The Bill series 13
| The Bill | |
|---|---|
| Series 13 | |
Series 13 DVD cover | |
| No. of episodes | 152 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 2 January – 30 December 1997 |
| Series chronology | |
The thirteenth series of The Bill, a British television drama, was broadcast from 2 January to 30 December 1997. The series consists of 152 episodes, including three-hour-long specials. There were just two cast departures in the series after four the year before; actor Tom Butcher left the role of PC Steve Loxton after seven years on the show; however, he would return in two episodes in 1999 as a guest at Dave Quinnan's wedding. The other departure was that of Alan Westaway, who left his role of PC Nick Slater after two and a half years. Their characters were replaced by PCs Luke Ashton and Sam Harker, with actors Scott Neal and Matthew Crompton appearing as guest actors on a number of times, both of the actors' most recent guest stints coming the previous year. The series also saw DC Tom Proctor introduced into CID. Actor Gregory Donaldson revealed in a 2018 interview on The Bill Podcast that the role came after impressing producers in a guest stint earlier in the series, portraying burglary suspect Andy Melford in an hour-long special, "In the Dark".
On 3 April 2013 the complete series was released as a two-part region-free DVD box set in Australia. The DVD artwork depicts DSs Don Beech (Billy Murray) and John Boulton (Russell Boulter).
Cast
Arrivals
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Departures
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Episodes
| No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Episode notes | Original release date | |
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| 1 | "The Old Pals' Act" | Chris Lovett | Edwin Pearce | Neil Reidman and Daniel Brocklebank guest star | 2 January 1997 | |
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Conway leads a raid on an after-hours pub, but during the raid, both Hollis and Keane are injured. Meanwhile, McCann and Slater stop a young boy trying to make an exit through the fire escape and find him in possession of cannabis and a substantial amount of money. Brownlow is called in when the boy is discovered to be the son of the local district judge. | ||||||
| 2 | "All's Fair" | Ian White | Rosamund Orde-Powlett | David Sibley guest stars | 3 January 1997 | |
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McCann and Keane investigate when a man is found mugged having been sprayed in the face with Mace. Hours later, a woman arrives at the station claiming to have been attacked by a mysterious assailant, whom she rebuffed with Mace. Daly has to work out which party is telling the truth, and to prove it decides to speak to one of the man's previous victims. | ||||||
| 3 | "Man Trap" | Peter Lydon | Nick Crittenden | Martin Freeman, Jill Halfpenny and David Spinx guest star | 9 January 1997 | |
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Quinnan and Blake investigate when a teenage boy is found dead from an electric shock in the flat of one of his neighbours. Initial suspicion falls upon a poor DIY job to wire up an outside light, but when Ackland and McCann discover that the victim and his brother were blackmailing local residents over tenancy agreements, another motive comes to light. | ||||||
| 4 | "Bad Debt" | Jo Shoop | Clive Dawson | Michelle Butterly and Derek Martin guest star | 10 January 1997 | |
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Beech and Croft investigate the theft of a loan shark's records, but Beech's prior acquaintance with the victim proves to be an issue for Croft. Meanwhile, Ackland and Page investigate when a young girl comes to the station to report a loan shark who has been hassling her mother - and uniform and CID find an interesting link between the two cases. Note: this episode marks another milestone in the development in the long-term storyline involving Don Beech's corruption. Early on the episode Meadows pulls Beech aside to question his relationship to the loan shark; "It's getting beyond a joke Don; there's just too many questionable acquaintance turning up - too many nods and winks and quiet chats." The episode ends with Beech having just gotten away with it by the skin of his teeth, which would become a recurring theme. | ||||||
| 5 | "Professional Opinion" | Peter Lydon | Nigel Baldwin | Gordon Salkilld guest stars | 14 January 1997 | |
