The Bill (series 16)

The Bill Series 16
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 86
Broadcast
Original channel ITV
Original run 4 January 2000 
26 December 2000

Series 16 of British television drama The Bill consisted of 86 episodes, broadcast between 4 January – 26 December 2000. As well as 83 regular episodes, the series also included a two-part recap special, Kiss Off, featuring a condensed broadcast of the Series 15 episodes "Lone Ranger", "Old Flame", "Push It" and "Kiss Off", prior to a special episode, The Trial of Eddie Santini, which provides closure to the Santini storyline from 1999. The series also sees a major cast change, when the entire CID team are suspended in the light of the Don Beech Scandal, with the third largest cast clearance, with 10 cast members leaving, with season 25 in second, where 11 cast members left, and season 18 having the most, which had 13 cast members leaving. On 5 June 2013, The Bill Series 16 Part 1 & 2 and The Bill Series 16 Part 3 & 4 DVD sets were released (in Australia).

Cast changes

Arrivals

Departures

Episodes

# Title Episode notes Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Angel"Gerard Murphy guest stars.Michael FergusonSteve Griffiths4 January 2000
Burnside arrives to investigate a murder which looks like part of a series of male rapes gone too far. Andy Wilson, one of the previous victims remembers something about an angel when he was attacked. Following a statement from taxi driver Steve Sanderson, Kerry finds a man matching Sanderson's description on CCTV tapes: his name is Mark Angelis and he works for a courier service with an angel logo. Although John arrests Angelis in possession of a knife, he insists it is for self defence against the rapist. Claire visits a profiler at Scotland Yard, and later discovers that taxi driver Sanderson has made a similar statement to Stafford Row station. Claire and Tom visit Sanderson's wife, and discover evidence that he is the culprit. They call Burnside to tell him, but he's in the back of Sanderson's cab.
2"In the Firing Line"Bob BlagdenClive Dawson6 January 2000
Smithy is working undercover as a bodyguard for a South African drug importer named Tony Rourke. Rourke offers him a contract to kidnap and torture a senior police officer to find the location of a police informer they need kept quiet. Ordered by SO10's DCI Tasker to remain in place and find out more, Smithy comes up with a plan to abduct the officer, who turns out to be Sun Hill's own Jack Meadows. Rourke and his right-hand man Jake begin to doubt Smithy's integrity, and end up executing his plan themselves. With Meadows missing, a massive search is underway, until Smithy convinces Ken Stockley, the informant Rourke and his financier are after, to tell him not only Meadows' location but also the identity of Rourke's mysterious "money man" - Lucy Haslock, a City lawyer.
3-4"Thug on the Tyne"Final appearance of DCI Frank Burnside,
Guest appearance by DC Liz Rawton
Ken HannamSteve Griffiths11 January 2000
13 January 2000

Part One: Northumbria Police arrest Frank Bentley with a boot full of drugs and a handgun, after a high speed car chase through Newcastle. Bentley and his lawyer, Liz McAuley, are actually Burnside and Rawton on an undercover assignment to investigate corrupt CID officers in Newcastle. Their target is DCI Bonnet, who seems to be in collusion with local gangster Saul Anderson. Despite Burnside being threatened by Anderson, and Rawton's cover nearly being blown when she runs into her cousin Cheryl at a bar, Burnside manages to gain Bonnet's trust. When Bonnet and Burnside meet at a private club, they are shocked when the police raid the place, but manage to escape without being spotted or arrested.

