The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work. At the time of the series' conclusion in August 2010, The Bill was the longest-running police procedural television series in the UK and was among the longest-running of any British television series. The series was produced by Thames Television, its name originating from "Old Bill", a slang term for the police and Geoff McQueen's original title for the series. It originated as a... one-off drama, entitled Woodentop in August 1983. ITV commissioned a series, which started in October 1984. The series attracted controversy on several occasions. A 2008 episode featured a fictional treatment for multiple sclerosis, and another in May 2008 resulted in litigation by MP George Galloway for defamation. The series has also faced more general criticism concerning the levels of violence it portrays, particularly prior to 2009, when it occupied a pre watershed slot.
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| On the air: | October 16, 1984-August 31, 2010 |
| Number of seasons: | 25 |
| Producer: | Chris Parr, Peter Cregeen, Paul Marquess |