Production/Storylines[]
The year began with the culmination of the serial killer case, in which Pat Kitson was discovered to be the killer; and PCs Luke Ashton and Kerry Young tied the knot, just as Insp. Gold discovered Ashton and Sgt. Gilmore in bed together! (# 077). Hunter managed to get himself involved deeper with villain Ron Gregory, even having to prostitute his own wife (# 079); and Danny Glaze found himself involved once again with Sister Sarah, when a Priest was discovered to be a paedophile (# 078). Okaro got himself into hot water after advocating the legislation of class A drugs (# 081); and Meadows' marriage came to an end when his wife falsely suspected him of having an affair with DS McAllister (# 082).
PC Cameron Tait arrived at the station as Sun Hill's first Australian policeman, after being suspected as being a flasher by his neighbour; and Bradford's lie about her HIV status was uncovered by FDO Cryer (# 085). Sun Hill hosted its annual open day (# 086), where Eva Sharpe's daughter Joanna went missing; a subsequent full-scale search of Sun Hill was initiated to find her (# 087). Gilmore decided to transfer away from the station after his simmering feelings for Ashton became too much (# 088); the officers' investigation into Joanna's disappearance led to the discovery of a paedophile ring behind the charity 'Global Families' (# 090); and Joanna was found alive and well in an abandoned warehouse (# 092).
The show's titles underwent another revamp on Wednesday 26th February. The checker-board effect of character's faces was dropped and replaced with a montage of generic police images. The show's music also changed, with a tune reminiscent of the 1984 theme. Also that year, Drummond's bigamy was exposed (# 093); Bradford's obsession with TDC Kane grew (# 094); and PC Young investigated a case of teenage gang rape (# 095). Sgt. Boyden slept with DI Nixon's 15-year old daughter (# 096); a school teacher was under threat for having sex with underage pupils (# 097); and new recruit PC Honey Harman made her debut (# 098).
Polly Page returned to the station after a year to join CSU (# 099); Taviner became the new ward officer on the Coal Lane Estate (# 100); and DC Webb and FDO Cryer were taken hostage by paedophile Ron Gregory (# 103). Bradford finally overstepped the mark when she pushed TDC Kane's ex-wife down a set of stairs (# 104); she later died in hospital (#106). Osbourne was attacked outside the station and Nick Klein got involved with Boyden's junkie daughter Amy (# 107); Bob Cryer returned to Sun Hill to help his niece solve a crime (# 108); and Klein went into Rehab after his crack-cocaine addiction spiraled out of control (# 110). Episode # 111 saw the death of one of Sun Hill's longest-serving characters, when Sgt. Matthew Boyden was shot dead by his daughter's drug dealer; the subsequent investigation formed the first part of the 8-part drama M.I.T., a spin-off from The Bill.
PC Tait went undercover to infiltrate an Australian shoplifting gang (# 112); Eva Sharpe returned back to work to the consternation of her colleagues (# 114); and Osbourne left Sun Hill (# 115). Dale Smith's return to the station as a Sergeant surprised the relief (# 117); Carver married Marie Graham, a woman he he was helping out in his role as Family Liaison Officer (# 119); and Luke Ashton, after being publicly outed about his sexuality, decided again to leave Sun Hill (# 122). PC Page assisted a terminally ill doctor she'd befriended with suicide (# 123); Acting DI Nixon's daughter came face to face with her child-killing father (# 125); and PC Gabriel Kent arrived at the station (# 126).
Also that year DC Drummond went undercover as a security guard to smash a ring of car robbers (# 127); Supt. Okaro visited PC Klein in Rehab (# 133); and June Ackland returned to Uniform after the suicide of one of her witnesses made her reconsider her ability to run CSU (# 135). DC Webb's mother was killed in a hit-and-run accident (# 137); DS Hunter and DC Sharpe investigated foul play at a local football club (# 138); and Insp. Gold's career was on the line when she was brethalysed and found to be over the legal limit (# 139). DC Becker was abducted by a rape suspect (# 140); PC Buxton decided to resign after being bullied into committing perjury by PC Kent (# 143); and Nick Klein came back on the beat with many of his colleagues questioning his decision to return to Sun Hill (# 144). Ackland attempted to trap an internet burglar (# 145); PC Page was arrested for the murder of Dr. Owen Preston (# 147); and Robbie Cryer found herself without a job after failing to answer an urgent assistance call from PC Bradford who was subsequently badly beaten (# 148) - it later materialised her wounds were actually self-inflicted (# 149).
Jim Carver posed as a hit-man to gain evidence against PC Page's cellmate who was planning to kill her boyfriend; DC Webb was brutally raped by a dangerous con-man (# 153); and ex-DI Sally Johnson returned to Sun Hill as a private investigator to investigate claims of a fit-up in the Simpson murder case (# 154). DC Glaze decided to flee Sun Hill when Johnson came too close to uncovering the truth (# 155); new PC Yvonne Hemmingway made a big impression on the relief (# 156); and Sgt. Murphy revealed that PC Taviner was the father of her child (# 157). Taviner and Hollis were involved in a near-fatal car crash in the Area Car, with the former missing presumed dead (# 159); and # 160 saw the first day of PC Page's trial for murder. Undoubtedly the biggest moment of the year was The Bill's live episode to commemorate 20 years of the show since the pilot Woodentop. 11 million viewers tuned in to see the tragic murder of DC Juliet Becker, stabbed by a drunk with a knife outside of the station (# 162).
