Episode guide
The Bill: Season 17
86 episodes · premiered Jan 5, 2001
Series 17 of British television drama The Bill consisted of 92 episodes, broadcast between 5 January and 21 December 2001. As well as 85 regular episodes, the series also included a spinoff Beech is Back, following a special 90-minute episode in Australia. The story follows ex-Sun Hill officer Claire Stanton, now a DI, as she goes to Australia to try and extradite ex-DS Don Beech for the murder of his colleague John Boulton. The spinoff that follows concludes the Beech storyline, which began in Series 16. Although the idea of making the series into a serial drama did not fully take effect until April 2002, many of the stories in the latter half of the year were multi-part stories, some containing up to six episodes, such as the "Night Games" saga. The two-part episode "Lifelines" is the last two-parter to feature in the series until the return of episode titles in 2007.
- Episode 1: Appropriate Action Jan 5, 2001 A teenage boy is found badly beaten, and a young girl, Lisa, from the same school is missing. DC Webb shows little interest in the case, so Sgt Cryer investigates the girl's disappearance…
- Episode 2: Criminal Practice Jan 9, 2001 DC Webb and DC Riley wait outside a cafe, whilst inside DS Debbie McAllister is conducting a rather clumsy undercover sting on a suspected drug dealer. DI Cullen is furious when the…
- Episode 3: Upon Information Received Jan 12, 2001 CID investigate a spate of car thefts, and DS McAllister's informant Jamie Ross gives her a tip-off about a gang of French car thieves working in the area. Ross is reluctant to name his…
- Episode 4: No Victim Jan 16, 2001 PC Worrell and PC Quinnan attend to a woman threatening to jump off a bridge. She turns out to be Sarah Collins, the wife of Terry Collins, a DS at Stafford Row CID. Despite the doubts of…
- Episode 5: Common Language Jan 19, 2001 A young Russian girl leads Dale Smith out of a nightclub, where he is promptly attacked by three men. Despite Smith's protests, Supt. Chandler assigns DI Cullen to investigate the assault…
- Episode 6: PC Smith Jan 23, 2001 Hoping it will convince Supt. Chandler to endorse his transfer to SO19, PC Smith volunteers with PC Klein to 'babysit' Clive Allein, the victim of a gay bashing who is reluctantly…
- Episode 7: Family Honour Jan 26, 2001 Supt. Chandler is speaking at a meeting on the Larkmead Estate, but vandalism and a petrol bomb cut short his talk. Sgt. Ackland is called to the house of local MP Stephen Hadley and his…
- Episode 8: Words Of Wisdom Jan 30, 2001 After an ear-bending from Marsha Harris, Supt. Chandler is determined to bring to an end the one-boy crime wave on the Larkmead Estate caused by resident hooligan Peter Rogers. Chandler…
- Episode 9: Out Of The Frying Pan Feb 2, 2001 DS McAllister continues to get useful tip offs from her informant and lover, Jamie Ross, including one about an armed raid on a betting shop. Meanwhile, there's a war brewing on Sun Hill…
- Episode 10: Mexican Stand Off Feb 6, 2001 DS McAllister pushes her informant and lover Jamie Ross too far when she tapes a privileged conversation between Ross and a client who admits to intimidating a witness in a court case…
- Episode 11: Cruise Control Feb 9, 2001 DC Webb poses as a 'rent-boy' in Eddington Park, a well-known gay beat in Sun Hill, as he and DC Lennox investigate a series of brutal attacks on gay men in the area. A car alarm alerts…
- Episode 12: Real Crime Feb 13, 2001 DC Kate Spears is assigned to a domestic violence case, but is alarmed when DC Mickey Webb realises the perpetrator, Neil Hayes, is also a suspect in a series of truck hijackings he is…
- Episode 13: Home and Away Feb 16, 2001 Supt. Chandler is outraged when he finds out about the aggrevated burglery of a deaf and blind woman in the local paper rather than from CID. Reg Hollis overhears Matt Boyden gossiping to…
