List of The Bill characters (A–D)

This is a list of characters from the police procedural British television series, The Bill. The fictional characters displayed here are ordered alphabetically by character surname. For a full list of current characters ordered by rank, see list of The Bill characters. The characters are all police officers or civil support staff operating from the fictional Sun Hill Police Station within the London borough of Canley, London.

A

Timothy Able

Timothy Able
First appearance	No Shelter (20 April 1989) [Uncredited] Make My Day (27 June 1989) [Credited]
Last appearance	Something Special (1 March 1990)
Portrayed by	Mark Haddigan
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

Police Constable Timothy Able never settled in to life at Sun Hill. Born in Bromley, he was the youngest of three brothers, and had an ambition to be an car mechanic. His mother worked in a sportswear shop, and his father as a train driver. While at Sun Hill, Able excelled at the physical side of the job, but struggled when the situation required him to take statements and conduct interviews. This was noticed by Inspector Christine Frazer, who later sent him to undergo additional training in both. At the recommendation of Sergeant Bob Cryer, who felt Able had no sense of purpose, Able felt he had little choice other than to resign.

June Ackland

June Ackland
First appearance	Woodentop (16 August 1983)
Last appearance	Episode #489 (8 March 2007)
Portrayed by	Trudie Goodwin
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable (1983–96) Acting Police Sergeant (1996) Police Sergeant (1996–2007)
Spouse(s)	Jim Carver (2004–5) Rod Jessop (2007–)
Children	the real Gabriel Kent

Police Constable later Police Sergeant June Ackland was already part of the furniture at Sun Hill when she took probationary constable Jim Carver under her wing on his first day. Although it has never been revealed how long Ackland had been at Sun Hill before the arrival of PC Carver, it appears that she had been posted there for some considerable time. She reveals in Episode 486 that she was at Sun Hill for half her life so it would be around 30 years.

1990–1995

In 1990, Ackland had an affair with DCI Gordon Wray. When Wray's wife found out, she told DAC Hicks and Wray was hastily transferred. Ackland soon developed into a steadfast and dependable officer, who was firm in her belief that there is little difference between a male and female officer. She was an instinctive police officer and was rewarded for being able to get on easily with people from different walks of life. She was regarded by Chief Supt. Brownlow as a natural leader.

1995–2000

In 1995, Ackland finds herself at the centre of a murder attempt on her life. Her flat is broken into, set on fire and her cat killed, while an investigation into her own actions leads to some in the police station ostracising her. In the end, she no longer knows exactly who are her friends and who are merely pretending to be. She was nearly the victim of a crazed gunman who was attempting to exact revenge – but DS Jo Morgan became the victim instead. Ackland is promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1996 after being a constable for many years. A party thrown in her honour by PC Dave Quinnan is ruined by her handbag being stolen by a dodgy taxi driver and she misses out on the meal in her honour. There are few at Sun Hill who do not believe her promotion is fully justified. Her time as Sergeant becomes more and more linked with Jim Carver. Carver had been a Detective Constable with C.I.D. for many years, but finds himself moved back to uniform under the rules governing tenure at the time, no-one is allowed to remain in a single position for more tan ten years without having been approved for promotion. Carver takes the move personally, and as his Sergeant it is up to Ackland to remind him that he was not part of C.I.D. anymore. Uniform requires a team approach, and Carver's attempts to remain a 'lone ranger' are not acceptable. Ackland reminds him of his first day on the beat back in 1983, when she asked him if he would ever want to join the detective branch: his response, she reminds him, is that he had no interest and that uniform division was where he wanted to be.

2000–2005

Despite her attempts, Carver begins drinking heavily. After a stint in rehab he returns to the station sober, but shaky. Ackland finds herself becoming Jim's guiding light, the one thing that keeps him on the straight and narrow. One day during a riot situation he recklessly and against orders charges into a warehouse where June is being held hostage by a group of youths. The thought that she may come to harm leads him to nearly throttle the young offender. June and Jim continue to grow closer. Sharing a kiss, they realise that they have taken it too far and chose not to follow up. When June becomes the operational head of the new C.S.U. division at Sun Hill, Jim is quick to be transferred over. Although they keep their feelings bottled up, they support each other. June is officially Jim's lifeline. She is shattered when, in 2003, he marries Marie Graham. All her feelings explode to the surface, leading to a vote of no confidence in her professionalism and her removal as head of C.S.U. back to uniform branch. The job of head of C.S.U. is given to DS Ramani DeCosta, who is promoted from DC to DS. June watches silently as it becomes clear that Jim is being abused by his new wife. She does not need to read between the lines when she finds him in hospital with head injuries, which he claims he got from putting up some shelves that fell down on him. He later divorced Marie. A year later, June becomes Jim's second wife. They marry twenty one years to the day after they first met. Feeling that she is now financially secure, she retires from the force, but is soon forced to return to her old job after six months because Jim's alcohol addiction is replaced with a gambling addiction. He takes the deed to their house and uses it as collateral in an attempt to repay his own debts. Jim realises that June cannot live her life while he is dragging her down, Jim is transferred. His departure leaves her shaken.

2005–2007

After Carver leaves, Ackland faces several tribulations. It is revealed that she had been raped in her teens and subsequently gave birth to a child, who she put up for adoption. Meeting the adopted son ultimately leads to her reformation as a person. Ackland has not been successful is love and she often finds herself on the wrong side of relationships. After the end of her relationship with Jim, she falls for PC Gabriel Kent who is later revealed to be the adoptive brother of her son. Kent strings her along, claiming to actually be her son, before revealing the truth and using his power over her to get her to cover up for some of his crimes.

Ackland has a rocky on-off relationship with PC Dave Litten, which ends after he puts his own career above her. She is 'the other woman' in an affair with DCI Gordon Wray, an affair which leads to him being expelled from Sun Hill. Ackland falls in love with school headmaster, Rod Jessop, who she agrees to marry and move with him to the Cotswolds. Ackland announces her retirement, but is shocked when ex-husband and former colleague, Jim Carver returns to Sun Hill. Carver reveals that he has been in Manchester and has been promoted to Detective Sergeant and is following notorious drug dealer, Pat Hadley. Ackland is paired with Carver to observe Hadley's movements. Things go terribly wrong when both are held at gunpoint by Hadley and his sidekick, Greg. A handcuffed June manages to convince Greg that Hadley is not to be trusted. Greg and Hadley have a row, which results in Hadley hitting Greg over the head and knocking him out. Hadley threatens to shoot any one of them with his gun. By this time, DCI Jack Meadows and his team track Hadley down and are waiting to arrest him. A tied up Greg manages to give Carver the key to the handcuffs to release them. A struggle ensues between Carver, Hadley and Ackland and Hadley is arrested.

Ackland returns to Sun Hill and is given a surprise leaving do in the DCI's office. Ackland says her goodbyes to fellow officers and Carver tells her that he still loves her and he has the money he owes her. June tells him that she loves him, but that they are not right for each other, she kisses him saying goodbye and goes back to Rod Jessop. They make a swift move out of the station holding hands and smiling. She is the last original character to leave, after 23 years in the show.^[1][2]

Sally Armstrong

Sally Armstrong
First appearance	Cop Killer: Part 1 (5 July 2007)
Last appearance	Unforgiven (17 December 2009)
Portrayed by	Ali Bastian
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

Police Constable Sally Armstrong arrives at Sun Hill after completing her probationary period and being transferred from Harringay. She previously had a desk job at a telemarketing firm but realised it was not for her. She joined the police force because she wanted a physically demanding job that would also give her a challenge in life and a good salary. She soon realised that being a police officer was her ideal job. Sally arrives at Sun Hill on the same day as probationer PC Billy Rowan. Whilst investigating a break-in with Billy, Sgt. Nikki Wright, and PC Emma Keane, she and Emma worry that they cannot contact Billy or Nikki, so they call for backup. After backup arrives it is discovered that Billy's throat had been slashed. Sally is traumatised but assures Inspector Gina Gold that she will be back at work the next day. Sally becomes good friends with PC Keane. Sadly for Sally, Emma dies in an explosion, but as a hero because she saves the lives of many others. This left Sally devastated. Sgt Stone tried to save Emma by giving her CPR, but she was already dead. Sgt Stone felt he was responsible because while he was preoccupied with something else, he allowed Emma to walk off on her own into harm's way. In Lifesaver she gets close to a woman who lost a child, and ends diving in the river when the victim dives into the river in her car.

