The Bill (series 14)
| The Bill Series 14 | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 121 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Original run |
1 January 1998 – 31 December 1998 |
The fourteenth series of The Bill, a British television drama, consisted of 121 episodes. On 3 April 2013, The Bill Series 14 Part 1 & 2 and The Bill Series 14 Part 3 & 4 DVD sets were released (in Australia).
Background
In 1998, with the appointment of new executive producer Richard Handford, discussions were made with broadcaster ITV to return to the format of hour-long episodes, which the show last used on a regular basis in 1987. As such, beginning in August 1998, the show returned to a twice-weekly hour-long format, which it retained for many years until the decision to move the show to a later time-slot came in 2009.
It is notable that the first few episodes broadcast in the hour-long format were originally written for the half hour time-slot, and thus, some episodes contain two completely different stories, written by different writers, which jump from one to another. For example, the opening episode, "Deep End", was initially written in three twenty-five minute parts, with a fourth epilogue episode, the first half of "The Party's Over", all conceived by Elizabeth Anne-Wheal. A separate story by Neil Clarke, initially envisaged as an entirely separate episode, was broadcast as the second half of "The Party's Over".
The new format also attempted to introduce a more serialized element to the programme, with the first two stories taking place over multiple episodes, however following these two serials, individual stand-alone episodes were retained. The attempt to serialize the programme wasn't made again until June 1999, which saw another four-part serial again featuring PC Eddie Santini and WPC Rosie Fox, however, once again, individual episodes were retained. The series finally made a successful crossover into the serialized format in October 2000, with a major eight-part story, which saw the collapse of CID and the end of DS Don Beech.
This series saw a small number of changes to the cast. CID saw the loss of three-long serving officers, DS Alistair Greig and DCs Suzi Croft and Tosh Lines. Actor Kevin Lloyd was sensationally sacked from the show for alcoholism, and died just days after his last episode was aired. They were subsequently replaced by DCs Kerry Holmes and Duncan Lennox. The series also saw the return of DCI Frank Burnside, who had last appeared in 1993.
Cast changes
Arrivals
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Departures
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Episodes
| # | Title | Episode notes | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Square Peg, Round Hole" | Delyth Thomas | Stephen McAteer | 1 January 1998 | |
| When a raid on a known drug addict goes awry, Boulton is spiked by the desperate criminal's needle, leaving Sun Hill's tough guy frightened and angry, and in need of an HIV test. | |||||
| 2 | "You Pays Your Money" | James Hawes | Jason Sutton | 2 January 1998 | |
| Beech investigates when a family are strangely silent about the death of their landlord. | |||||
| 3 | "Hard Cash" | New Title Sequence Introduced, Jim McManus and Michael Turner guest star | Mike Vardy | Chris Ould | 6 January 1998 |
| Beech and Carver go in search of a haul of £30,000 in banknotes, missing from a six-year-old robbery. | |||||
| 4 | "Taking It Easy" | Delyth Thomas | Kevin Scouler | 8 January 1998 | |
| When an old man loses his life savings in a mugging, Boyden and Stamp suspect it was something more than coincidence. | |||||
| 5 | "Villain" | Geoffrey Chater guest stars. | Roger Gartland | Isabelle Grey | 9 January 1998 |
| Boyden deals with a frail old man brought into custody accused of attempted murder. | |||||
| 6 | "Forgive and Forget" | Laurie Brett guest stars. | Mike Vardy | Stephen Greenhorn | 13 January 1998 |
| Boyden and Stamp attempt to contain a father who wants revenge for his murdered son. | |||||
| 7 | "Girl Power" | Vanessa Cavanagh, Roland Oliver and Sion Tudor Owen guest star. | Catherine Morshead | Katharine Way | 15 January 1998 |
| When a young girl has to carry a knife to defend herself at school, Keane and Stamp know it is time to step in. | |||||
| 8 | "Puppy Walk" | Tim Holloway | Maxwell Young | 16 January 1998 | |
| Stamp is clinical when he feels a woman with a sob story may be playing games, but Ashton is taken in by her charms. | |||||
| 9 | "Sprog" | Ged Maguire | Rod Lewis | 20 January 1998 | |
| Ashton, enthusiastic and single-handed, solves a mystery break-in, despite scepticism from Stamp and Page. | |||||
| 10 | "Out on a Limb" | Derek Lister | Colin Wyatt | 22 January 1998 | |
| It's a life or death situation for Skase and Proctor when an assassin comes looking for his money. But can they work together to defuse the situation? | |||||
| 11 | "Way Out West" | Tim Holloway | Scott Cherry | 23 January 1998 | |
| Stamp and Quinnan play a prank on Jarvis, but end up dropping themselves in the drink. | |||||
| 12 | "Storyboards" | First appearance of PC Eddie Santini | Danny Hiller | J. C. Wilsher | 29 January 1998 |
| New PC Eddie Santini, tall, dark and handsome with a dubious past, causes a stir when he arrives to join the team at Sun Hill. | |||||