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Daly and Skase investigate a woman whose son died after drinking her methadone. | ||||||
| 6 | "Testament" | Chris Lovett | Peter J. Hammond | — | 16 January 1997 | |
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Croft and Boulton investigate the sudden death of an apparently healthy, but secretive woman. | ||||||
| 7 | "A Policeman's Lot" | Ian White | Clive Dawson | Vicky Entwistle, Kenneth MacDonald and Bruce Byron guest star | 17 January 1997 | |
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Garfield objects when the officers of Sun Hill are forced to work with security guards following a vicious mugging and a burglary. | ||||||
| 8 | "The Devil You Know" | Tom Cotter | Andrew Rattenbury | René Zagger and Terence Beesley guest star | 21 January 1997 | |
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Garfield and Keane attend to a girl who collapses at a party after taking Ecstasy. Her father is convinced that she has been influenced by her boyfriend, but his faith in his daughter may not be justified. | ||||||
| 9 | "Once Bitten" | Mandy Honeyman | David G. McDonagh | Rebecca Lacey and Dean Harris guest stars | 23 January 1997 | |
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Greig investigates a drug smuggling ring. The wife of one of the suspects is one of Boyden's former lovers and she suggests giving their relationship a second chance. | ||||||
| 10 | "Turnaround" | Chris Lovett | Graham Mitchell | Tony Guilfoyle guest stars | 24 January 1997 | |
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Meadows and Deakin investigate the disappearance of a convicted child sex offender following a campaign of harassment. | ||||||
| 11 | "Over the Fence" | Simon Meyers | Renny Krupinski | June Page guest stars | 28 January 1997 | |
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Cryer and Loxton go to the scene of a disturbance between neighbours. They manage to calm the situation down but Steve recognises one of the neighbours that he arrested a few years previously for burglary. He sees the box for an expensive computer outside the house which he suspects is stolen. He and Cryer find themselves drawn into another argument between the two couples when they're both found to be in possession of computer equipment stolen during a ram raid robbery of a factory and each one claims to have bought it from the other. | ||||||
| 12 | "Grey Area" | Jane Prowse | Nicholas McInerny | Fiona Victory and Adjoa Andoh guest star | 30 January 1997 | |
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Meadows and Rawton investigate a doctor accused of killing a terminally-ill patient in his care. | ||||||
| 13 | "One Big Happy Family" | John Bruce | Steve Handley | — | 31 January 1997 | |
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Garfields complaint that Brownlow and Conway are out touch with real police work brings an unexpected response. | ||||||
| 14 | "The Eye of the Beholder" | Chris Lovett | Margaret Phelan | Doña Croll and Jonathan Newth guest star | 4 February 1997 | |
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Datta is trying to secure a conviction in a domestic violence case, but the victim unwittingly leaves out important details when giving evidence. | ||||||
| 15 | "Say a Little Prayer" | Jo Shoop | James Mavor | Joe Jacobs guest stars | 6 February 1997 | |
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Quinnan and Page try to find the culprit who threw a television set from the balcony of a block of flats and narrowly missed Slater. | ||||||
| 16 | "Downfall" | Brian Parker | Peter J. Hammond | Helen Blatch, Dolly Wells and Carol Hawkins guest star | 7 February 1997 | |
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Daly and Skase investigate after a man is found dead at the foot of the stairs in his apartment block. | ||||||
| 17 | "True to Life Player" | Simon Meyers | Tunde Babalola | Dannielle Brent, Fionnuala Ellwood and David Harewood guest star | 11 February 1997 | |
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Boulton and Carver investigate an allegation that a football star raped a young fan. | ||||||
| 18 | "Take Away" | Adrian J. Fearnley | Richard Stoneman | — | 13 February 1997 | |
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Ackland investigates a complaint from a prisoner that he was given a pizza topped with cigarette ends. | ||||||