At the end of the episode Demolition Girl, Sally goes out clubbing with her colleague PC Benjamin Gayle, where she gets rather drunk and kisses him, when Ben says that he doesn't want to do anything because she's too drunk she gets annoyed and heads to the bar for more drinks. At the bar she chats to a man whom she ends up kissing outside the club, she starts to have flash backs of the days events and pushes him of her and heads to her car. Sally starts the car and drives off ending up with her having a car accident. It carries on into the next episode 'Over The Limit' where Ben is helping an unharmed but shaken Sally out of her car. The passenger from the other car is in a much worse condition, but lucikly she does not die. Ben gives the paramedics a false name and Sally goes to hospital to be checked out. Ben calls Sergeant Callum Stone and tells him what happened. Both Ben and Callum go to the hospital and get Sally out before any police can see her and begin to cover up what she has done, by disposing her car keys down a drain, placing her bag on a street with her cash and cards removed so that it would seem that her car was stolen. They also convince a witness, the man she had been outside with, to say that he saw her leaving with Ben. TDC Will Fletcher also helps cover up Sally's mess. With no CCTV footage or any other evidence Sally had been driving she is in the clear. But she starts to feel really guilty about what's happened and decides that she is going to hand herself in, but Callum convinces her otherwise when he explains that it wouldn't just be the end of her career. He also said that she will have to prove to him that Ben, Will and himself did not all pervert the course of justice for a waste of space and that she will have to earn his forgiveness. It later comes to light that the accident had not been caused by Sally but a man who was driving an illegal minicab and had fallen asleep at the wheel. Sally left Sun Hill without explanation in December 2009.

Luke Ashton

Luke Ashton
First appearance	Potential For Conflict (9 December 1997)
Last appearance	Episode #122 (18 June 2003)
Portrayed by	Scott Neal
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

Police Constable Luke Ashton first arrived at Sun Hill in December 1997, fresh out of Hendon and being puppy walked by PC Tony Stamp. As a probationer, he was a likeable lad, excited about starting work but with little idea of what he'd let himself in for. He found his feet eventually but along the way took several dents to his confidence and began to doubt his suitability for the Job. On one of his first shifts, he tried in vain to tempt a suicidal man down from a roof, but felt devastated when he failed to prevent him from jumping to his death. After his initially bumpy ride, Ashton rediscovered his enthusiasm for the job but further mistakes and miscalculations led to his puppy walking period being extended. Despite this, he settled in and became an accepted and likeable member of the relief - although never really being allowed to forget he was the baby of the team. Luke's first tenure only lasted two years, after he left Sun Hill in 1999 after clashing immediately with new PC Dale Smith on his arrival at the station in 1999. Relations between the two became strained when Smith was attacked and Ashton arrived on the scene, too late to assist and with Smith accusing Ashton of cowardice. Ashton became determined to salvage his reputation, but after failing to prevent an ex-crack addict kill his daughter and himself, he left the Police Force, having decided he was not cut out for it. Following his backpacking experience to Sudan he later returned in 2002, to prove he could succeed where he failed before. He came back a more mature, stronger personality with greater self-esteem and confidence in his own abilities and judgement. His colleagues found him far less susceptible to wind-ups and able to take dangerous situations in his stride. In many ways, he saw his return to Sun Hill as a chance to wipe the slate clean. He soon fell for fellow officer, Kerry Young. As their romance built, they decided to marry. However, it is revealed that Luke is secretly gay and trying to keep this a secret from the rest of the relief. While at Sun Hill, he shares a kiss with Sergeant Craig Gilmore, the day before he is due to marry Kerry, he ends up in bed with Craig. On the morning of the wedding, the two men are lying in bed together, while the wedding guests are waiting. Gina Gold goes looking for Luke and walks in on the two men. Kerry announced she was pregnant but later had a miscarriage. After finding out Luke was gay, she later ended their marriage despite his protests. After battling to come to terms with his sexuality, he eventually came out to the rest of the relief. Luke once again transferred out of Sun Hill to another station deciding it was the best thing for both him and Kerry despite him still loving her and caring about her leaving Kerry heartbroken.

B

Tom Baker

Tom Baker
First appearance	A Fresh Start (30 May 1990)
Last appearance	Home and Away (16 February 2001)
Portrayed by	Victor Gallucci
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Constable

Detective Constable Tom Baker was one of the show's longest running non-prominent detectives. Although only having ten speaking appearances in ten episodes over the course of eleven years, Baker was often seen in the CID office and was good friends with Jim Carver, Danny Glaze and Mickey Webb. Baker arrived at Sun Hill after transferring in the midst of a corruption scandal from Barton Street. Although his last official credited appearance was in February 2001, Baker continued to appear in the series until late 2002. It is unknown when or how he left Sun Hill.

Jacob Banks

Jacob Banks
First appearance	R.I.P P.I. (23/4/08)
Last appearance	Respect: Part 2 (31/08/10)
Portrayed by	Patrick Robinson
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Constable
Spouse(s)	Naomi Woods

Detective Constable Jacob Banks, also known as Banksy, arrives at Sun Hill in April 2008, and is soon thrown in at the deep end when he investigates the murder of a private detective on first day. Upon his arrival, Banks states that he is a cop on a mission. After changing careers in his mid-30s, he realises that he has a lot of ground to cover, starting so late in the police service. After training at Hendon and serving two years on the beat as a PC, he spent his first tenure as a DC at Barton Street. Although not highly motivated by his job, Banks shows that he is a good copper, with great interpersonal skills. He is often tipped to become the next DI within a couple of years. Banks is married to Naomi Woods, a high-flying barrister, who often provides him with information that he shouldn't always know about. Naomi is very ambitious in her career, and as a consequence, doesn’t spend much time at home. Formerly a teacher, Banks claims that he knows how to handle people. Detective Inspector Sam Nixon once described him as being "just as comfortable talking to a bank manager as talking to a kid on the street". Banks claimed that the years he spent in the classroom as a teacher made him an expert on body language, and that it has become easy for him to sniff out a liar or a bully from a mile off.

Ian Barratt

Ian Barratt
First appearance	Episode #329 (21/7/05)
Last appearance	Episode #361 (3/11/05)
Portrayed by	John McArdle
Information
Title	Chief Superintendent Borough Commander
Spouse(s)	Rochelle Barratt

Chief Superintendent later Borough Commander Ian Barratt became the Borough Commander of Canley in late 2003, however, did not arrive at Sun Hill for a sit-in stint until July 2005. Ian was married to Drugs Referral Officer Rochelle Barratt; who later had an affair with PC Dan Casper. Ian found out and consequently tried to blackmail Dan – anonymously – to stop the affair. After a hostage situation where Ian left Dan to a gunman, Ian confronted Dan and Rochelle, as a result Rochelle finished with Dan and stayed with Ian. He and Rochelle chose to start again, and they both left the station in November 2005.

Rochelle Barratt

Rochelle Barratt
First appearance	Episode #315 (2/6/05)
Last appearance	Episode #361 (3/11/05)
Portrayed by	Anna Acton
Information
Title	Drugs Referral Officer
Spouse(s)	Ian Barratt

Drugs Referral Officer Rochelle Barratt arrived at Sun Hill in June 2005, and just a month later, her husband, Ian Barratt, began a sit-in stint at Sun Hill. From her arrival, it appears the pair's marriage is on rocky ground, and in August 2005, Rochelle begins an affair with PC Dan Casper. When her husband Ian finds out, he gives her an ultimatum – to either stay with Dan or leave with him. She chooses to leave Sun Hill with Ian and attempt to repair her marriage.

Juliet Becker

Juliet Becker
First appearance	Episode #119 (5/6/03)
Last appearance	Episode #162 (30/10/03)
Portrayed by	Rae Baker
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Constable

Detective Constable Juliet Becker arrives at Sun Hill in June 2003, and soon sets a precedence with the rest of the force, after she reveals that she is openly bisexual. She reveals that she recently had an affair with a married woman, whose husband reacted violently upon finding out. Juliet eventually begins a relationship with fellow officer Detective Sergeant Debbie McAllister, following the events of McAllister's marriage to the cold Superintendent Tom Chandler. After only five months at Sun Hill, Juliet is taken hostage after she arrested Mark Nevett for criminal damage. She was held at knife point in the yard of the station, she was bundled into the back of the police van. But was stabbed while the team tried to get her out. Despite the best efforts of the Sun Hill team to rescue her, she was fatally stabbed and later died in hospital.

Don Beech

Don Beech
First appearance	Expert Witness (3/2/95)
Last appearance	Episode #216 (20/05/04)
Portrayed by	Billy Murray
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Sergeant

Detective Sergeant Don Beech is considered to be the coldest officer in the show's history, prompting his own scandal. Beech first arrived at Sun Hill in 1995, and from the off, began his dodgy dealings and harsh methods of catching criminals. Despite his questionable methods, he was a very effective detective, and he often used his numerous contacts in the underworld to solve crimes and gather evidence that no other detective could. After five years of cold behavior, secrets and lies, culminating in him unintentionally killing DS John Boulton in a fight, he fled Sun Hill in 2000 when his crimes were exposed. After his departure, his story continued in the special episode Beech on the Run in 2001. The episode followed Beech as he fled abroad to Australia to escape imprisonment. At the end of the episode, the boat he was travelling on burst into a ball of flames, leaving viewers not knowing whether he was dead or alive. Later that year, he returned in a spin-off mini-series titled Beech is Back, where it was revealed he had faked his death so he could secretly return to Britain. He then organised a robbery of a six million pound diamond to escape the country but his attempt failed when ex-CID officer Detective Inspector Claire Stanton found him and brought him to justice. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes he committed during his time in the police force, and while on the run in Australia. In 2004, he was seen in prison, where he offered information on police corruption in exchange for a transfer to a lower security prison. However, he escaped during the transfer and was never heard from again.^[3]

