| Episode No. | Series | |
| 1474 | 1999x085 |
When The Snow Lay All Around is the 1474th episode of The Bill
It's Christmas Eve and Sun Hill has been hit by a blizzard. Insp. Monroe agrees to let the relief stay indoors until the weather improves. A young boy named Glen has run away from home and is waiting for his foster parents to come and collect him. He is also getting on Sgt. Boyden's nerves. P.C. Stamp brings in an old man whom he caught drunkenly climbing a lamppost. The man claims to be an elf from the North Pole, so Boyden puts him in a cell to sober up.
P.C. Hollis braves the snow to go out and buy a Christmas tree for the station, but the one he buys is smaller than expected. Reg pursues a snowball thrower while everyone listens on the radio. P.C. McCann has bought his girlfriend an expensive necklace and insists on showing it to everyone. A bickering Russian barbershop quartet arrive, claiming one of their members has absconded with their van. "Danny the elf" is adamant that he has work to do for Santa and promises to grant Boyden a wish if he'll let him go. Boyden doesn't take him up on the offer, but Tony wishes for mince pies.
Glen plays snooker with McCann and P.C. Klein. P.C. Smith convinces D.C. Skase to play a game called matchsticks with him, for increasing amounts of money. Glen tells P.C. Page that the game is a trick and Rod is being conned. McCann is panic-stricken when he realises his girlfriend's necklace has gone missing. Glen gets upset when McCann asks if he has it, and accidentally knocks over the Christmas tree. An officer from Barton Street appears and gives Tony a big box of mince pies.
Boyden has to tell Glen that his foster family have decided they won't be taking him back, meaning he'll probably spend Christmas in a home. The missing member of the barbershop group walks into the station. Happily reunited with his friends, they sing for the officers. McCann finally finds his necklace on top of the tree. To Glen's surprise (and joy), his grandad comes to collect him and says he'll be staying with him.
With Tony's wish for mince pies apparently granted, Boyden decides to release "Danny the elf". On his way out, the old man mentions that making the mince pies arrive was easy, but Boyden's wish was harder to grant. Boyden replies that he didn't make one, and the old man asks "What about Glen?" Boyden initially dismisses this and turns to go back indoors, and then suddenly turns back round to ask how he knew about it. But the old man has vanished, and there is a sound of sleigh bells in the distance...
Credits[]
Main cast
- Tony O'Callaghan as Sgt. Boyden
- Jeff Stewart as P.C. Hollis
- Trudie Goodwin as Sgt. Ackland
- Colin Tarrant as Insp. Monroe
- Clive Wedderburn as P.C. McCann
- Graham Cole as P.C. Stamp
- Lisa Geoghan as P.C. Page
- Suzanne Maddock as P.C. Rickman
- Samantha Robson as P.C. Hagen
- Eric Richard as Sgt. Cryer
- Rene Zagger as P.C. Klein
- Alex Walkinshaw as P.C. Smith
- Iain Fletcher as D.C. Skase
- Matthew Crompton as P.C. Harker
- Jane Wall as P.C. Worrell
Guest cast
- Danny The Elf - Brian Murphy
- Sergie - Irek Mukhamedov
- Glen Massey - Scott Charles
- Vladimir - Yuri Stepanov
- Braslav Petrovitch - Nick Von Schlippe
- Ivan - Alexei Jawdokimov
- Boris - Victor Lindegrin
- Mr. Stansfield - Godfrey Jackman
- Ms. Boal - Julie Teal
- P.C. Livingstone - Jason Thorpe
- P.C. Dobey - Karen England
- Simms - Ben Cartwright
- Musical Director - Simon Grant
Karen England, who plays P.C. Dobey, was one of the pairs of "walking feet" in the original closing credits sequence.