Host of stars remember first steps to fame on The Bill
ITV police drama 'The Bill' - which has been axed by the channel after 27 years - has been a launchpad for many of today’s television stars, who took their first acting steps on the Sun Hill beat.
From film stars to comedy legends, some of the biggest names in entertainment once appeared in Britain’s longest-running police show.
Actors include Robert Carlyle, now best known for his performances in 'Trainspotting' and 'The Full Monty'. An up-and-coming actor at the time, he guest starred in a 1991 episode 'The Better Part of Valour'.
Former EastEnder and one-time chart star Martine McCutcheon also had an early taste of TV when she joined the world of police drama in 1991. She played a paper girl initially in one episode, then returned a year later playing teenager Amanda Jones, brought into the station after being found at a drugs party.
But the action-packed drama was not just a boost for those heading into the acting world – many singers also found their feet on the pavements of the fictional borough of Canley.
Former Spice Girl star Emma Bunton turned up on TV screens in 1993 aged 17, playing a troubled teenager while one-hit-wonder singer Chesney Hawkes also had a role two years earlier.
Cast members have even been catapulted as far as Hollywood, with Pirates of the Caribbean actress Keira Knightley getting a break on the show as a child actor.
She played 10-year-old Sheena Rose in 1995, a young tearaway found to have stolen coins in her bag.
Knightley’s 'Atonement' co-star, James McAvoy, had one of his first TV appearances on The Bill, two years later.
Comedy stars have also found themselves in the environs of the famed police station at the start of their careers, including Russell Brand, who appeared in the show aged just 18 in 1994 and David Walliams, whose landed a role in 2002, just a year before Little Britain was born.
There have been a number of cameo roles. Among the most recognised names is presenter Lorraine Kelly, who appeared as herself in 2003 interviewing PC Cathy Bradford on the GMTV set, and radio DJ Tony Blackburn in the 2001 episode 'Night Games'.
