The Bill cast reunite during lockdown to mark UKTV Play debut

\'The Bill\' cast reunited during lockdown ahead of the show\'s arrival on UKTV Play.

The stars of the ITV police drama - which ran from 1983 to 2010 - came together for a special video call with the likes of Mark Wingett and Eric Richard reflecting ahead of the show\'s debut on UKTV Play.

Tom Davidson - UKTV Play general manager - said: "\'The Bill\' is an iconic cop classic that\'s full of that lovely warm feeling of nostalgia. Kicking off with the very first series from 1983, we hope that audiences enjoy being back on the beat at Sun Hill."

With the UK on lockdown, Mark and Eric - PC Jim Carver and Sgt. Bob Cryer respectively - were on a conference call with former co-stars Graham Cole (Tony Stamp), Trudie Goodwin (WPC June Ackland) and Chris Ellison (DI Frank Burnside), reflecting on the show\'s legacy as \'The Bill\' will be broadcast in full on UKTV\'s free video-on-demand service.

Trudie admitted she was worried what the delivery worker thought when her old police uniform was delivered for the video call.

She said: "When this uniform arrived yesterday in a clear plastic bag and was delivered by a dispatch rider, he gave me such a look.

"He obviously thought, \'What are they up to during lockdown?\' "

Chris pointed out one of the best parts of working on the programme was the relationship between the cast and crew.

He added: "There were no stars of \'The Bill\', there were no egos. It was happy, happy family people. It was a happy time for all of us!"

The first five series will start streaming on UKTV Play from May 1st as part of \'The Bill - The Early Years\'.