Gary Best

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Gary Best
Ciaran Griffiths as then PC Gary Best
First appearance	Episode 020 (25/06/2002)
Last appearance	Episode 328 (20/07/2005)
Cause/reason	Transferred to Manchester
Portrayed by	Ciaran Griffiths
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Trainee Detective Constable

Gary Best is a character in the long-running ITV police serial The Bill. He was played by Ciaran Griffiths from 2002 - 2005.

[edit] Personal life prior to The Bill

Gary is portrayed lacking in intelligence but he makes up for this with enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. A cocky lad from Manchester, there are a variety of reasons which inspired Gary to join the police force, mainly the fact that if he was not in uniform, he would most likely be on remand. Gary also had a troubled upbringing, consisting of domestic violence from his father, something that only stopped when Gary reached the physical maturity to be able to hit his dad back. In his late teen years, Gary made the decision to report his dad to the police, a decision which ultimately divided his family and rendered Gary an outcast.^[1] Shortly afterwards, he decided to join the Metropolitan Police.

[edit] First appearance

Gary Best arrived at Sun Hill shortly after the events of The Sun Hill Fire. At the time he is a probabtionary police constable, being puppy-walked by the veteran PC Tony Stamp. Gary is a popular recruit to Sun Hill, and he has no problems fitting in or making friends. His weakness is thinking with his heart, never having been one to stand back and assess a situation, Gary has a tendency to rush into things.^[1]

[edit] Return of Gary's father

When his father is released from prison, he tracks down Gary and attempts to bond with his son, and make amends for what he had done. Initially pushing him away, curiosity eventually gets the better of him, and he heads to his father's workplace to talk to him. Unfortunately, his father had operating as an undercover snitch for Inspector Gold at the time, and by turning up in full uniform, Gary compromises the whole job. Gary's father volunteers to go in his son's place as a hostage, at which point he is forced into a van at gunpoint and driven away. This is the last time Gary sees his father alive, as he is found dead shortly after.

[edit] CID

After a successful undercover operation in which he had informed on his criminal brother, Gary is accepted as a trainee DC (TDC). Still fresh from probation and still 'wet behind the ears', some of Gary's colleagues, old and new, find things a bit hard to swallow. It is clear that Gary immediately lets his new-found power go to his head, jumping through hoops in an attempt to impress his senior officers and get a good result, with several directed jokes at uniform about directing traffic. He is more than often paired with DC Suzie Sim, who treats him much like a schoolboy. He sees her behaviour as bullying, and after an outburst directed at her in front of all of CID, his popularity severely deteriorates. He also works with DC Jo Masters and the two become close but often says what she thinks about him and the way he does things. When Gary transfers, Jo tells him she will miss him and to take care.

[edit] Final episodes

Shortly after his allegations, Gary finds himself working with DC Suzie Sim on a drugs operation, which gets out of hand when the criminals are revealed to have handguns. Attempting to protect his colleague, Gary is shot and nearly paralysed. He is reunited with his estranged mother in his hospital bed, she encourages him to leave Sun Hill behind and transfer to Greater Manchester Police, where he can be with his family.

[edit] References