Almost 12 years after being cancelled, iconic police drama The Bill may be returning to the UK. It first appeared on our screens in 1983 and had a successful run as it ended in 2010 after a whopping 2,425 episodes.
Set in the fictional location of Sun Hill, The Bill became the longest-running police procedural drama in Britain. And now, after over a decade off-air, there has been talk about The Bill could be making a return to TV. But not in the way that you may expect.
Last year the original cast members who played PC Tony Stamp (Graham Cole) , DC Jim Carver (Mark Wingett) and Sergeant June Ackland (Trudie Goodwin) collaborated with the writer of the show, Simon Sansome, for a revival marking their anniversary, which aired on ITV.
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What do we know so far about The Bill's return?
There has been no official confirmation that The Bill is set to return to the UK. However, there have been reports claiming that it's set to make a comeback as soon as next year.
Instead of the reboot being airing on ITV, where the original series was, it would instead be homed on UKTV. Reports are claiming this new incarnation of The Bill is in the early stages of development but could come to our screens as early as 2023.
A TV insider told The Sun that "in the minds of many producers and execs, The Bill is a drama which is just sitting, waiting, to be rebooted. It's a simple format but one which attracted a loyal army of followers who would be delighted to see it return. No doubt any new incarnation would be tweaked to make it attract a whole new generation to the show."
The Sun has claimed UKTV are "in the early stages of developing a new version" of the fan favourite. The publication states that two reboots are in the works, and that it will be a new show entirely, brought bang up to date for today's viewers.
The Bill is responsible for being the launchpad for many actors who have gone on to be successful, including David Tennant, James Mcavoy, and Sean Bean.
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