| 13 | "For Your Love" | Hour-long episode, Marc Bannerman, Rachel Shelley and Lois Baxter guest star. | Brian Farnham | Neil Clarke | 30 January 1998 |
| Rawton and Skase assist a woman receiving anonymous threats. | |||||
| 14 | "Soft in the Head" | Lara Cazalet and Roger Blake guest star. | Chris Lovett | Tom Needham | 3 February 1998 |
| Ashton goes missing from the scene of an accident. | |||||
| 15 | "Friends in High Places" | Richard Hampton guest stars. | Chris Lovett | Patrick Melanaphy | 5 February 1998 |
| A car belonging to a rival Chief Superintendent's wife is stolen right from under Santini and Quinnan's noses. | |||||
| 16 | "Love's Labours Lost" | Annabelle Apsion and Dominic Letts guest star. | Robin Sheppard | Clive Dawson | 6 February 1998 |
| Proctor and Skase investigate the stalking of Proctor's ex-girlfriend. | |||||
| 17 | "Opposites" | Robin Sheppard | Michael Jenner | 12 February 1998 | |
| A series of muggings on a local estate lead Proctor and Carver to the house of a rather unusual couple. | |||||
| 18 | "Solicitous" | Alison Skilbeck and Stevan Rimkus guest star. | Mike Vardy | Julian Perkins | 13 February 1998 |
| Meadows and Skase discover a modern-day Robin Hood robbing the rich in Sun Hill. | |||||
| 19 | "A Rainy Night in Sun Hill" | Jean Heywood guest stars. | Albert Barber | Len Collin | 17 February 1998 |
| Santini is irritated at being paired with Hollis on a cold, wet night in Canley. | |||||
| 20 | "Unwarranted" | Charmian May guest stars. | Mike Vardy | Simon Moss | 19 February 1998 |
| While in a rush to catch a crook, Ashton trips and falls foul of the law. | |||||
| 21 | "A Bit of Respect" | Charmian May and Nick Miles guest star. | Roger Gartland | Renny Krupinski | 20 February 1998 |
| Ackland sets out to trap a man who wants to take the law into his own hands. | |||||
| 22 | "The Parent Trap" | Final appearance of DC Suzi Croft | Gill Wilkinson | Ray Brooking | 24 February 1998 |
| Croft is puzzled by a couple who want their daughter arrested. | |||||
| 23 | "Sudden Death" | Mike Vardy | Kathrine Smith | 26 February 1998 | |
| Ackland and Quinnan are on the case when a man falls from his bedroom window. But was it an accident or something more? | |||||
| 24 | "Back-Up" | Martyn Read guest stars. | Simon Massey | Graham Mitchell | 27 February 1998 |
| Carver is let down by an unreliable snout, and needs Beech to get him out of a tricky situation. | |||||
| 25 | "A Little Help" | Kellie Bright guest stars. | Tom Cotter | Candy Denman | 3 March 1998 |
| Rawton and Skase realise they may be onto a serial attacker. | |||||
| 26 | "Guiding Hand" | Justin Hardy | Lyndon Mallet | 5 March 1998 | |
| Page and McCann investigate what appears to be a straightforward case of attempted child abduction. | |||||
| 27 | "Good Faith: Part 1" | Hugh Laurie and Leslie Grantham guest star. | Ian White | Chris Ould | 6 March 1998 |
| A clever lawyer runs rings around Beech in court in a case involving a notorious robber. | |||||
| 28 | "Good Faith: Part 2" | Leslie Grantham guest stars. | Ian White | Chris Ould | 10 March 1998 |
| The tit-for-tat violence escalates between rival gangs in Sun Hill. | |||||
| 29 | "Good Faith: Part 3" | Leslie Grantham guest stars. | Ian White | Chris Ould | 12 March 1998 |
| Beech's involvement with rival racketeers becomes more complicated. | |||||
| 30 | "No Doubt About It" | Simon Massey | Nigel Baldwin | 13 March 1998 | |
| Can Garfield's word on the identity of a suspect be trusted? | |||||
| 31 | "One of the Gang" | Cyril Nri guest stars. | N. G. Bristow | Stephen Plaice | 17 March 1998 |
| Meadows and Daly get a tip-off about a gang of young muggers, but their information comes from an unlikely source. | |||||
| 32 | "Without a Prayer" | Conor Mullen guest stars. | Brian Farnham | Nigel Smith | 19 March 1998 |
| Garfield and Keane try to discover the cause of death of a woman found dead in a church hall. | |||||
| 33 | "Lucky Find" | Brian Farnham | Jaden Clark | 20 March 1998 | |
| When a girl goes missing by the river, Deakin sees an opportunity to nail an old adversary. | |||||
| 34 | "A Little Bit of Paradise" | Malcolm Terris guest stars. | Dominic Lees | Rod Lewis | 24 March 1998 |
| McCann is sent in search of a valuable exotic bird. | |||||
| 35 | "Daydream Believer" | Paul Panting guest stars. | Ged Maguire | Ann Coburn | 26 March 1998 |
| Rawton and Daly investigate an assault on a resident of an old people's home. | |||||
| 36 | "Powder My Nose" | Albert Barber | Jason Sutton | 27 March 1998 | |
| Conway is the target of a blackmail attempt following a drunken night out. | |||||
| 37 | "Bad Feelings" | Malcolm Tierney guest stars. | Dominic Lees | Peter J. Hammond | 31 March 1998 |
| Boulton is after a villain known to have an eye for the ladies. | |||||
| 38 | "Like Family" | Derek Lister | Bridget Lawless | 2 April 1998 | |
| Quinnan and Blake search for a missing French au pair who has been moonlighting as a stripper. | |||||
| 39 | "Shattered" | John Bruce | Hugh Ellis | 3 April 1998 | |
| Cryer tries to save the life of a girl found dying on the common, and gets a complaint filed against him. | |||||
| 40 | "Home Movie" | Tim Woodward, Jimi Mistry, Malcolm Tierney and Albert Welling guest star. | Sarah Harding | Tom Needham | 7 April 1998 |
