The Multiple Sclerosis Society has blasted ITV drama, The Bill today for making up a fake MS drug in a recent show.

The show which aired on Wednesday featured an MS patient being told about a fictional drug, Plavitron, which could alleviate MS symptoms.

“It was grossly irresponsible of The Bill to make up a drug,” said MS Society spokesman Chris Bentley.

ITV said it believed it had “told the story responsibly and sensitively”.

“We researched both the condition and possible treatments – existing and proposed – before and during the writing process,” an ITV spokeswoman said.

She added: “It was certainly not our intention to offend or mislead.” Read more & comment »

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. Read more & comment »

Actor, Jeff Stewart, has reportedly tried to committ suicide after being fired from the hit ITV drama, The Bill.

Jeff, who played PC Reg Hollis since the show began in 1984, was rushed to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, South London, after he slashed his wrists on the Merton set of The Bill.

An on-set source said: “This was a desperate cry for help. It’s extremely sad. He is in hospital and is being cared for.”

The Bill’s producers are expected to make a statement about the actor later today.

There will be a new bobby on the beat this autumn, as actor Micah Balfour joins the cast of ITV drama, The Bill.

Michael had a short one off appearance on the show last year as a drug dealer and the show bosses must have been impressed as he will return later this year as a fully fledged constable!

“I was over the moon because I really enjoyed my time here when I came in before,” Balfour explained of the news. “My mum’s also ecstatic because now I’m playing a character she can be proud of instead of the drug dealer or the gangster.” Read more & comment »

Best known for playing control freak, Bruno Milligan in sexy series Footballers Wives, and more recently seen in Holby City and on the West End stage as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, Ben Richards is returning to our screens as heart-throb P.C. Nate Roberts in ITV1’s longest running drama series, The Bill.

Ben said “The Bill has always had an extremely high standard of acting and storylines, and I’m really pleased to be joining such a great cast.” Read more & comment »

Scott Manslen, best known as The Bill’s DS Phil Hunter, has decided to jump ship and leave the ITV drama in a move to BBC soap opera, Eastenders.

An ITV insider told The Sun: “He handed in his notice this week and broke the news to colleagues. Nobody had a clue before that.

“It’s come as a bombshell to the producers because they see Scott as a pivotal character. He’s been on the show for five years and is getting fed up with the direction of the show.” Read more & comment »

ITV1 drama The Bill has welcomed a bit of Hollywood glamour in the form of a special guest appearance by former Dynasty and Colbys actress, Emma Samms. Best known for her role as Fallon in the hugely popular 80’s series, Emma plays dowdy housewife, Ella Winstanley, a far cry from the shoulder-pads and lipgloss synonymous with her former role.

Samms said, “This is the opposite end of the scale to a glamorous role, in fact, it’s an exercise in discarding vanity, which is very liberating. It’s a pleasure to work with so many lovely people, and there’s no way I could not have taken the role as it’s my mum’s favourite programme!” Read more & comment »

Michael Brandon, best known as Dempsey in ITV’s iconic 80s series Dempsey and Makepeace, is set to guest-star in four episodes of ITV1 drama series, The Bill.

Brandon plays charismatic casino owner Louis Dreyfuss. When one of his patrons, Tina Wilson (Bronagh Gallagher) is found beaten and robbed after a lucky night out, DS Phil Hunter (Scott Maslen) and D.C Grace Dasari (Amita Dhiri) set up a sting operation at the casino, that subsequently endangers PC Emma Keane’s (Melanie Gutteridge) life. Read more & comment »

Actor Jean Boht, loved in her role as Nellie Boswell in ‘80’s BBC series, ‘Bread’, plays Rose Harrison, an Alzheimer’s sufferer who has disappeared and is suspected of abducting and possibly endangering the life of her grand daughter’s new born baby. P.C. Will Fletcher (Gary Lucy) struggles to talk to Rose’s family in his new role as Family Liaison Officer, and everyone is led to believe the worst about her when during the search P.C. Dan Casper (Chris Jarvis) finds a baby blanket covered in blood. Read more & comment »

Best known for his roles in London’s Burning and The Royal, Sam Callis has joined The Bill to play fearless Sergeant, Callum Stone.

Independent and courageous, Stone has his own moral code and strict sense of justice, he loves the uniform and the statement it makes. He is also happy to go that extra mile and sort the odd dispute in his own time as it gets him remembered and knows a favour in return might be needed as some point. Read more & comment »

Comedian, Boothby Graffoe, is to guest star in hit TV show, The Bill this week, playing the part of a car dealer.

Boothby told The Sun:

“Being in The Bill was absolutely brilliant,” Read more & comment »

The Bill’s latest recruit has admitted that she loves being on the show, but wishes that she had better costumes.

Siobhan plays Sun Hill’s new crime scene examiner Lorna Hart.

She told The Sun: Read more & comment »

Louisa Lytton appears in her first epsiode of The Bill, recruited to play PC Beth Green, on tonight.

Swapping her Strictly Come Dancing glitz and glamour outfits for a pair of sensible shoes and the Met Police uniform, Louisa is excited about the new challenges she is facing as an ‘officer’ at Sun Hill. Read more & comment »

ITV are considering dropping primetime drama, The Bill to one show a week after ratings took a hit this year.

The TV show currently airs on Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm, but as ratings drop ITv are considering dropping one of these slots and replacing The Bill with a new drama.

A TV insider told The Sun: “We have a big responsibility to make sure ITV primetime stays fresh.

“As part of this we are looking at taking The Bill down to one episode a week.

“ITV are getting a bit bored of The Bill and are keen to try out new dramas at 8pm.”

Louisa Lytton, the latest actress to join The Bill team, has admitted that she loves her WPC’s uniform so much that she even sleeps in it….weird!

She told The Sun:

“It was really uncomfortable at first. It felt so stiff. Now I’m so used to it, I sleep in it. I love it so much it’s my new pyjamas.”