Polly Page was found guilty of murder and PC Bradford appeared on Lorraine Kelly's show to talk about how 'betrayed' she'd felt by her best friend (# 163); DC Terry Perkins showed he was no pushover on his first day at the station (# 165); and DS Hunter and DC Sharpe followed separate lines of enquiry when investigating a young prostitute who had been stabbed (# 167). DS De Costa struggled when investigating the rape of her step-daughter (# 170); Gabriel Kent was revealed to be June Ackland's son (# 171); and Acting DI Nixon discovered that she'd been passed over for promotion (# 173). Supt. Okaro went back on the frontline to keep in touch with the relief (# 176); Carver returned to work following a sustained beating (# 177); and new DI Neil Manson immediately stamped out his authority on CID (# 178). The year ended with DC Kane uncovering the true involvement of PC Bradford in his ex-wife's death (# 180).
Episode Count[]
| Ranking | Character | Played by | Number of Episodes | Running total | Previous year's ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insp Gina Gold | Roberta Taylor | 68 | ||
| 2 | DCI Jack Meadows | Simon Rouse | 61 | ||
| 3 | PC Gary Best | Ciaran Griffiths | 60 | ||
| 4 | Supt Adam Okaro | Cyril Nri | 56 | ||
| 5 | Acting DI/DS Samantha Nixon | Lisa Maxwell | 55 | ||
| 6 | DS Phil Hunter | Scott Maslen | 53 | ||
| 7 | PC Tony Stamp | Graham Cole | 53 | ||
| 8 | Sgt Sheelagh Murphy | Bernie Nolan | 52 | N/A | N/A |
| 9 | PC Des Taviner | Paul Usher | 52 | ||
| 10 | PC Cathy Bradford | Connie Hyde | 49 | ||
| 11 | PC Honey Harman | Kim Tiddy | 49 | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | DS Debbie McAllister | Natalie Roles | 49 | ||
| 13 | Sgt June Ackland | Trudie Goodwin | 46 | ||
| 14 | PC Kerry Young | Beth Cordingly | 46 | ||
| 15 | DC Brandon Kane | Pal Aron | 44 | ||
| 16 | PC Cameron Tait | Daniel Macpherson | 44 | N/A | N/A |
| 17 | Sgt Dale Smith | Alex Walkinshaw | 41 | ||
| 18 | PC Jim Carver | Mark Wingett | 39 | ||
| 19 | DC Ken Drummond | Russell Floyd | 39 | ||
| 20 | DC Eva Sharpe | Diane Parish | 39 | ||
| 21 | DC Mickey Webb | Chris Simmons | 39 | ||
| 22 | PC Polly Page | Lisa Geoghan | 38 | ||
| 23 | PC Nick Klein | Rene Zagger | 37 | ||
| 24 | FDO Roberta Cryer | Moya Brady | 35 | ||
| 25 | PC Reg Hollis | Jeff Stewart | 28 | ||
| 26 | PC Gabriel Kent | Todd Carty | 27 | N/A | N/A |
| 27 | PC Luke Ashton | Scott Neal | 26 | ||
| 28 | DC Juliet Becker | Rae Baker | 26 | 26 | N/A |
| 29 | DC Danny Glaze | Karl Collins | 23 | ||
| 30 | PC Ruby Buxton | Nicola Alexis | 20 | ||
| 31 | DC Ramani De Costa | Thusitha Jayasundera | 18 | N/A | N/A |
| 32 | PC Gemma Osbourne | Jane Danson | 16 | ||
| 33 | DC Rob Thatcher | Brian Bovell | 16 | N/A | N/A |
| 34 | Sgt Matthew Boyden | Tony O'Callaghan | 14 | ||
| 35 | SRO Marilyn Chambers | Vickie Gates | 14 | N/A | N/A |
| 36 | PC Yvonne Hemmingway | Michele Austin | 13 | N/A | N/A |
| 37 | Sgt Craig Gilmore | Hywel Simons | 8 | ||
| 38 | CAD Officer Dean McVerry | Luke Hamill | 8 | N/A | N/A |
| 39 | DC Terry Perkins | Bruce Byron | 5 | N/A | N/A |
| 40 | PO Sally Johnson | Jaye Griffiths | 4 | N/A | |
| 41 | Bob Cryer | Eric Richard | 3 | ||
| 42 | DC Duncan Lennox | George Rossi | 2 | ||
| 43 | DI Neil Manson | Andrew Lancel | 2 | N/A | N/A |
|
| Preceded by: 2002 Episodes (Series 18) |
2003 Episodes (Series 19) (Episode Chronology) |
Succeeded by: 2004 Episodes (Series 20) |