Planned relaunch for The Bill
ITV’s long running cop drama The Bill is to be relaunched later this year. The relaunch includes a change to the number of weekly episodes and a new post watershed time slot. Read on for more…
ITV’s director of television Peter Fincham said of the changes “I’m delighted to announce The Bill’s transition to a weekly 9pm drama on ITV1. It’s a fantastic opportunity to take the series to another level, marking a new era for one of the most established brands on British television.”
It is thought that the move is to allow the programme to become ‘grittier and more action packed’ whilst retaining its regular character narrative and storytelling about modern-day policing.
CEO at Thames Lorraine Heggessey added “This is a huge vote of confidence from ITV in the show and is a genuine first on UK television. We are incredibly proud of the show and we look forward to embracing the new opportunities this will bring.”
The Bill started life in August 1983 with pilot episode Woodentop before returning to ITV in October 1984. The show was originally shown in an hour long format of series, however the show returned after its third season as a weekly 30-minute serial in 1988. The format reverted back to hour-long a decade ago.
The show’s contract with ITV comes up for renewal in 2010.