Gary Best

Gary Best
First appearance	Episode #020 (25/6/02)
Last appearance	Episode #328 (20/7/05)
Portrayed by	Ciarán Griffiths
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable Detective Constable

Police Constable later Detective Constable Gary Best is portrayed as making up for in enthusiasm and eagerness to learn what he lacks in intelligence. A cocky lad from Manchester, there are a variety of reasons which inspired Gary to join the police force, mainly the fact that if he was not in uniform, he would most likely be on remand. Gary also had a troubled upbringing, consisting of domestic violence from his father, something that only stopped when he reached the physical maturity to be able to hit his dad back. In his late teen years, Gary made the decision to report his dad to the police, a decision which ultimately divided his family and rendered Gary an outcast.^[3] Shortly afterwards, he decided to join the Metropolitan Police. Gary arrived at Sun Hill shortly after the events of The Sun Hill Fire. At the time he is a probationary police constable, being puppy-walked by the veteran PC Tony Stamp. Gary is a popular recruit to Sun Hill, and he has no problems fitting in or making friends. His weakness is thinking with his heart, never having been one to stand back and assess a situation, Gary has a tendency to rush into things.^[3]

When his father is released from prison, he tracks down Gary and attempts to bond with his son, and make amends for what he had done. Initially pushing him away, curiosity eventually gets the better of him, and he heads to his father's workplace to talk to him. Unfortunately, his father had been operating as an undercover snitch for Inspector Gold at the time, and by turning up in full uniform, Gary compromises the whole job. Gary's father volunteers to go in his son's place as a hostage, at which point he is forced into a van at gunpoint and driven away. This is the last time Gary sees his father alive, as he is found dead shortly after. After a successful undercover operation in which he had informed on his criminal brother, Gary is accepted as a DC. Still fresh from probation and still 'wet behind the ears', some of Gary's colleagues, old and new, find things a bit hard to swallow. It is clear that Gary immediately lets his new-found power go to his head, jumping through hoops in an attempt to impress his senior officers and get a good result, with several directed jokes at uniform about directing traffic. He is more than often paired with DC Suzie Sim, who treats him much like a schoolboy. He sees her behaviour as bullying, and after an outburst directed at her in front of all of CID, his popularity severely deteriorates. He also works with DC Jo Masters and the two become close but often says what she thinks about him and the way he does things. When Gary transfers, Jo tells him she will miss him and to take care. Shortly after his allegations, Gary finds himself working with DC Suzie Sim on a drugs operation, which gets out of hand when the criminals are revealed to have handguns. Attempting to protect his colleague, Gary is shot and nearly paralysed. He is reunited with his estranged mother in hospital. She encourages him to leave Sun Hill and transfer to Greater Manchester Police, where he can be with his family.

Jamila Blake

Jamila Blake
First appearance	The Right Thing (31/12/96)
Last appearance	The Wrong Horse (28/1/99)
Portrayed by	Lolita Chakrabarti
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

Police Constable Jamila Blake was born to middle class parents – her father was of Bengali origin and a solicitor, her mother was a secretary in the practice where he launched his career. Jamila was a 're-join', returning to the Met after an absence of three years. She was an exceptional WPC with a very promising career, but disappointed her superiors by leaving the Met after four years' service to enter a potentially lucrative telephone sales business with her husband. After a couple of years of unstimulating work, however, she and her husband were drifting apart and Jamila decided to part company with both her husband and the business. She returned to the force and joined the Sun Hill relief in 1996. Because Jamila hadn't been away from police work that long, she didn't undergo a retraining programme, but although fully versed in PACE, she found modern policing had changed somewhat in the short time she had been away. Confident, hard-working and ambitious, Jamila was never afraid to get "stuck in" and enjoyed a "black" sense of humour. She left Sun Hill in early 1999.

Adam Bostock

Adam Bostock
First appearance	No Job For An Amateur (18/1/94)
Last appearance	Instant Response (6/9/94)
Portrayed by	Carl Brincat
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

Police Constable Adam Bostock transferred from Area Drugs after falling out with his previous governor. Although only three years out of probation, Bostock thought he knew it all and intended to enjoy life to the max. He had a glib sense of humour and sharp tongue, sometimes making thoughtless remarks which caused resentment with other members of the relief. He could also lack a certain tact and diplomacy, but was keen to get the job done. He was in for a rude awakening though and did not last long at Sun Hill, leaving after only nine months service.

John Boulton

John Boulton
First appearance	Faith In The System (1/02/94)
Last appearance	Find The Lady (17/10/00)
Portrayed by	Russell Boulter
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Sergeant

Detective Sergeant John Boulton was neither a cold officer nor a strictly honest one; he was not averse to cutting corners in order to get a result and arrest a criminal. He was uncaring with his colleagues due to his arrogant attitude and constant desire for promotion. He was especially disliked around the time of Police Constable Dave Quinnan's stabbing as many officers held John responsible for putting Dave in that position. John was also suspected of killing a suspect while chasing him; he was cleared of this but then told one of his colleagues "there's no smoke without fire". A more sympathetic side of John was shown when he had an HIV scare after being spiked by a suspect's needle. DCI Jack Meadows supported John through this ordeal. John embarked on a relationship with Detective Sergeant Claire Stanton, unaware that she was an anti-corruption officer investigating the officers at Sun Hill. Her main target was John's best friend DS Don Beech. After being backed into a corner by Claire, Don decided to come clean to John after arranging to meet him one night. However John did not take the news of Don's corruption well and attacked him. Don then killed John in the ensuing fight.^[4] John's body was discovered by some of his colleagues, however only Claire seemed upset about his death. Claire eventually managed to convict Don for John's murder and was seen sitting by John's grave in her final episode. John was known, affectionately, as "the little ginger short arse" to colleagues due to a suspect once calling him this in an interview.

Matthew "Matt" Boyden

Matthew "Matt" Boyden
First appearance	"Balls in the Air" (10/10/1991)
Last appearance	"Episode #111" (01/05/2003) [The Bill] "Moving Target" (03/05/2003) [M.I.T]
Portrayed by	Tony O'Callaghan
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Sergeant (1991-2003) Acting Police Inspector (2002)
Relatives	Amy Boydon (daughter) Sophie Boydon (granddaughter)

Sergeant Matthew "Matt" Boyden is an extremely disciplined, charismatic and competent officer, known for his dry London wit, who is elevated to the position of Sergeant at the age of 30.^[5] He is "a bit of a womaniser".^[6]

Storylines

1991 Boyden initially arrives at Sun Hill in 1991 after an indiscretion with a WPC. Despite nearly losing his job, his extra-marital affairs continue, ultimately costing him his marriage.

2001-2002 When Sgt. Craig Gilmore arrives at Sun Hill, it is revealed that Boyden has a previously unknown homophobic streak, starting a hate campaign against his colleague, which Insp. Monroe is forced to stop, warning Boyden that his neck is on the line if he continues the constant level of abuse. Boyden's daughter Amy becomes increasingly estranged from him when he takes an instant dislike to her new boyfriend, and he begins to see even less of his grandchild Sophie. Following the death of Insp. Andrew Monroe in the first Sun Hill fire, Boyden is promoted to the role of acting inspector before the appointment of Insp. Gina Gold.

Towards the end of his career at Sun Hill, Boyden is at the centre of an internal investigation when he sleeps with DS Nixon's daughter, daughter, Abi, who is only 15 years old at the time of their affair and therefore below the age of consent.^[6] It is later revealed that a few years earlier, Boyden had been involved in a similar incident with a girl of the same age, although he only discovered her true age after the event. The girl later committed suicide.

2003 Anxious to fund her drug addiction, Boyden's daughter Amy orders her boyfriend to shoot her father so she can profit from his insurance money. Boyden is killed in a drive-by shooting which also results in the death of an innocent bystander. Boyden's murder is investigated by DI Vivien Friend of the Murder Investigation Team,^[7] however it was not initially established that he was the intended target, until information reveals Amy to be responsible for his murder. Former Sgt. Bob Cryer and Sgt. June Ackland attend Boyden's funeral and also give a speech at his wake.