| Boyden uncovers an illicit pornographic video operation. | |||||
| 41 | "Racer" | Leo Gregory guest stars. | John Bruce | Ben Cooper | 9 April 1998 |
| Ashton tries to help a reformed teenage joyrider. | |||||
| 42 | "The Scent of Compassion" | Jeremy Young guest stars. | Jeremy Silberston | Stephen McGann | 10 April 1998 |
| Ashton's sense of compassion is crucial in solving a cruel assault case. | |||||
| 43 | "Driving Me Crazy" | Kevin Bishop and Sean Blowers guest star. | Tom Cotter | Matthew Leys | 14 April 1998 |
| Quinnan and Ackland pursue a dangerous driver. | |||||
| 44 | "Manhunt" | Fish guest stars. | Steve Shill | Tony Mulholland | 16 April 1998 |
| Deakin and Carver investigate a case of male rape. | |||||
| 45 | "Rebel Without a Licence" | Enn Reitel and Terence Wilton guest star. | Delyth Thomas | Chris Jury | 17 April 1998 |
| A speeding Pontiac and three ageing James Deans give Stamp and McCann a headache. | |||||
| 46 | "Sale or Return: Part 1" | Clive Merrison guest stars. | Chris Lovett | Julian Spilsbury | 21 April 1998 |
| Boulton and Carver head for the river, chasing a particularly slippery customer. | |||||
| 47 | "Sale or Return: Part 2" | Clive Merrison guest stars. | Chris Lovett | Julian Spilsbury | 23 April 1998 |
| Boulton and Carver continue their investigation into illegal immigration and find the case complicated by an attractive woman. | |||||
| 48 | "Target Man" | Sara Stockbridge guest stars. | Tom Cotter | Stephen McAteer | 24 April 1998 |
| While football fever grips Sun Hill, Deakin hopes to get his man by following a tip-off. With Hollis to help him, how can he fail? | |||||
| 49 | "Mixed Feelings" | Renu Setna guest stars. | Gill Wilkinson | Kumari Salgado | 28 April 1998 |
| Page tries to trace the mother of an abandoned baby, while Boulton and Rawton investigate an apparently racially-motivated attack. | |||||
| 50 | "Wannabe" | Delyth Thomas | Wendy Lee | 30 April 1998 | |
| Skase finds himself the object of the affections of a fourteen-year-old girl who leads him to some unusual drug dealers. | |||||
| 51 | "One Small Step" | Christopher Hodson | Rod Beacham | 5 May 1998 | |
| Ashton, on his first solo outing, is distracted by a decoy while a nearby shop is burgled. | |||||
| 52 | "Big Brother" | First appearance of WPC Vicky Hagen, Tim Barlow guest stars | Jo Shoop | Scott Cherry | 7 May 1998 |
| Vicky Hagen arrives at Sun Hill to rumours that she had grassed on a colleague at a previous station. | |||||
| 53 | "Volcano" | Final appearance of PC Mike Jarvis | Jo Shoop | Scott Cherry | 8 May 1998 |
| Jarvis and Hagen are put in the area car together, and almost come to blows. | |||||
| 54 | "Money Talks" | Lucy Robinson guest stars. | Jo Johnson | Simon Moss | 12 May 1998 |
| Boyden gets friendly with Ashton's mother. | |||||
| 55 | "Brighton Rocks: Part 1" | Ian White | Richard McBrien | 14 May 1998 | |
| Beech wangles an expenses-paid trip to Brighton with Skase, but his night does not go as planned. | |||||
| 56 | "Brighton Rocks: Part 2" | Ian White | Richard McBrien | 15 May 1998 | |
| Skase persuades Brighton C.I.D. to help track down the missing Beech. | |||||
| 57 | "The Hare and the Tortoise" | Roger Gartland | Candy Denman | 19 May 1998 | |
| Stamp and Hagen have different ideas about what makes a good area car driver. | |||||
| 58 | "The Better Man" | Sean Baker guest stars. | Jo Johnson | J.C. Wilsher | 21 May 1998 |
| Daly and Carver try to get evidence against a young drug addict suspected of the brutal assault of a police officer. | |||||
| 59 | "Red Herrings" | Ron Moody guest stars. | Gill Wilkinson | Terry Hodgkinson | 22 May 1998 |
| Carver and Proctor respond to a tip-off about the theft of some fish. | |||||
| 60 | "Under the Grill" | Derek Lister | Stephen Plaice | 26 May 1998 | |
| Boulton is less than thrilled to be placed on an interviewing course with Hollis, but gets the chance to exact revenge on an ex-colleague. | |||||
| 61 | "The Stork" | Danny Hiller | Louise Hide | 28 May 1998 | |
| Keane and Garfield look into allegations that a New Age cult leader is encouraging under-aged girls to engage in sexual activity. | |||||
| 62 | "One of Us" | Kevin Doyle guest stars. | Clive Fleury | Katharine Way | 29 May 1998 |
| Carver is shocked when a woman names his friend from a neighbouring station as a flasher. | |||||
| 63 | "Room to Manoeuvre" | Steve Shill | Patrick Melanaphy | 2 June 1998 | |
| Boulton and Hollis find themselves in pursuit of the same villain. | |||||
| 64 | "Out of Hand" | Peter Halliday and Tracey Childs guest star. | John Bruce | Len Collin | 4 June 1998 |
| Santini and Keane investigate a mysterious assault. | |||||
| 65 | "Watching the Detectives" | Hour-long episode, Bernard Gallagher and Christopher Bowen guest star. | Ged Maguire | Graham Mitchell | 5 June 1998 |
| Rawton and Deakin investigate the mysterious disappearance of a woman who has been campaigning to free her husband from jail. | |||||
| 66 | "A People Person" | Final appearance of DC Tosh Lines, David Hargreaves, Elaine Donnelly, Cheryl Hall and Stuart Organ guest star. | N.G. Bristow | J.C. Wilsher | 9 June 1998 |
| Lines and Ackland investigate the death of an old acquaintance in the apartment of his mistress. | |||||
