The Bill (series 26)

The Bill (series 26)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	31
Release
Original network	ITV
Original release	7 January – 31 August 2010

The 26th and final series of The Bill, a British television drama, was the last series of the programme. Nearly two years after the final episode, Supt. Jack Meadows was featured in an episode of SOKO Leipzig, which involved him investigating a suspected murderer who has been living in London. In the episode it is revealed that at some point during the year and a half following the events of Respect, Meadows has retired.

On 30 April 2014, The Bill Series 26 Part 1 & 2 DVD set was released in Australia.

Cast changes

Arrivals

• PC Kirsty Knight (Crossing the Line-Respect: Part 2)
• Commander Lisa Kennedy (Red Tape-Great Responsibility)

Departures

Characters who left in series finale are listed in episode infobox

• DC Will Fletcher - transfers to Westminster
• Commander Lisa Kennedy - last seen after son is arrested for involvement in murder
• PC Nate Roberts - last seen in Death Knock

Characters listed below have appeared on other series following the end of The Bill:

• Superintendent Jack Meadows (appeared during a 2012 episode of SOKO Leipzig.)

Episodes

#	Title	Episode notes	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod #
1	"Be a Man"	Final appearance of DC Will Fletcher,[1] Amelda Brown guest stars.	Tim Leandro[1]	Matthew Bardsley[1]	7 January 2010[1]	024[1]
Stone's harsh words to a mentally unstable father cause the abduction of his son.
2	"Held Responsible"[2]	Colin Wells and Tommy Knight guest star.	Karl Neilson[2]	Maxwell Young	14 January 2010[2]	025
The team investigate a gang rape in which a young girl has been violently assaulted by four boys. Initially a lack of evidence throws the case into doubt, but the team's investigative work pays off when they find the vital footage needed for conviction.
3	"Duty Calls"	Barry Sloane, Gareth David-Lloyd and Kara Tointon guest star.	Reza Moradi	Patrick Homes	21 January 2010	027
Jo investigates a break-in and thinks the suspect planned to attack the victim before her boyfriend stepped in. They discover a family living in fear, and a victim who turns out to be anything but.
4	"New Beginnings"	Jo Masters is made into a uniformed sergeant, Gabrielle Glaister guest stars.	Reza Moradi[3]	Tom Needham[3]	28 January 2010[3]	028[3]
Jo joins uniform as a sergeant. Her first case involves the death of a man killed in his house.
5	"Time Bomb"	Paul Reynolds and Daniel Coonan guest stars.	Karl Neilson[4]	Steve Bailie[4]	4 February 2010[4]	026[4]
When a letter bomb is delivered to a high profile company, Stone intervenes and saves a trapped PA, but that's just the start of the problems for the company boss, who finds out the hard way what happens when you fire your brother.
6	"Keep Her Talking"	Jemma Redgrave, Karen Gillan and Guy Henry guest stars.	Gary Love	Julie Dixon	11 February 2010	031
A manic depressive mother holds her deaf son hostage with a gun, and Jo negotiates, but a decision by Max turns the case on its head.
7	"Crossing the Line"	First appearance of PC Kirsty Knight, Anthony Green guest stars.	Declan O'Dwyer	Clive Dawson	18 February 2010	029
Stone is assaulted defending a woman from her abusive boyfriend, but lack of evidence makes him fight fire with fire.
8	"Red Tape"	First appearance of Commander Lisa Kennedy, and Temporary Suspension of Sgt. Callum Stone	Paul Wroblewski	Steve Trafford	25 February 2010	033
A pub brawl becomes a robbery investigation. Commander Kennedy suspends Stone when he is filmed allegedly assaulting a passer-by.
9	"Protect and Serve"	Jamie Glover guest stars.	Paul Wroblewski	Jeff Dodds	4 March 2010	034
Nate and Ben's IRV comes under attack from gunfire and the team spring into action to find the culprit.
10	"Ricochet: Part 1"	Sarah Paulson And Michelle Gomez guest stars.	Karl Neilson	Chris Ould	11 March 2010	035
A hit and run changes when the victim who fled is discovered to have been shot and killed.
11	"Impact: Part 2"	Michelle Gomez guest stars.	Karl Neilson	Maxwell Young	18 March 2010	036
Max and Jo clash over arresting the shooting suspect, as the maverick DS is determined to crack it first.
12	"The Truth Will Out"	Return of Sgt. Callum Stone, Joel Beckett guest stars.	Reza Moradi	Sarah-Louise Hawkins	25 March 2010	041
A four-year-old boy goes missing. Smithy gains respect when he rescues a trapped Mel from a storm drain.
13	"Great Power: Part 1"	Michelle Gomez guest stars.	Alex Pillai	David Lawrence	1 April 2010	039
Sun Hill are accused of kettling when a riot breaks out at a football match.
14	"Great Responsibility: Part 2"	Final appearance of Commander Lisa Kennedy	Alex Pillai	David Lawrence	8 April 2010	044
Meadows has to deal with press criticism that claims that poor crowd control measures led to the riot and death the day before.
15	"Bad Blood"	Michael McKell guest stars.	Declan O'Dwyer	Emma Goodwin	13 April 2010	030
Mickey investigates the death of an informant, the brother of a dealer who claims it was no accident.
