Just caught up with last Saturday's 'Casualty' and was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of blasts from the past. Rene 'PC Nick Klein' Zagger and Andrew 'DI Neil Manson' Lancel made guest appearances.
Andrew's character had the misfortune to be crushed by scaffolding whilst Rene's was an ex-villain knocked (not so glamorously) on the head by a pile of boxes! Rene's hardly changed but now has a pretty cool beard!
Don't like this Amy Boyden storyline, it bores me. Britanniamania story arc was superb, one of the best, and the arc with Roz Clarke was pretty good also. The only other story arc that comes close to how good Britanniamania was is the Terry Knowles episodes.
John Noble playing the police commander was in the US series Fringe. I like watching The Bill and seeing actors that have been in things recently, its a game of spot the actor/character .
Good episode, although i never really liked Claire Stanton as a character. Its a shame they are not showing Beech is back
Never seen Fringe, but as soon as I saw John Noble I shouted "that's Leland Monroe from LA Noire". :-)
I never saw these episodes when they first aired as I was only 6 years old, but these episodes are what The Bill was about. I wish ITV never axed it.
Yesterday's episode, (Debt of love), I heard swearing. I'm sure it was Boyden who said 'bullsh*t'. Drama should be editing these episodes.
Its been a week of swearing this week, i don't think they were edited for daytime viewing. Ive said before it doesnt bother me, but its a bit of a surprise when you hear swearing on The Bill
If I was to introduce anyone to The Bill, I would show them the Britanniamania episodes. These episodes are The Bill at its absolute finest.
I finished watching the episodes earlier this morning, but whilst I would usually forget an episode of the Bill within an hour or two, these episodes and this story has really stuck in my mind. Everything about it was absolute perfection.
The story arc was brilliantly crafted, there were so many tense and nailbiting moments and the characterisation was well done. Even the villains of the piece had some character development, most notably Gary Hughes. At first he was just a thug, a nasty violent criminal but his character evolved beautifully as the story went on. In the end, I felt sorry for him. Even though his actions were wrong, we gained an understanding of his home life and how he ended up in the Britannia gang. The ending was just tragic, as he was determined to turn his life around for him and his family, but never got the chance to
Chris Simmons as Mickey Webb was superb. This story really showed what a strong actor he is, especially in the final episode where his acting was just absolutely fantastic. That final scene with him and Chandler in the office was superb - you could see the anger, the upset of a man on the brink which Chris managed to brilliantly portray. This undercover operation tested him physically and emotionally, and was the biggest challenge he's ever had professionally and he was so close to just cracking up.
The episodes also reinforced other characters and their personalities. Chandler continues to show his lack of loyalty and fickleness, quick to point the finger at Mickey for being a mole, and only concerned for himself and his image. In contrast, Meadows continues to show what a team player he is, looking out for the well being of his team.
Best story of The Bill ever (though the All Fall Down episodes are close behind)
In contrast, Meadows continues to show what a team player he is, looking out for the well being of his team.
Best story of The Bill ever (though the All Fall Down episodes are close behind)
Agreed with pretty much everything you said about Britanniamania, except for this bit. In fact wasn't it All Fall Down where Meadows stabbed the entire CID team in the back? Deakin's parting shot was particularly memorable.
the 90 s collection is a selection of fan favourite episodes from Series 6 to Series 15. - 20 discs
also out 1st october Christmas collection
Across two discs welcome Back on the Beat with Sun Hills finest, and enjoy all 6 Christmas themed episodes across the entirety of The Bill. Starring PC Polly Page, PC Tony Stamp, DCI Jack Meadows and a host of your other favourite characters from this iconic series.
The Bill: Twanky (1997)The Bill: Christmas Star (1998)The Bill: When the Snow Lay Round About (1999)The Bill: The Night Before (2000) The Bill: Santa's Little Helper (2008)
Agreed with pretty much everything you said about Britanniamania, except for this bit. In fact wasn't it All Fall Down where Meadows stabbed the entire CID team in the back? Deakin's parting shot was particularly memorable.