- Episode 14: Going Under Feb 20, 2001 Dave Quinnan arrives late after rowing with Jenny all night. Ever the troublemaker, Sgt. Boyden sends him out on patrol with Polly Page, Tony Stamp and Vicky Hagen. Quinnan and Page have…
- Episode 15: Faultline Feb 23, 2001 Dave Quinnan just stands and watches as a shopkeeper and a young woman are attacked by a gang of thugs at his local corner shop. When he finally turns up at the station, he identifies the…
- Episode 16: Long Shadows (1) Mar 2, 2001 When DC Lennox is accused of planting evidence in an armed robbery case, DCI Meadows is determined to charge the suspect's accomplice, Phil Brown. Unfortunately, Brown claims to have been…
- Episode 17: Long Shadows (2) Mar 6, 2001 Under pressure from Supt. Chandler and the NCS to release Phil Brown, DCI Meadows convinces Moira Scott to admit to George Stubbs's involvement in the armed robbery as well as drug…
- Episode 18: Higher Power Mar 9, 2001 PC Jim Carver attends to a drug dealer found badly beaten on the Larkmead Estate, but finds himself in a dilemma when a friend Ossie from his AA group confesses to the crime. DS McAllister…
- Episode 19: Touched By Evil Mar 16, 2001 PC Roz Clarke is on attachment to CID, and puts up with the usual teasing from the detectives and her uniform colleagues. She cracks the case she is working on with DC Glaze though, when…
- Episode 20: The Leopard (1) Mar 20, 2001 PC Smith and PC Klein attend to Mr Kennedy, whose house and garden shed have been attacked by vandals repeatedly over the past few weeks. When Kennedy threatens to take matters into his…
- Episode 21: The Leopard (2) Mar 23, 2001 PC Klein is offered the position of partnership officer, but he is shunned by the relief, who think he grassed Smithy up to get the job. Sgt. Cryer has a funny feeling about Frank Kennedy…
- Episode 22: Tolerance (1) Mar 27, 2001 Sgt. Bob Cryer is approaching his 30th year of service, but some of the senior officers at the station doubt he is still up to the job. Supt. Chandler assigns Cryer the difficult task of…
- Episode 23: Tolerance (2) Mar 30, 2001 When the victim in yesterday's domestic disturbance turns up badly beaten and left for dead, her husband is adamant he had nothing to do with it. Mandy tells Cryer that the woman who was…
- Episode 24: Promised Land Apr 3, 2001 PC Nick Klein becomes involved when Kosovan refugees housed at a council estate are being harassed and attacked. Later, at a family gathering, Nick's cousin Jerry arrives and is praised by…
- Episode 25: Return of the Hunter Apr 6, 2001 Sgt. Cryer and PC Hayward attend an incident at a local school where an angry divorcee, Chris Finnessey, is demanding to see his son. When the boy's teacher warns the police of Finnessey's…
- Episode 26: Tour of Duty Apr 10, 2001 Visiting Bob Cryer in hospital, June Ackland is horrified to find that Cryer doesn't know he has already been replaced at Sun Hill. His replacement is Sgt. Craig Gilmore, transferring from…
- Episode 27: Lies of Silence Apr 13, 2001 On temporary assignment to the Serious Crime Group, DC Lennox is surprised to find Liz Rawton is Acting DI at SCG. The body of a young girl, later identified as Hayley Mills, is found in a…
- Episode 28: Over the Hill Apr 17, 2001 It's Sgt. Matt Boyden's 40th birthday, and to make matters worse, he has to cancel a date to attend an outward-pursuit weekend with PC Vicky Hagen and a group of wayward teenagers. CID…
- Episode 29: Head Over Heels Apr 20, 2001 Tony Stamp joins a dating agency for professional people, telling them he is an antiques dealer, and as he is living in the section house, gives them Polly Page's address. A CID operation…
- Episode 30: Hitting Home Apr 24, 2001 The relief have organised a farewell party for Bob Cryer, but it sounds like he's not too keen to go, so Ch. Insp. Conway pays him a visit. The police inquiry clears PC Smith of charges…
