Respect (The Bill)

Last updated

"Respect"
The Bill episodes
Thebillnewsequence3-1.jpg
An image from the final opening credits of The Bill
Episode nos.Series 26
Episodes 30/31
Directed byReza Moradi
Written by David Harsent
Original air dates24 August 2010 (2010-08-24) (Part I)
31 August 2010 (2010-08-31) (Part II)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Tombstone"		Next →
—
The Bill (series 26)
List of episodes

"Respect" is the two-part series finale of the United Kingdom's longest-running police procedural television drama series, The Bill . The final two episodes were written by David Harsent [1] and directed by Reza Moradi, and aired on ITV1 on 24 August and 31 August 2010. The series finale, and the final scene, were specially written to include all 17 current cast members. [2]

Contents

Background

The Bill is a long-running police drama set in and around the fictional Sun Hill police station in south London. The show's focus is on the work and lives of the officers, [3] led by Superintendent Jack Meadows (Simon Rouse) [4] and Inspector Dale "Smithy" Smith (Alex Walkinshaw). [5] Much of the officers' time is spent on the fictional Jasmine Allen estate, [6] the setting for much of "Respect".

Plot

Respect: Part I

Smithy is called to the Jasmine Allen Estate where he discovers a dying teenager, identified as Liam Martin, who has been stabbed by gang members. Investigations into his murder lead the team to Jasmine Harris (Faye Daveney), a previous informant of DC Mickey Webb (Chris Simmons). Investigations reveal that she lured Liam to where he was killed and she is arrested. In interview, Jasmine leads officers to Carlos Miller (Lewis Chase), who is arrested and claims that he killed Liam in self-defence. Jasmine is released on bail, against the advice of DC Webb, who believes that she is in danger from other gang members. Upon her return to the estate, a gang of boys forces Jasmine into a warehouse, where she is beaten and gang raped. A gunshot is heard, and the episode concludes with police arriving at the scene. [7]

Respect: Part II

Following the murder of Liam Martin and the gang-rape of Jasmine Harris for talking to the police, uniformed officers arrive at the flat of Gary Wilson (Darragh Mortell), where they arrest him and Colin Simmons (Jumayne Hunte). As Meadows and Detective Inspector Neil Manson (Andrew Lancel) question the suspects, Smithy visits Jasmine in hospital, where she refuses to give a statement and prosecute. Due to a lack of evidence, the team are forced to release Simmons, Wilson and Carlos Miller. Jasmine is discharged from hospital, and still refuses to give a statement. However, as the team sees fit to give up, much to the anger of Mickey, CSE Eddie Olosunje (Jason Barnett) discovers that the gunshot fired at the end of the previous episode was fired upwards, and so possibly to alert passers-by, and to stop the gang-rape. Due to CCTV footage, the officers believe that gang member Derek Bailey (Femi Wilhelm) fired the shot, and set out to find him as a potential witness. They pull in courier Ruby Collier (Shahnequa Duprey). She initially refuses to help them, but sends Mickey a text message that leads uniform to Bailey's location. Sergeant Stone (Sam Callis) ascends to the top storey, where he discovers Bailey dying from a gunshot wound, inflicted by Gary Wilson, who holds Stone at gunpoint, when he attempts to help Bailey. Armed police officers arrive, and prepare to fire at Stone, who tussles with Wilson. A gunshot is heard, but nobody is harmed. Bailey is taken to hospital, and Wilson is arrested. After talking to Smithy and Mickey, Jasmine finally agrees to a statement, which helps to convict Wilson and the others of gang-rape. However, Jack is able to elicit a confession to Liam Martin's murder from Gary Wilson.