| 67 | "Spray" | Peter Cregeen | Nigel Baldwin | 16 June 1998 | |
| Harker rushes to the aid of a woman in danger, but gets himself into trouble over his use of CS spray. | |||||
| 68 | "Three Cheers" | Danny Webb guest stars. | Ged Maguire | Julian Perkins | 19 June 1998 |
| Hollis arrests a notorious cat burglar. | |||||
| 69 | "Up for Trouble" | Ursula Holden-Gill guest stars. | Peter Lydon | Julian Perkins | 23 June 1998 |
| Hollis is due to collect his commendation, but his colleagues know he doesn't deserve one. | |||||
| 70 | "The Bus Driver's Prayer" | Nicola Stapleton and Martin Kemp guest star. | Clive Fleury | Dom Shaw | 25 June 1998 |
| Page is shocked by a caller who says that he has shot a man and left him to die. | |||||
| 71 | "Loving Memory" | Oliver Smith guest stars. | John Bruce | Dale Overton | 26 June 1998 |
| Cryer re-opens an unsolved case in response to an attempted suicide. | |||||
| 72 | "Stop" | Kate Maravan and Roy Skelton guest star. | Paul Murton | James Astbury | 1 July 1998 |
| Boulton suspects that Hollis is involved in a series of burglaries. | |||||
| 73 | "Deep Secret" | Hour-long episode, Roy Hudd guest stars. | Tom Cotter | Terry Hodgkinson | 2 July 1998 |
| Garfield teams up with an attractive young journalist when the wreckage of a World War II Spitfire is discovered in Sun Hill. | |||||
| 74 | "The Whip Hand" | Final appearance of WPC Norika Datta, Nina Wadia and Martin Gower guest star. | Christopher Hodson | Manjit Singh | 9 July 1998 |
| Datta and Quinnan deal with a case of domestic abuse and uncover a horrifying family secret. | |||||
| 75 | "Bang!" | Tom Cotter | Chris Ould | 10 July 1998 | |
| Boyden faces a critical situation when Harker and Keane bring in a prisoner with a gun. | |||||
| 76 | "Unlicensed" | Peter Cregeen | Alison Fisher | 14 July 1998 | |
| Skase and Rawton investigate a woman's claims that she is being harassed by a former lover. | |||||
| 77 | "Vacant Possession" | John Duttine and Sharon Duce guest star. | Jeremy Silberston | David Hoskins | 16 July 1998 |
| Boyden and Page investigate a death from asphyxiation and try to establish whether the paving stone placed on his chimney was an act of murder. | |||||
| 78 | "Sucking Eggs" | Liz Smith guest stars. | Peter Lydon | Ray Brooking | 17 July 1998 |
| Beech and Carver investigate the theft of a grandfather clock. | |||||
| 79 | "Tainted Love: Part 1" | Jo Shoop | Clive Dawson | 21 July 1998 | |
| Polly Page has fallen for a new boyfriend, but he has no idea she is a police officer. | |||||
| 80 | "Tainted Love: Part 2" | Jo Shoop | Clive Dawson | 23 July 1998 | |
| Boulton asks Page to spy on her own boyfriend. | |||||
| 81 | "Tainted Love: Part 3" | Jo Shoop | Clive Dawson | 24 July 1998 | |
| Feeling she has wrecked Boulton's operation, how can Page continue her relationship with Danny? | |||||
| 82 | "Cooking" | Final appearance of DS Alistair Greig | Sarah Harding | John Pollock | 28 July 1998 |
| Greig's request for tenure is rejected. | |||||
| 83 | "Fighting Chance" | Don McCorkindale guest stars. | Martin Hutchings | Kevin Scouler | 30 July 1998 |
| Garfield and Quinnan fear for the safety of a boxer who has disappeared, abandoning his young son. | |||||
| 84 | "King of the Road" | John Breslin guest stars. | Tom Cotter | Ben Cooper | 4 August 1998 |
| Hollis suggests using an old caravan as a mobile police station. | |||||
| 85 | "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" | Martin Hutchings | Michael Jenner | 6 August 1998 | |
| Hagen and Harker have to contend with an unreliable witness. | |||||
| 86 | "One Man, Two Faces" | Joseph Marcell guest stars. | Paul Murton | Tunde Babalola | 11 August 1998 |
| McCann and Santini fall out over a vicious assault on a black youth. | |||||
| 87 | "Shoot the Messenger" | Grant Masters and Jane Slavin guest star. | Roger Gartland | Alan Pollock | 13 August 1998 |
| Boulton is kidnapped by an aggrieved ex-con. | |||||
| 88 | "Too Little, Too Late" | Last episode in half-hour format | Marcus D. F. White | David Hoskins | 20 August 1998 |
| Skase and Daly investigate an assault outside a gay club, but a key witness is reluctant to come forward. | |||||
| 89 | "Deep End" | 90-minute special, first appearance of WPC Rosie Fox, Hywel Simons and Hilary Sesta guest star. | Ian White | Elizabeth-Anne Wheal | 25 August 1998 |
| When a body is washed up on the bank of the Thames, Rawton realises that she was a friend of one of her informants, who has been providing information about a local brothel being run by a nasty pimp. Meanwhile, it's Rosie Fox's first day at Sun Hill, as she and Santini are dealing with a civil dispute when they are asked to take part in the investigation by going undercover as a prostitute and her ex-boyfriend, respectively. Santini reckons Fox isn't cut out for such an assignment, especially when Deakin is informed that CID have stumbled into a surveillance op attempting to catch a major drug dealer. However, the op goes ahead, but does Santini have an ulterior motive for being so protective? | |||||
| 90 | "The Party's Over" | First regular episode in hour-long format, David Dayan Fisher guest stars. | Jo Johnson | Elizabeth-Anne Wheal (Part 1) Neil Clarke (Part 2) | 27 August 1998 |