Cathy Bradford

Cathy Bradford
First appearance	Set in Stone (31/1/02)
Last appearance	Episode #206 (8/4/04)
Portrayed by	Connie Hyde
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

PC Cathy Bradford was one of Sun Hill's deranged officers, and was notorious for lying. Cathy was initially posted as a probationer in Leeds, but it was not long before she jumped at the opportunity to join the Hong Kong police where she quickly attained the rank of Inspector. She returned to the United Kingdom, hoping to regain her rank of Inspector, as she was made PC again. She made a huge impression on her first day managing to restrain a suspect who tried to escape from Sergeant Craig Gilmore, and turned down Tony Stamp on the same day. After the Sun Hill fire in 2002 and the renovation at Sun Hill, a community safety unit was set up and Cathy joined, immediately falling for new recruit TDC Brandon Kane. This started a crazed obsession which was first acted on when Brandon's ex, Tanya, threatened to take his children to Scotland after one of them fell over in the CSU office when Brandon had to unexpectedly look after the kids at work, so Cathy spiked drinks that Tanya was having while she had lunch with her girlfriend, and Tanya was subsequently banned from driving. Cathy then split Tanya up with her partner Roz, when she claims that Roz was beating up Brandon's son, Jordan. Cathy later was stabbed with hypodermic needle and despite the fact her test came up negative, she claimed it was positive to get sympathy from Brandon, and they later slept together. When Tanya tells Cathy she wants to get back together with Brandon, Cathy pushes her down the stairs at a car park and Tanya later dies. Cathy also split Brandon up from a nurse love interest, by claiming she was making hoax calls while Eva Sharpe's daughter Joanna was missing. Cathy later stopped PC Polly Page from telling the truth about assisting the suicide of her friend Dr Owen Preston, and when Polly is arrested for murder, not only does Cathy lie to get Polly temporarily sent down, Cathy also gets engaged to Polly's boyfriend, Max Wyatt. Cathy also lost CADO Roberta Cryer's job by beating herself up after continually lying about a stalker. When PC Honey Harman gets close to Brandon, Cathy burns down Brandon's home and gets him to move in with her and Max, but when Max helps Brandon get ready to move out, Cathy beats Max to death with her ASP. Brandon's kids find a CCTV tape of the car park where Tanya died the night she fell and Brandon sees Cathy on it, and goes to see Robbie Cryer, who is beaten up by Cathy. When this evidence is taken to DCI Jack Meadows, Cathy abducts Brandon's kids and locks them and herself in the station boiler room. When she is found she holds Brandon hostage and lets the kids go, before she is arrested trying to set fire to the boiler room with her and Brandon in it. Brandon later resigns and Polly is released from prison, and Polly goes to visit Cathy in a mental hospital before she leaves Sun Hill, as she does not enjoy her new posting as CAD Operator.

Claire Brind

Claire Brind
First appearance	Trespasses (6/9/88)
Last appearance	Saturday Night Fever (28/12/89)
Portrayed by	Kelly Lawrence
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

Police Constable Claire Brind was a Londoner, from south of the river. She was bright and forthright but slightly accident-prone. The daughter of a former Detective Inspector, who retired on medical grounds following injuries sustained in an off-duty road accident, and still a serving District Nurse, Claire joined the station as a probationer. The butt of jokes both in the station and on the streets, she struggled to assert her authority and disliked certain aspects of the job. Although she occasionally showed commendable initiative, her moaning and poor timekeeping did not exactly endear her to her sergeants – but Claire was one of Detective Chief Inspector Frank Burnside's favourite PCs to use for plain clothes operations – she was on hand in the hospital when DCI Burnside's goddaughter died and he appreciated her tactful handling of the situation.

Millie Brown

Millie Brown
First appearance	New Blood (12/6/08)
Last appearance	On the Streets (29/12/09)
Portrayed by	Clare Foster
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Acting Police Sergeant Police Constable

Police Constable Millie Brown comes across as a bit of a scatter-brain. She assembles order to her life and the whirl of thoughts in her mind with lists and meticulous note taking. Chaos makes her anxious, so Millie always strives to be organised. With four years' experience under her belt, she enjoys the structure of the police service. If she wasn’t a federation representative in the Met, Millie would have been a health and safety advisor. No rule is too big to be ignored. She will always proceed with caution. Millie is at times, too self-conscious to speak up. When she does, however, her views are usually well thought out and helpful in solving cases. Millie was killed in an explosion in 2009 ^[8]

Charles Brownlow

Charles Brownlow
First appearance	Funny Ol' Business – Cops and Robbers (16/10/84)
Last appearance	Episode #012 (02/05/02)
Portrayed by	Peter Ellis
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Chief Superintendent

Chief Superintendent Charles Brownlow is considered the most passive of the bosses Sun Hill has ever seen. He preferred to leave responsibility and most of the decisions in the hands of his fellow senior officers Police Chief Inspector Derek Conway and Detective Chief Inspector Jack Meadows. He prefers spin over substance. One of his most noted empty gestures is when he decides to eat with the other officers to prove he is on the same level as them. This embarrasses most of the force but he refuses to accept it as a disaster. He hides behind his secretary and the rules and regulations of the job. He is heavily involved in the Masonic Lodge. This is a recurring theme in the series with Conway benefiting from membership of the Lodge.^[9] For all his faults though, Brownlow is a fundamentally decent man with a conscience and he earns a lot of sympathy when he feels obliged to resign from his post in the wake of the Don Beech Scandal. He later returns for a station funeral. He is succeeded by Superintendent. Tom Chandler.

Laura Bryant

Laura Bryant
First appearance	Episode #214 (7/5/04)
Last appearance	Episode #415 (25/05/06)
Portrayed by	Melanie Kilburn
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable PCSO

PCSO later Police Constable Laura Bryant first arrives at Sun Hill as a resident of the Cole Lane estate which, at that time, is being patrolled by PC Gabriel Kent. She is unhappy with Kent's tendency to ignore protocol and issue his own brand of justice and subsequently reports him to the Criminal Investigations Department.^[3] She applies for a position at Sun Hill as a Police Community Support Officer and her potential to become a police constable is then recognised by Sergeant Dale Smith. Despite several mistakes and lapses in judgement, Smith encourages her to consider training at Hendon to become a full-time police officer. Eventually she chooses to undertake the training and returns to Sun Hill as a PC, where she soon realises that the job is causing her to neglect her relationship with her two sons. Inspector Gold insists that she continue being a police officer instead of resigning and transfer to a unit at Barton Street where her hours will better suit her being a single parent. She puts in for a transfer from Sun Hill to Barton Street's Safer Neighbourhoods Unit.

Frank Burnside

Frank Burnside
First appearance	"Just Call Me Guvnor" (4 August 1988)
Last appearance	Thug On The Tyne – Part 2 (13 January 2000)
Portrayed by	Christopher Ellison
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Sergeant Detective Inspector Detective Chief Inspector

Detective Sergeant and later Detective Inspector & Detective Chief Inspector Frank Burnside (known originally as Tom Burnside) is the true main antagonist of the TV series. first arrived at Sun Hill in 1984, as a DS then working with the Flying Squad. He is a former colleague of Sergeant Bob Cryer, who makes no secret of his dislike of Burnside. Burnside is thought to have slipped through the net of Operation Countryman, the Met's anti-corruption drive in the 1970s, and revels in his notoriety. When PC Jim Carver arrests a small-time car thief, Burnside arrives at Sun Hill to appeal for the man's release. Cryer is appalled at the suggestion, and urges Detective Inspector Roy Galloway to block the request. However, Burnside explains that the prisoner is a valuable police informant, and manages to persuade DI Galloway to secure his release. The incident creates much ill-feeling within the station, particularly among Sergeant Cryer and PC Carver. Burnside reappears twice more as a DS. By this time, his apparent villainy is an open secret at the station, and few are pleased to see him, least of all Sergeant Cryer and DI Galloway. However, Burnside is bitter, uncaring and evil and sets his sights on WPC June Ackland. Burnside is too sick-minded to sense her obvious repulsion towards him, and June takes great delight in stringing him along. However, other Sun Hill officers take exception to his pursuit of her, prompting DC Mike Dashwood to intervene. He informs Burnside that June is Galloway's mistress, forcing the rogue detective to switch his sights elsewhere.

Burnside arrived at Sun Hill full-time in 1988, where Galloway's departure creates a vacancy for a new Detective Inspector. DS Ted Roach has his own sights set on the job, and is appalled to learn that Burnside is a rival candidate. When Burnside takes the post, Roach and Sgt Cryer are outspoken in their views on the appointment of an apparently corrupt officer. It soon becomes clear that Burnside is far from his previous incarnation. Besides a new rank and Christian name, Burnside acquires a new outlook. The sneering and sinister loner divorced man is replaced with a darker and more devious side of himself. His apparent corruption is explained away by Inspector Christine Frazer as a result of Burnside having worked undercover on Operation Countryman, forcing Sgt Bob Cryer to swallow his pride and welcome Burnside to Sun Hill. However, Roach is far harder to win round. Despite their similarities, both having maverick tendencies, but ultimately on the right side of the law, Burnside and Roach have an uneasy working relationship. Roach's increasing workness at having been passed over for promotion, coupled with a thinly-disguised drink problem, make him almost unmanageable for his senior officers. When matched with Burnside's explosive personality, the two officers physically come to blows. However, their similar policing styles and views lead to them developing a mutual respect. As the police force becomes more politically correct, maverick officers such as Burnside and Roach are increasingly seen as a dying breed. As such, their working relationship becomes one of mutual dependency, each watching the other's back when either of them sail too close to the wind. When Roach walks out of the job following an assault on Inspector Monroe, Detective Chief Inspector Jack Meadows caustically remarks that it is the end of an era for Burnside. Meadows' prophecy is proven right later when Burnside mysteriously fails to show for work. It is explained that Burnside has been taken out on a "special operation", prompting his colleagues to speculate that he is working undercover. As the years go by, a succession of DIs take Burnside's office.

