The Bill is a British police procedural television series that ran from 1983 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 full series, which started in 1984 under the title of The Bill. From 2009 until the show's cancellation in 2010, the number of episodes was reduced to one episode a week in a post-watershed slot of 9pm which incorporated a new format and a new theme tune. At the time of the series' end on 31 August 2010 due to a drop in ratings, 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 YearCategoryNomineeResult 1990 Best Video Cameraman Roy Easton, Rolie Luker, Adrian J. Fearnley Best VTR Editor John Beech, Ray Ball, Laurie Bunce 1991 Best Sound (Fiction) Alan Lester, Paul Gartrell 1994 Best Drama Series Michael Chapman (Executive Producer) 2005 Best Continuing Drama The Bill 2008 Best Continuing Drama The Bill 2009 Best Continuing Drama The Bill 2010 Best Continuing Drama The Bill
Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy Awards YearCategoryNomineeResult 2002 Best TV Actress Diane Parish as DC Eva Sharpe 2003 Best TV Actor Cyril Nri as Superintendent Adam Okaro Best TV Actress Diane Parish as DC Eva Sharpe
National Television Awards YearCategoryNomineeResult 1996 Most Popular Drama The Bill 1999 Most Popular Drama The Bill 2000 Most Popular Drama The Bill Most Popular Newcomer Clara Salaman as DS Claire Stanton 2001 Most Popular Drama The Bill 2002 Most Popular Newcomer Diane Parish as DC Eva Sharpe 2003 Most Popular Drama The Bill Most Popular Newcomer Daniel MacPherson as PC Cameron Tait 2004 Most Popular Drama The Bill 2005 Most Popular Drama The Bill Most Popular Actor Alex Walkinshaw as Sergeant Dale "Smithy" Smith Scott Maslen as DS Phil Hunter Most Popular Actress Roberta Taylor as Inspector Gina Gold Lisa Maxwell as DS Samantha Nixon Most Popular Newcomer Chris Jarvis as PC Dan Casper 2007 Most Popular Drama The Bill 2008 Most Popular Drama The Bill Outstanding Drama Performance Alex Walkinshaw as Sergeant Dale "Smithy" Smith 2010 Most Popular Drama The Bill
Royal Television Society Awards YearCategoryNomineeResult 2004 Best Lighting, Photography and Camera – Multicamera Work Camera team (live episode) 2006 Best Sound Drama (live episode) Alison Davis, Donna Wiffen, Sylvie Boden, John Osborne Best Lighting, Photography and Camera – Multicamera Work (live episode) Sylvie Boden, Christopher Davies, Tony Keene, Donna Wiffen 2008 Best Soap or Continuing Drama The Bill 2009 Best Soap or Continuing Drama The Bill 2010 Best Soap or Continuing Drama The Bill
Inside Soap Awards YearCategoryNomineeResult 2002 Best Drama The Bill 2003 Best Drama The Bill 2004 Best Drama The Bill 2006 Best Drama The Bill 2007 Best Drama The Bill 2008 Best Drama The Bill 2009 Best Drama The Bill 2010 Best Drama The Bill
TV Quick & TV Choice Awards YearCategoryNomineeResult 2001 Best Loved Drama The Bill 2002 Best Loved Drama The Bill 2004 Best Actor Cyril Nri (Superintendent Adam Okaro) Best Actress Connie Hyde (PC Cathy Bradford) Best Loved Drama The Bill 2005 Best Actor Todd Carty (PC Gabriel Kent) Best Actress Lisa Maxwell (DI Samantha Nixon) Roberta Taylor (Gina Gold) Best Loved Drama The Bill 2006 Best Actress Roberta Taylor (Inspector Gina Gold) Best Loved Drama Series The Bill 2007 Best Actor Chris Simmons (DC Mickey Webb) Alex Walkinshaw (Sergeant Dale "Smithy" Smith) Best Actress Lisa Maxwell (DI Samantha Nixon) Gillian Taylforth (Sergeant Nikki Wright) Roberta Taylor (Inspector Gina Gold) Best Loved Drama Series The Bill
Other YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult 2005 Logie Award Most Popular Overseas Drama The Bill 2008 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award Best Soap/Continuing Drama Series The Bill Digital Spy Soap Awards Best Serial Drama The Bill 2009 Knights of Illumination Drama Lighting John O'Brien L.D. on The Bill
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