★★★★★ 0/5

The Bill sacks actor after 22 years

Actor Graham Cole (PC Tony Stamp) who has been with the ITV soap since 1987, is now deemed "too old."

18
Leave a comment

billITV is sweeping a new broom through The Bill as part of a relaunch and has axed PC Tony Stamp after 22 years, because he is “too old.”

Actor Graham Cole has been told he no longer fits the ‘dynamics’ of the soap, which is planning a ‘gritty’ relaunch in November with actors who would be younger and sexier.

The 57-year-old, who has been with the show since 1987, said he was devastated when he was given his marching orders. He is the show’s longest-serving character.

“I cannot tell you how disappointed and disregarded I feel,” he said in email to a fan website.

“I will launch the new format but then they don’t want anything negative within the new show.

“So poor old Tony will be sent to training school, with the door left open to come back for odd episodes.”

In an official statement released later by the show, he said: “I have had a wonderful time patrolling the streets of Sun Hill and of course I’m sad to leave.

“I’m looking forward to seeking out some new challenges and enjoying life outside the nick.”

Very polite.

As well as the the show moving from 8pm to 9pm, The Bill was recently a victim of ITV’s economic woes, trimmed from two episodes a week to one. Cole is believed to be on a £120,000 a-year salary.

The drama continues to perform for the ABC as part of a strong Saturday line-up.

Source: Daily Mail

18 Responses

  1. The fact that the Bill was nothing like the yank soaps was what attracted me to the show in the first place. The acting itself has always been woeful, but that’s part of the charm. The big burly hardened 100kg plus crim being pinned down by a 40 something kilo wpc with a cry of “Ow, you’re breakin’ my bleedin’ arm” always managed to get a chortle of laughter out of me.
    Much more lamenting to be had, it would seem.

  2. We in Australia have just found out that Tony has been ” chopped ” At least you miserable buggers could have let him go with dignity after all the years he gave to the show,the same as Reg.Unfortunatley both my wife and I enjoy the show too much to give it up.

  3. 22 years is a very good run for an actor on a television series. He should be proud of that achievement and gracefully retire from the show (which he seems to have done).

    Yes, it’s disappointing for him and fans of his character, but sometimes change is unavoidable. The days of the old Bill are over and there’s no going back. I remember watching the original (with Burnside) back in the 1980s as a lad in the UK.

  4. The Bill winning two soapie awards neatly sums up where this show has gone. It was a police drama until the shake-up of the early 00s when they purged a whole heap of characters.

    They decided to stop focussing on cases and started focussing more on the characters lives. I lost interest back then and I haven’t watched it since. Now that Tony is going, Jack Meadows is the only one left from those days. He’ll be definitely on the list of those going.

  5. Doctor Who finally got the renovation it had sorely needed for many, many years, and look at the acclaim, the massive audiences and the general phenomenon.

    There’s no reason the tired old Bill wouldn’t benefit from the same kind of treatment. ITV surely have the Who revitalisation in mind here.

    And those wanting the polite old cardboard-set cardboard-acting cardboard-script Bill, well, you’ve got gobloads of it to watch on DVD. 🙂

  8. The Bill is rating better than ever in both the U.K and Australia, and has recently picked up several UK soapie awards, just as the show has been cut from 2 weekly eps to 1. Does anyone know if ITV plans to reinstate the double episodes?

  9. it does seem like this was always going to happen when it was announced it was going once a week, it was always going to lead to job cuts, and im sure he was paid more than some of the newer cast.

    as for what the show will be like when its relaunched, well who knows I think it will try to be more like a US cop show, but really its impossible to know what will happen, or even when it will happen.

    Patrick, yes I would think that ABC will have to cut back to 1 hour a week as well, if you kept going long enough, you would over take ITV 1 and possibly the production team.

  10. Arh, grittier and sexier is not always the key. I mourn the loss of PC Stamp, and not to mention June, Reg, Dave, Gina, Burnside, Roach, and the like… and wikipedia says Samantha Nixon just left too! Does the old nick retire their old staff as well? It doesnt have to become CSI for goodness sake!

  11. Well what could the producers do though?

    The show was cut from 2 eps a week to just 1 and certainly quite a lot of the actors would have to go.

    Cole won’t be the last of the actors to be going.

    But I assume that when the ABC catches up with the ‘new’ Bill that the 2 hr block will be halved to 1??

  12. They went a “younger sexier soapier” route once before, and lost a lot of viewers that they never regained when they got back on track, me included.

    Looks like they’re trying again. I expect it will fail this time, too.

  13. 22years? wow – thats some impressive run! Shame he’s getting shown the door.
    Relaunching the show as grittier, sexier and younger? Oh please – if this economic situation keeps up, it’ll fall flat on its face. We been newer and fresher comedies – and soem good old escapism tv.

    *cough* Bring back The Sarah Connor Chronicles *cough*

  17. compared to some of the woeful younger actors the cast has, Graham Cole is fantasic and I’d much sooner watch him than any of them any day. Sad the Bill have decided to let such a great actor go but it seems as though the bill is turning from a blue heelers type show to a rush type show.

    Well as a fan of the bill, i wish them well but I have my doubts this revamp is for the best…

  18. I’ve watched this show since the very start, but have been giving it a miss lately as it just doesn’t feel the same anymore and I just can’t stay interested.
    The Tony Stamp character is one part of the show that reminds me of the old days and his departure is sad news and more than likely the final nail in the coffin for me.

Leave a Reply