Conclusion

"Respect" concludes at a press conference, at which Meadows briefs reporters on the investigation and Wilson's confession. He finishes and rises to leave, before changing his mind and giving an impromptu speech on respect. He tells the assembled reporters and police officers that "somewhere along the line, someone changed the meaning. You earn respect these days through violence. Power. Fear. Money. The blade of a knife." [8] He goes on to praise his team, Smith and Stone in particular, concluding that "today was one of the good days". [9] The scene changes to a walkthrough Sun Hill with Mickey handing witness statements to Stevie, then he and Terry pinch Eddie's bag of crisps. After teasing Mel and Kirsty, Smithy and Stone leave the police station to get a pint and they ask Mickey if he would like to join them. After lying to Max about going to the pub, Jo, Roger, Ben, and Leon bring in a stag party from the Bellcot Arms. As the two depart, Smithy has the last ever line, "Yeah, come on. Let's do it!", a nod to the pilot episode Woodentop, which opens with PC Jim Carver telling himself "OK Carver, let's do it!". [5] The final shot is of the exterior of Sun Hill station, with Neil and Grace, holding hands as they leave, and Jack going to his car to drive home, and a dedication message to the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Service past and present appears, [10] before the credits roll, to a mixture of the new theme music, and the original one, "Overkill".

Production

To "sign off" the series, the producers considered that they could "blow everything up" but ruled that out because they wanted to do something that "celebrated what The Bill has always been about which is ordinary people wearing a uniform and taking responsibility for society". [11] The producers decided that they wanted to symbolise that "life goes on" and end the series with "their heads held high". [12]

In the finale, Callum Stone (Sam Callis) has to chase a suspect using one of the panda cars whilst Inspector Smith (Alex Walkinshaw) follows on foot. The dangerous parts of the car pursuit were carried out by stuntman Andy Smart, once Smart had finished filming, small car-mounted cameras filmed Callis driving before the shots were then cut together with those filmed by Smart. [13] Later, when he finds hostage Derek Bailey, Stone comes face-to-face with Gary Wilson, the armed criminal responsible for Jasmine's rape and Liam Martin's murder. The Bill does not use extras for any scenes involving armed police; so, for this scene, the armed police surrounding the flat were played by "men who have been trained in the use of firearms and know what they're doing with a gun". [14] The show has a stock of thirty replica weapons identical to those used by the Metropolitan Police although they are incapable of firing any shots. To prepare for the scene, a bag of fake blood is wrapped around the hostage's stomach and is punctured shortly before filming begins so when the actor clutches his stomach it will look as if he is bleeding. [15]

The idea for the series finale came after research showed that rape is used to punish girl gang members. [16] Series Producer Tim Key says "That is what The Bill has always done. It's held a mirror up to modern society and we wanted it to be like that right up until the final shot."

The final location shoot for the finale was carried out at a derelict estate in London which is due to be demolished. The Bill was always filmed on location in London whenever possible, "to keep the show authentic". Executive Producer Johnathan Young says "We feel that London is a part of the show, it's a character within the show and we've really encouraged directors to look for graphic locations that give you a real sense of being part of a big metropolis". Examples of these would include police chases by boat along the River Thames and helicopters aiding searches. [17]

The police uniforms used in The Bill are authentic so when not in use they are locked away. The uniforms were originally bought from the police who agreed to buy the uniforms back when the series ended. [18]

The final scene was a long take, filmed using a hand-held camera and featured 70 people in total. Of the final scene, Keys said that the producers knew they had to do "something special" but also wanted to show that "life goes on". To film the final scene, the cameraman had to keep the camera steady when following the characters going through the police station and then outside into the rear yard of the station where he stepped into a crane which then lifts to reveal the front of Sun Hill station. [19] The shows producers were also included in the final scene, and played the part of journalists at the press conference hosted by Jack Meadows which Keys described as being "eerie" because "you were sat there on the front row listening to Simon making a very moving speech that sums up the show and his time in it". [20]

Critical reception

Critics were generally impressed with "Respect". The Belfast Telegraph called it "hard-hitting and poignant—a gritty two-parter that ensured the much-loved show went out with a bang." [21] The reviewer went on to suggest that the episode was "a subtle two-fingers salute to the men in suits" [21] at ITV who made the decision to cancel The Bill, [21] a sentiment shared by Sam Wollaston of The Guardian , who suggested that the Superintendent Jack Meadows' final speech, on the subject of respect, may have been partly directed at the "ITV top brass". [8] Benji Wilson, writing for The Daily Telegraph , compared The Bill to "the pensioner who still turns up for work", [4] saying that viewers "tend to appreciate The Bill simply for staggering on and on, rather than for the quality of its output", [4] though went on to call "Respect" "a hugely potent – and distinctly British – piece of drama." [4]