| 19 | "Your Call Too" | Nick Laughland | David Hoskins | Chris Gascoyne guest stars | 14 February 1997 | |
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Croft and Skase disagree when they have to choose between investigating an assault charge and a cocaine deal. | ||||||
| 20 | "Breaking Up" | Jan Sargent | Elizabeth-Anne Wheal | Denise Welch guest stars | 18 February 1997 | |
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Rawton investigates a woman's claims that her ex-husband's mistress is trying to kill her. | ||||||
| 21 | "A Price to Pay" | Edward Blum | Carolyn Sally Jones | — | 20 February 1997 | |
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Boulton tries to trap a roomful of crooks, but Greig gets his man. | ||||||
| 22 | "Just Looking" | Tom Cotter | Chris Ould | Paul Bown and Cheryl Hall guest star | 21 February 1997 | |
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Boyden deals with a man stopped for soliciting who claims he was searching for his missing daughter. | ||||||
| 23 | "A Tangled Web" | Jeremy Silberston | Tony Lindsay | Frank Grimes and Geoffrey Freshwater guest star | 27 February 1997 | |
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Deakin and Croft investigate when a man is found shot with his brother's wife, as two unhappy marriages reach crisis point. | ||||||
| 24 | "Rolling in It" | Nick Laughland | Jimmy Gardner | Jane Hazlegrove and John Light guest star | 28 February 1997 | |
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Slater and Quinnan find drugs in a Lamborghini, but the owner blames his unemployed brother-in-law. | ||||||
| 25 | "Added Bonus" | Nigel Douglas | Julian Spilsbury | Kim Taylforth guest stars | 4 March 1997 | |
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Greig tries to establish why a man has confessed to a burglary that he didn't commit. | ||||||
| 26 | "Holding On" | Brian Parker | Kevin Scouler | Robyn Moore guest stars | 6 March 1997 | |
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Cryer and Blake respond to a young man's claim that his stolen car had his four-month-old baby inside, but Blake suspects that the man's wife may know more about her son's disappearance than she is letting on. The plot thickens when Cryer interviews the man responsible for stealing the young man's car and he claims that he fed information about the man's extra marital relations to his wife. | ||||||
| 27 | "Crime Management" | Catherine Morshead | J. C. Wilsher | Jamie Foreman and Ken Drury guest star | 7 March 1997 | |
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Croft and Lines try to get the victim of a stabbing to identify his attacker, aware that the attack may have been orchestrated by a vicious loanshark who has been on Lines's radar for some time. Meanwhile Boulton, who is aware that Lines hasn't recruited an informant for months, is forced to have a quiet word in Deakin's ear after Deakin asks the team to speak to their informants about a gang responsible for a number of warehouse robberies. | ||||||
| 28 | "Age Gaps" | Jan Sargent | Julian Perkins | — | 11 March 1997 | |
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Boulton and Rawton try to persuade a teenage girl to turn informant after her boyfriend is attacked by drug dealers. | ||||||
| 29 | "In the Dark" | Robin Sheppard | Tom Needham | Hour-long episode; Charles Dale and Amelia Bullmore guest star | 12 March 1997 | |
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Skase hopes that information provided by a blind woman after a burglary may help to catch a dangerous serial killer. | ||||||
| 30 | "Crying Wolf" | Catherine Morshead | Edwin Pearce | George Rossi and Cathy Murphy guest star | 13 March 1997 | |
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Monroe is called in to mediate when a former mental patient is accused of threatening behaviour by his elderly neighbours. Notes: George Rossi would join the cast as DC Duncan Lennox in 1998 | ||||||
| 31 | "Confidence" | Gill Wilkinson | Philip Kingston | Elaine Lordan guest stars | 14 March 1997 | |
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Keane uses information supplied by a friend to help CID in an operation against a drug dealer. | ||||||
| 32 | "All For Love" | Gill Wilkinson | Tony Mulholland | Bruce Alexander and Jo Kendall guest star | 18 March 1997 | |