16	"Paying the Price"	Charles De'Ath guest stars.	Richard Signy	Michael Crompton	20 April 2010	038
Jo and Ben are called to a disturbance at a hotel, where they discover a badly-beaten man in a room.
17	"Suffer in Silence"	Michelle Gomez and Ingrid Oliver guest stars.	Gary Love	David Lawrence	27 April 2010	032
Banksy and Manson try to build a case against a child abuser, but Manson is distracted because his son Jake is in hospital.
18	"That Kind of Cop"	TBA	Richard Signy	Julie Dixon	4 May 2010	037
Terry and Max deal with a traumatised 15-year-old girl, who has surfaced after disappearing two years earlier.
19	"Deadly Consequences: Part 1"	Emily Joyce guest stars.	Reza Moradi	Emma Goodwin	11 May 2010	040
Manson oversees the investigation into the murder of an eleven-year-old boy.
20	"Walk on My Grave: Part 2"	Michelle Gomez guest stars.	Robert Del Mastro	Steve Trafford	18 May 2010	042
Max and Terry investigate the stepfather of the murdered eleven-year-old, and uncover a hijacking operation.
21	"Ultimatum"	TBA	Robert Del Mastro	Tom Needham	25 May 2010	043
Max leads an investigation into a paedophile who is grooming young girls on the internet.
22	"Intervention"	DS Max Carter takes leave	Paul Wroblewski	Steve Bailie	22 June 2010	045
CID investigate a suspected kidnapping.
23	"Solace"	TBA	Paul Wroblewski	Gregory Evans	29 June 2010	046
Kirsty and Leon are alerted to the discovery of a young woman's body on a rubbish tip.
24	"The Calling"	TBA	Richard Signy	Julie Dixon	13 July 2010	047
A pregnant woman is involved in a hit-and-run with her own car; Leon attempts to track down the culprit responsible.
25	"Taking a Stand"	TBA	Richard Signy	Emma Goodwin	20 July 2010	048
Stone and Kirsty attend a report of a disturbance where an elderly widow claims to have been burgled.
26	"Who Dares Wins"	DS Max Carter returns from leave, Paul Copley and Nicola Stapleton guest star.	Gary Love	Chris Ould	27 July 2010	049
Max leads the investigation into the murder of a man whose body is found badly beaten on a footpath.
27	"Balance of Power"	TBA	Alex Pillai	Emma Goodwin	3 August 2010	052
Kirsty and Leon are called out to the home of a couple who have been reported missing and discover that the house has been burgled.
28	"Death Knock"	Final appearance of PC Nate Roberts, Roderic Culver guest stars.	Gary Love	Tom Needham	10 August 2010	050
Kirsty and Nate are called to a disturbance and attend to a young woman who has apparently fallen from a first floor window.
29	"Tombstone[5]"	Lesley Vickerage and David Schofield guest star.	Alex Pillai[5]	Maxwell Young[5]	17 August 2010[5]	051
Stone is determined to prove to his estranged mother that his late father was guilty of raping a probationer twenty years before.
30	"Respect: Part 1"	TBA	Reza Moradi	David Lawrence	24 August 2010	053
Uniform and CID find themselves investigating a stabbing death.
31	"Respect: Part 2"	Series finale	Reza Moradi	David Lawrence	31 August 2010	054
Uniform and CID pursue Gary Wilson for the death of Liam Martin and the gang rape of Jasmine Harris. Stone is held hostage by the gangster. Final Appearances of DI Neil Manson, Insp. Dale Smith, Sgt Callum Stone, Sgt Jo Masters, DS Max Carter, DS Stevie Moss, DC Mickey Webb, DC Terry Perkins, DC Grace Dasari, DC Jacob Banks, PC Roger Valentine, PC Benjamin Gayle, PC Leon Taylor, PC Mel Ryder, PC Kirsty Knight and CSE Eddie Olosunje
31a	"Farewell, The Bill"	Documentary	Reza Moradi	David Lawrence	31 August 2010	055
Documentary looking back at twenty-seven years of The Bill. Includes interviews with present and past cast members, clips of episodes from throughout the series run, various bloopers, out-takes and previously unseen footage, and a tour of the Sun Hill set. Recorded to air in conjunction with the last-ever episode.
-	"The Black Widow"	Ninety-minute special, crossover with SOKO Leipzig, final appearance of Supt. Jack Meadows	Robert Del Maestro	Markus Hoffmann & Uwe Kossmann	9 January 2012	TBA
SOKO chief Hajo Trautzschke pays a visit to his old friend and colleague, retired British Superintendent Jack Meadows. After the two solved a case of national boundaries, they began to share a friendship. Now their friendship is reunited when they become determined to each crack their own cases, with the help of the other. While Jack is in London after Karen Bishop, a suspected murderer, Jan Maybach and Ina Zimmermann are tasked with investigating a suspicious death when a man is thrown out the window of his apartment in Leipzig.

References

1. "The Bill Wk01 Ep024" (Press release). ITV Press Centre. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
2. "The Bill Wk02 Held Responsible" (Press release). ITV Press Centre. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
3. "The Bill Wk04 Ep028" (Press release). ITV Press Centre. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
4. "The Bill Wk05 Ep026" (Press release). ITV Press Centre. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
5. "The Bill Week 33" (Press release). ITV Press Centre. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2010.