Best known for her portrayal as Dayna Mellanby in cult 80s sci-fi series Blake’s 7 actress Josette Simon guest stars in The Bill’s eight-part special, Witness as Dr Rachel Cartwright who finds herself arrested by PC Nate Roberts (Ben Richards) after performing illegal operations on injured criminals. The Sun Hill officers are soon forced to ask for the guilty doctor’s help when her actions leave a man fighting for his life.

A distinguished stage actress with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Simon has more recently appeared in The Whistleblowers and Casualty. She has won several awards including the Evening Standard Best Actress Award in the Royal National Theatre’s production of After The Fall and was awarded the OBE for services to drama in 2000.

In Witness, Sergeant Smith (Alex Walkinshaw) is devastated when young mother Carly (Marsha Leanne Crosby) is gunned down, caught in the crossfire of inter-gang rivalry on an east London estate. This dramatic eight-parter takes the viewer on an emotional journey, exploring a very real problem.