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Greig and Lines investigate an assault on a man who has previously killed two people in a drink-driving accident, and suspect that a relative may have sought natural justice. | ||||||
| 33 | "Only the Lonely" | Martin Hutchings | Clive Dawson | Andrew Powell, Louisa Lytton, Dido Miles and Angela Bruce guest star | 20 March 1997 | |
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Deakin and Skase investigate a fire, and find that a mother's grief has had unexpected repercussions. | ||||||
| 34 | "Copier" | Harry Bradbeer | Simon Tyrrell | Peter Cleall and Amanda Abbington guest star | 21 March 1997 | |
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Rawton investigates the assault of a woman in her new flat and tries to link the attack to an unsolved case. | ||||||
| 35 | "Fashion Victims" | Jeremy Silberston | Gwyneth Hughes | Marlene Sidaway guest stars | 25 March 1997 | |
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Slater and Garfield arrest a boy for selling stolen goods. | ||||||
| 36 | "Hook, Line and Sinker" | Justin Hardy | Ben Cooper | Vicki Pepperdine and Trevor Byfield guest star | 27 March 1997 | |
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Beech investigates a woman who uses her sexuality to con her business partner and clients. | ||||||
| 37 | "No Claims Bonus" | Justin Hardy | Nicholas McInerny | Philip Martin Brown guest stars | 28 March 1997 | |
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Croft is concerned when Boulton decides to use a former colleague, now down on his luck, as an informant. | ||||||
| 38 | "Joker" | Martin Hutchings | Katharine Way | Alan Ford, Desmond McNamara and David Horovitch guest star | 31 March 1997 | |
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Beech and Croft investigate the killing of a stand-up comic. | ||||||
| 39 | "Typecast" | Mandy Honeyman | Isabelle Grey | Marc Bolton and Shirin Taylor guest star | 1 April 1997 | |
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Boyden and Page try to find who is responsible for a series of graffiti attacks. | ||||||
| 40 | "A Hard Rain" | John Bruce | Stephen McAteer | Ariyon Bakare guest stars | 3 April 1997 | |
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Boulton and Croft have to deal with rival drug dealers when a customer suffers tragic consequences. | ||||||
| 41 | "Rings on Her Fingers" | Chris Lovett | Simon Moss | First appearance of new style Motorola MTS2000 radios; Sean Arnold guest stars | 4 April 1997 | |
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Jarvis and Rawton investigate the ram raiding of a shop. | ||||||
| 42 | "Strange Meeting" | Jo Shoop | Len Collin | Ron Donachie guest stars | 8 April 1997 | |
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Conway coordinates the search for an escaped sex offender and a missing teenager who was last seen in his company. | ||||||
| 43 | "A Bitter Pill" | Sarah Harding | Barry Simner | Rob Jarvis and John Rogan guest star | 10 April 1997 | |
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Rawton and Skase investigate an attempted suicide by an ill woman, and suspect her son and daughter of assisting her. | ||||||
| 44 | "Dial 'M' For Marmalade" | Sarah Harding | Edward Canford-Dumas | Charles Kay guest stars | 11 April 1997 | |
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Meadows investigates a murder by strangulation and suspects the homeless schizophrenic man whom the victim had befriended. | ||||||
| 45 | "Sisters" | Gwennan Sage | Chris Lang | David Quilter guest stars | 15 April 1997 | |
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Daly and Croft investigate the suspicious death of one of three sisters. | ||||||
| 46 | "Flesh and Blood" | Nigel Douglas | Anne Downey | Tracey Wilkinson and Lloyd McGuire guest star | 17 April 1997 | |
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Beech investigates the sudden death of a baby on the night that his parents celebrated their anniversary. | ||||||
| 47 | "Parklife" | Nigel Douglas | Stephen Plaice | Connor McIntyre guest stars | 18 April 1997 | |
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Loxton and WPC Keane deal with the burglary of a pharmacy and a violent stabbing. | ||||||
| 48 | "Two's Company" | Jo Shoop | Nigel Baldwin | Natalie Roles guest stars | 22 April 1997 | |
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Greig and Croft investigate a burglary and discover that the married householder had been in contact with a girl through a "lonely hearts" column. Notes: Natalie Roles would join the cast as DS Debbie McAllister in 2000. | ||||||