Part Two: Although they are undercover, Burnside agrees to let Rawton visit her mother. Despite a close shave at a family gathering when her cousin's boyfriend turns out to be an associate of Saul Anderson, Rawton and Burnside survive with their cover intact. Burnside even takes part in a little karaoke! Burnside is not pleased when Customs seize a crateful of guns meant for Anderson that he was supposed to see through. Anderson is not pleased either, and takes Burnside for a little drive. Bonnet and Anderson turn against each other, and Anderson is shot. As Bonnet is about to shoot Burnside as well, armed police arrive and he ends up shooting himself.
5"Riot City"Ian WhiteJ. C. Wilsher18 January 2000
Conway and a team of Sun Hill officers undergo riot simulation training at the Met's training depot in Hounslow. However, Conway's tactics are called into question and the team's first mock operation goes horribly wrong. Meanwhile, Glaze goes undercover on the Cockroft Estate to gather evidence of residents dealing in stolen goods, but discovers more than he bargains for when he discovers two rival families, the Barnes and the Cutlers, battling for control of the estate. While the Cutlers may be stockpiling petrol bombs, the Barnes have live weapons and both are ready for a showdown. However, when Glaze's flat is turned over, he uses the opportunity to become friendly with both sides to uncover information as to the whereabouts of said banned weapons.
6"Crime and Punishment"Shirley Anne Field guest stars.Baz TaylorArthur Ellis25 January 2000
Brownlow attends the funeral service of an old colleague that he used to serve with when he was in 182 squad, but soon finds that old wounds are beginning to re-open themselves as old grudges come to light. When Brownlow's arch enemy becomes drunk and assaults two men at the wake, he uses the opportunity to bring his enemy down once and for all. Little does he know that the entire ex-182 squad is being investigated for insurance fraud by an undercover officer from the Fraud Squad - so Brownlow sets out to find out who framed him and why. Meanwhile, Hollis investigates suspicious events at a crematorium after a number of cars are broken into at the funeral service. He suspects that an insider is tipping off a local robber as to the value of the cars at the service.
7"Zero Tolerance"Martha Cope and David Daker guest star.John DaviesRon Rose27 January 2000
Monroe has trouble dealing with a gang of boy-racers who are harassing and intimidating an elderly couple, the Davises, in Cusack Gardens. Having reported the youths repeatedly without success, Monroe promises them that he will sort the problem out personally and will get them off the streets. However, whilst Monroe is dealing with another incident, Mr. Davis dies after an altercation with the gang. Monroe is then urged by Brownlow to show 'zero tolerance' to the youths, and goes on an all-out offensive to get the gang's cars off the streets. However, this soon results in two of the youths petrol bombing Mrs. Davis' home. Smithy gets close to a nurse at the St Hugh's nurses' home while investigating reports of a stalker in the area, and Rickman attempts to help a woman who is being beaten up by her boyfriend.
8"Scoop"Eva Pope guest stars.Brian FarnhamChris McWatters1 February 2000
Conway encounters the "Sun Hill Angels" at a function, an escort service which Boulton believes is also dealing in drugs. Boulton convinces Conway to help him conduct a sting operation against the Angels, which goes terribly wrong when Conway's 'escort' turns out to be an undercover reporter, conducting her own sting on a senior police officer! To keep the story out of the paper, Boulton and Conway offer the newspaper a chance to be involved in the investigation into Chapman, the owner of the Angels. Reporter Geraldine Sands disappears when she goes to Chapman's house to collect the drugs, but when the police find the house, they find she has the situation well in hand.
9"Beasts"Gwennan SageAndy Armitage3 February 2000
Harker has infiltrated a group of animal rights activists, thanks to Steve Burton, an old school friend from Liverpool. The group's leader, Ged Mellings, is suspected to be planning some terrorist action. While undercover, Harker takes part in some protests and animal liberation actions, and begins to sympathise with the cause. Despite some misgivings, Harker proves himself to Meddings, and discovers his plan to firebomb a local department store. CID lie in wait and catch the gang planting the bombs.
10"Trusting the Enemy"N. G. BristowKathrine Smith8 February 2000
Deakin is furious when a fourth drug dealer is assaulted in a number of days, a case which Beech was supposed to be investigating. Beech enlists Lennox and the pair are soon lead to a couple of possible suspects, the O'Brien brothers. Meanwhile, Rickman is dealing with a domestic involving the O'Brien's sister, Kelly. Daly informs his friend DI Baines of area drugs about the operation, unaware that Baines is the main man and is the O'Brien's boss. Beech then tries to pin corruption charges on DI Baines.
11"On the Wagon"Duncan Preston, Russell Hunter, Nadim Sawalha and Bill Moody guest star.Jeremy SilbertsonRod Lewis10 February 2000
Carver returns to duty after undergoing treatment for his alcoholism. Unfortunately for him, he is paired with PC Dale Smith and their first case involves alcohol! Attending what first appears to be a racial assault at a post office, Carver uncovers a scam to sell thousands of pounds worth of illegally-imported alcohol to off-licences. Smith and much of the relief don't trust him, and after a Customs raid on an off-licence turns out to be an empty building, Carver must go out on his own, and on his bicycle, to find the person behind the scam.
12"The Untouchables"Moira ArmstrongA. Valentine15 February 2000
Glaze witnesses a man being set alight on the Larkmead Estate, and becomes determined to solve the case. They identify a suspect's car from CCTV tapes, and Monroe discovers a witness to the incident, a girl named Rochelle, who identifies the suspect, Dominic Mileham in an identity parade. When she suddenly retracts her statement and accuses Danny of paying her to identify Mileham, it seems Mileham and his solicitor father will go free. Danny takes a big risk and convinces Rochelle to wear a wire.
13"Streetwise" Final Appearance of DC Rod Skase, Alison Newman guest stars.Julian HolmesAlison Fisher17 February 2000
A young boy, Ashley Palmer, goes missing, and Skase is positive Ashley has been abducted by his mother's boyfriend, Peter Gough. Investigating with Klein, Skase questions Ashley's friend Jason Toomey, who says he saw Ashley get into a car the previous night. Although out of Klein's earshot, Toomey tells Skase the car has Peter Gough's registration number. They search the car and arrest Gough on drugs charges, but when Ashley's father says it was his car that the boy got into, Skase's case starts to fall apart.
14"Inside Straight"Chris LovettChris Ould22 February 2000
Beech and Deakin infiltrate a bent, high-stakes poker game, where the dealer, Steve Travis, has been offering drugs as a form of payment in cases where he has lost the game. In order to catch Travis in the act, Deakin disguises himself as an Irish businessman and challenges Travis to an all-or-nothing game, while Beech uses a minor player in the league who owes money to Travis as a coy to making Travis come unstuck. Meanwhile, the drugs squad DI, Carter, is fazed as Jack Meadows watches over the operation.
15"Reasons to be Fearful"Souad Faress and Tim Munro guest star.Brian ParkerNigel Baldwin24 February 2000
Boyden and Worrell arrest a man dealing drugs to schoolchildren, but soon discover that he is the son of a key witness to a case which Beech is desperately trying to close. Jack Masters is a long-time enemy of Beech and he is not prepared to let the case collapse, but Boyden has other ideas. After managing to get him off a dealing charge, the suspect then assaults one of Master's informants, and again Beech manages to get him off. But little does he know that he is using the case to clear his name completely.
16"When the Bough Breaks"Chris LovettManjit Singh29 February 2000
Boyden attends the scene of a RTA, where he is told by a shopping centre security guard that he was pursuing two suspects on suspicion of shoplifting, one of whom is the RTA victim. The other refuses to give her name or details, until it is discovered that she is in fact Monroe's daughter, Jackie. With Jackie refusing to provide any information as to the motive of her crimes, it soon transpires that the security guard may not have been totally honest and that he may in fact be the ringleader of his own drugs scam.
17"Nightwork"Brian FarnhamRay Brooking2 March 2000
Worell goes undercover as a prostitute on Barrack Lane after a series of punters are assaulted and robbed, the most recent of which resulted in the punter being sliced across the face with a knife. Worrell gets close to Leanne Gibbs, a former tom who is recently back on the game after quitting rehab. Ackland, however, has a troubled past with Leanne and resents CID using her again for an undercover operation. Ackland finds herself in too deep and nearly blows Worrell's cover, which agonizes Stanton and Meadows.
18-20"Meltdown"Gerry Cowper, JoAnne Good Ian Puleston-Davies and Stuart Organ guest star.Ged MaguireHugh Ellis & Tom Needham6–7 March 2000
9 March 2000

Part One: Still haunted by the memories of his stabbing, Quinnan returns to the Jasmine Allen Estate to face his past when Brownlow organizes a new community initiative scheme in an attempt to win back the trust of some of the estate's residents, following the death of student Donna Hunter from a drug overdose. However, Boulton threatens to undermine the initiative in his pursuit of a suspected drug dealer, Mick Glover, who has just been released from prison. Worrell offers to work with a women's drug group, while Quinnan volunteers to work with the youth centre on the estate. On his first day, a video camera that the youths are using to make a real-to-life film is stolen, and one of the youths is shot.

Part Two: Investigating Donna Hunter's death, Boulton is convinced that Glover is the source of the uncut heroin which is doing the rounds on the estate. However, as uniform struggle to gain control of the Jasmine Allen estate, Quinnan becomes concerned when Donna's brother Robbie disappears without trace. Boulton is suspicious when former rivals Hall and Newman team up in an attempt to protect themselves from Glover. Quinnan's search for the missing boy comes to a head when he is beaten up and locked inside a church crypt with the dying boy. As the relief search for the missing Quinnan, Boyden comes across a burnt body dumped in the basement of a disused factory.

Part Three: As the dead body is identified as Hall, Quinnan and Boulton agree to set aside their differences to nail Mick Glover, but the strain of the case starts to disrupt Quinnan's domestic life. With Hall's personal possessions having disappeared without trace, Boulton, despite advice to stay away from the case by AMIP, continues to investigate. When Robbie Hunter's prints turn up on the gun used to kill Hall, AMIP are convinced they have their killer. However, Boulton is convinced Glover is responsible and attempts to lean on the youths to gain information. Quinnan manages to get his hands on the video camera, and uncovers footage which proves Glover is responsible for a burglary ring.
21-23"Kiss Off
The Trial of Eddie Santini"
Guest appearance by DC Liz Rawton, final appearances of PC Eddie Santini and DS Rosie FoxIan WhiteElizabeth-Anne Wheal14–21 March 2000
2 April 2000

Part One: Santini tries to convince his lover, Jess Orton, to set him up with some drug dealers - he wants out of Sun Hill, and DS Timpney, his friend in Area Drugs, has promised him a place in the squad if Santini can get him evidence on them. However, before he has the chance, the Ortons' club is firebombed, and Santini is shocked when one of the officers assigned by AMIP to investigate the explosion is his old nemesis, DS Rosie Fox. Fox is convinced that Santini is linked to the events in question, but her AMIP DCI, Richard Pallister, believes otherwise. When Santini manages to locate Jess Orton, he persuades her to make a false confession to bombing the club in order to gain the trust of the suspected drug dealers. (This episode is a condensed rebroadcast of the episodes Lone Ranger and Old Flame from 1999 and does not appear on the Series 16 DVD box set.)