Ratings

United Kingdom

PartViewers (million)Ratings shareRank (timeslot)
I3.41414.5%1 [22]
II4.41219.3%1 [23]

Australia

In Australia, the two parts of "Respect" were shown on 9 and 16 October respectively. [24] Both instalments ranked first in their timeslot and fifth for the day. [25] [26]

PartViewersRank
TimeslotDayWeek
I827,0001567 [25]
II993,0001547 [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>Auf Wiedersehen, Pet</i> British television comedy drama series (1983–2004)

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf. The series was created by Franc Roddam after an idea from Mick Connell, a bricklayer from Stockton-on-Tees, and mostly written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, who also wrote The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? and Porridge. It starred Tim Healy, Kevin Whately, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall, Christopher Fairbank, Pat Roach and Gary Holton, with Noel Clarke replacing Holton for series three and four and the two-part finale. The series were broadcast on ITV in 1983–1984 and 1986. After a sixteen-year gap, two series and a Christmas special were shown on BBC One in 2002 and 2004.

<i>2DTV</i> British TV series or programme

2DTV is a British satirical animated television series which was co-created and produced by Giles Pilbrow for ITV. It premiered on ITV on 14 October 2001 and was nominated for the Rose d'Or Award in both 2002 and 2003.

Ross James Kemp is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He is also known for his other roles in Emmerdale as Graham Lodsworth and in Birds of a Feather as Detective Inspector Monk. Kemp has received international recognition as a reporter for presenting the BAFTA Award-winning documentary television series Ross Kemp on Gangs (2004–2009). Ross has appeared on several talk shows over his career, as well as speaking live on the P&O cruise ship Ventura.

Alex Newcombe Walkinshaw is a British actor. He has played the long-running roles of Dale "Smithy" Smith in the ITV police procedural series The Bill and Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher in BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City. He also played PE teacher Jez Diamond in BBC school-based drama series Waterloo Road.

Dave Hamelin is a Canadian musician, songwriter and producer known for his work with indie rock band the Stills. Originally the band's drummer, he moved to guitar and co-lead vocalist in 2005 when guitarist Greg Paquet left the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Butcher</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Liam Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sonny Bottomley for two months in 1998 and 1999, twins Jack and Tom Godolphin from 1999, Gavin and Mitchell Vaughan in 2002, and Nathaniel Gleed from 2002 to 2004. Upon his reintroduction in 2008, the character was portrayed by James Forde. Liam is the son of Bianca Jackson and Ricky Butcher and his stories have mostly revolved around his family. The character took a six-month break in 2012 for story purposes. Following his return, producers used Liam in a story about gangs, working with the charity Comic Relief. Forde was written out permanently in 2015 and Liam departs in the episode first broadcast on 17 August 2015. Liam was reintroduced for a short stint in 2021, with the role recast to Alfie Deegan.

Dale Smith (<i>The Bill</i>) Fictional character from British police procedural television series The Bill

Dale "Smithy" Smith is a fictional character from the British television police procedural The Bill, played by Alex Walkinshaw. He first appeared in the fifteenth series episode "Cowardice", broadcast on 20 July 1999. Dale was introduced as a police constable, before later being promoted to sergeant and inspector.

<i>Police Academy</i> (film) 1984 American film directed by Hugh Wilson

Police Academy is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson in his directorial debut, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Its storyline follows a new recruitment policy for an unnamed city's police academy to take in any recruit who wishes to apply and study to become a police officer. The film stars Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, and G.W. Bailey.

"Fatal Consequences" is a live episode of the British television drama series The Bill, broadcast on ITV1 on 30 October 2003. The episode marks the 20th anniversary of the pilot episode "Woodentop", and was the first episode of The Bill to be broadcast live. It was written by Tom Needham, directed by Sylvie Boden and produced by Susan Mather and Donna Wiffen.

From the ITV police drama's first screening in 1983, the history of The Bill includes a variety of major plotlines and changes to the programme's format.

<i>The Bill</i> British police procedural television series (1983–2010)

The Bill is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, Woodentop, broadcast in August 1983.

Bloody Kids is a British television film written by Stephen Poliakoff and directed by Stephen Frears, made by Black Lion Films for ATV, and first shown on ITV on 22 March 1980.