| 49 | "Inside Edge" | John Bruce | Elizabeth-Anne Wheal | — | 25 April 1997 | |
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Meadows and Rawton investigate the assault of a prison officer. | ||||||
| 50 | "You and Me Versus the World" | Ged Maguire | Rod Beacham | Heather Peace guest stars | 29 April 1997 | |
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Boulton and Lines investigate a vicious hammer attack. | ||||||
| 51 | "Pay Back" | Jonathan Hacker | Patrick Melanaphy | Andrew Lancel guest stars | 1 May 1997 | |
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Beech and Carver investigate a vicious attack, but have to piece the evidence together when neither the suspect nor victim can remember what happened. | ||||||
| 52 | "A Place of Your Own" | Michael Cocker | Kevin Scouler | Charlie Brooks and Cindy O'Callaghan guest star | 2 May 1997 | |
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Garfield and Page search for a missing teenager and come across a man who exploits children in care. | ||||||
| 53 | "Don't Want to Hear the Bad News" | Jonathan Hacker | Paul Mousley | — | 6 May 1997 | |
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Daly and Skase investigate a burglary and uncover a deep rift between the suspect's girlfriend and her mother. | ||||||
| 54 | "It's Good to Talk" | Gwennan Sage | Julian Spilsbury | Adrian Scarborough guest stars | 8 May 1997 | |
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Monroe coordinates a search for the victims of a kidnapping. | ||||||
| 55 | "Split Second" | Ged Maguire | Candy Denman | Kelly George guest stars | 9 May 1997 | |
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Page ends up in a hostage situation following a failed armed robbery. | ||||||
| 56 | "Old Fools" | Brian Parker | Ben Cooper | Keith Marsh guest stars | 13 May 1997 | |
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Greig and Croft enlist the help of two pensioners to trap a team of burglars. | ||||||
| 57 | "Auld Lang Syne" | Michael Cocker | Terry Hodgkinson | Howell Evans, Patricia Kane and Rosemary Martin guest star | 15 May 1997 | |
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Page and Slater find an apologetic stranger in an elderly couple's back garden, but when Rawton digs deeper into his background his motives for being there seem more suspicious than he made out. | ||||||
| 58 | "Warnings" | Brian Parker | Peter J. Hammond | Arthur White and Jo Warne guest star | 16 May 1997 | |
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Boyden and Datta respond to an apparent sighting of a missing woman by her daughter. | ||||||
| 59 | "Calling Time" | John Bruce | Edwin Pearce | Jacquetta May guest stars | 20 May 1997 | |
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Boulton and Rawton investigate when a pub landlord is run over after giving Boulton information. | ||||||
| 60 | "Black and Blue" | Mike Vardy | Matthew Leys | Fay Ripley and Aden Gillett guest star | 22 May 1997 | |
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Jarvis and Keane arrest a nanny for stealing from her employers. | ||||||
| 61 | "A Bunch of Fives" | Chris Lovett | Tom Needham | Dominic Power and Justin Pickett guest star | 23 May 1997 | |
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Shock waves strike Sun Hill when Beech is found beaten unconscious in an alleyway. Uniform and CID join forces to find his attackers. | ||||||
| 62 | "Short, Sharp, Shock" | Tania Diez | Mark Illis | Su Elliott guest stars | 27 May 1997 | |
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Boulton and Skase investigate a mugging, but the victim's father takes the law into his own hands | ||||||
| 63 | "Get You Back" | Dominic Lees | Simon Tyrrell | Amy Marston guest stars | 29 May 1997 | |
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Quinnan and Keane deal with a teenage girl with a broken nose who claims that her ex-boyfriend assaulted her. | ||||||
| 64 | "Powers of Persuasion" | Tania Diez | Graham Mitchell | — | 30 May 1997 | |
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Rawton and Boulton have to decide whether to find the driver of a car involved in a hit-and-run incident, or to prosecute the witness. | ||||||