Part Two: Santini is determined to find out if Jess Orton has grassed on him, and when he breaks into her home to challenge her, events spiral out of control. Fox is ordered off the case by DCI Pallister and warned that if her actions directly resulted in her death, then she could be facing criminal charges. Vicky plugs DS Timpney for information, suspicious that Eddie may not be telling the whole truth. Desperate to conceal his involvement with the Ortons, Santini and Fox find themselves captured by Sherman and Ferguson, and facing possible execution. During a struggle, Eddie confesses to Fox that he murdered Jess Orton, and little does he know that the evidence has been captured on tape by Sherman. (This episode is a condensed rebroadcast of the episodes Push It and Kiss Off from 1999 and does not appear on the Series 16 DVD box set.)

Part Three (The Trial): With Santini on trial at the Old Bailey accused of the murder of Jessica Orton, Sherman's employees set about eliminating the key witnesses. As Santini faces the wrath of his former colleagues, Rawton faces up to the horror when Fox is found brutually murdered in her hotel room. When the coroner rules her death as suicide, Santini is wrought with the fact that he may have indirectly been responsible. When DS Timpney falsifies evidence on the stand to challenge Santini's alibi, Santini realizes that he has gone OTS and is working for Sherman and his heavies. Santini has no choice but to sit back and watch the entire case fall apart. When he is found not guilty of Jessica's murder, he receives a surprise visit from Timpney, who turns up at his flat with a contract to kill him.
24"The Driver"Todd Boyce guest stars.Tania DiezSteve Handley11 April 2000
Hagen goes undercover as the driver for a manager of a chain of massage parlours, who is secretly running a prostitution racket for her uncle, who is high on DCI Meadows' hit list. With her uncle out of the country, Alison Spencer is left to take the profits and pass them through one of her uncle's contacts, Peter Van Reissen. However, when Alison and Vicky are ambushed, and one of the massage parlours is turned over, she realizes that Van Reissen may not be as loyal as she first suspects. And when one of Van Reissen's crew is discovered to be an undercover officer from area drugs, Hagen is forced to take desperate measures to ensure that she doesn't become embroiled in the murder of a fellow cop.
25"Protect and Survive"First Appearance of DC Mickey Webb, Frances Lima guest stars.John DaviesPaul Finch13 April 2000
DC Mickey Webb arrives for his first ever night shift at Sun Hill, and has to deal with a dangerous prison escapee, Craig Ronson, who has served 8 years of life sentence for armed robbery and murder. As members of the relief succumb to injury, Ackland attends a break-in at a local sports complex and is confronted with an armed man who tries to attack her with a sledge hammer. Webb arrives and finds it to be Ronson's brother Colin, and uses his arrest to gain information as to Ronson's whereabouts. When Harker goes missing during a door-to-door on the Jasmine Allen, Rickman arrives to find him badly beaten - and herself confronted by an angry Ronson.
26"Take It or Leave It"Peter CregeenDavid G. McDonagh18 April 2000
Holmes investigates a suspected money-launderer named Terry Jowit, who is wanted by police in Scotland. Holmes discovers a cheque in Jowit's mail from an antiques dealer, which leads her to suspect that he buys expensive antiques with 'dirty money' as a means of laundering it. What Holmes doesn't count on is antique dealer Judy Ryan having a tape of Beech accepting a bribe from herself and Jowit, and Beech willing to do anything to keep it a secret. When Judy is suspiciously hurt in a hit-and-run incident, Beech uses the opportunity to fit Jowit up - but he finds himself unsuspecting when Jowit tells Holmes' about his dodgy dealings. Beech has to rescue the tape at all costs to save his career.
27"Over the Edge"Kaye Wragg, Tom Georgeson and Samantha Bond guest star.Albert BarberChris Ould20 April 2000
Brownlow and Mannion are on the panel for a Metropolitan Police hearing against a Sergeant who is charged with disobeying a direct order, which resulted in the serious injury of another officer. Mannion is easily convinced of Sergeant Gartland's guilt, but Brownlow isn't so sure. When Ch. Insp. Caine struggles to explain the evidence presented against him, and corroborative evidence from Sergeant Tillman, who is based at another station, soon begins to sway the evidence in Gartland's favour. However, when the injured officer, PC Beckett, takes to the stand, her testimony sounds a little too much like she is trying to cover for Gartland's mistake. Brownlow is convinced of Gartland's innocence.
28"Loyalty"Geoff HarrisRod Beacham25 April 2000
Lennox is tasked with assisting Webb and Holmes on a drugs bust, but after meeting with an old friend, who is a well-known figure in the Scottish parliament, is more concerned with carrying out an unofficial investigation into a possible blackmail racket. When one of the suspects in the drugs bust manages to get away, Meadows is furious, and Lennox finds that Webb isn't too pleased about his ducking and diving either. However, when Lennox explains to Meadows that he is acting on behalf of a friend, to the consternation of his colleagues, Meadows offers him support to investigate the detective agency involved in the blackmail scam, much to Webb's dismay. Lennox enlists Hagen to help out on an obbo.
29"Wheels"Desmond McNamara guest stars.Jo ShoopRichard Stoneman27 April 2000
Sun Hill has been given a new "crime car" for quick arrests and Boyden, Hagen and Proctor are chosen to crew it, much to the other officers' annoyance. Proctor is given a list of targets by DI Deakin and has been told to collar at least one to count towards his appraisal. However, Boyden is more concerned about his own collars. TSG have been assigned as cover as the relief are very low on manpower, but seem more determined to ruin the collars of the crime car than actually do any work themselves. Meanwhile, Mannion arrives for a tour of the station just as the CAD room goes down due to an electrical fault, a fault caused by someone whom Ackland later discovers to be a regular in the cells.
30-31"Warm Bodies"Michael CockerGregory Evans2–4 May 2000

Part One: Stanton and Lennox are tasked with investigating a brutal assault outside a nightclub where the victim had pouches of what appear to be drugs stuffed into his mouth. The owner, Vince Carter, is a well-known figure on the plot, being the son of an old school villain, Frank Carter. Meanwhile, Boulton, bored of having to transcribe the tape of a murder confessions, assists when a young girl is run down by a car, and a witness claims that it was no accident. Boulton vigorously questions the witness but soon finds himself believing that the incident was no accident. As his and Stanton's cases soon reveal a close link in Vince Carter, Stanton is tailed by an unknown assailant and run-off the road.

