2007-2009: Crime Based Stories
During 2006/ 2007 Johnathan Young began retooling the programme which led to noticeable changes in The Bill. Whilst personal storylines remain, they are of less abundance than before, and more time is spent on crime-based Stories. The episode titles were reintrouced beginning with Episode # 490 which was titled Sweet Revenge - broadcast on 21 March 2007, which saw the serial format dropped. A spokesperson for the programme commented on how the titles summed up the 'essence' of an episode. Sensational storylines have also been dropped since 2007. The deaths of officers are far less frequent and the focus of the more dramatic storylines is largely on the crimes being dealt with, and not on the personal lives or conduct of the officers. Arguably the most memorable storyline of the Young era so far was DC Zain Nadir's undercover operation.
By mid-2007, The serial format remains in place, the storylines are generally more self-contained and are often dealt with in two or three episode blocks and there is little to no sensational stories or stories about the characters private lives.. An example of this might be the recent Closing The Net two-part storyline and Witness, a storyline which spanned out over eight episodes . The Bill has more frequently featured self-contained episodes, focusing on one or more crime storylines wrapped up in one hour. In this way, the programme more closely resembles the earlier period helmed by Richard Handford.
Jonathan Young also axed a few characters in his first few months in the job;
- PC Lance Powell
- PC Steve Hunter
- SRO Julian Travel
- CAD Officer Dean McVerry
On 3 January 2007 to bring in the new year, the episode opening titles were revamped once again, paying homage to the original 1984 titles. The 2007 ones have shots of London, interspersed with police work and shots of Sun Hill Police Station. The break bumpers and music were also updated.
Because of the more compact and less serialised format adopted under Johnathan Young, episode titles were reintroduced, beginning with Episode # 490 which was titled Sweet Revenge - broadcast on 21 March 2007. A spokesperson for the programme commented on how the titles summed up the 'essence' of an episode.
Read more about this topic: History Of The Bill
Famous quotes containing the words crime, based and/or stories:
“Crime seems to change character when it crosses a bridge or a tunnel. In the city, crime is taken as emblematic of class and race. In the suburbs, though, it’s intimate and psychological—resistant to generalization, a mystery of the individual soul.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)
“The time must come, my friend ... when brutality and the lust for power must perish by its own sword.... For when that day comes, the world must begin to look for a new life, and it is our hope that they may find it here. For here we shall be, with their books, and their music, and a way of life based on one simple rule: Be kind.”
—Robert Riskin (1897–1955)
“But stories that live longest
Are sung above the glass,
And Parnell loved his country
And Parnell loved his lass.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)