TV: Tim turns the key on The Bill

Respect, a two-part story, features all 17 of the regular cast and includes a crafty little cameo by series producer Tim Key.

For their final case, the coppers of Sun Hill find themselves caught up in the wake of a suspected gang-related murder.

Brutal and hard-hitting, the story features what has been described as one of the most harrowing TV scenes ever broadcast. The episodes are The Bill at its best, believes Key.

"They are a real calling card for what we feel The Bill has always been about," he says. "I would say rather boldly that everything you expect from The Bill is in the final pair of episodes.

"We decided not to have any returning faces but every single one of the current cast is there, and the final five minutes are incredibly poignant and technically very impressive."

The Bill was born out of a 1983 pilot drama called Wooden Top, created by the late Geoff McQueen. For 27 years it has been one of the most popular continuing dramas on TV and over the last three decades has introduced viewers characters such as Sgt Cryer, June Ackland and PC Reg Hollis, not forgetting the current cast, who were all devastated when ITV announced the axing of the series earlier this year.

"I knew the evening before the cast were told," reveals Key. "It hadn't been obvious that it would happen, but also it wasn't a complete shock. We were aware that the TV drama industry is changing and that the strengths of The Bill were also its weakness. The fact that it had been around for so long made it vulnerable.

"ITV was facing its own challenges and had to make bold decisions. Time will tell if this was a good decision or not. From our side, we knew that the longer the show continued, the more at risk it would become because nothing lasts forever - even Coronation Street will finish one day. But once the decision was made we all said, 'Let's do our best up to the last second'."

Key puts the axing down to a number of things, not least ITV having to look very hard at its financial situation, but rejects claims that the show had reached its sell-by date.

"We were an expensive show if you look at what they paid all year round, but in terms of the cost per hour of drama we were actually extremely competitive," he says.

"As for the series having had its day, well, I completely disagree with that. We were a very hungry team who had a lot of creative ideas to continue driving the show forward. I'm extremely proud of what The Bill has done over its 27 years."

In hindsight, the writing was on the wall last year when the series was cut to one episode a week and relaunched in a post-watershed time slot. At the same time STV took the decision to drop the series, ITV quickly scheduling ITV3 repeats for Scottish viewers.

"That was a real blow to us. It came as a shock because we had a strong fan base in Scotland. The response from Scottish viewers was very heartening and there was actually a time when it was going to go back on... then the axe fell.

"Again, when people talk about ratings and say ours weren't good, well, in one fell swoop we lost Scotland and that was out of our control. For the current climate we actually had healthy viewing figures, had we not lost Scotland they would have been even healthier."

Filming ceased on the Bill in July and as the final episodes are about to be broadcast Key is pragmatic.

"We all work in a freelance industry and shows like The Bill are a dying breed. It is now very unusual to work on a show for a long time.

"All of our cast were gutted when it was axed but accepted that this one of the incredible downsides of what they do for a living.

"They dealt with it, as did the crew, many of whom have worked on the series for years. I know it's an old cliche, but it really was a friendly family atmosphere on The Bill."

He adds, "You know when you are onto a good thing and this has been a good thing. So we just savoured what we had left.

"It was a case of, 'What are we going to say with our final episodes? How are we going to honour and respect the programme? And although it has been very, very tough, everybody bought into that. I couldn't have wished for a better group of people to be with as the curtain fell."

Of course, other axed shows have made triumphant returns and while Key is unaware of any discussions to bring the series back, he doesn't rule out a return to the beat for Sun Hill's boys and girls in blue. "I would never say never. It's a brand that everybody knows," he says. "Who knows what will happen?

"But it will go out on a high, with its head held high, and then it will continue to exist in the industry.

"The format is there for anyone who wants to use it in the future. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if in five years time it was back in some shape or form."

Laughing he adds, "And I shall be in a box on a shelf, and if anybody wants to dust me off I'll be there waiting."

The Bill: Respect Part 1, ITV3, Monday, 11pm.

The Bill: Respect Part 2, ITV1, Tuesday, 9pm/ITV3, Monday 6 September, 11pm