The 26th series of The Bill, a British television drama, was the final series of the police procedural programme. The long-running police drama was axed on 26 March 2010 after a dramatic fall in ratings following the controversial revamp the previous summer for the show's 25th series, and what ITV director Peter Fincham described as "the changing taste of viewers". Despite a petition and calls for another network to take on the series, the final episode, Respect: Part 2, aired on 31 August 2010 - 15 days after the 27th anniversary of the pilot episode of The Bill, Woodentop, which was first broadcast on 16 August 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riley Costello</span> UK soap opera character, created 2010

Riley Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Rob Norbury. Riley was introduced on 20 July 2010 with the Costello family as part of a cast overhaul of the series. In December 2011, the serial's executive producer Emma Smithwick said that Riley would remain in Hollyoaks despite his family's departure. On 14 September 2012, it was announced Riley was to leave Hollyoaks and Riley was killed off in a shooting during the episode airing 3 October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Kemp</span> English musician and actor

Martin John Kemp is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in EastEnders.

<i>Shameless</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of Shameless, an American comedy-drama television series based on the British series of the same name by Paul Abbott, premiered on January 9, 2011, at Sunday 10:00 p.m. EST on the Showtime television network. Executive producers are John Wells, Paul Abbott and Andrew Stearn, with producer Michael Hissrich. The season concluded after 12 episodes on March 27, 2011. The show's season premiere was watched by 982,000 viewers, making it the network's biggest turnout for a series premier since Dead Like Me in 2003. The episode airing January 30, "Casey Casden", received 1.45 million total viewers, making Shameless the best performing first-year drama on Showtime. The season finale scored 1.16 million viewers.

References

  1. ↑ Steger, Jason (13 October 2010). "The Bill: final episode – October 16". Brisbane Times . Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  2. ↑ Simon, Jane (31 August 2010). "The Bill / Farewell The Bill, ITV1, 9pm and 10.35pm". Daily Mirror . Trinity Mirror . Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  3. ↑ Tibballs, Geoff (November 2003). "Introduction". The Bill: The Official History of Sun Hill. Carlton. p. 10. ISBN   978-1-84442-667-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Wilson, Benji (27 August 2010). "You're nicked! The Bill bows out in style". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  5. 1 2 Kate Mcmahon; Melissa Thompson; Steve Myall (31 August 2010). "The Bill: Stars look back as 26 year beat ends". Daily Mirror . Trinity Mirror . Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  6. ↑ Winterman, Denise (31 August 2010). "What has The Bill taught us about policing?". BBC News . BBC. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  7. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (22 August 2010). "Interview – Tim Key (Series Producer, 'The Bill')". Digital Spy . Hachette Filipacchi Médias . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  8. 1 2 Wollaston, Sam (1 September 2010). "TV review: The Bill, The Deep and Natureshock: Killer Squid Invasion". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  9. ↑ "Fans mourn passing of The Bill after 26 years". Evening Standard . London. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 10 September 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  10. ↑ "Fans mourn passing of The Bill". The Belfast Telegraph . Independent News and Media . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  11. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 05:35 minutes in. ITV.
  12. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 05:42 minutes in. ITV.
  13. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 07:10 minutes in. ITV.
  14. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 22:34 minutes in. ITV.
  15. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 26:07 minutes in. ITV.
  16. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 18:47 minutes in. ITV.
  17. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 22:04 minutes in. ITV.
  18. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 28:21 minutes in. ITV.
  19. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 34:41 minutes in. ITV.
  20. ↑ Narration: Martin Kemp, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Producer and Director: Kim Duke (31 August 2010). "Farewell The Bill". The Bill . 35:03 minutes in. ITV.
  21. 1 2 3 "Last Bill and testament". The Belfast Telegraph . Independent News and Media. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  22. ↑ Deans, Jason (25 August 2010). "TV ratings – 24 August: Big Brother 2010 final draws 4 million viewers". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  23. ↑ Plunkett, John (1 September 2010). "The Bill finale wins 4.4m viewers". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  24. ↑ "Australia says farewell to The Bill". The Spy Report. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  25. 1 2 Knox, David (4 October 2010). "Week 41". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  26. 1 2 Knox, David (11 October 2010). "Week 42". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.