| This episode was originally written in two halves. Part One: The owner of the house used in Proctor and Skase's obbo of the brothel offers possible information about a betting shop robbery, but Skase isn't entirely convinced that he is kosher. Meanwhile, Santini tries to apologise to Fox for going too far against her wishes the night before but she tells him to stay away from her. She consults a federation rep about Santini's attack on her. Part Two: Boulton and Rawton are on the tail of a violent thug who kicked a pensioner half to death for just £80. When Santini and Fox attend an RTA, they find a man in possession of the pensioner's bus pass, which gives Boulton an important lead to catching the culprit. | |||||
| 91 | "Bang, Bang, You're Dead" | David Dayan Fisher, Nimmy March, Jack McKenzie and Jon Croft guest star. | Paul Murton | Elizabeth-Anne Wheal (Part 1) Neil Clarke (Part 2) | 28 August 1998 |
| This episode was originally written in two halves. Part One: Fox takes the day off with a migraine, but turns up for the relief's paintball charity challenge, where Santini continues to bully and humiliate her. Conway is angered that Hollis is recruited as team leader for the ranks, but it's the relief who have more to worry about with a mystery gameplayer called 'The Terminator'. Part Two: Boulton and Rawton have their prime suspect, Michael Sourby, in court for attacking the pensioner, but during an interval, he attacks a security guard and manages to escape. Hagen and Page chase him into an abandoned care home, where he takes an unsuspecting Fox hostage, and it's up to Santini to protect her from harm. | |||||
| 92 | "Team Spirit" | Departure of WPC Rosie Fox | Albert Barber | Elizabeth-Anne Wheal | 1 September 1998 |
| Fox decides that enough is enough, and after meeting with her federation rep, makes an official complaint about Santini. Rawton decides to do some digging on Fox's behalf to find out whether or not Santini has a past history, while Boyden digs into Fox's record in an attempt to discredit her. Rawton and Fox go to see an ex-colleague of Santini's, who also made a sexual harassment complaint against him. Meanwhile, Boyden discovers that Fox has made complaints about three of her former colleagues while at Hendon. Quinnan questions Santini's motives and offers to play matchmaker, but when he realises that Santini isn't as innocent as he seems, he blurts out that Santini let Fox down on an op. | |||||
| 93 | "Urgent Assistance" | Toni Palmer and Will Barton guest star. | Albert Barber | Steve Griffiths | 15 September 1998 |
| Stamp is annoyed when he fails to beat Hagen and Hollis to a number of calls despite having control of the area car. When an urgent assistance call comes through on the radio from Page, he, Quinnan and Ashton race to the scene. However, when his route is blocked by a lorry parked in the middle of the road, Stamp is forced to reverse the car down a one-way street. In the heat of the moment, he fails to see a pedestrian who steps out from the side of the road into his path. When the pedestrian dies of injuries sustained in the crash, Stamp is informed he will be prosecuted for death by dangerous driving. He is then paired with Hagen as crew for the area car when a young boy goes missing from home. | |||||
| 94 | "Taking Sides" | Final appearance of WPC Debbie Keane, Lesley Nicol, Toni Palmer, Charmian May and John Joyce guest star. | Tania Diez | Len Collin (Part 1) Colin Wyatt (Part 2) | 22 September 1998 |
| This episode was originally written in two halves. Part One: Stamp attends the funeral of the pedestrian he knocked over, but he receives a less than warm reception. Later, he and Quinnan arrest the driver of a cut-and-shut limousine and end up taking a bride to her wedding. Meanwhile, Hagen and McCann deal with a group of underage drinkers at a local pub, but when they return, they take Ashton hostage. Part Two: Page is in court for the sentencing of Catherine Harrison, a persistent offender who has burgled an old lady whilst she was on holiday. When her son is accused of theft at a children's home, Stamp and Ashton pursue him to the court, only to watch his mother receive a custodial sentence. | |||||
| 95 | "Deadly Impact" | Samantha Bond and Toni Palmer guest star. | Ged Maguire | Anthony Valentine | 29 September 1998 |
| It's Stamp's big day in court, and despite the fact that Quinnan has been called as a prosecution witness against him, his barrister is confident he will be found not guilty. When a witness to the incident is pulled apart for exaggerating the facts, Stamp realises that his chances of being found innocent are greater than he first thought. Ashton, his key defence witness, suffers a bout of nerves after advice from Hollis, but after conferring with Quinnan manages to stay firm and keep the jury on side. Conway is called as a character witness. Stamp is found not guilty of death by dangerous driving, but guilty of driving without due care and attention. He is subsequently summoned to a police disciplinary board. | |||||
| 96 | "Big Day" | Christopher Timothy, Samantha Bond, Christopher Saul and Philip Bloomfield guest star. | Marcus White | Nicholas McInerny (Part 1) Carolyn Sally Jones (Part 2) | 6 October 1998 |
