Country of origin United Kingdom Original network ITV | No. of episodes 93 | |
Original release 4 January –
28 December 2006 | ||
Series 22 of British television drama The Bill was broadcast from 4 January until 28 December 2006. The series consisted of 91 episodes, as two episodes from the series remain unaired after the master tapes were stolen in a robbery at the show's recording studios in November 2006. Under new producer Johnathan Young, this series saw the programme begin to step away from the serialised format, and return much of the focus to the actual policing aspect of the programme, removing the more 'soap' feel as previously introduced by Paul Marquess.
Most episodes consist of two parallel stories running at the same time, much like the initial transition to hour episodes in 1998. However, some episodes feature entirely on one story, beginning the move back to single-themed episodes and the complete removal of serialisation in 2007. The series also saw one of the heaviest numbers of cast changes in later years of the show, with a number of characters previously introduced by Marquess being axed to make way for new blood. Young believed that several of the characters introduced by Marquess did not have the longevity of the more well-known characters in the show, and thus decided to give a number of highly recommended up-and-coming actors roles on the show, such as Kidulthood star Aml Ameen.
One of the most prominent characters to leave was Superintendent Adam Okaro (Cyril Nri), whose promotion to Borough Commander saw his position replaced by new Superintendent John Heaton (Daniel Flynn). However, Young stated at the start of his tenure that he had no intention to axe any of the staple characters, such as June Ackland, Tony Stamp or Reg Hollis, who had been with the show for many years. It is also notable that several long-running story arcs introduced in this series were not concluded until nearly a year later in Series 23 – the longest running storylines in the show's history. These included the disappearance of schoolgirl Amy Tennant, and the investigation into drugs baron Kristen Shaw.
On 5 February 2014, the complete series was released on DVD in Australia as a Region 0, playable anywhere in the world.