True. That was not Jack's finest hour, but these were desperate times for Jack and he had to look out for number one in that situation. He's definetly a lot more loyal than Chandler.
the 90 s collection is a selection of fan favourite episodes from Series 6 to Series 15. - 20 discs
also out 1st october Christmas collection
Across two discs welcome Back on the Beat with Sun Hills finest, and enjoy all 6 Christmas themed episodes across the entirety of The Bill. Starring PC Polly Page, PC Tony Stamp, DCI Jack Meadows and a host of your other favourite characters from this iconic series.
The Bill: Twanky (1997)The Bill: Christmas Star (1998)The Bill: When the Snow Lay Round About (1999)The Bill: The Night Before (2000) The Bill: Santa's Little Helper (2008)
I didn't know there was a Christmas collection out too. I might get that one and watch it around Christmas time
True. That was not Jack's finest hour, but these were desperate times for Jack and he had to look out for number one in that situation. He's definetly a lot more loyal than Chandler.
In Britanniamania Micky meant to be a builder but what was doing to the house
Yes, I think the general shambles was intended to portray the ineptitude and inexperience of his backup. He did mention it once: "We're supposed to be builders, so let's build".
was it just me of did anyone find the camera work on todays ep "hidden agenda" very shakey
I think the director (J.J. Keith) was utilising the old technique of handheld cameras to give it a documentary feel, like The Bill did in its early days.
Comments
this era is good but some of the earlier series where even better
Andrew's character had the misfortune to be crushed by scaffolding whilst Rene's was an ex-villain knocked (not so glamorously) on the head by a pile of boxes! Rene's hardly changed but now has a pretty cool beard!
Never seen Fringe, but as soon as I saw John Noble I shouted "that's Leland Monroe from LA Noire". :-)
Its been a week of swearing this week, i don't think they were edited for daytime viewing. Ive said before it doesnt bother me, but its a bit of a surprise when you hear swearing on The Bill
Ive played that,, i didnt know he was in it,,,i shall have to go back and have a look
I finished watching the episodes earlier this morning, but whilst I would usually forget an episode of the Bill within an hour or two, these episodes and this story has really stuck in my mind. Everything about it was absolute perfection.
The story arc was brilliantly crafted, there were so many tense and nailbiting moments and the characterisation was well done. Even the villains of the piece had some character development, most notably Gary Hughes. At first he was just a thug, a nasty violent criminal but his character evolved beautifully as the story went on. In the end, I felt sorry for him. Even though his actions were wrong, we gained an understanding of his home life and how he ended up in the Britannia gang. The ending was just tragic, as he was determined to turn his life around for him and his family, but never got the chance to
Chris Simmons as Mickey Webb was superb. This story really showed what a strong actor he is, especially in the final episode where his acting was just absolutely fantastic. That final scene with him and Chandler in the office was superb - you could see the anger, the upset of a man on the brink which Chris managed to brilliantly portray. This undercover operation tested him physically and emotionally, and was the biggest challenge he's ever had professionally and he was so close to just cracking up.
The episodes also reinforced other characters and their personalities. Chandler continues to show his lack of loyalty and fickleness, quick to point the finger at Mickey for being a mole, and only concerned for himself and his image. In contrast, Meadows continues to show what a team player he is, looking out for the well being of his team.
Best story of The Bill ever (though the All Fall Down episodes are close behind)
Really strange that FremantleMedia can't seem to consistently provide episodes in the correct format to anybody.
also out 1st october Christmas collection
Across two discs welcome Back on the Beat with Sun Hills finest, and enjoy all 6 Christmas themed episodes across the entirety of The Bill. Starring PC Polly Page, PC Tony Stamp, DCI Jack Meadows and a host of your other favourite characters from this iconic series.
The Bill: Twanky (1997)The Bill: Christmas Star (1998)The Bill: When the Snow Lay Round About (1999)The Bill: The Night Before (2000) The Bill: Santa's Little Helper (2008)
True. That was not Jack's finest hour, but these were desperate times for Jack and he had to look out for number one in that situation. He's definetly a lot more loyal than Chandler.
I didn't know there was a Christmas collection out too. I might get that one and watch it around Christmas time
I think the director (J.J. Keith) was utilising the old technique of handheld cameras to give it a documentary feel, like The Bill did in its early days.
villain pushes Debbie on top of Danny and does a runner....a couple of scenes later they are in hospital with no explanation whatsoever. What happened
i was about to post a similar comment, it was appalling camera work, swooping about and shaking, really amateurish
almost made me feel queasy