| This episode was originally written in two halves. Part One: Beech and Conway attend a police due to receive medals for long-standing service and excellent conduct. Beech is surprised to find that an old flame of his has defected to C.I.B., and is currently investigating one of the officers with whom he trained at Hendon. Anxious to get to the bottom of the investigation, Beech questions his old friend on details of his misgivings. Part Two: Stamp's day to face the police disciplinary board has arrived, but after seeing one of his old friends from Stafford Row being sacked for a minor driving offence, does a runner. Garfield has to convince him to face the board to clear his conscience once and for all. | |||||
| 97 | "Making Up" | Brian Parker | Chris McWaters | 13 October 1998 | |
| Hagen goes undercover as a prostitute to trap a solicitor who has been selling forged passports to his clients, and a violent thug whom he helped escape bail. Skase takes a number of faked surveillance pictures of Hagen and Harker doing a 'drug deal', but when Harker and McCann stop the solicitor for jumping a red light, Deakin is furious that they may have blown the obbo. However, the solicitor fails to recognize Harker and the deal goes ahead as planned. Meanwhile, Stamp gets behind the wheel of the area car for the first time since the fatal accident, hoping to put recent events behind him, but the victim's girlfriend isn't about to let him forget the incident, starting a campaign of intimidation against him. | |||||
| 98 | "The Cross" | First appearance of DC Kerry Holmes | Ian White | Maxwell Young | 20 October 1998 |
| Boulton is paired with new DC Kerry Holmes to investigate a gang who have been purchasing bikes with cheques stolen in an armed robbery. Boulton is keen to speak to Michael Duggan, a prime target that has evaded his capture for some time. Duggan, however, offers Boulton a deal - his brother-in-law, Sean Massey, is involved in a highly lucrative drug deal, and he knows the time, location and other parties involved. Boulton arranges a sting to catch the dealer red handed - however, Duggan does a runner with the money that Massey is due to hand over, and the dealer claims that Massey was told by his brother to plant the drugs on him. Holmes, however, has an idea on how to unravel the situation. | |||||
| 99-100 | "Cast No Shadow/Betrayal" | Return of DCI Frank Burnside, Stephen Greif guest stars | Chris Lovett | Steve Griffiths & Tony Mulholland | 27-29 October 1998 |
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Part One: Boulton investigates when a young girl is approached and attacked on the way home from school. Her father, a property developer, has been having trouble with a gang involved in a pub protection racket. Unable to locate the prime suspect, Michael Hyde, Boulton poses as a competition representative to get the location from his wife. He and Carver travel up to Manchester on Hyde's trail. When they run into trouble at a local pub, they find themselves being rescued by none other than Frank Burnside, who left Sun Hill in mysterious circumstances five years ago. Burnside, who is actually undercover, tries to inadvertently help his former colleagues to find and capture Hyde, but the plan goes awry. Part Two: Boulton and Carver return to Sun Hill with Burnside in handcuffs, but upon their arrival, are pursued by two armed gunman who try to make sure that Burnside doesn't spill the beans on Hyde's operation. Meadows discovers that Burnside has been working under cover with the Yard, and decides that they must work together to get a result. Burnside manages to set up a meeting with a major Russian drugs importer, just as Michael Hyde planned to do. However, when his brother, Mark, works out what Burnside is up to, a standoff involving Burnside and his girlfriend ensues, and tragedy strikes. Burnside is then offered a job with crime OCCU, and informs Meadows they will be seeing more of each other. | |||||
| 101 | "All for One" | Craig Fairbrass and Tony Osoba guest star. | Delyth Thomas | Edward Canfor-Dumas | 30 October 1998 |
| Santini is first on the scene of a serious car accident, and becomes a bit of a local hero when he bravely dives into the river to secure the car, which is teetering on the edge. However, the driver reveals to him that upon his possession he has a bag of cocaine, a present for his mistress. He asks Santini to destroy it if he doesn't make it. Santini manages to take possession of the bag when he recovers his personal affairs at the mortuary, but when Stamp and Garfield inadvertently discover Santini's misgivings, it's not long before they realise that their fellow officer may be playing for the other side. Harker is on the fence when Santini gives him a cock and bull story about the situation. | |||||
| 102 | "Trial Run" | Dominic Lees | Patrick Melanaphy | 3 November 1998 | |
| Skase calls in sick so he can moonlight as a bodyguard. He is charged with providing protection for the two teenage sons of a very wealthy Asian aristocrat. During a shopping trip, one of his teenage charges does a runner, taking his Mercedes with him. When Harker and Page spot the vehicle travelling at high speed, Skase is nearly caught out. However, when he discovers that the boy is hiding out at a nearby drugs den, he arrives to find Boulton ready to raid the joint. Forced to explain the situation, Skase enlists Boulton to help him recover the boy without blowing the operation, and in turn Skase manages to pinpoint the location of the dealer's stash. Boulton warns Skase to be more careful. | |||||
