Area Cars

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Area Car

Sun Hill Area Car
Vehicle Type:	Area Car
Affiliation:	Metropolitan Police
Call Sign(s):	Sierra 1 (Sun Hill) Sierra 1-7 (Sun Hill) Sierra 1-2 (Sun Hill) Sierra 2 (Barton Street)
Use:	Resonding straight away to high-priority calls
Currently In Use:	BMW 5-Series E60 BMW 5-Series E39

Area Cars are 5-door saloons used in pursuits from The Bill's beginning in Woodentop to the end in Respect: Part 2. They are fast for speed and stable in handling, making them the perfect pursuit vehicle. They can only be driven by specialist Area Car Drivers, who must pass an advanced driving test in order to undertake Area Car duties. As the most powerful vehicles in the fleet, Area Cars feature in many of the shows most memorable chase scenes.

From 1984 to 1997, the Area Cars featured prominently in the title sequences:

1984-1991 - the opening title sequence began with the Rover 3500 ACL863W driving toward the camera in traffic until only the roof light is visible, after which various clips of the characters are shown interspersed with views of the blue light.
1991-1992 - A new version of the opening sequence featured one of the two-tone white/black Ford Sierras (registration number unclear in the shot) driving past the camera at night in the rain about half way through the theme tune.
1993-1997 - The opening sequence reverted to the original format with the Area Car driving towards the camera. In this version, the most famous of all The Bill area cars, K923ARX, was used, driven by PC Stamp with PC Ackland.
1997-1998 - The last version of the "classic" title sequence featured the Vauxhall Vectra P737OPP. Two different versions were used concurrently, one where the Area Car is seen in daylight and the other at night.
All versions of the opening sequence after this time featured only library footage, not actual actors and vehicles used in The Bill.
The title sequence from 1998 to 2001 featured passing shots of the Vauxhall Vectra amidst other police-related images including a suspect being interviewed, CAD operators and prisoner processing.
The 2001-2003 titles did not feature the area car as it was solely character photos, however the closing titles showed the Vectra driving towards the camera along with other miscellaneous images.
Like the 1998-2001, the 2003-2006 title sequence featured passing shots of the Vectra, despite it being replaced on the series in 2004.
The 2007-2009 sequence ended with a shot of the BMW 5-Series area car, however it sported an erroneous number plate VF03FOD, which was actually used for a Vauxhall Astra IRV during filming.
The final title sequence featured the E39 5-Series driving through London, although at one point there is a shot of the E60, while the closing titles showed the E39 driving down a motorway as the camera panned out.

Most of the Area Cars used in the series production were normal filming prop cars, but the production team did have two genuine police cars bought especially for the show from the real Metropolitan Police, both Ford Sierras. One was F161RUL, which did not actually appear in many episodes, the other was K923ARX. Some sources claim that the two cars were one and the same, it having been repainted and accessorised to resemble a newer model; however this may not be true - on the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry site, both of these cars are shown as separate vehicles which have been on the road concurrently - at the time of writing this information, F161RUL was still in use with a valid MOT until April 2020, whilst K923ARX has been not been taxed and tested since 2005 when it went into a private museum collection and still makes public appearances at some automotive events. It is also illegal to register a car with a registration number issued after the car's year of manufacture, further evidence that these claims are untrue.

Area Car Drivers[]

PC Robin Frank (1984-1989)
PC Steve Loxton (1990-1997)
PC Tony Stamp (1987-2009)
PC Mike Jarvis (1996-1998)
PC Vicky Hagen (1998-2001)
PC Des Taviner (2001-2003)
PC Gemma Osbourne (2002-2003)
PC Yvonne Hemmingway (2003-2006)
PC Roger Valentine (2004-2010)
PC Will Fletcher (2006-2008)
Sergeant Callum Stone (2007-2010)
PC Kirsty Knight (2010)
Sergeant Bob Cryer (never drove but was authorised to do so (as seen in credits)
Chief Inspector Derek Conway (never drove but did at some point (reminiscent about it in some earlier episodes)
PC Ron Smollet, as an ex-traffic officer Smollet would have been trained as an Advanced Driver.