- Episode 31: Value Judgement Apr 27, 2001 A man matching the description of a local paedophile is seen lurking outside a local school, but when the police visit him, he denies it. Outside the school, PC Reg Hollis sees three men…
- Episode 32: Collateral Damage May 1, 2001 DS McAllister is surprised to run into her former lover and informant Jamie Ross in a bar, when he returns to Sun Hill after the man who wanted him dead dies of a heart attack. Ross is in…
- Episode 33: A Week of Nights (1) May 4, 2001 New Area Car driver, PC Des Taviner, makes an instant (but negative) impression on the relief when he starts work on the night shift at Sun Hill, with his overbearing manner and sharp…
- Episode 34: A Week of Nights (2) May 8, 2001 DS McAllister and DC Glaze are certain they've got their man for the Jasmine Allen rapes - Lenworth Lomanu, a convicted rapist who was seen by Klein and Stamp in the vicinity at the same…
- Episode 35: Wednesday May 11, 2001 PC Klein and PC Taviner arrest two men fighting in the street. DC Danny Glaze is surprised to see one of the men is his old school friend Lol Redman. He is even more surprised when Redman…
- Episode 36: Billy the Kid May 15, 2001 A ten-year-old boy who calls himself 'Billy the Kid' is arrested twice in one day, and when Sgt. Boyden speaks to him, he reveals he wanted to speak to the police without being a grass…
- Episode 37: Still Crazy May 18, 2001 PC Dave Quinnan returns to duty, and is determined to prove to everyone that he's back to normal after his breakdown. Out in a panda car, Quinnan sees a man shot in the head in a van - he…
- Episode 38: Complicity (1) May 25, 2001 DS Vik Singh goes undercover to a 'car cruise', where he becomes involved with a well-organised car ringing gang led by Kevin North. Meanwhile, DC Mickey Webb tries to cultivate an…
- Episode 39: Complicity (2) Jun 1, 2001 Tyro Shaw threatens to blow DS Singh's cover in the car-ringing gang, but is convinced otherwise. Singh seems to have impressed both Kevin North and his boss, Jennifer Salter, who seems…
- Episode 40: Suffer the Little Children Jun 8, 2001 DI Cullen leads a drugs raid on a warehouse owned by his old nemesis, Terry Barlow, but finds nothing. Cullen is furious with DC Glaze, whose snout tipped them off about drugs on the…
- Episode 41: Happy and Glorious (1) Jun 15, 2001 The Section House is closing, and PC Reg Hollis is not only looking for a new place to live, he is also applying for a transfer to SO14 (the Royal Protection unit). He is about to buy a…
- Episode 42: Gun Crazy (1) Jun 19, 2001 A mad gunman is on the loose in Sun Hill. Supt. Chandler takes a personal interest in the case, but when he confides his reasons to a young woman who was threatened by the gunman, he is…
- Episode 43: Gun Crazy (2) Jun 22, 2001 At the stakeout of the prime suspect, Chandler prevaricates, and Meadows has to act quickly when McAllister is in mortal danger.
- Episode 44: The Jury's Out Jun 26, 2001 After a minor car accident in the High Street, PC Jim Carver breathalyses an elderly man, but takes sympathy on him and allows him to leave in a taxi. The man turns out to be Hugh…
- Episode 45: Lick of Paint Jun 29, 2001 A spate of graffiti taggings in Sun Hill sees the police showing zero tolerance to the perpetrators. PC Carver is sympathetic towards an alcoholic teacher at Canley Art College when his…
- Episode 46: Temptation Jul 3, 2001 PC Roz Clarke has been working double shifts all week, and goes behind Sgt. Ackland's back to get some more overtime from Boyden as she is desperately in debt. PC Taviner promises her some…
- Episode 47: Envy Jul 6, 2001 Clarke helps Taviner track down stolen diggers and crime families while moonlighting in telesales to pay off her debts.