| 65 | "A Rock and a Hard Place" | Mike Vardy | Matthew Wingett | Barbara Marten and Catherine Tate guest star | 3 June 1997 | |
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Deakin and Carver come under pressure from Conway to find a vicious robber who has been preying on elderly victims. | ||||||
| 66 | "The Wrath of God" | Audrey Cooke | Terry Hodgkinson | Ellen Thomas and Larrington Walker guest star | 5 June 1997 | |
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Skase and Carver have to deal with a preacher who specialises in dodgy miracles. | ||||||
| 67 | "Knight Errant" | Dominic Lees | Anna Wheatley | Natasha Dahlberg guest stars | 6 June 1997 | |
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Loxton struggles to cope with a young female suspect who makes no secret of her attraction to him. | ||||||
| 68 | "Punch Bag" | Mike Vardy | Steve Handley | Andrée Bernard guest stars | 10 June 1997 | |
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Skase and Croft investigate the circumstances leading to a mother ending up unconscious at the foot of a stairway. | ||||||
| 69 | "Best Eaten Cold" | Peter Lydon | Alan Pollock | — | 12 June 1997 | |
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Greig and Rawton investigate a journalist's claims that he acted in self-defence to stop an intruder. | ||||||
| 70 | "Lucky Day" | Peter Lydon | Scott Cherry | — | 13 June 1997 | |
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Meadows is concerned when Lines seems to be getting too involved in investigating the sale of some stolen cars. | ||||||
| 71 | "For Richer, For Poorer" | Albert Barber | Nigel Baldwin | Annie Hulley and Ben Miles guest star | 17 June 1997 | |
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Quinnan and Garfield look into the disappearance of a man reported missing by his mother, although his wife has her doubts. | ||||||
| 72 | "No More Milk" | John Bruce | Terry Hodgkinson | — | 19 June 1997 | |
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Rawton and Page have to deal with a 14-year-old tearaway and half a million pounds in counterfeit money. | ||||||
| 73 | "An Englishman's Home" | Simon Massey | Barry Simner | Susan Jameson guest stars | 20 June 1997 | |
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Garfield and Blake are called to help enforce a demolition order on a home extension, when an ongoing dispute between neighbours erupts into violence. | ||||||
| 74 | "Loyal to the Last" | John Bruce | Chris McWatters | Nicola Duffett guest stars | 24 June 1997 | |
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Blake arrests a woman for assault and Beech tries to persuade her to help convict her husband for forgery. | ||||||
| 75 | "Rent" | Albert Barber | Stephen McAteer | James McAvoy guest stars | 26 June 1997 | |
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Boyden and Keane investigate the hit-and-run of a young busker. | ||||||
| 76 | "Last Respects" | Harry Bradbeer | Stephen Plaice | Perry Fenwick and Kacey Ainsworth guest star | 27 June 1997 | |
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Meadows hopes that a family funeral will lure a couple of jewel thieves into the open. | ||||||
| 77 | "Too Much to Lose" | Harry Bradbeer | Candy Denman | — | 1 July 1997 | |
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Stamp tries to persuade an unhappy convict not to ruin his chances of release. | ||||||
| 78 | "Do Unto Others" | Ross Devenish | Tony Lindsay | Julie Hesmondhalgh and Eric Mason guest star | 3 July 1997 | |
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Loxton and Keane try to sift the truth from three conflicting stories when a severe case of bullying results in a fifteen-year-old boy being stabbed. | ||||||
| 79 | "Mid-Life Crisis" | Ross Devenish | Gregory Evans | John Cater, Leslee Udwin and Paul Herzberg guest star | 4 July 1997 | |
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Daly and Skase discover that a jeweller is fencing stolen goods. | ||||||
| 80 | "Performing" | Chris Lovett | John Brennan | Rosie Marcel and Kelly Marcel guest star | 8 July 1997 | |
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Boyden and Page come to the aid of a former porn actress who is worried that her younger sister faces a similar fate. | ||||||
| 81 | "Playing With Fire" | Jane Prowse | David G. McDonagh | Letitia Dean guest stars | 10 July 1997 | |
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Meadows and Lines suspect that the owner of a beauty salon set it on fire herself to claim on the insurance policy. | ||||||