Part Two: Boulton and Stanton's personal affairs threaten to get in the way of their investigation, as Stanton attempts to block out the events of the night before. Persuading Meadows to separate the two investigations, Holmes discovers another link in the cases in a second witness who is involved with both victims. However, refusing to have her statement recorded on tape, Boulton is forced to use the information to place a 'bomb' underneath the Carter family, hoping it will go off and that they will all implicate themselves in the separate crimes they have committed. Stanton gives into temptation and reveals her true feelings for Boulton, much to the dismay of her CIB commanding officer, DCI Hodges.
32"Blurred Around the Edges"Stevan Rimkus guest stars.Chris LovettNigel Baldwin9 May 2000
Cryer, Smithy and McCann attend the scene of an RTA, where they find a supply of cocaine as well as two firearms in the boot of one of the cars involved. Smithy accompanies one of the victims involved to hospital, where he discovers him to be a member of the regiment in which Smithy served during his time in the army. Smithy enlists one of his old army buddies, Tony Mitchell, to do a little digging on his behalf on the quiet. However, when a CID operation is blown out of the water, McCann reveals Smithy's intentions to Meadows. Realising that his old friend is heavily involved with the operation himself, Smithy is torn between his loyalties to an old friend and his loyalty to the job.
33"Catch a Falling Star"Hywel Bennett and Lynda Baron guest star.Clive FleuryIsabelle Grey11 May 2000
Conway jumps at the chance of helping Sixties pop idol Sadie Tyler after the draft of her autobiography is alleged to have been stolen by an obsessive fan of Sadie's work. When the compere for a charity event Conway is organizing drops out at the last minute, he asks Sadie to step in and perform instead. As Klein and Worrell continue to investigate obsessive super-fan Pete, a conversation between Conway and Sadie's manager Bob Warner reveals a shocking revelation - Pete believes he is the father of Sadie's daughter. As Conway's personal feelings get in the way of his professional judgement, Warner uses Conway's information to exact revenge on Pete.
34"The Squad"Bruce Byron guest stars.Brian FarnhamCandy Denman18 May 2000
With the flying squad suffering from a staff shortage, PC Stamp is seconded away as a temporary driver. His first task is to help shadow a suspect who they believe is about to pull off a bank robbery by taking the manager's family hostage as collateral. When the squad are given information to the family's whereabouts, they send two officers to investigate, but the family nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, an alarm in the bank is trigged by one of the cashiers, and uniform arrive to investigate and scare off the getaway car. Despite Stamp's best efforts, the getaway car manages to escape his clutches. The chief suspect is arrested, but demands his release in order to secure the family's safety.
35"White Lies"Christopher HodsonSimon Sharkey23 May 2000
A Barton Street PC is stabbed when he pursues two robbery suspects into Sun Hill. A black youth, identified as Mark Okin, is found beaten unconscious at about the same time. Carver is assigned to the Okin family in his new role as Family Liaison Officer, but further investigation by CID discovers Mark to be a suspect in PC Brennan's stabbing. Carver is horrified when Daly asks him to use his position of trust with the Okin family to collect evidence against Mark. Evidence soon mounts against John Wilson, the boyfriend of Mark's sister Amy, as Daly suspects that he is responsible for the robbery, stabbing PC Brennan, and assaulting Mark when he refused to take the rap for Brennan's stabbing.
36"Search Me"Martyn Lewis, Ofo Uhiara, Colin Spaull, David Sibley and David McKail guest star.Don LeaverStephen Plaice25 May 2000
There has been an outbreak of street robberies and stop and search is being resumed. Mannion asks Brownlow to stand in for him for a TV interview. The interview shows footage of the police carrying out two stop and search operations. Brownlow tries to shift some of the blame on his troops, which is greeted with some displeasure. To show the troops that he leads from the front, Brownlow and Conway decide to lead from the front and head onto the streets in the C.I.D. car. They respond to a call and collar one of the street robbers. The other robber hops onto a bus and Brownlow gets uniform to stop the bus, leading to some ribald comments about Brownlow arresting them by the busload.
37"Love or Money"Linda Lusardi guest stars.Peter CregeenNeil Clarke26 May 2000
Boulton and Holmes are left to pick up the pieces when the key witnesses in a robbery case refuse to give evidence. Holmes notices Boulton's change of attitude and suspects he may have found himself a woman. As word gets around the relief, Stanton attempts to cool things off with Boulton, which leaves him devastated. Meanwhile, Stanton's suspicions about Beech increase after she discovers his involvement with a credit card thief, Billy Bullock. Bullock pays Beech £1000 to destroy a CCTV tape of him stealing credit cards from a hotel conference. When Smithy and Hagen pursue Bullock, Beech's cover is nearly blown. When Bullock goes to make the drop, Stanton follows with the hope of catching Beech.
38"Going Public"Frank W. SmithJ. C. Wilsher1 June 2000
Webb investigates the brutal beating of businessman Kevin Hewlitt, who is found unconscious in his kitchen by his wife, Sandra. The investigation provides little information as to the motive for the attack, and very little description of the assailant is given by those who saw him. CCTV footage shows Sandra having intercourse with another man in her car a week before Kevin's attack, and she later admits to Mickey that she and her husband were no longer in love. Lennox tries to break the alibi of Hewlitt's business partner Paul Wilcox, convinced that he is somehow involved in the attack. Mickey makes the decision to mix business with pleasure as he begins to fall in love with Sandra.
39-41"Trust"Roger Blake guest stars.Ken HannamStephen Plaice2–8 June 2000

Part One (A Sprat to Catch a Mackerel): What looks like a drug-related murder by Yardie street gangs on Sun Hill's patch causes Mannion to call in Operation Trident, who think that the gangs are trying to muscle in on the Larkmead Estate. A new scheme to encourage taxi drivers to help the police bears fruit when an overzealous cabbie brings a 'prisoner', Wesley Carter, to the station, saying he heard him making a drug deal. Checking Carter's phone reveals the number of Leroy Jones. Trident get Rickman to phone him and arrange a meeting, as her cover from their last meeting is still intact. Rickman and Jones meet at a health club, but narrowly escape with their lives after a drive-by shooting.

Part Two (The Hare and the Hounds): Jones confirms Trident's suspicions about the Yardies, but he and his crew are after a piece of the action as well. Glaze is beaten up when he listens in on a meeting with Carter, but Rickman manages to convince the gang not to kill him. Worried about the rival gangs coming after him, Rickman agrees to let Jones stay at her flat. To finance their buy-in to the Bronte drug dealing franchise, Jones and his gang, including Rickman, rob a building society, as the rest of the relief are lying in wait for them at the wrong bank. The relief buzzes with rumours that Rickman has "gone native", although DCI Rostron believes she is still undercover, and sends Harker to watch her flat.

