year run on British and world television screens.
Amid emotional scenes at the London studios of the show, management revealed that filming would be halted in June, with a complete withdrawal from all airtime as of autumn. The announcement was described as a complete shock and a hammer blow to the 18 primary cast members and 90 staff that are currently working on the series, with most now facing redundancy.
The decision followed the continued fall in ratings for the one-time UK favourite, with the viewer slump impacting significantly of the financial viability of the show which costs £30 million per annum to film.
The main cast members, including Sarah Manners (PC Kirsty Knight), Rhea Bailey (PC Mel Ryder), Bruce Byron (DC Terry Perkins) and Dominic Power (PC Leon Taylor) all were due on set yesterday unawares of the impending decision. However, surprise phone calls in the early morning broke the news and advised them to take the day off. A source close to the cast said that the mood was emotional, with many tears shed. Some staff found out from backing crew members but all were stunned to learn that after almost three decades they would be out of work in just six weeks.
Britain’s longest-running police drama has screened in 55 countries and in its heyday drew 10 million viewers to its thrice-weekly broadcast – which has fallen to be now 3.5 million.