| 82 | "No Guarantees" | Pete Travis | Katharine Way | Laila Morse and Christopher Colquhoun guest star | 11 July 1997 | |
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Rawton tries to stop a loan shark who is terrorising his female customers, but finds it hard to get the victims to talk | ||||||
| 83 | "Gentleman Jim" | Mike Vardy | Scott Cherry | WPC Jamila Blake is seconded to CID | 15 July 1997 | |
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Blake is placed on attachment to CID. DC Carver, behind on his paperwork, is far from pleased when Blake drags him around Sun Hill following up leads on a trivial car theft case. Their investigations, however, lead them to a gang of armed robbers. | ||||||
| 84 | "Rift" | Pete Travis | Michael Jenner | Nick Conway guest stars | 17 July 1997 | |
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Slater and Ackland attend to what appears to be a teenage catfight over an older man. | ||||||
| 85 | "Stand By Your Man" | Derek Lister | Isabelle Grey | — | 18 July 1997 | |
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Daly tries to find out who is forcing a convict to smuggle drugs into a prison. | ||||||
| 86 | "Replica" | Michael Cocker | Rod Lewis | Nicholas Pinnock guest stars | 22 July 1997 | |
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Loxton and McCann confiscate a gun. | ||||||
| 87 | "Mr Friday Night" | Mike Vardy | Len Collin | Amanda Holden and Paul Mark Elliott guest star | 23 July 1997 | |
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Boyden and Page grill a witness after the disappearance of a good-time girl. | ||||||
| 88 | "Hitting the Nerve" | Brian Farnham | Renny Krupinski | Barbara Ewing, Fiona Dolman and Roger Allam guest star | 25 July 1997 | |
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Greig and Carver react when one prosecution witness disappears and another ends up in a coma two days before the trial. | ||||||
| 89 | "Thicker Than Mud" | Ian White | Maxwell Young | Elizabeth Bennett and Andrew Scarborough guest star | 29 July 1997 | |
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Deakin and Beech investigate an arson attack on a small, respectable clothes shop. | ||||||
| 90 | "Alternative Therapies" | Jane Prowse | Clive Dawson | Daniel Casey and Benedict Wong guest star | 31 July 1997 | |
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Skase and Boulton investigate the theft of illegally imported body parts of endangered animals from a Chinese pharmacy. | ||||||
| 91 | "Foxed" | Nigel Bristow | Tony McHolland | First appearance of DC Tom Proctor; Jonathan Coy guest stars | 1 August 1997 | |
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Daly and Carver investigate the burglary of an antiques shop and are struck by the strange behaviour of the sales assistant. | ||||||
| 92 | "These Foolish Things" | Peter Lydon | Mark Johnson | Sheree Murphy guest stars | 5 August 1997 | |
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DCI Meadows leads an investigation into the snatching of a child from his pram and uncovers a case of extortion. | ||||||
| 93 | "Neighbours" | Nigel Bristow | Mark Holloway | Neil Maskell guest stars | 7 August 1997 | |
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PC Garfield and WPC Keane try to settle a neighbourhood feud. | ||||||
| 94 | "Glass House" | Peter Lydon | Kevin Scouler | Margot Leicester and George Sweeney guest star | 8 August 1997 | |
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DS Boulton and DC Lines try to persuade a woman to help catch her husband, who is involved in a drug deal. | ||||||
| 95 | "This Old Man" | Dominic Lees | Colin Wyatt | — | 12 August 1997 | |
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Garfield is affected by the death of an old man. | ||||||
| 96 | "Tommy the Hero" | Mike Cocker | Chris Ould | James Ottaway and Frank Jarvis guest star | 14 August 1997 | |
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WDC Rawton has to choose between solving a minor domestic dispute and finding two violent robbers. | ||||||
| 97 | "Driven To It" | Jo Shoop | Patrick Melaphany | — | 15 August 1997 | |
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DS Daly enlists the help of a cab driver to catch a drug dealer. | ||||||