| 103 | "Section F" | Chris Hodson | Richard Stoneman | 6 November 1998 | |
| Meadows and Conway are both up for promotion against each other, and with an impending inspection from Area, both are out to impress. However, there are some comic and some life-threatening repercussions for them both. Firstly, Quinnan and Garfield deliberately ruin the late turn parade leaking Skase to get a rollicking, and he and Quinnan nearly coming to blows in front of Brownlow. Meanwhile, Sgt. Lamont is dealing with a troublesome prisoner in custody, who keeps flooding the toilets. Conway tries to lend a hand, but this leads to further disasters. A young boy is then held hostage by an escaped prisoner who is armed, and Conway, against instruction, goes it alone to try and secure the boy's safety. | |||||
| 104 | "Bad Chemistry" | Iddo Goldberg and Phillip Joseph guest star. | Rob Evans | Maxwell Young | 10 November 1998 |
| Holmes investigates when a woman is attacked in her flat and left for dead in a particularly violent domestic violence case. She initially suspects that the woman's landlord, Jamie Morgan, is responsible for the attack, but when she catches the woman having a row with her boyfriend, she arrests him for criminal damage, unaware that she has inadvertently jeopardised a surveillance operation on a major drugs dealer. As Merseyside area drugs become involved, Holmes manages to locate the factory where the drugs are being produced, but a sting set up to catch the villains in the act takes an unexpected turn when they become involved in a violent shootout, and take a young boy and his mum hostage. | |||||
| 105 | "Dog Eat Dog" | Michelle Gomez guest stars. | Phillipa Langdale | Rod Lewis | 13 November 1998 |
| Cryer attends the scene when a prostitute is slashed across the face with a machete and subsequently hospitalized. The prime suspect, Alvin Morton, was released from prison just ten days previously, and Cryer is determined to send him back there. Meanwhile, when the prostitute retracts her statement, and Alvin's girlfriend provides him with an alibi, Santini mishandles the situation and gives Alvin's location to two of her friends who have vowed revenge on her attacker. When Alvin is shot and doubly kneecapped, Cryer is curious to learn just how they found out where Alvin was staying. A box of matches with Alvin's address written in it then surfaces during interview, landing Santini in deep trouble. | |||||
| 106 | "Indiscretion" | Peter-Hugo Daly, Edna Doré and Linal Haft guest star. | Derek Lister | Arthur Ellis | 17 November 1998 |
| Skase attends the scene of a fire at a 'sex cinema' club, where a reportedly angry punter set alight to the club after being refused entry. However, it later transpires that the culprit caught two foreign men watching a police interview tape of his girlfriend, aged twelve, who was being interviewed over sexual assault claims made against her father. Assigned to investigate, Rawton teams up with a DS from the Child Protection Unit, and the pair try to find out how a number of police evidence tapes have managed to worm their way out for general consumption. Skase isn't convinced that the manager of the club is telling the whole truth, while Rawton investigates a dodgy practice lawyer who copied the tapes. | |||||
| 107 | "The Rate for the Job" | Lesley Dunlop and Rhoda Lewis guest star. | Frank Smith | J.C. Wilsher | 20 November 1998 |
| Meadows asks Deakin to have more of a 'hands-on' approach after a row erupts between Beech and Daly. All three of the CID sergeants, meanwhile, are having problems. Daly's operation into a known stolen goods handler is blown when Carver spooks the suspect by accident. Boulton has had word that a known criminal who is due for sentencing in just two days plans to do a final job in order to tied him over whilst he is inside. However, his snout is cornered by the suspect and the gang arrive at the planned location - only to give Boulton the eye that they are onto him. Lastly, Beech is troubled when an old flame offers him £3,000 to reveal details of an investigation into her current boyfriend by Daly. | |||||
| 108 | "For Interest Only" | Mark Monero and John Flanagan guest star. | John Bruce | Don Webb | 24 November 1998 |
| Brownlow is angered when a local journalist approaches him following the publication of an article in the CPS journal regarding an unsolved case from twenty years previously. The case in question, an armed jewellery robbery, saw prime suspect Ray Catton imprisoned for the death of his two accomplices, but the loot remains unfound. Meanwhile, the man's daughter is being hassled by a loanshark, desperate for the repayment of the money she owes him. When Catton has a heart attack, he decides to reveal the location of the loot on his deathbed - unaware that his brother has returned to the country with the same purpose. Brownlow is determined to find and recover the loot before Catton's brother does. | |||||
| 109 | "The Fat Lady Sings" | First appearance of DC Duncan Lennox, Annette Badland guest stars | Robert Del Maestro | Richard Stoneman | 27 November 1998 |