Part Three (The Deep Blue Sea): Rickman and Jones buy in to the syndicate, but they are kidnapped when Jones's friends betray him to rival dealer Toussaint, who sends Rickman to collect the first shipment of cocaine. As Rickman arrives at a plush hotel room of a City businessman to pick up the cocaine, Toussaint and his thugs burst in and kill him, and Jones is ordered to kill Toussaint's main rival, Nathan Clarke. As Harker fears, Rickman and Jones have fallen in love, but none the wiser, Rickman returns to Sun Hill the next day to brief Operation Trident. As she and Jones return to Toussaint's garage, SO19 raid the building. Toussaint realises that Rickman is a police officer, and threatens to shoot her.
42"Room Service"Elaine Ives-Cameron guest stars.Chris LovettGregory Evans9 June 2000
Stanton is desperate to be discharged from the Beech case, but her CIB boss assures her she is doing well. Boulton accepts a free night at a plush Docklands hotel, and invites Stanton to join him. Sure enough, as the pair settle down for their evening of luxury, an assault and robbery at the hotel sees Sun Hill officers arrive to investigate, and their night is ruined. The next day, CID investigates the theft of a laptop computer, and Beech is intrigued by reports of a "mystery blonde" sighted fleeing from the hotel. Horrified that Beech could have discovered their affair, Boulton and Stanton send Beech to the other side of London on a wild goose chase while they solve the case themselves.
43"Soft Talking"Ian Redford guest stars.David PennPhilip Gadwin13 June 2000
Responding to an urgent call for assistance, Smithy arrives and has to deliver a baby in the street. Worried about the mother's condition, he investigates her background, and discovers a history of prostitution and drug abuse. When she vanishes from the hospital and abandons her newborn baby, Smithy has no choice but to inform her father, who subsequently reveals that he and his wife will be adopting the baby and bringing it up as their own. Smithy enlists the mother's help to catch her pimp, who is also dealing drugs in the process, by setting up an obbo to catch him in the act. However, the obbo goes badly wrong when the girl makes off with the drugs and tries selling them herself to local users.
44"Beyond Conviction"Cathy Tyson, Hugh Quarshie, Cyril Nri and Rupert Vansittart guest star.Michael FergusonChris McWatters27 June 2000
Klein and Hagen are called to a stabbing at a shopping centre, where a foreign aid worker has been attacked and left for dead. Initially, suspicion falls on a local youth, Wayne Stevens, who has previous for similar offences and was seen running away from the scene. However, when another witness claims she heard the victim shouting something before she was attacked, the pair find themselves on the trail of a Rwandan war criminal who is wanted for mass genocide and rape by the UN. Klein's personal views begin to cloud his judgement when they fail to obtain any evidence to prove Ngeze's identity, so he sets up a chance meeting with a Rwandan national in an attempt to prove that he is Colonel Ngeze.
45"Whispers"Final Appearance of DC Tom Proctor, Judy Holt and Jonathan Tafler guest star.Ken GrieveRichard Stoneman4 July 2000
Proctor, under pressure over his poor performance, decides to trap a burglar to avoid being transferred from Sun Hill after being told by Meadows that he has a new job lined up for him at the Isleworth CSU, who are looking for a DC to investigate domestic violence. Proctor's interrogation of the victim nearly results in his death and a bust up between his wife and his secret girlfriend. Proctor goes undercover with Page in an attempt to catch the culprit, but Quinnan, whose own jealousies get in the way, blow the obbo, leaving Proctor's careers in tatters. Meanwhile, Hagen investigates when a police car is run off the road during a car chase, and one of the officers involved is killed.
46"Caught Short"Robert Cavanah and James Coombes guest star.John DaviesPatrick Melanaphy11 July 2000
Boulton is determined to bring down a known drug dealer by using his wife as an informant to gather information. However, when a raid on his property goes pear shaped, Boulton is less than pleased. When broker Neil Ramsey is discovered to be part of the scam, Lennox's loyalties are tested when he discovers that Ramsey is one of his wife's business associates. Lennox attempts to gain Webb's silence in order to protect his wife, but Boulton soon gets wind of what is going on and threatens that Lennox could lose his job if he tries to intervene. Lennox is forced to make a tough decision when he has Ramsey in his clutches - let him go and his wife is off the hook, or arrest him, and she is in deep trouble.
47"Bad Habits"Ginny Holder and Tania Emery guest stars.Brian FarnhamMaxwell Young18 July 2000
During a drugs raid on the Larkmead estate, Smithy wrongfully arrests a drugs rehabilitation worker for possession of illegal substances. The matter isn't helped by the fact that one of her colleagues has recently been employed by the station as an Arrest Referrals Officer. One of the girls arrested during the raid is later seen taking property off two men on a street corner, and is arrested again. It is revealed that she may know the whereabouts of misper Dawn South, who is a material witness in a trial against a violent pimp who has disappeared without trace. In order to catch those responsible, Smith is forced to confront his racial prejudice and team up with the councillors.
48"Say It With Flowers"Carol WilksDavid Hoskins25 July 2000
Glaze and Holmes investigate the apparent suicide of local councillor Anthony Snape, and uncover a plot involving two other councillors, Colin Cooper and Steven Trent, to pervert the course of justice by ensuring that massage parlours with links to the local freemasons' lodge are not raided. Glaze treads very close to the edge as he becomes determined to prove Brownlow is bent, as he is a member of the same lodge; even leaking information to a journalist who prints the story on his front page. When Glaze enlists Cooper's daughter as his star witness, it is soon discovered that Snape may not have committed suicide after all, and may be the victim of a very carefully planned and executed murder.
49"No-One's That Honest"Michael Jayston guest stars.N. G. BristowArthur Ellis1 August 2000
Conway is astounded when an elderly man, Charles Arthur Cullen, a former police officer, turns up at the station with a suitcase containing half a million pounds, which he claims to have found on the street. Conway asks Hollis to count the money independently but he only manages to count £499,920. As Rickman counts the money again, Conway decides to do some digging, as surely no-one could be that honest. He discovers that the land on which the money was found has recently changed hands, and is now in possession of the metropolitan police. As the scam begins to show all of it's true colours, Conway attempts to bargain with Cullen in order to get a deal which suits the both of them just perfectly.
50"No Man's Land"Chris LovettSimon Sharkey8 August 2000
Cryer decides to take it upon himself to discover the identity of a body found on a roundabout, after Webb shows a couldn't care-less attitude towards the case. His investigation leads him to believe that the deceased is Graham Dennis Anderson, a man wanted by the fraud squad for falsely selling pensions and other financial services to customers. Cryer is convinced that Anderson's business partner is in fact his alter-ego, who created Anderson as a way of escaping capture. However, his trail soon leads him to uncover one individual with several alter-egos - and as pieces of the what seems impossibly difficult jigsaw begin to piece together, he finds himself with a body it seems nobody can identify.
51"Time to Kill"Dominic Mafham guest stars.Jeremy SilberstonCarolyn Sally Jones15 August 2000
When a woman is reportedly raped in an alleyway behind the Whitegate shopping centre, Lennox and Webb rake over the CCTV footage but fail to find the woman captured on the footage. When it is revealed that she was lying to protect herself from her husband, a sinister cyberstalker who is dating and attacking women is discovered to be operating in Sun Hill. Ackland adopts a new "virtual" identity to trap him, but comes under the radar of a particularly annoying drunk who nearly scares the attacker off the scent. When the first obbo goes pear shaped, June tries to pull together what little evidence the team have left in order to catch the attacker in the act, and organizes a second, more secure operation.
52"Doppelganger"Roger Walker guest stars.Helen CaldwellTerry Hodgkinson22 August 2000
Boyden is shocked to discover that someone has been impersonating him, raiding illegal poker games and pocketing all the cash, and decides to go undercover as a punter to trap him. However, during the operation, the technology provided by the yard goes haywire and all of the suspects manage to escape without capture. Meanwhile, as the phony Boyden attacks and robs a prostitute, the real Boyden finds two Yardies on his case set out for revenge. As a second operation is organised, Boyden asks one of the players from the first game to go undercover and catch the fake police officers in the act. But, having gotten the Yardies on his side, Boyden organises a surprise visit for his fake counterpart.
53-55"Lullaby"Benedict Wong and Wendy Kweh guest star.Jo Johnson & Paul MurtonTom Needham & Graham Mitchell25 August 2000
-1 September 2000

Part One: Smithy and Rickman attend a break in at a primary school and find a seven-year-old boy looking for food. Further investigation reveals that the boy has been living alone for three days and his parents are nowhere to be seen. Interviewing the family's friends and relatives, Deakin discovers that it is very unlike the parents to just disappear without trace, and CCTV footage shows a van watching the family's house on the night of the disappearance. Blood found in the family bedroom indicates the parents may have been harmed, but Deakin is furious when a racial attack on the restaurant where the boy's father works is found to have been investigated by Smithy over a week previously.

Part Two: Smithy gets closer to Tim Tze as the search for his parents continues. His failure to have investigated the attack on the Chinese restaurant correctly continues to hang over him, but when it appears that the man responsible had prior contact with the Tze family, Smithy finds he may well be in the clear. Deakin discovers that the restaurant has been put up for sale, but despite putting pressure on the owner, he refuses to give evidence. When Lenny Tze's car is found, and Tim finally gives up some information, Deakin uncovers details of an extramarital affair. As Jung Tze turns up alive and well, Smithy begins to wonder if the entire kidnapping has all been staged, but then he and Tim are kidnapped.

