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The Bill LIVE

It's now going LIVE? (October 2003)

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:-(
A former member
noggin posted:

I didn't see a director credit though - did anyone catch who directed the episode?


Sorry if someone has already replied to this, but it was Sylvie Boden.
MN
MarkNewby
The script was very well written, and there were quite a lot of plays on the idea of screwing up lines;-

"I just don't know what to say!!"
and
"Well I don't know!"

Did notice the age-old trouble with theatre acting where someone has to interrupt someone - ends up in a total babbel as the interupting actor feels they must interupt instantly.

Also, Zack's mum couldn't open the door to her house - she put the key in [wrong one?] and tryed to open it by pushing towards it, but no luck, and a grin grew on her face as the scene ended.

The only thing I'm a bit unsure of was the fireworks at the end... it all seemed a bit too post-modern for me, it would have been better if it had been someone's birthday and they'd organised a display for them - maybe June Ackland, just to make a really sweet/sour storyline.
I have to wonder if these fireworks were meant to go off at that point, and how much danger the actors [who weren't expecting it, because the police officer held back for a second before running] were in.
The fall off the roof was good, but again Gary Best didn't quite stay still enough as we could tell for a few seconds that the car's bonnet was infact a sheet of tarporlin (sp).

Overall though, I thought that it was excellently done - made for a much edgier show as there were no pauses apart from advert breaks. Also note that it was in real time, chuffed to finally see a British series experimenting with that.

I'd give it 8/10.

Mark.
MI
Mich Founding member
It was a very impressive episode, a good enough script and neat enough acting, the technical side was very impressive. The Bill making use of Famil Affair's set yet again (it was quite spooky a couple of months ago to see the same street on two different programmes.

Katnap posted:
Fancy calling a girl Zak...sorry, is that really a boy?

Well this was a subject of debate for several of us watching at uni. We couldn't believe that someone would call a girl Zak, but in the end (after much use of "How is Zak", "How is the kid"...etc.) we found out that Zak was actually a boy - poor guy.
TV
TVDragon
Whataday posted:
Chris J posted:
Lewis c posted:
They're being a bit clever Kathy has just been offered some interview on live TV "Me On Live TV Ye " and what about the hospital set and Duffy in with her son as a Patient she was in the BBC one ,and nice to see Dennis from Corrie back from the dead.

He never used to have a Welsh accent though, did he?



The accent we heard last night is his real accent. The Corrie one was put on.


Tis not his real accent. He is Welsh, as you know, but he has a pretty 'standard' accent, I've seen him in interviews, he's from Pembrokeshire. His accent though is always perfect when he plays a Welshy character in his programmes for Welsh tv.

Perhaps he could do v/o work for ITV1 Wales trails, instead of the poor impressions done instead.

Oh, and I thought The Bill did well too.
SC
Si-Co
In Woodentop last night, was that the same actor playing Galloway as in the later series - I seem to remember him having ginger hair? John Salthouse played him in later years, didn't he, but I forget who was credited last night.

Loved the ads on the side of the London buses - especially the one for Pan Am 103, regretfully now an international synonym for tragedy.
WH
Whataday Founding member
MarkNewby posted:
The fall off the roof was good, but again Gary Best didn't quite stay still enough as we could tell for a few seconds that the car's bonnet was infact a sheet of tarporlin (sp).



Yeah, that's one thing I didn't get. Why couldn't they have used a stunt man to fall, and then cut to Gary on the roof of a real van?

Oh, and TV Dragon, never correct me, particularly if I'm wrong.
NG
noggin Founding member
Another rumour I have heard was that floor staff working on the show were dressed in police uniforms, so if they did accidentally appear in shot they wouldn't be obvious. (I guess FMs and Sound might get away with this - a camera in shot wouldn't have been so easy to explain away this way!)
DA
DAS Founding member
noggin posted:
Another rumour I have heard was that floor staff working on the show were dressed in police uniforms, so if they did accidentally appear in shot they wouldn't be obvious. (I guess FMs and Sound might get away with this - a camera in shot wouldn't have been so easy to explain away this way!)


Perhaps they were Evidence Gatherers?
JE
Jez Founding member
I thought the live episode of The Bill was good but I enjoyed the live episode Corrie did more!

I was so shocked that Juliet died, I didnt see that coming. What will happen to Gary?

I saw some of Woodentop on ITV2 - strange seeing Jim and June as they were 20 years ago!
WE
Westy2
The years have not been kind to Mark Wingett, have they !

'Woodentop' was a bit slow wasn't it, compared to when I first started watching the show, about 1989, about a year or so into the half hour episodes, so I've never seen the early years, but I seem to remember a lot of comments at the time mentioning lots of scenes set in toilets. (Have I remembered correctly?)

Have lent a copy of the tape to a non ITV2 owning work colleague, for his opinion.
Will report back soon.
SC
Si-Co
Westy2 posted:
The years have not been kind to Mark Wingett, have they !

'Woodentop' was a bit slow wasn't it, compared to when I first started watching the show, about 1989, about a year or so into the half hour episodes, so I've never seen the early years, but I seem to remember a lot of comments at the time mentioning lots of scenes set in toilets. (Have I remembered correctly?)

Have lent a copy of the tape to a non ITV2 owning work colleague, for his opinion.
Will report back soon.


I remember a scene from circa 1985 which showed Carver going into a cubicle in the gents with a dirty mag! Had to chuckle at that!

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