| Quinnan ignores a plea for help from a mysterious opera singer whilst out on patrol, but later regrets his actions and ignores a number of shouts whilst trying to find her. Meanwhile, Holmes is dealing with a personal request from Brownlow, who has been asked by a local judge to investigate a number of threatening letters sent to him. Holmes and Quinnan soon come to realise that they are chasing the shady criminal. A new face at Sun Hill is causing quite a stir, in the form of Scottish DC Duncan Lennox. Lennox offers to provide Holmes assistance on the case after she discovers he has a personal acquaintance with the judge. A showdown at a local opera house goes awry when Stamp bursts in unexpectedly. | |||||
| 110 | "Too Many Cooks" | Isla Blair, Anthony Valentine and Anne Ridler guest star. | James Cellan Jones | Nigel Baldwin | 1 December 1998 |
| Monroe is called to deal with a complaint against an officer from Stafford Row, where the victim has accused him of offering acquittal in return for sex. Meanwhile, Brownlow attends a charity dinner held by the Sun Hill Businessman's Association. When the daughter of a very prominent community figure disappears, Brownlow urges CID to make it their top priority. Meanwhile, Monroe's suspect is brought in by McCann and Hagen for harassment. When the suspect reveals information to the woman's disappearance, Monroe realises that the two events are connected - which subsequently leads him into conflict within the Chinese community, as well as a murky world of drugs, vice, corruption and violence. | |||||
| 111 | "Team Play" | Debbie Chazen guest stars. | Gwennan Sage | Anthony Valentine | 4 December 1998 |
| Rawton and Lennox investigate when a nurse is violently attacked at the nurse's home where she is living. Initially, only one witness is able to place anyone near the scene of the crime, but Lennox is determined not to have to rely on the victim to pick him out. However, Lennox seems doomed to fail as he has to take a safety training course with Meadows and a group from the relief. Proctor takes over and immediately heads straight to the victim for information. Lennox continues to try and sneak away from the training exercise to continue working on the case. After the suspect continues to play games in the interview room, he then adds assaulting a police officer to his charge sheet when he attacks Ackland. | |||||
| 112 | "Heat and Light" | Ged Maguire | Gregory Evans | 8 December 1998 | |
| Boulton and Holmes investigate the latest in a long line of arson attacks. When forensic evidence places teen tearaway Adam Marrs at the scene of a previous fire, he is questioned and confesses to all of the recent attacks. However, a profiler brought in by Deakin to assist on the case isn't so sure that Marrs is responsible for the latest fire. Investigations reveal that the security guard on duty at the time was actually away from his post, moonlighting for another firm. And when it is revealed that he abducted and tried to rape a young girl at the property, his evidence is discounted. Deakin's profiler seems to think that a serving fireman is responsible, but will her theory be proved right? Boulton isn't entirely convinced. | |||||
| 113 | "Ticking Clocks" | Holly Davidson and Christopher Guard guest star. | Barbara Rennie | Gregory Evans | 10 December 1998 |
| Boulton and Holmes deal with the abduction of a baby from his hospital bed. | |||||
| 114 | "Strange Bedfellows" | First appearance of DC Scott Henderson, Sebastian Abineri guest stars | Frank Smith | Len Collin | 11 December 1998 |
| Burnside uses a convicted paedophile to help find a missing boy. | |||||
| 115 | "Live and Ticking" | Peter Cregeen | Candy Denman | 15 December 1998 | |
| The officers at Sun Hill search for a batch of volatile home-made bombs. | |||||
| 116 | "All the Lonely People" | Trevor Martin guest stars. | Delyth Thomas | Tony Mulholland | 17 December 1998 |
| Rawton goes undercover as a lonely heart to find a possible serial killer. | |||||
| 117 | "The Personal Touch" | Leslie Grantham, Denise van Outen, Zig Byfield and Frank Coda guest star. | Ian White | Patrick Melanaphy | 18 December 1998 |
| Beech is approached by gangster Jimmy Smith for a favour, but Burnside is on the case. | |||||
| 118 | "Time Gentlemen Please" | Dominic Power guest stars. | Albert Barber | Ray Brooking | 21 December 1998 |
| Daly and Rawton work undercover in a pub while investigating a protection racket. | |||||
| 119 | "Puzzled" | Final appearance of PC Jamila Blake, Lee Ingleby, Rebekah Gibbs and Katharine Schlesinger guest star. | Steve Shill | Ben Cooper | 22 December 1998 |
| Quinnan and Boulton try to track down a young hippy who has crossed some drug dealers, while Hollis organises an inter-station pub quiz. | |||||
| 120 | "Christmas Star" | Emmanuel Petit guest stars. | Tom Cotter | Terry Hodgkinson | 24 December 1998 |
| Santini boasts that he can make a dream come true for the young victim of a hit-and-run incident. | |||||
| 121 | "S.A.D." | Veronica Roberts and Judy Cornwell guest star. | Chris Hodson | Chris Jury | 31 December 1998 |
| Ashton and Harker bring an unwelcome visitor to Sun Hill, while Boyden is put off mince pies for life. | |||||
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