Part Three: Smithy and Tim Tze are held hostage, while the kidnappers make their demands - they want their money back, and Lenny Tze to deliver it. Trouble is, Lenny is nowhere to be seen, and Deakin suspects that Lenny may well be dead, when Jung Tze's story fails to hold up. Still troubled as to the reason why Lenny was given £500,000 from an unknown source, Deakin digs deeper and discovers that the boy's missing parents were involved in a money laundering operation, but that Lenny had planned to do a bunk with the cash and flee to Hong Kong. During a bungled move, Tim escapes. Deakin must discover the whereabouts of Lenny's body if he is going to save Smithy in time.
56-58"Gentle Touch"Flora Montgomery, Jonathan Wrather and Nick Burnell guest star.Laurence MoodyAlison Fisher, Tony Mulholland & Julian Spilsbury5 September 2000
-12 September 2000

Part One: A terrified young woman, Emma Roberts, fears that she has become the victim of a stalker when paint is thrown over her car and her cat is killed in mysterious circumstances. After spending a night at her house, Hagen is convinced that she is making the entire story up for attention, and refuses to believe her. When Emma makes a claim of rape against her boss Brian Woods, Page investigates the case, and she finds that she too is being drawn into a nightmare world of unseen terror. After going out to dinner with Dave and Jenny, Emma arrives home to find her house has been broken into. Page grows a little too close for comfort by inviting her to stay the night.

Part Two: As her friendship with stalker victim Emma Roberts develops, Page is determined to find the stalker and starts to believe that he might be closer than she thought. When a past allegation made against Woods comes to light, Emma decides to press charges. Woods is released on bail, but soon turns up and tries to force his way into her house. He is subsequently arrested again and remanded in custody. Meanwhile, Polly is spooked when she starts receiving nuisance calls and a strange bunch of flowers are delivered to her. Suspecting she may have become the victim of the stalker, she looks to Emma to find comfort, but little does she know that her stalker is much closer to home than she imagined.

Part Three: Page learns what it's like to be a victim of crime as the crazed stalker targets her further, making more nuisance calls and breaking into her flat and tearing up her clothes. Lennox and Glaze focus their investigation on Brian Woods, and discover he had an intriguing visitor in prison. Lennox is convinced that Woods is not the man responsible for the stalking, but Polly isn't so sure. As her suspicions turn to intrigue, Polly lets herself into Emma's house and finds a number of her missing photos that were stolen during the break in, but turns up a surprise lead when she finds Gina Reynolds lurking in the garden. Little does she know that Emma is out to destroy her worst enemy - Jenny Quinnan.
59"Some Like It Hot"Del Henney guest stars.John DaviesRichard Stoneman15 September 2000
Lennox is stung by comments about his physical fitness, and becomes determined to beat Brownlow at squash, as soon as he has arrested a villain from his past. When his flat is broken into and his personal photographs are stolen, he begins a campaign to get his nemesis arrested and put behind bars once and for all. Rickman is asked to attend the magistrates court to prevent a demonstration against a cabinet minister, but when he is sacked, she reaches out to him and helps him to recover some very important cabinet documents from Conway's office. Meanwhile, still absent from duty, Page reaches out to Quinnan after her stalking experience and a heart to heart with Boyden, but he rebuffs her.
60-61"First Impressions"First Appearances of PC Ben Hayward and PC Roz Clarke, Tracy Ann Oberman guest starsMichael Owen MorrisRod Lewis19–22 September 2000

Part One: Probationary PCs Ben Hayward and Roz Clarke arrive for their first day at Sun Hill, and are subjected to a series of wind-ups by the relief. Boyden tricks Clarke into thinking that he has hit a pensioner in the surveillance van, while Stamp and Quinnan subject Hayward to the ride of his life in the area car. Hayward manages to stop a curb-crawler who escapes from capture but his arrest is thwarted by Hollis. Meanwhile, Hagen and Rickman spin Clarke a story about 'nipper' Cryer, the famous bum-punching sergeant, and Klein gets Worrell to be pretend to a dead body in order to wind up Hayward. However, the joke backfires when an angry and upset Hayward is punched in the face by Stamp.

Part Two: Hayward and Clarke try to redeem themselves after a disastrous first day, and decide to exact revenge on the wind-up merchants on the relief. Ackland is furious to learn that half of the relief are involved in the wind-ups, but is even more upset to discover Boyden played the worst trick of all. Meanwhile, after a curb-crawling class at the station, Hayward, Clarke and Page investigate when a tom is burgled and the ashes of her best friend are stolen. Hayward and Clarke believe not only have they discovered who is responsible, but they may have cracked the identity of her murderer as well. Clarke gets her own back on Klein after pretending to seduce him to take off his clothes.
62-63"Old Enemies and New Friends"Guest appearance by Tony Scannell as Ted Roach, Antony Cotton guest starsKen GrieveLen Collin26–29 September 2000

Part One: When the relief carry out a routine raid on a nightclub, the pink cockatoo, Carver is suspicious after he suspects that a face from his past was present at the scene. Later, he stops a driver who appears to be a little bit worse for wear, and discovers that it is none other than his former CID boss, DS Ted Roach. Carver encourages Roach to provide information on Mickey Owen, the owner of the club, in return for being let-off the drink-driving charge. However, his leak to the police soon turns out to be the driving force behind a harsh beating, warning him not to give evidence. Meanwhile, Quinnan uncovers a body on the marshes, and Lennox discovers a link between the deceased and the pink cockatoo.

Part Two: Recovering in hospital, Roach agrees to tell Carver everything he knows about Mickey Owen, but asks that the police protect his long-time friend, Roxanne, from Mickey's clutches. Meanwhile, as investigations continue, Lennox discovers that the body is that of Phillip Macey, one of Roxanne's best friends, who disappeared without trace in the 1990s after a gig at the pink cockatoo. Realising that Owen must have been responsible for his death, Roxanne agrees to help Meadows set up a sting operation to catch Owen in the act. Roach's old-school police methods begin to yield results, much to the delight of Carver, but before they can catch Mickey red-handed, tragedy strikes.

This episode was originally produced as one feature-length single episode of 90 minutes (80 without adverts), but was broadcast in two parts due to an overrunning football match. This meant that Part Two was only 35 minutes long (45 with adverts).
64-66"Beech I"Linda Lusardi guest stars.Ian White, Michael Cocker & Alan MacmillanClive Dawson, Steve Griffiths, Neil Clarke & Gregory Evans3–6 October 2000

Supping With the Devil: Beech meets 'businessman' Howard Fallon at a poker game. When Beech's winnings turn out to be counterfeit notes, he confronts Fallon, who offers him a substantial bribe to find out who hijacked one of his lorries, and to get to the stolen shipment back before customs or the police seize it. Daly becomes suspicious when Beech tries to get involved with the investigation, but one of Daly's snouts points the finger at a former employee of Fallon's, and the driver of the missing truck. As the missing shipment is safely returned, and with Daly off his back, it looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Beech and Fallon, one that may ultimately lead to his downfall.

Touch and Go: Beech is outraged when Rachel Booker, a dancer at one of Howard Fallon's clubs, is brutally attacked, and Beech's mobile number is among her possessions. Boulton and Stanton find the main suspect is Warren Askew, who was obsessed with Rachel, but he doesn't appear to be responsible. When Boulton tries calling the phone numbers in Rachel's diary, he is shocked when Beech answers the phone. Beech makes an excuse that he tried to pick up Rachel in a bar, and begs Boulton to overlook the evidence. When Boulton and Stanton's enquiries begin to lead them to Ray Bazzini, Fallon's minder, Beech plants evidence to frame Askew, who is subsequently arrested for Rachel's murder.