- Episode 48: Greed Jul 10, 2001 A distraught PC Roz Clarke fails her probation exams, and goes AWOL instead of returning to the station. A gang of thieves on rollerblades are rampant in Sun Hill, and their mobility makes…
- Episode 49: Redemption Jul 13, 2001 PC Roz Clarke unsuccessfully applies for a police loan. PC Des Taviner buys her a pushbike and suggests she sell her scooter, but Roz is far from impressed. PCs Carver and Rickman find a…
- Episode 50: The Dark Side Jul 17, 2001 PC Ben Hayward breaks down when telling primary school pupils about the death of his sister during an anti-drugs talk. Sgt. Gilmore is not happy, but the teacher thinks Hayward's…
- Episode 51: Angel Rooms Jul 20, 2001 PC Hayward and PC Klein arrange to get their stories straight over the missing bag of heroin. Roz Clarke ends up sleeping with 'Phil the Pill', and is surprised when he turns up at Sun…
- Episode 52: Paint It Black Jul 24, 2001 Klein's doubts about an unstable Hayward seem to be justified when his friend puts his life in the hands of Raven - an undercover cop with unconventional methods...
- Episode 53: Eye of the Lens Jul 31, 2001 Supt. Chandler assigns DC Kate Spears to a project involving CCTV cameras in the Sun Hill area. Much to Sgt Ackland's annoyance, she takes PC Jim Carver with her, and they have words…
- Episode 54: Another Country Aug 3, 2001 While on foot patrol on the Jasmine Allen estate, PC Jim Carver contends with an elderly man, Ronnie Atkins, who wants to deal with the local youths ""his way"". When Atkins' best friend…
- Episode 55: Britanniamania: Going Underground Aug 7, 2001 When an undercover officer from the Met's Football Intelligence Unit (FIU) is found stabbed after a football game, Supt. Chandler and Ch. Insp. Morys from FIU send a Sun Hill team to…
- Episode 56: Britanniamania: To Us and Ours Aug 10, 2001 DC Mickey Webb is close to infiltrating the Britannia gang, despite the suspiscions of some of its members - suspiscions which fire up when DS Debbie McAllister, posing as his girlfriend…
- Episode 57: Britanniamania: To Us and Ours Aug 12, 2001
- Episode 58: Britanniamania: Stand By Me Aug 17, 2001 A series of dawn raids captures most of the Britannia gang, but Julian Napper and Gary Hughes are still at large. With Napper on the loose, Supt. Chandler and DCI Meadows insist DC Webb go…
- Episode 59: Beech on the Run Aug 19, 2001 Don Beech turns up in Sydney, Australia, and almost immediately hooks up with Frankie Nguyen, a Vietnamese-Australian woman with contacts in Sydney's criminal underworld. Together, she and…
- Episode 60: Episode 60 Aug 19, 2001
- Episode 61: Come Live With Me Sep 18, 2001 PC Cass Rickman's lover Leroy Jones asks her to move to South Africa with him. As PC Sam Harker becomes involved in the NCS investigation, he warns Rickman about Leroy's suspected…
- Episode 62: In Another Life Sep 21, 2001 PC Sam Harker tells DI Cullen that he knows Leroy Jones didn't kill DS Hanbury, but they still use the charge as leverage to convince Leroy to help them catch Jen Resenbrink, the drugs…
- Episode 63: Crush Sep 25, 2001 A gang of masked girls armed with baseball bats run riot at a wedding, but escape with the presents before PC Taviner and PC Hollis can catch them. The gang have been causing headaches for…
- Episode 64: Liquid City Sep 28, 2001 While at a police function on the Thames with Supt. Chandler and DC Spears, DI Cullen spots a man climbing through the window of a riverside house. Cullen calls Sun Hill, but the rather…
- Episode 65: A Pound of Flesh Oct 2, 2001 Boyden finds himself paying crooks in order to clear his daughter's debts.
- Episode 66: Home Run Oct 5, 2001 Boyden puts his job and his love life on the line when his daughter disappears.
