| Episode No. | Series | |
| 1544 | 2000x068 |
The River is the 1544th episode of The Bill.
Beech, Stanton and Hodges set up the operation to capture gangster Howard Fallon, his associate Ray Bazzini and two corrupt Drug Squad officers, DI Tasker and DS Garrard. Don and Maggie conspire to take all Fallon's cash for a drug deal with an American drug smuggler, and Don tries to trick Tasker and Garrard into double crossing Fallon and Bazzini.
Stanton takes Beech to John's funeral. Whilst there, Stanton is called by Tasker and Garrard, and she discovers Beech asked Tasker and Garrard to source guns for the meet, and she furiously throws him back to an angry Hodges. Beech has just the right trick up his sleeve, Tasker and Garrard's DCI is in on the scam, and an excited Hodges foolishly allows Beech to go into the job and he briefs his team and SO19, despite warnings from Stanton.
As Bazzini and Fallon take Beech to meet the supplier, Beech conspicuously unloads the cash from the briefcase and leaves it under Bazzini's car. As Fallon, Bazzini and the supplier leave, Maggie shows up to collect the cash.
At the meet, as soon as the drugs are unloaded, Bazzini and Fallon turn on Beech, but Tasker and Garrard show up and tie up the gangsters. As soon as they are all tied up, Beech steals Tasker's gun and knocks him and Garrard out. Fallon is not surprised but when Beech turns the gun on him, Fallon pleads with him. A gunshot rings out, but when SO19 storm the building, all the gangsters are tied up, and the only thing remaining is the empty cash case with Beech's tracker inside. Hodges furiously demands they find Beech, and Stanton furiously tells Hodges that Beech wasn't to be trusted.
Maggie escapes when police shows up but Beech safely escapes.
Credits[]
Main cast
- Billy Murray as DS Don Beech
- Clara Salaman as DS Claire Stanton
- Shaun Scott as DI Chris Deakin
- Peter Ellis as Ch Supt Charles Brownlow
- Chris Simmons as DC Mickey Webb
- Ray Ashcroft as DS Geoff Daly
- George Rossi as DC Duncan Lennox
- Simon Rouse as DCI Jack Meadows
- Joy Brook as DC Kerry Holmes
- Ben Roberts as Ch Insp Derek Conway
- Trudie Goodwin as Sgt June Ackland
- Tony O'Callaghan as Sgt Matthew Boyden
- Graham Cole as PC Tony Stamp
- Matthew Crompton as PC Sam Harker
- Mark Wingett as PC Jim Carver
- Alex Walkinshaw as PC Dale Smith
- Andrew Paul as PC Dave Quinnan
- Jeff Stewart as PC Reg Hollis
- Clive Wedderburn as PC Gary McCann
- Rene Zagger as PC Nick Klein
- Lisa Geoghan as PC Polly Page
- Suzanne Maddock as PC Cass Rickman
- Samantha Robson as PC Vicky Hagen
- Jane Wall as PC Di Worrell
Guest cast
- Det Supt Hodges - Peter Lee Wilson
- Maggie - Linda Lusardi
- Howard Fallon - Barnaby Kay
- Ray Bazzini - Marc Danbury
- Hector Richards - Michael Mantas
- Chris - Nathan Rimell
- DS Garrard - Ian Dunn
- DI Tasker - David Cann