In 1998, Burnside returned during an investigation led by Detective Sergeant John Boulton and Detective Constable Jim Carver into a protection racket, which leads them to Manchester. Carver is shocked to discover that his former boss is one of the main players in the operation, and he and Boulton are forced to take Burnside back to Sun Hill in handcuffs. Meadows is openly disliking towards his former colleague but, reminiscent of Sgt Bob Cryer ten years earlier, he is forced to backtrack when it emerges that Burnside is working undercover. Furthermore, Burnside had been promoted to the rank of DCI within the field, and is now on an equal footing with Meadows. Burnside then appears as the head of the elite Crime Operational Command Unit, and his work frequently brings him into contact with Sun Hill officers, investigating high-profile cases. One such investigation leads to him arresting DC Jim Carver on suspicion of murder. Despite their rocky start, Burnside took the impressionable young DC Carver under his wing during his reign as DI, and is sorry to see his friend's sad fall from grace. Carver begins drinking heavily following his enforced move back to uniform, marking a steep decline into alcoholism. When he wakes from a drunken stupor to find a murdered prostitute beside him, it seems Carver's career is over. However, Burnside helps Carver to seek help for his addiction. Burnside left Sun Hill permanently on 13 January 2000, and his apparent villainy ways at Sun Hill are over with once and for all.

His own series debuted in 2000.^[10] Burnside is the antagonist principal character in the episodes in which he appears, and the popularity of these episodes paved the way for a spin-off series, Burnside. The six-part series, three consecutive two-part stories, follows Burnside's new role as a DCI with the National Crime Squad, described in the show's publicity as the English equivalent of the FBI. The series is much grittier than The Bill, as its post-watershed timeslot enabled stronger language and more violent scenes. Although each two-part story focuses on a different crime, the series is underpinned by a story arc, which explores Burnside's pursuit of gangland boss Ronnie Buchan. Buchan had murdered Burnside's best friend years earlier, and Burnside is determined to use his newfound influence as head of a team within the NCS to bring Buchan to justice. The series ended with Burnside vowing to nail Buchan by whatever means necessary. Despite the popularity of the Burnside character in The Bill, his spin-off failed to take off, and was axed after just one series.

Ruby Buxton

Ruby Buxton
First appearance	Episode #062 (14/11/02)
Last appearance	Episode #143 (28/08/03)
Portrayed by	Nicola Alexis
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

Police Constable Ruby Buxton was born and bred in Canley. Always popular and bright at school, she left at the age of 18 choosing to go out into the world and earn some money, rather than go on to further education. Her first job was at the local store, but she soon found it mundane and unchallenging. She was then attracted to the police by the Met's recruitment drive package – £26,000 after paid training and free travel too. It never even occurred to her that she might be cop material, but she still applied. Ruby went into the force with a blasé attitude; she'd only been out of Hendon for nine months when she arrived at Sun Hill. She was genuinely pleased to have got into the force though and couldn't believe her luck in gaining entry. Easygoing, vivacious and bubbly, Ruby eased into Sun Hill life from the start. She loved being a copper and got on well with the likes of Tony and Reg. She wasn't so bothered about the other girls. Ruby was down to earth; she kept her feet on the ground and was a great judge of character. Her ex-schoolmates laughed at her decision to join up – some of whom she came into contact with some of them on the beat – but she laughed with them, and any jibes were like water off a duck's back. Ruby was uncomplicated, without baggage and not susceptible to moral dilemmas. She took everything in her stride and was ready to embrace her job to the full. Unfortunately, following the perjury fiasco with PC Gabriel Kent, Ruby could no longer live with being a dishonest copper and opted to resign.

C

Max Carter

Max Carter
First appearance	Assault On Sun Hill – Part 1 (27/12/07)
Last appearance	Respect – Part Two (31/08/10)
Portrayed by	Christopher Fox
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Sergeant

Detective Constable later Detective Sergeant Max Carter transferred from CO19 after being involved in two separate lethal shootings of suspects. One of the shootings was Thomas Jankowski. Although both were justified killings, it was deemed sensible to transfer him out given current media attention to armed response incidents. As the move was accompanied by a promotion to DS, the career-minded Max was happy with the change of scene. Max arrived at Sun Hill much to the dismay of Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon and Detective Constable Terry Perkins, who was hoping for promotion himself. Half Polish and half English, Max offered a side to the job that was not previously seen in CID. Max often had run-ins with Terry and DC Grace Dasari, but was strong in his decision to pave his own way. After an undercover operation with DC Mickey Webb in 2010, where the pair were forced to take cocaine to keep their cover, Max became a drug addict, frequently taking heroin and cocaine and handing over large amounts of money to cocaine dealers. His addiction was discovered by Mickey, who informed Sergeant Jo Masters and Terry. Terry then gave Max an ultimatum: turn himself in to DI Neil Manson, or allow him to arrest him for possession, thus ending his career. Max chose neither, and managed to manipulate the situation to continue his career.

Jim Carver

Jim Carver
First appearance	Woodentop (16/8/83)
Last appearance	Episode #489 (8 March 2007)
Portrayed by	Mark Wingett
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable Detective Constable Detective Sergeant
Spouse(s)	Marie Graham (divorced: 2003) June Ackland (divorced: 2005)

Police Constable later Detective Constable and Detective Sergeant Jim Carver began his career as a probationer at Sun Hill, appearing in the opening scenes of the pilot episode, Woodentop. He had already made up his mind that he was going to remain a uniformed police officer for the remainder of his career, and was adamant that he was not destined for CID.^[3] Despite his vow not to transfer to CID, Jim later becomes a Detective Constable,^[3] where Detective Inspector Frank Burnside becomes a mentor for him. He remains in CID for twelve years, before he is demoted back to uniform having never been recommended for promotion. His career then goes into decline, due mainly to his increased dependency on alcohol. His alcoholism almost costs him his job, but he is able to transfer back into uniform after rehabilitation, where he begins to rebuild his reputation. Carver then joins the Community Safety Unit, where he really tries to make a go of it; he later returns to CID as a DC. Carver's first marriage is to Marie Graham, a victim of crime who he had liaised with at one point. This marriage fails, however, when Marie also turns out to be an alcoholic and physically abuses Jim. The two divorce and she is later sectioned. June Ackland had been a close friend of Carver's before his employment, and they started a relationship before his marriage to Marie. After Jim divorces Marie, they are able to get closer again, and they eventually marry. Despite staying sober after his rehabilitation, Carver adopts a gambling addiction. He accrues massive debts and eventually leaves Sun Hill, leaving June to come out of retirement to repay the debts.^[3] Carver later returns to Sun Hill and it is revealed that he had been sent by Greater Manchester Police to track down and arrest a suspect that had come to Sun Hill to escape the law.^[3] Carver returns as a Detective Sergeant, having been promoted from Detective Constable. Whilst tracking the suspect down, both June and Jim are kidnapped, although the staff at Sun Hill are able to locate them and send in armed support to rescue them and arrest their kidnapper, Pat Hadly.^[11]

Dan Casper

Dan Casper
First appearance	Episode #287 (16/2/05)
Last appearance	Deadly Secrets (16/8/07)
Portrayed by	Chris Jarvis
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

PC Dan Casper, prior to joining the police service, was a ticket inspector on the London Underground. He is an active and energetic character who views the world in black and white, good versus bad. Although he had not done his probation at Sun Hill, he was transferred to the station rather quickly after his request for a transfer away from Spicer Street. A conflict of interests with his superior officer meant that the transfer went through without much difficulty. His best friend at Sun Hill is Will Fletcher, with whom he is regularly paired on police duties, particularly in the area car, which Will's advanced driver training qualifies him to drive. While at Sun Hill, Inspector Gina Gold forces him and Will to take part in a boxing competition between Sun Hill and other stations. Although Will already boxes in his spare time, Dan is nervous because it is something he has not done before and he does not think he can do it. When Will injures his hand and is unable to compete, Dan faces the ring on his own and "The Sun Hill Hurricane" surprises himself by winning. However, as he progresses in the tournament his nerves grow and after injuring his shoulder he persuades Ewan, a friend of Will's and fellow boxer, to help him purchase some steroids. As Dan faces more and more matches he begins to rely on the steroids more often. Even when Will finds out and tries to convince him to stop, he continues until he completely loses it in one of his matches and knocks his opponent unconscious. Although it is revealed that the other man had a heart condition and should not have been boxing, Dan feels guilty and tells the Inspector about the steroids. She orders him to withdraw from the tournament and tells him that he is not fit for active duty whilst using the drugs. Dan did his training at Hendon, like all other trainee officers in the area. Here, he also undertook a response driving course, which he and PC Leela Kapoor passed. After completing his training he served his two years' probation at Spicer Street. Dan decides to leave the police force after receiving a job offer from a friend who is opening a club in San Antonio, Ibiza and wants him to manage security there. Dan feels that he is being passed up for training opportunities and does not want to remain a PC for the rest of his service, so decides to resign much to the dismay and disapproval of his colleagues, particularly Will Fletcher, whom he is very close to, although Will is happy for him at the time.