Fake Fur: A series of mysterious numbers found in Rachel Booker's diary are later revealed by Scotland Yard to be a set of number relating to a number of bank accounts. One of Rachel's fellow dancers, Lynette, is persuaded by Boulton and Stanton to tell them exactly what is going on. They soon discover that Vickery's, a fur export company owned by Howard Fallon and Ray Bazzini, is actually a front for a major money laundering operation. In an attempt to uncover further information, Stanton and Boulton go on a double date with Beech and his girlfriend, Maggie Lyons. When the case is subsequently turned over to the NCS, Stanton covertly photographs Beech meeting in secret with Fallon and Bazzini.
67"In Safe Hands"Amanda Mealing guest stars.Jo JohnsonA. Valentine13 October 2000

Harker is volunteered to work with a young offenders group in Canley, and immediately takes a shine to Carmel, the organiser of the group. When Carmel's foster son, 14-year-old Scott, goes off the rails, Harker steps in to try and defuse the situation. When one of Scott's friends is found dead from a savage beating, Harker discovers that despite previous claims that he is clean, Scott and his friend have been drug running for one of the major dealers on the Bronte. However, the situation is complicated further when Harker does that Scott and Carmel have been sleeping together. Forced to put his own feelings to one side, Harker is forced to report Carmel to the CPT and Social Services.

This episode is missing from DVD releases of The Bill due to copyright issues.
68-70"Beech II"Final appearance of DS John Boulton, Linda Lusardi guest stars.Derek Lister, Peter Cregeen & Richard HolthouseSteve Griffiths17–24 October 2000

Find The Lady: Stanton tries to find out if Boulton is working with Beech. When star witness Lynette resurfaces, they immediately hide her in a safe house, where she informs them that Ray Bazzini killed Rachel Booker. Beech informs Fallon the location of the safe house, but Lynette escapes from the thugs who are sent to attack her. As Stanton is about to tell Boulton about her secret assignment, he gets a phone call from Beech. They meet at a construction site, where Beech admits he has been working for Fallon, and reveals that it was him who gave up Lynette's location. He tries to convince Boulton to help him out but an angry Boulton refuses. They fight, and in the struggle, Beech accidentally murders Boulton.

Fifty-Fifty: Quinnan and Carver find the body of Boulton at the construction site. Sun Hill is in shock, none more so than the devastated Stanton, who realises that Beech must be responsible. AMIP, the Area Major Incident Pool, arrive to investigate Boulton's death, and their subsequently investigations eventually lead them to Beech, who mysteriously disappears without trace. Stanton trails Maggie Lyons to a shopping centre, where she has arranged to meet Beech. Stanton calls for back-up, but when he realises that he is being tracks, he manages to escape. Knowing that his time is gradually running out, Beech weighs up his options, while Stanton continues her endeavor to bring him to justice.

The River: Beech turns himself in to CIB, but Stanton is horrified when he convinces Det. Supt. Hodges to use him in a sting operation to catch not only Howard Fallon, but two corrupt Drug Squad detectives, Tasker and Garrard, who are also on Fallon's payroll. Fitted with a tracking device, Beech meets Fallon and the detectives in a riverside warehouse while Hodges, Stanton and an SO19 team wait outside. Shots are fired, and as the police storm the building they find Fallon and the others tied up, the tracking device shot off, and Beech missing. Beech swims across the river to meet Maggie, but a heavy police presence causes her to leave without him. Beech subsequently manages to escape.
71-72"All Fall Down"Final appearances of Ch. Supt. Charles Brownlow, DI Chris Deakin, DS Geoff Daly and DC Kerry Holmes, Departure of DSs Claire Stanton and Don Beech, Mark McGann, Linda Lusardi and Steve Swinscoe guest starMichael CockerHugh Ellis & Chris Ould27–31 October 2000

Part One: CIB sweep into Sun Hill and suspend the entire CID department with immediate effect, and all of their ongoing cases are subsequently transferred to uniform. Lennox is horrified to discover that Stanton was a CIB mole. As the disgraced detectives are interviewed to establish their connection to Beech, Meadows hurriedly calls in some favours at Scotland Yard. Brownlow finds himself under pressure from Mannion to resign, which he reluctantly does. Meanwhile, Beech prepares to go into hiding, and radically overhauls his image in the hope that he is not recognized. When he goes to meet Maggie at a shopping centre, Stanton is hot on his tail and a chase ensues, but Beech again manages to escape.

Part Two: CIB take Maggie Lyons in for questioning, but Beech hires a crooked lawyer to represent her, as well as perform other useful services for him. Beech obtains a false passport and buys a quantity of diamonds with the money he stole from Howard Fallon, as he prepares to flee the country with Maggie. Sun Hill officers continue to be interviewed by CIB, and although no firm connection with Beech can be established, it's the end of the line for Deakin and Daly, while Holmes requests an immediate transfer out of the nick. Meadows manages to survive the cull due to his contacts in the Yard. Maggie changes her mind about following Beech, and he boards a flight to Australia alone.
73-74"On the Hook"First Appearances of Supt Tom Chandler, DI Alex Cullen, DSs Debbie McAllister and Vik Singh, and DCs Kate Spears and Paul RileyGed MaguireElizabeth Anne-Wheal3–7 November 2000

Part One: The new CID team arrives at Sun Hill, led by the new station commander, Supt Tom Chandler. Meadows is facing a disciplinary board hearing following the Beech scandal, but is assigned to head the investigation of an apparently racially-motivated harassment of a local family, the Griffiths, who have moved in around the corner from the Freeleys, a family whom they had many problems with in the past and moved away to avoid. When the prime suspect turns out to be Helen Freeley, the mother of the family, whom Meadows had an affair with several years previously, the situation soon becomes awkaward. As the relief get to know the new faces, Helen's son Darren is found murdered.

