Rod Jessop was a character in The Bill. He was a school headmaster and in 2007 he retired at the same time as June Ackland, and they married after retirement. He appeared in 15 episodes between 2006 and 2007. He was portrayed by Richard Hope.
Introduction: 2006[]
He first appeared in Episode 406 in Season 22. He was a headmaster at a local school acting as the appropriate adult to one of his two children, son Gareth. PC Reg Hollis and Sergeant June Ackland interviewed Gareth and the other two suspects. Ackland made an immediate impression on Jessop, and their paths crossed again when Gareth was arrested alongside Laura Bryant's son, Liam in Episode 414. They went for a drink but it appeared that he seemed desperate, so June immediately cancelled the date saying she had to do paperwork. The next day, Rod asked June out again asking for a second chance, so they rekindled and it was successful, with Ackland telling a nosey Gina Gold, We enjoy each other's company. In November of 2006 June moved into Rod's and just after Christmas, Rod suprisingly asked June to marry her, however, she said she needed time.
Hit and Run/Retirement: 2007[]
In the first episode of Season 23, Episode 471, Jessop calls Ackland and PC Will Fletcher to his school to say he found an intruder on premises with a knife, persistent truant Kyle Henderson. After harrassing Jessop's other child, daughter Vicky, Henderson was arrested for criminal damage, as he apparently scratched Rod's car deliberately. He was referred to the Young Offenders Team, but as June went to tell Rod, he was dramatically run over by a joyrider outside the school. As she went to get some clothes, a fire call came in and the lottery winning Henderson's brand new mansion was up in flames. June returned to the hospital, staying all night. However, not long after June returned to work the next day to work on the hit and run with fellow sergeant Dale 'Smithy' Smith, and old friends Reg Hollis & Tony Stamp, June was told that Rod had woken up. June went back to visit Rod, and accepted his marriage proposal.
After investigating a stabbing where one of the pupils of Rod's were involved as a suspect, June told Rod We do all this, and all we get is grief. She told that they should give it all up and take early retirement. June filed her resignation but it all went wrong when June's ex husband, former Sun Hill DC Jim Carver, now a DS at Greater Manchester PD, was at Sun Hill on a case. In a dramatic turn of events June and Jim were kidnapped by the suspect, but the Sun Hill team found them alive and after a party, Ackland turned her life around and left Sun Hill with Rod, for married life in the countryside.