Philip Cato

Phillip Cato
First appearance	Shock To The System (26/1/93)
Last appearance	Is That The Time? (3/3/95)
Portrayed by	Philip Whitchurch
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Chief Inspector

Chief Inspector Philip Cato, the man they called 'the bald-headed bastard from Barton Street', is one officer that nobody forgets. He didn't suffer fools, especially those who he perceived as being unsympathetic to his methods. His strokes were legendary – as were the grudges against police officers he thought had worked against him. When Cato transferred to Sun Hill from Barton Street, he thought he'd have some allies there. But Sergeant Ray Steele distanced himself – he angered Cato by posting on the notice-boards a meeting-report including an off-the-record remark. Similarly PC Jarvis, who was also at Barton Street, showed he was no Cato poodle. Initially Brownlow welcomed Cato as someone even less popular than himself with the troops, but soon he realised that the new man's radical approach was having an adverse effect on station morale. Cato didn't think he was abrasive. He described himself as a no-nonsense person who had little patience with bureaucracy or sociological theorising. But he was clever enough to disguise it in the company of his superiors sometimes. With others he didn't put on an act. He was confrontational both on the street with suspects and in the station with Sun Hill officers. And what's wrong with that? Cato applied for the post of Acting Superintendent in 1994, but lost it to Chief Inspector Conway. He later applied for the post of Area Welfare Chief, but was again unsuccessful. Frustrated with lack of appreciation and being continually passed over for promotion, he decided to leave the job.

Marilyn Chambers

Marilyn Chambers
First appearance	Episode #158 (15/10/03)
Last appearance	Episode #289 (24/2/05)
Portrayed by	Vickie Gates
Information
Occupation	Civilian Police Staff
Title	Station Reception Officer

Station Reception Officer Marilyn Chambers was a born and bred Liverpudlian, who had worked as a civilian for the MET since she moved to London at the age of 22. Uptight and meticulous, Marilyn is anally retentive and a slave to routine. She was clipped and officious in the workplace but under her prickly exterior there was a passionate heart. When Marilyn had a drink her inhibitions go right out of the window and she tended to let her hormones get the better of her. She moved down from Liverpool with her older boyfriend, Neil, when his job took him to London. Marilyn doted on Neil and was devastated when he ended the relationship a couple of years later. She has been single ever since although there has been a couple of drunken one-night stands which she is deeply ashamed of. She rented a room in a shared house with a couple of twenty-something professionals but keeps herself to herself. Her idea of a top night out would be a trip to see the latest West End musical with her best friend, or maybe something starring Michael Ball. During her time at the station, began a relationship with PC Reg Hollis. Reg planned to propose to Marilyn on the platform of the train station where they went train spotting together but she is killed in The Sun Hill Fire of 2005 while he was waiting at the platform for her.

Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler
First appearance	On The Hook – Part 1 (3/11/00)
Last appearance	Episode #053 (16/10/02)
Portrayed by	Steven Hartley
Information
Title	Superintendent
Spouse(s)	Debbie McAllister (dissolved by his death: 2002)
Children	Andrew McAllister (son: born 2002)

Superintendent Tom Chandler is brought in as a "new broom" to "sweep away the cobwebs of corruption" after the Don Beech Scandal and the subsequent removal of nearly the entire CID team and his predecessor. During his two years as Superintendent, Chandler proves to be one of the most corrupt bosses the station has ever had. He removes various members of the team he personally dislikes, including Sergeant Bob Cryer and PC Dale Smith. One of the people that Chandler cannot remove is the officer just beneath him in the chain of command – DCI Jack Meadows. Meadows, as DS Don Beech's boss, is directly in the firing line along with DI Chris Deakin and Chief Superintendent Brownlow. However unlike the other two men, Meadows survives, thanks to his connections with Scotland Yard. Chandler immediately clashed with DC Mickey Webb, who held Chandler responsible that a friend during an undercover operation was killed by the ring-leader. Later, Mickey attended a community meeting with Chief Inspector Derek Conway, who Chandler asked to go, claiming he was a community meeting, when he was actually sleeping with Webb's best friend, Kate Spears. At the end of a seemingly successful meeting, a bike pulled up and the pillion passenger threw a petrol bomb into Conway's car, which subsequently exploded, killing him. Chandler then asked the relief to stand down before a Neo-Nazi march, but unrest settled and rioters lobbed petrol bombs at Sun Hill, and a fire broke out causing an explosion, however the real bomber was PC Des Taviner, who wanted to dispose of evidence money in Conway's fund. Six officers were killed, including Spears, so Webb teamed up with Meadows to bring down Chandler. DS Debbie McAllister then got close to Chandler, and they got intimate in a bathroom during the funerals, and she later became pregnant. Webb was briefly transferred to neighbouring Barton Street, but when an old Hendon girlfriend, Anne Merrick, claimed Chandler raped her, Meadows used this to get Webb back. However, events changed when Merrick was found dead below a multi-storey, however Chandler was alibied and it was ruled suicide, due to her manic-depressive state, but it wasn't in vain. Thanks to James Chandler, the Super's brother, and two Hendon friends, DCC Gordon Cooper & Sergeant Dave Gilbert, plus word from Merrick, Chandler was caught up in a rape scandal. As DCC Cooper was convinced, Webb called Chandler to gloat that CIB would arrest him, Chandler holds his newly-wed wife McAllister hostage, who goes into premature labour, and Meadows is later held by Chandler with McAllister in his office. Ultimately facing imprisonment, humiliation and ruin, Chandler realises he has no alternative but to take his own life. He shoots himself in Meadows' office, leaving behind his McAllister, and their son, Andrew.

Roz Clarke

Roz Clarke
First appearance	First Impressions – Part 1 (19/9/00)
Last appearance	Slash and Burn (11/12/01)
Portrayed by	Holly Davidson
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

PC Roz Clarke was from a deprived background – quite unlike fellow probationer Ben Hayward’s. Her father left her mother when she was six. Mrs. Clarke never remarried, but worked hard, and did her best to bring up Roz herself. Roz's exam years coincided with a wild time for her, so though bright, she only scraped the minimum educational requirements. At first she was blasé about this, masking any inadequacy with a couldn't care less attitude, taking numerous mundane jobs, and getting what fun she could out of her various relationships. The Met's new recruitment policy then caught her eye – and seemed to offer an easy way to live and work in London. At Hendon Roz worked hard to try and correct her educational shortcomings. She showed outstanding commitment, but was initially Section 15'd for her poor performance in exams. Her faltering literacy was always a source of anxiety: her worst nightmare was standing up in court and having her testimony exposed by some snot-nosed defence lawyer. Roz often found herself having to run the gamut of male attitudes to establish herself as the effective and instinctive officer she ultimately could have been. Unfortunately Roz struggled to make ends meet financially. Unable to secure enough overtime to pay her debts, she moonlighted in telesales, as a result of which her police work suffered. When she failed her exams, she considered leaving the force but got a second chance to prove her worth in CID. However, Roz soon realised that she was not cut out to be a policewoman. Traumatised from being attacked by a rapist when posing as a prostitute, and angered by the possibility that her attacker could press charges against her for using unnecessary force, Roz decided to leave the job.

Derek Conway

Derek Conway
First appearance	Three Wise Monkeys (21/7/88)
Last appearance	Episode #005 (28/3/02)
Portrayed by	Ben Roberts
Information
Title	Chief Inspector (1988-1994, 1996-2002) Acting Superintendent (1994-1996)
Spouse(s)	Sandra Conway

Chief Inspector Derek Conway arrived at Sun Hill in 1988. During his early days, he managed to persuade a mentally unhinged man not to torch a house belonging to his wife Sandra. He also served as Acting Superintendent for two years, taking command of Sun Hill. He was later killed in a car-bomb attack.^[12] After his death, the station organised a memorial fund for him, but it didn't go as planned. PC Des Taviner gave Inspector Andrew Monroe £50 notes, but later realised they were counterfeit. He attempted to retrieve them, but Monroe had locked his door where they were kept. Taviner had another plan however – when Sun Hill was faced with a powercut, a petrol-bomb riot escalated at the station and Taviner threw one himself inside the Inspector's office, not knowing gas cylinders were there. As a result, the station went up in flames, killing Inspector Andrew Monroe, PC Ben Heyward, PC Di Worrell, PC Sam Harker, DC Kate Spears and DC Paul Riley.

Joseph Corrie

Joseph Corrie
First appearance	Start With The Whistle (13/12/90)
Last appearance	Joey (18/07/91)
Portrayed by	Roland Oliver
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Sergeant

Sergeant Joseph Corrie was drafted into Sun Hill in 1990 when Tom Penny was in court facing charges of drink-driving. He worked alongside Sergeants Maitland and Peters on the A-Relief whilst Cryer was Duty Sergeant, and was a cop of the 'old school'. He was a quiet sort of bloke – genial and friendly, if a little absent minded. Corrie was only at the station for a couple of months, being later replaced by Sergeant Boyden. It is unknown what happened to Corrie, as he was never mentioned again.