Part Two: Under pressure from the new superintendent to solve the Freeley murder case, Meadows questions the prime suspects, two friends of Melody Griffiths who were seen leaving the scene, KJ Leonard and Oz Benson. Traces of Leonard's skin are found on Darren Freeley's knuckles, and although Oz Benson admits they were there and were angry with Freeley, they didn't kill him. Leonard had threatened to kill him because he was seeing Melody Griffiths, but had also told Darren's brother Michael. When Rickman finds the murder weapon, the forensic evidence points to Michael as the killer, and when confronted by Meadows, he breaks down and admits that it was him.
75"A Girl's Best Friend"Bruce McDonaldDamian Wayling10 November 2000
Quinnan finds the body of Dennis Quigley, a man who has died of a heart attack in his car. When delivering the man's personal effects to his wife, Quinnan is mortified to find they include a gift to the man's mistress, a woman named Alice. Trying to do a good deed, Quinnan resolves to deliver the gift to it's intended recipient, and manages to locate Alice and give her the gift. But things become much more complicated when his wife Jenny discovers the gift and thinks he's having an affair, and CID discover that the dead man is wanted by Interpol for diamond smuggling, and the package that Dave handed over may well be a shipment of uncut diamonds smuggled in from Antwerp, much to Cullen's dismay.
76"Carnival"Jamie NuttgensJim Guthrie14 November 2000
Glaze is sent undercover to attempt to infiltrate a drugs ring when they become involved with a high-flying player, Bunny Small, who has been a target of the area drugs squad for some time. Meadows seizes the opportunity to try and win some brownie points for Sun Hill by nailing not only three small-time local dealers, but finally getting evidence to put Small away. During an obbo, Glaze and McCann end up at loggerheads over each other's attitudes to policing, but decide they must work together to get the best result. When Small is murdered during the obbo, NCS arrive to crucify Glaze, McCann and Meadows over their conduct. Glaze does back undercover, but has a brush with death during the carnival.
77"Behind Enemy Lines"90-minute special, Paul Jerricho guest starsRob BaileyManjit Singh17 November 2000
Spears, out on a crime prevention sweep, visits a local building society, but during the meeting, armed robbers turn up and storm the building. Smithy tries to stop the robbers as they make their escape but he is taken hostage. As SO19 units surround the building, Conway and Chandler arrive to negotiate with the two robbers, Dwight and Rollo. A tense stand-off ensues, and Smith realises the men are ex-soldiers, and that they had help from one of the bank employees. Rollo shoots Dwight during an argument, and Chandler orders SO19 to storm the building despite Conway's objections. Spears is taken hostage, but Rollo turns the gun on himself when he realises there is no way out of the situation.
78"A Gathering Storm"Noel Clarke and Reggie Yates guest star.Gwennan SageNigel Baldwin21 November 2000
Smith and McCann investigate a robbery involving local youth Lennie Cox. When they arrive at his flat, they find him leasing with Jurgen Holz, a criminal wanted by Interpol for drug trafficking charges. Holz manages to escape, but Smith catches up with Cox, and he is cornered by a group of black youths. As the pair catch up with Holz, they give chase, but Smith finds himself in a radio deadspot. He is then is suspected of having a racist motive when he fails to respond to an urgent assistance call from McCann, who is badly beaten by a gang of neo-Nazi skinheads. Determined to clear his name, Smith veers dangerously close to compromising an SO10 undercover operation to arrest Holz.
79"Sorted"Ed FraimanPeter Lloyd24 November 2000
Klein spends all night DJing at a local nightclub, and lies to Cryer when he skips work the next day. When his car is broken into, and his possessions are handed in at the station, unfortunately for him, Cryer soon finds out what really happened, and is not best pleased with Klein. Smith has a touch of toothache and gets Rickman to take him to A+E. Klein, now paired with Rickman, finds his day is getting worse by the minute, as Singh and McAllister investigate an abduction and extortion case involving two people who were at the club the night before, both of whom accuse Klein of using drugs at the club. Klein battles to clear his name and find the missing girl before it is too late.
80"Team Colours"Dominic Power guest stars.Brian ParkerStephen McAteer1 December 2000
Spears and Worrell chase a suspect from the scene of a violent assault, and discover that the victim, Donna Elliot, is the sister of Frank and Peter Elliot, two insurance brokers suspected of being the ringleads of a post-match fight that has been arranged between two rival gangs of football fans, with Sun Hill as the venue. When Chandler assigns Cullen to the case, Meadows is determined to show him up by cracking the case himself using a teenage assault suspect and member of the Larkmead Crew as an informant. When Cullen and Lennox discover Meadows' informant has lied to him about the gang's intentions, CID and uniform rush to head off the mob before they attack an Asian marketplace.
81"Two Way Burn"Philip Anthony guest stars.Brian ParkerStephen Handley5 December 2000
Two young girls are trapped in a house fire, and end up in hospital in a critical condition. When the fire department turns up evidence of arson, Meadows is assigned to lead the investigation, with Webb and Spears. Suspicion soon falls on a loan shark who was seen outside the house just before the fire, but witnesses place him elsewhere at the time of the fire. Despite having a cast-iron alibi, suspicion then on the girls' father, and Webb is convinced of his guilt. Spears soon discovers that ultimately, their mother is to blame, having been sleeping with the loanshark in an attempt to escape her debts, but then rebuffing him when he tried to pimp her out. Meanwhile, Webb and Spears light a fire of their own.
82"Friends"Final appearance of PC Gary McCannGwennan SageCandy Denman12 December 2000
A raid on a brothel uncovers several illegal immigrants from Croatia being forced to work as prostitutes. The owner of the premises, Carson, agrees to reveal who is bringing the girls into England in exchange for a lesser charge. But on the way to court, the police van is ambushed and Carson is kidnapped. After the car used in the ambush is found with blood stained seats, it is suspected Carson has been killed. Carson's lawyer, Doyle, eventually agrees to set up a meeting with Luca, and Boyden sets up a surveillance operation on a locker. Meanwhile, McCann receives the good news that he has passed his Sergeant's exam, and announces to the relief that he is leaving Sun Hill.
83-84"Bad for Your Health"Jim McManus and Zig Byfield guest star.Roger TuckerAlison Fisher & Julian Spilsbury15–19 December 2000

Part One: Page and Hayward attend a disturbance at a pub and find the landlord and one of his regulars being beaten up by three heavies. Meanwhile, Stamp, Quinnan and Klein attend the scene of a second beating, three heavies attacking local villan Frank McBride outside the back of his club. Realising the incidents could be connected, Hayward investigates, and discovers a turf war between two rival gangs of cigarette smugglers. As the evidence against the two rival firms stacks up, Klein finds himself in trouble when he tries to buy a mixing desk from his favourite DJ, Johnny Margolis, and ends up abducted by the McBride gang. A freak accident then leaves Tony McBride dead.

Part Two: Klein is missing from morning parade, and whilst out on a routine call, Quinnan and Stamp find him unconscious and badly injured in the crashed van belonging to the McBride cigarette smuggling gang. With McAllister determined to prove that Klein is corrupt, Boyden and the relief race to find evidence to clear his name. As Klein continues to recover in hospital, Hayward suspects that missing DJ Johnny Margolis may seem to be the key to the whole mystery, and he is found trying to escape from three heavies, Boyden searches McBride's house. An obbo is soon set up, which catches both gangs of cigarette smugglers red-handed, and Frank McBride's wife watching on from the sidelines.
85-86"The Night Before...
...The Morning After"
Christmas Special
Matt Willis guest stars.
Chris LovettRichard Stoneman22–26 December 2000

Part One: Smithy becomes a knight in shining armour for a shop assistant when he and Rickman apprehend a shoplifter with a little help from Santa. Meanwhile, a shop assistant in the same store is brutally assaulted, and the two security guards who apprehended the shoplifter are perceived to be acting very suspiciously. As Lennox and Webb attempt to track down a reported accomplice to the theft, McAllister maliciously ruins Hollis's plans for the Sun Hill Christmas Party, by getting the pub landlord's son arrested on drugs charges, forcing him to organise another venue. The nightclub party turns sour and a fight breaks out, and when Quinnan tends to an injured Page, they end up in bed together.

Part Two: Sun Hill returns to normal after the Christmas break, although Quinnan and Page are acting suspiciously. As the pair try to rekindle their affair, Lennox and Webb continue investigating the assault on the shop assistant, and discover that the story concocted by the pair of crooked security guards is completely phony, and the pair themselves are responsible for the attack. Monroe attempts to build bridges with the landlord of the Elcott arms, while Riley nearly lets slip that McAllister was responsible for the sabotage. Meanwhile, Hagen and Page have a minor PolAcc in the yard, and when Hagen tries to tell Stamp about Page and Quinnan's affair, he accuses her of trying to get back at Page.

References