- Episode 67: Debt of Love Oct 9, 2001 Amy's money worries are still causing concern for Boyden and her debts put them both in danger after he tries to rescue her from the drug dealers who've kidnapped her and he's not the only…
- Episode 68: Blood and Money Oct 12, 2001 Sergeant June Ackland is visiting Sergeant Matthew Boyden at home to discuss his missing daughter Amy. Ackland reassures him and offers to help with his grand-daughter, Sophie. Later, his…
- Episode 69: Hidden Agenda Oct 16, 2001 As they enter Sun Hill, PC Vicky Hagen suggests to Matthew Boyden that a short holiday might save their rocky relationship but he is adamant - it's over. Later, they are both part of a…
- Episode 70: Lifelines Oct 19, 2001 In the station locker room, PC Roz Clarke tells PC Cass Rickman that she's got tickets for a hot club. As they laugh, Vicky Hagen enters and the room goes silent. Hagen demands to know…
- Episode 71: Sacrifice Oct 26, 2001 As the dead body of her one-night-stand, Rob Seaton, is carried out of Polly Page's flat, PC Vicky Hagen is taken into Sun Hill by CID for a taped interview. She is cleared of any…
- Episode 72: White Cliffs of Dover Nov 2, 2001 Jack Meadows faces an old enemy, while a beautiful woman makes him an offer that is too good to be true.
- Episode 73: The Value of Nothing Nov 9, 2001 DC Duncan Lennox is on a week's secondment to Scotland Yard's Art and Antiques Squad. Investigating a young woman, Tessa Gannon, who tried to sell a forged painting to a gallery, Lennox…
- Episode 74: Money Man Nov 16, 2001 An escape bid turns into a hostage situation as DC Danny Glaze goes undercover in prison.
- Episode 75: Beyond the Call Nov 20, 2001 Kate Spears is sent undercover to catch the murderer of McAllister's lover, but does McAllister push her too far?
- Episode 76: Night Games Nov 23, 2001 Sun Hill is eagerly preparing for the final of the 'Ask A Policeman' quiz but when Sergeant Ackland lets them down at the last minute, Inspector Andrew Monroe replaces her with the…
- Episode 77: Aftershock Nov 27, 2001 A traumatized Spears' attempts to escape the horrific events of the weekend are hindered by the surprise re-appearance of her tormentor. Once she is sure that would-be rapist DS Peter Cork…
- Episode 78: Compulsion Nov 30, 2001 DI Liz Rawton addresses her team and puts forward the theory that rape victim Terri's death was not suicide but murder. Whilst Pete Cork and DS Vik Singh voice doubts, Spears supports…
- Episode 79: Shout Dec 4, 2001 DI Liz Rawton and DS Peter Cork are visiting the scene of the latest attack. Cork is doubtful that the perpetrator is 'their' rapist as there's no bag over the victim's head and her hands…
- Episode 80: Judas Kiss Dec 7, 2001 DC Spears's hunch is proved correct when the truth about the rapes turns out to be more terrifying than anyone imagined.
- Episode 81: Slash and Burn Dec 11, 2001 Terrified, DC Kate Spears hides as Ferdinand crouches over DS Cork's motionless body and removes his car keys. When Spears calls on her mobile for back-up, Ferdinand hears and starts to…
- Episode 86: Deadly Encounter
- Episode 89: For Better, For Worse Dec 14, 2001 Polly Page is up against it when the wife of a murderous ex-con goes missing.
- Episode 90: Special Attention (1) Dec 18, 2001 PCs Des Taviner and Reg Hollis are 'volunteered' to look after new recruit Terry Knowles. Taviner is unimpressed and tells Knowles to do only as he's told. Meanwhile DS Vik Singh and DC…
- Episode 91: Lure of the Sirens (2) Dec 20, 2001 An angry PC Des Taviner, who is the Area Car Driver, has been allocated to CAD duty by Sergeant Craig Gilmore who is determined to rein in the maverick copper. As they leave the station…
- Episode 92: The Risk Factor (3) Dec 21, 2001 PCs Jim Carver and Des Taviner are following PC Polly Page and Terry Knowles into a flat where they find terrified tenant Billy Martin. Outside they chase two masked men but lose them. As…