Suzi Croft

Suzi Croft
First appearance	Fagins (11 February 1993)
Last appearance	The Parent Trap (24 February 1998)
Portrayed by	Kerry Peers
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Constable

DC Suzi Croft arrived at Sun Hill in March 1993 as a Trainee Investigator. Initially seen by her new colleagues as little more than a work experience girl, Suzi was undeterred, proved herself to be an insightful and gutsy officer, and gradually became an integral part of the CID team. Her rank changed to Detective Constable in the summer of 1994. She was never afraid of being confronted by something different, whether it was Burnside's unique policing methods, or the latest technology in the fight against crime. She spent most of her time at Sun Hill working on Operation Bumblebee under the supervision of DS Alistair Greig, whom she saw as something of a mentor. Caring, well-liked, yet also forthright, her no-nonsense attitude and spiky temper occasionally brought Suzi into conflict with other members of CID – the results of which sometimes earned her a mild rebuke from the DI. Her most notable adversary was DC Rod Skase, and working with him on a case almost always guaranteed fireworks. Yet despite this, there was never any real loathing between the two of them – indeed, Suzi’s announcement of her departure distressed the notoriously macho Skase enough for him to attempt a genuine apology for his behaviour towards her. Suzi had the opportunity of a transfer to High Barnet CID in February 1998. Because they needed someone urgently, she had only a day in which to make up her mind. Discussing the matter with her best friend, DC Liz Rawton, she realised that although she would miss Sun Hill, the move would give her new career challenges, and so she decided to accept the offer.

Bob Cryer

Bob Cryer
First appearance	Funny Ol' Business – Cops And Robbers (16/10/84)
Last appearance	Old Friends (30/9/04)
Portrayed by	Eric Richard
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Sergeant
Relatives	Robbie Cryer (niece)

Sgt Bob Cryer joined the Metropolitan Police in 1970, and arrived at Sun Hill sometime in late 1983, possibly as a result of a recent promotion to Sergeant. Until the station introduced the rank of Inspector, he was the second highest ranking uniform officer. He had previously seen some sort of army service, unfortunately most of it leaving him with unpleasant memories. Cryer is a model officer. He cares passionately about his job and hates what he considers the "touchy-feely" approach of modern policing arguing that the role of the police is to "uphold and enforce the law". His trademark calm served him well when dealing with the harder edged visitors to the cells at Sun Hill. For many years he was a uniform sergeant. In 1991, he was briefly promoted to Duty Sergeant, but quickly found that he had no passion for it and that it was driving his former colleagues away from him, leading to him making the swift decision to return to uniform. His experience in all things policing led to him being in many ways the archetypical uniform officer, firm but fair to criminal and civilian alike. He was considered to be the father figure of the sergeants on the relief and a lot of the younger officers would come to him for advice on matters both professional and personal. Along the way he still discovered that you can never know everything – such as the time he shot and killed a suspect despite the suspect's gun later turning out to be unloaded. In his own private life he had a wife and two sons, one of whom was arrested and charged in relation to a driving offence which resulted in the death of the other occupant of the car. This led to an enforced sense of separation between him and his son, a topic which Cryer would still refuse to talk about when it was raised in later years. As time drew on, many of Cryer's contemporaries such as Sergeant Tom Penny, Sergeant Alec Peters and even DI Burnside moved on to other jobs, or retired. He increasingly found himself as something of an anachronism, and became somewhat less indulging of what he saw as the stupid mistakes of newer officers.

One exception to this was PC Dale Smith. 'Smithy' had a similar background to Cryer, with both men having served in the army. Cryer developed something of a fatherly relationship with the younger officer, and was eventually the one who encouraged Smith to apply for the firearms squad. This came back to haunt him when, during a hostage situation, PC Smith accidentally shot his friend and mentor, which led to his forced retirement in 2001. New young Superintendent Tom Chandler did not like Bob Cryer. Everything that Cryer stood for was everything that this new broom wished to sweep away, and Cryer's injuries acted as a catalyst for this move. Typically, Cryer went out of his way to console PC Smith, and held no recrimination in his heart for the young officer. When Dale Smith came back to Sun Hill as a sergeant in 2003, there was more than a little bit of Bob Cryer's personality about him and the way he dealt with friends and foes alike. He had learned well from his mentor. Cryer returned to Sun Hill for the memorial service of Inspector Andrew Monroe, and to attend the funeral of Sgt Boyden. He later came back to help his niece Roberta, who was the station's front desk officer, solve a crime. His last service came in 2004, when he helped Jack Meadows solve the mystery behind DS Ted Roach's death.^[13]

Robbie Cryer

Robbie Cryer
First appearance	Episode #033 (8/8/02)
Last appearance	Episode #180 (31/12/03)
Portrayed by	Moya Brady
Information
Occupation	Civilian Police Staff
Title	Station Reception Officer
Relatives	Bob Cryer (uncle)

Station Reception Officer Robbie Cryer is the niece of Sergeant Bob Cryer. She was popular and well-loved among the relief. When she was in a tight spot, she called upon the help of her uncle, Bob Cryer. At the end of her career, Roberta becomes one of Cathy Bradford's many targets when she starts to suspect the extent of Cathy Bradford's lies. Cathy finds out and threatens her. Later, Cathy phones into CAD and when Roberta answers, she pretends to have a stalker and beats herself up. Roberta ignores the call for 'urgent assistance' and subsequently gets discharged from the police. However, she later appears when the truth about Cathy finally comes out and she tells DC Brandon Kane all the lies she knew about Cathy. When Cathy finds out, she beats Robbie up. Shortly after this, Cathy is sectioned.

Alex Cullen

Alex Cullen
First appearance	On the Hook (Part 1) (3/11/00)
Last appearance	Episode #036 (20/8/02)
Portrayed by	Ged Simmons
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Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Inspector

DI Alex Cullen arrived at Sun Hill with heavy baggage. He was seen as Chandler's unofficial hatchet man, and was the only direct appointment that Chandler had made. Cullen's persistence and commitment to the job meant that he earned the respect of the C.I.D officers. In the end, after a power struggle between him and Chandler, Cullen applied for the Murder Investigation Team. Unwilling to let him go, Chandler tried to block the move, but Cullen's knowledge of indiscretions in Chandler's past saw the move completed within days. On his leaving do, Cullen persuaded DC Duncan Lennox to join him.

D

Geoff Daly

Geoff Daly
First appearance	Knocking on the Door (4/6/96)
Last appearance	All Fall Down – Part 2 (31/10/00)
Portrayed by	Ray Ashcroft
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Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Sergeant

DS Geoff Daly was an enthusiastic Yorkshireman with a wry sense of humour. He was a sensitive operator who thought cases through. His sensitivity could be very useful when it came to eliciting information from people, but he could also be tough when he needed to, and was not easily ruffled. Daly spent two years at the Area Training Unit and had been Sergeant for ten years. At forty-three he'd acquired a wealth of information useful for CID. Deakin hand-picked him for his team partly to use him as a sounding board. The others turned to him for the latest, up-to-date knowledge in all areas of crime. He specialised in Child Protection, having spent several years on the squad. He learnt how to be politically correct but may, in private, have had a different view of the world. Keane and Slater knew him from their probationers' crime tuition. He was enthusiastic, steady and no nonsense; more 'knowing' then wise. As a practical and capable officer he dealt with everyone from the same neutral distance. He had the measure of Boulton, Beech and Skase. As a family man he transferred to Training so he could spend more time with his children, but came to Sun Hill keen to get back on the job. Daly shared a tempestuous relationship with fellow DS Don Beech. He was often infuriated by the way Don used his charm to get results – chancing it, not playing it by the rules. Always wary of Don's methods, Daly became aware that he was corrupt, taking bribes and interfering with investigations. Though he came close to exposing Beech in Walking On Water, he never gathered enough substantial evidence to present to his senior officers. Ironically, when Beech's corruption was uncovered by CIB, Daly had to be transferred away from the station in the 'clean sweep' of CID that proceeded.

Grace Dasari

Grace Dasari
First appearance	Better Off Dead (14/6/07)
Last appearance	Respect – Part Two (31/08/10)
Portrayed by	Amita Dhiri
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Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Constable

DC Grace Dasari arrived in Sun Hill in June 2007. After completing her doctoral thesis on Criminology at the University of Oxford's Centre for Criminology, Grace joins the police to put her academic experience into practice. She is recently transferred from the Specialist Crime Directorate where she worked long term on Eastern European organised crime. Grace does not like comforting victims of crime, she is logical and joins the police force to put criminals behind bars, not to do social work. Grace analyses the evidence before her and makes logical deductions given the facts. Despite her disdain, Grace is a team player. She will play to her and the team's strengths. If she thinks a colleague can do a better job than her, she is a big enough person to pass it on. Grace won't be seen down the pub with the team at the end of the day. She didn't come to Sun Hill for a social life. In 2008, Grace meets an old flame from her study days – Sunil Davdra – who turns out to be the defence barrister for Dwayne Fox and Tito Morientes, two suspects in a murder case. Grace attempts to distance herself from Sunil, and it is obvious that they didn't part on the best of terms. Grace later developed a relationship with DI Neil Manson. She was upset that he did not tell her about his son's illness and felt betrayed by him. However, they soon make up and he asks her out on a date. They try to keep their romance quiet, but it is later discovered by DS Max Carter, who informs the whole team. Later, Neil tells Grace that he loves her.

