The end of The Bill

Police drama The Bill is to be by ITV and I am not at all surprised. I did watch The Bill for many years and found it interesting and entertaining. However, when it turned itself into a soap opera it definitely lost its interest for me.
However, the number of ‘stars’ that made guest appearances over the years is very long:
· Paul O'Grady, who played drag queen Roxanne in several episodes between 1988 and 1990.
· David Tennant, recently retired as the most popular Doctor Who. He appeared, in a single episode of The Bill in 1995.
· Robert Carlyle, celebrated for his performances in Trainspotting and The Full Monty, guest-starred in a 1991 episode.
· Former EastEnder and one-time chart star Martine McCutcheon also had an early taste of TV when she joined the world of police drama in 1991.
· Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton turned up in 1993, aged 17, playing a troubled teenager.
· One-hit-wonder Chesney Hawkes also had a Sun Hill role
· In 1984, Lord of the Rings and Sharpe star Sean Bean appeared in a single episode of The Bill.
· Michelle Collins, also appeared just the once
· In 1995 Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley got a break on the show. She played 10-year-old Sheena Rose in 1995.
· Knightley's Atonement movie co-star James McAvoy, also had one of his first TV appearances on The Bill two years later.
· Russell Brand appeared in the show, aged 18, in 1994.
· David Walliams landed a role in 2002, a year before Little Britain appeared on our screens.
· Roger Daltrey of The Who also appeared
The writing was on the wall when they changed The Bill from its successful drama series to a twice a week, half-hourly soap format. Old school Sun Hill veterans like Reg, June and Tony were replaced by babes and hunks. Burnside and Tosh Lines's days were over and so was the Bill’s.