Area Car Operators[]

The following served as Area Car Operators (2nd Person), or could serve as 2nd Person

- WPC (Then) June Ackland (Tony Stamps First shown 2nd Person)
- PC Francis Edwards
- Sgt Bob Cryer (Offered to cover Taffy in Area Car)
- Sgt Matt Boyden
- PC Tony Stamp (Shown crewing for PC Loxton and PC Hagen)
- PC Dave Quinan
- Supt Adam Okaro
- PC Reg Hollis
- PC Polly Page
- WPC Cathy Marshall

Area Cars Used in The Bill[]

1984-1991: Rover SD1 (first used in Woodentop)
1990-1996: Ford Sierra (first used permanently after the S7 episode The Chase, began rotation with the old SD1 in 1990)
1993-1994: Vauxhall Astra MK3 (when the Astra first appeared it was referred to as Sierra 1, but was later reassigned as an IRV - SO21).
1995-1996: Rover 214 (used alternatively to the Sierra, ocasionally used [1]as IRV, seen here in High Score)
1996-1997: Ford Mondeo (first used in the episode Detained)
1997-2004: Vauxhall Vectra (first used in S13 ep Too Much to Lose but appeared in title sequence in S12 ep Hers)
2004-2010: BMW 5 Series E39 (first used in Episode 220)
2010: BMW 5 Series E60 (first used in Keep Her Talking)

Gallery[]

Damages[]

In The Chase, Steve Loxton and Reg Hollis pursue a Ford Capri used in a petrol station robbery during which the area car collides with another car driven by a member of the public. This episode was first shown in 1991, when Ford Sierras had already replaced the Rover SD1 area cars, but the production team obviously didn't want to write-off one of the new motors so one of the older Rovers was used instead, although some of the interior driving footage was filmed in the Rover and some in a Sierra - if you watch carefully during the chase scene, you can see the two different vehicles from the rear seat camera position. Another interesting note is that whilst the real police used Rover 3500 models, the one used in this episode (A794 UJD) was only a 2600, and some of the others used were 2300s.
In Comeback, the original black bumper Sierra H23MGM was stolen from PC Steve Loxton and later written off after crashing and flipping onto its side. Episodes being shot out of sequence meant the black bumper Sierras appeared after this episode, but within a few months the black bumper Sierra was replaced by one the all white edition, and the sequencing issue meant the written off car reappeared in episodes directly after Comeback.
In The Short Straw, during a pursuit of the murderers of WDC Viv Martella, a suspect shot at the Ford Sierra Area Car (K923ARX), smashing the window. Driver PC Steve Loxton and passenger WPC June Ackland were unharmed but the suspect car crashed and exploded, killing both occupants. The same Sierra had its windshield smashed again in the episode Instant Response.
In Easy Pray (S10E90), a plant pot was dropped off a balcony onto the roof of an all-white Sierra (K92BRX) , however it returned to the screen in future episodes. The vehicle was empty at the time but was assigned to PCs Tony Stamp and Mike Jarvis.
In Straying, a CID Ford Escort rear-ended a Vauxhall Vectra Area Car (P737OPP). The crash or any subsequent damage wasn't mentioned directly on-screen, so it was possibly an error made during filming.
In Urgent Assistance PC Tony Stamp accidentally knocked over a pedestrian in a Vectra Area Car (P610TUY). The car was undamaged but the man hit by the car died.
In The Morning After whilst backing out, PC Vicky Hagen, driving a Vectra Area Car (V874FNP), collided with PC Polly Page's Panda Car, as this one was backing out. Minor damages were done to tail lights but no one was injured. The blame was laid with Vicky.
In Value Judgement PC Vicky Hagen first dented the Vectra Area car (V874FNP) after avoiding a head-on collision by hitting a parked car. She later tried to stop a child being abducted but crashed the car into a ditch. The car's chassis was badly bent, writing off the car. PC Hagen was not injured.
In Happy & Glorious Part 1, the Vectra Area Car (W629GHM) was shot at during a pursuit. Neither PCs Des Taviner or Polly Page were injured but the windshield was smashed. Despite it being minor damage, that number plate wasn't used again on the Vectra, instead it was made Y718JNP and Y721JNP. The latter of those again had a windshield smashed in Episode 008 and 033.
In Episode 141, the Vectra Area Car Y721JNP was stolen from PC Des Taviner during an obbo, and in Episode 142, it was found abandoned with slashed tires and defaced from front to back with graffiti. It was subsequently repaired and returned to service.
In Episode 159, PC Des Taviner went crazy when he thought Sgt. Sheelagh Murphy had gone to New Scotland Yard to tell Supt. Adam Okaro that Des started the Sun Hill Fire in 2002. After driving the Vectra Area car (either Y721JNP or P966XHG) into a chemical warehouse along with a Ford Mondeo being pursued, the warehouse and both vehicles exploded. Neither Vectras donning the number plates previously mentioned reappeared again, with the final two variations before it was replaced in 2004 donning the plates Y718JNP & W102WHM. PC Reg Hollis, who was also in the car, suffered severe burns but recovered; the driver of the other car died and PC Des Taviner escaped.
In Episode 225, PC Tony Stamp accidentally ran Sergeant June Ackland over in a BMW 5-series Area Car (LY53GUF).