Mike Dashwood

Mike Dashwood
First appearance	A Friend In Need (23/10/84)
Last appearance	Going For A Song (25/4/96)
Portrayed by	Jon Iles
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Sergeant

DC Mike Dashwood's eight-year stint in Sun Hill CID marked a stable period for the department. His first DI, Roy Galloway left in 1988, and some years later, DCI Gordon Wray transferred from the station, as did his replacement DCI Kim Reid. Mike was taken hostage twice. Once by a madman called Bailey, who held Dashwood responsible for placing him in prison. Bailey made Dashwood stand on the roof, and wave to the officers down below. A shot was then heard, although it turned out that Bailey had turned the gun on himself. Shortly before he left, Dashwood was again taken hostage, this time by two young people who were robbing a magistrate, when Dashwood walked in on them. After he persuaded them to give the gun up, he revealed to the surprise of DS Roach, that he would speak up for them in court. Mike got on well with all his team. He was probably most like DS Alistair Greig in terms of personality. He also enjoyed working with the maverick DI Frank Burnside. Although intelligent, Dashwood seemed happy to stay at the rank of DC, it was not until 1992 that he finally decided to move on, transferring to the Art and Antiques Department in Scotland Yard. His last appearance was in 1996, by then a DS, when he was called in by his former colleague DC Carver to help on a local antique theft case.

Norika Datta

Norika Datta
First appearance	Exit Lines (19/9/89)
Last appearance	The Whip Hand (9/7/98)
Portrayed by	Seeta Indrani
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Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable

WPC Norika Datta, the cop with the super smile, was a favourite since she joined Sun Hill. During her sexual assault ordeal with PC Young, Norika's nerve held, just as it did during all the sticky moments she encountered during her stint at the station. Perhaps that was because she learned to listen and be tactful – she worked in a hairdresser's before she decided to become a police officer. It was a challenge to duck the occasional racist remarks from colleagues as well as to field abuse on the streets. She wasn't a flirt – that was why Young's approach came as such a surprise. And if she ever knew that Carver had a crush on her she didn't let on. But, then, she was a confident woman whose home life with her parents, Kenyan Asians who ran a newsagent's shop in Uxbridge, had always been secure. She had a white boyfriend, Peter, who was a sports teacher. When they went out in his sports-car, the thieves, vandals, non-coppers and no-hopers of the streets of Sun Hill seemed a long way away. At the start of 1993, Norika began working with the Domestic Violence Unit at Stafford Row and did extremely valuable work, especially where Asian women were involved. She learned to gain the trust of victims of abuse by never seeming to judge them – something which her boss Cato couldn't master. Her male colleagues took her for granted sometimes – offloading matters they suspected would be tedious on the grounds that if they involved women they must be domestic violence. Norika found the work so rewarding though that when she left Sun Hill it was to join the Crime Police Unit, developing guidelines on domestic violence.

Chris Deakin

Chris Deakin
First appearance	Unfinished Business (02/08/94)
Last appearance	All Fall Down – Part 2 (31/10/00)
Portrayed by	Shaun Scott
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Detective Inspector

Detective Inspector Chris Deakin arrived at Sun Hill police station as a Detective Sergeant, having been thrown out of the Flying Squad and forced to suffer the indignity of being disciplined by demotion because of his affair with a senior officer's wife. Deakin sought to resurrect his career at Sun Hill, but he found his path blocked by Detective Inspector Sally Johnson. Never keen on women superiors, Deakin succeeded in undermining her and quickly stepped into her shoes when she left. Deakin was adept and streetwise and had the confidence of a man who had done it all – he had nothing to prove. He presented a clean, quiet exterior which masked threat. If violence was needed, he'd use it, but he'd find the right time, the right place. He was a policeman of the old school and would never break the rules, though he was prepared to take chances if he thought he would get a result. Dedicated to his job, he was by no stretch of the imagination a 'bent' copper, but greatly resented the paperwork that tied up all the loose ends. His superior, Detective Chief Inspector Jack Meadows, had time for him and actively interceded when he was in the soup. Deakin’s final appearance saw him forcibly transferred from Sun Hill after Don Beech's corruption was uncovered.

Ramani De Costa

Ramani De Costa
First appearance	Episode #124 (25/6/03)
Last appearance	Episode #393 (23/2/06)
Portrayed by	Thusitha Jayasundera
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Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Acting Detective Inspector Detective Sergeant

DS Ramani De Costa, a DS of Sri Lankan descent, comes across as warm, engaging, extremely bright, and very good at her job. Her witty, sarcastic sense of humour sometimes gets her into trouble with her colleagues, but she is incredibly sensitive with those she deals with. With fifteen years' experience behind her, Ramani was widely tipped for great things. She passed her sergeant's exams with ease and certainly ruffles a few feathers in CSU with her far more informed approach to sex offences. She is a specially trained expert in the field. Her enthusiasm and knowledge are a breath of fresh air in the department. However, she also has the contradictory mix of computer-like brainpower and scattiness. She is the sort of person who will pile up files on the floor because there is no room on her desk, and who breezes past in a whirl of Post-its. However she insists that she can tell you where everything is, maintaining order in apparent chaos. Ramani is often running late, but she is incredibly effective as a copper and has a real instinct, which serves her well and makes up for her lack of organisation most of the time. Ramani arrives quite rightly confident of her own abilities and soon finds herself running the show with some brilliant suggestions for the Unit. Some of her colleagues are initially jealous, but Ramani is not into putting anyone else down; she likes to be liked. She eventually leaves Sun Hill to join the Child Abuse Investigation Team.

Ken Drummond

Ken Drummond
First appearance	Episode #021 (27/6/02)
Last appearance	Episode #288 (23/2/05)
Portrayed by	Russell Floyd
Information
Occupation	Detective Constable
Spouse(s)	Fiona Drummond
Children	Alex Drummond

DC Ken Drummond arrives at Sun Hill, shortly after the events of the first Sun Hill fire. Ken's trademark attire usually included a tropical-themed Hawaiian shirt. Ken is the man who you would always see with his feet up on the desk; while some might have called his style of policing "relaxed", a more appropriate term would be "lazy". His domestic life exhausted him; Ken has children spanning almost a generation, with the youngest eight months and the oldest nineteen years old, with all of them making equal demands of him, whether it be financial or emotional. Somewhere along the line, Ken found himself in a second relationship, and he did not have the heart to end his relationship with either woman. When more kids arrived on the scene, Ken found it harder to secretly play the family man to both families. This explains why Ken saw work as a refuge from his home life.

Upon his arrival at Sun Hill, Ken's relaxed-man attitude made its presence felt. Food was always higher on his agenda than policing, and he would often be seen befriending the canteen staff, from whom he used to get preferential treatment. Ken can still bring in a collar with the best of them. Ken once made the mistake of spoiling himself when a large sum of unaccounted money mysteriously turns up in his bank account. He later found out it had been planted there by DS Phil Hunter, who was using it to keep Ken under his thumb. Forcing him to pay it back, Ken is forced to carry out deeds for him in the meantime, such as trashing the flat of a paedophile. When Ken started moonlighting as a security guard because of this, he was drawn into a serious crime syndicate, which ends up with him being shot. Upon finding out while in hospital his son has been kidnapped, Ken immediately goes after Hunter.

Ken was always popular among his colleagues, and shared close friendships with Sgt. June Ackland.

He lived with his wife Fiona Drummond who is a Detective Sergeant and his son Alex Drummond.

He was killed by PCSO Colin Fairfax in the second fire.

Andrea Dunbar

Andrea Dunbar
First appearance	Episode #197 (10/3/04)
Last appearance	Episode #289 (24/2/05)
Portrayed by	Natalie J. Robb
Information
Occupation	Police Officer
Title	Police Constable Journalist

PC Andrea Dunbar arrives at Sun Hill, seemingly the ideal mould for a probationer with a zest for the job and a willingness to learn. During her time at Sun Hill, Andrea begins an affair with the married DI Neil Manson, an affair which ended when Andrea died in the major fire at the police station. This, and the fact that she finds herself surprisingly good at the job, compromises Andrea's position as a journalist. It is later revealed that Andrea is a journalist, placed undercover at Sun Hill by her editor. She had undergone training at Hendon, in order to go undercover in the police force and write an investigative piece on whether or not the Metropolitan Police Service had become too soft on criminals after the Stephen Lawrence affair. It is her most challenging job to date, a story which is guaranteed to make her name, and she is determined to do it well. Initially, Andrea is very popular among the relief, serving as a close friend and confidant to PC Kerry Young among others. There are many times when she obtains inside scoops, providing stories to her editor such as details about Kerry's rape and the Sun Hill Serial Sniper. When Inspector Gina Gold asks her if she has anything to do with the stories, she points the finger at her much distrusted colleague PC Gabriel Kent. As her deadline gets closer and closer, she finds that she has become attached to her position as a copper, and she is now unsure whether she should run with the article she had set out to write. Sensing her uncertainty, her editor blows the whistle on her and her position to Superintendent Adam Okaro. With her role now out in the open, her past work comes back to haunt her when she gives evidence at the trial of serial rapist Alan Kennedy. The revelations that she is not a real police officer are disclosed, her evidence is discredited, and the case against Kennedy ultimately collapses. She then faced the wrath of DS Samantha Nixon who had spent months building up the case against Kennedy. Desperate for a chance to redeem herself, she makes one last effort to gather incriminating evidence against Gabriel, investigating his link with the serial sniper and attempting to tie him to the events. In the end she succeeds, only to end up being held hostage by him in a store room. The station goes up in flames, and Gabriel chooses to leave her there to die, along with all the evidence she has against him.

References