Anyone watch this? I have for years. Was very sad to see Gina Gold (Roberta Taylor) do her last episode tonight. She is a very talented actress and writer as her autobiography "Too Many Mothers" showed. She's just published her first novel, apparently. Nice, likeable, intelligent woman and all round Mensch!

Used to watch The Bill mainly for the locations - Sun Hill seemed to be the biggest 'patch' in the met, stretching as it does from Morden to Docklands. I gave up round about when Reg Hollis left, I think, although that very serious guy with the big nose - I think he was called Carver - was also a blow. I nearly ran over the guy who was head of the nick for a while when I worked in Twickenham. He had long hair and then a shaved head.

I made an exception to watch Gina leaving and really got caught up with the emotional leave-taking with 'Smiffy.' The action wasn't bad. I found Roberta Taylor's triangular nostrils a bit distracting, but I agree the autobiography seems good - I read some of in a shop. I think she'll turn up a few times in Eastenders.

I saw a VHS film the other night which seemed to be made up almost entirely of present-day Eastenders male characters when they were just starting out. It was about a group of cops going undercover to find who the ringleaders among a bunch of violent football fans. Their team was 'Shadwell' . The skinny giy who plays Frank Mitchell was in it, also a much younger Roy who was married to Big Pat and owned the car-lot. He even had hair! He was in danger of blowing the cover because his knowledge of football was weak. Warren Clarke, aka Inspector Dalgiel(sp?) played a thuggish landlord with tattoos and a nose for sniffing out 'the filth'. I think it was called 'ID'.There was that pock-marked guy Phillip something from Spooks who was also undercover.

Sheila

I haven't watched The Bill in years. I started to lose interest when Tosh Lynes (Kevin Lloyd) and many others of the original cast were written out of the show. I stopped watching when it ceased to be a drama and became a soap-opera instead.

BTW Didn't you mean Dalziel (pronounced Dee-ell) for Warren Clark's more famous character?

Yes. Pascoe and Dalziel were advertised tonight and I noted the spelling. There's an MP - he may be in the House of Lords by now- by the same name. I once saw him -Warren Clarke, that is, in a TV adaptation of David Lodge's novel 'Nice Work', in which he was very credible, but I haven't really seen him in anything else. I remember Tosh, too. When does a drama become a soap become a soap?

Sheila

When it dwells more on the characters' personal lives rather than the crimes. However, The Bill had a major restructuring after they killed all those characters off. Now, although the characters' personal lives occasionally intrude, the focus is definitely on the crimes. It's been consistently fast paced with excellent stories for a few years now. I should give it another go!

No, what I meant was a soap doesn't have all the characters with one profession and in the same location, such as a police station or a hospital. My partner's favourite is 'Holby City' but that's not a soap. For a soap you need a pub and a shop, launderette/hairdressers/corner shop, houses where people bring their different perspectives, although Coronation Street has the factory and Eastenders the market so they may have jobs in common. Centre Court shopping mall, or the Jasmine Allen estate are more allied to one central theme: crime. 'Dixon of Dock Green' wasn't a soap. We can see that all the policemen are out to catch thieves and tht's their main aim, like The Archers work the land, pulling carrots or making yogurt/sausages from the raw materials. They might have affairs or worry about the vicar marrying an Indian and they have to have a vicar, as well as a pub but the main characters have the same raison d'etre.

I'm glad to hear The Bill has picked up and I'll give it a go.

Sheila

Hi Sheila, I felt that The Bill ceased to focus on solving crimes and became more interested in the personal lives of the individual officers, and in this way started to resemble the soaps - and don't forget that Doctors, Emmerdale Farm, The Archers and Prisoner Cell-Block H all failed to fit into the stereotypical view of the soap that you portrayed.

I'm glad to hear that The Bill is returning to its root, Police Drama - if it's improving I might have to start watching again!

James

It was brilliant last week! about a child who murdered another child. The boy who played the murderer was brilliant. (I'm talking brilliant for a soap, you do realise, I hope.) and I do think The Bill is a soap because I think the definition of soap has changed.

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Er - is The Archers not a soap then? I thought so.

Jem and James, I think you are right, it's foolish to start categorising with series that change so much. Yes, I saw the story about the the children - gripping with all the plot twists and the changes of suspect. The new female who took over Gina's role seemed a bit sidelined.

Oh dear, I want to see more. I was trying to cull TV series and this week there's the London Film Festival films to keep up with. It was bad enough keeping up with the Coronation Street Stag/Hen night shenanigans and it'll be ages before I can watch to find out who was really responsible for Liam's death. All the lookalike masks added an eery aspect to the proceedings, I thought.

Sheila

I seriously might have to give up Corrie. It's been pants for a good while now and this Liam hen night thing has dragged on far too long. It doesn't help that there are plot spoilers everywhere you look too.

Yes, I agree. I think I'll switch to The Bill. I've had no motivation to watch Corrie at all recetnly and you are right about the press 'leaks'.

Sheila

Oh, good! We can have regular Bill chats. The thing my husband gets so mad at is when the coppers, in plain clothes, are tailing someone. They all get out of an unmarked police car, one of them spots the dodgyy geezer, then they all shout "Oi! Po-lice!" Of course, said dodgy geezer legs it and then we have a five minute chase. All they needed to do was walk up to him without a word and clap him in handcuffs. It's so-ooo infuriating! Don't they teach them anything at Police School??

Must admit I hadn't thought of that.

Just watched a very good crime caper VHS my husband picked up in a charity shop, called 'Face' with Ray Winstone and Robert Carlysle. It made up for a very taxing LFF Chinese film called 'Routine Holiday' earlier. It was on in NFT3 and some people left but I do feel you can't judge unless you stick it out. Fortunately, met a fellow reviewer so we could agree how awful it was and talk about what we thought it was trying to do.

Sheila