| 98 | "A Man Out Walking His Dog" | Jonathan Hacker | Terry Hodgkinson | Roger Walker, Christine Kavanagh and Roy Evans guest star | 19 August 1997 | |
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Sgt Boyden and WPC Keane attend the scene of a possible suicide when a man's body is found in a car, poisoned by alcohol and exhaust fumes. | ||||||
| 99 | "Hunt" | Jonathan Hacker | Mark Illis | Patrick Murray and Mark Burdis guest star | 21 August 1997 | |
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Sgt Boyden and DS Beech try to find a couple before a vicious drug-dealer gets to them. | ||||||
| 100 | "Has Anyone Here Seen Bigmouth?" | Jo Shoop | Ray Brooking | Anita Dobson, Sharon Small and Del Henney guest star | 22 August 1997 | |
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DS Daly and DI Deakin try to find an informant who has disappeared following a failed police operation. | ||||||
| 101 | "This Land Is Ours" | Brian Farnham | Hugh Ellis | Philip McGough and Allan Surtees guest star | 26 August 1997 | |
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Sgt Cryer and Ch Supt Brownlow police a demonstration at a development site after peaceful protesters are threatened with violence. | ||||||
| 102 | "Paying the Piper" | Brian Farnham | Sheila Duncan | — | 28 August 1997 | |
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DS Boulton's investigation is hampered by an informant who is putting family loyalty first. | ||||||
| 103 | "On the Hurry Up" | Mike Cocker | Richard Stoneman | — | 29 August 1997 | |
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When a flying bottle causes Slater to crash a panda, Monroe bans all pandas from responding to priority calls, a move that leads to frustration amongst the relief. Slater is suspicious as to why Loxton won't assist him in the investigation into a series of hoax calls linked to his crash. | ||||||
| 104 | "Not in the Script" | Ian White | Robert Jones | — | 2 September 1997 | |
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When Slater is recommended by Rawton for undercover work, he is overjoyed. His colleagues, however, ridicule him, and their interference almost costs them a trial operation. Will he bottle it? | ||||||
| 105 | "Flower Power" | Nicholas Laughland | Elizabeth Anne-Wheal | Michael McKell guest stars | 4 September 1997 | |
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PC Hollis discovers a hoard of illegally imported wildflower bulbs and helps in the subsequent Customs and Excise operation. | ||||||
| 106 | "A Breach of Trust, Part One" | Nicholas Laughland | Maxwell Young | Jacqueline Defferary guest stars | 5 September 1997 | |
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Daly's worst fears are realised when a nurse reports that she has received malicious phone calls from a mentally-disturbed ex-prisoner. | ||||||
| 107 | "A Breach of Trust, Part Two" | Nicholas Laughland | Maxwell Young | Jacqueline Defferary and Anna Manahan guest star | 9 September 1997 | |
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Daly and Blake are forced to release their prime suspect, and the race is on to prove his guilt before he strikes again. | ||||||
| 108 | "Fool" | Simon Meyers | Spenser Frearson | — | 11 September 1997 | |
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PC Quinnan and Sgt Boyden want to use a would-be stand-up comedian as an informant, but he is as hopeless off-stage as he is on. | ||||||
| 109 | "Armed and Dangerous" | Simon Massey | Tunde Babalola | — | 12 September 1997 | |
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PC McCann is convinced that a gun remains unaccounted for when a gang of armed robbers is captured. | ||||||
| 110 | "Animals" | Dominic Lees | Steve Handley | Ged Simmons and Derek Riddell guest star | 16 September 1997 | |
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Ackland and Blake investigate the dangerous world of dog fighting - full of vicious dogs and hard men. | ||||||
| 111 | "Look into My Eyes" | Chris Lovett | Tom Needham | — | 18 September 1997 | |
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DI Deakin and WPC Blake follow up allegations of attempted rape against a stage hypnotist. | ||||||
| 112 | "Performance Anxiety" | Christopher Hodson | J.C. Wilsher | Jenny McCracken, Desmond Askew and Linda Hayden guest star | 19 September 1997 | |
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Sun Hill's performance comes under scrutiny, and officers from CID and uniform compete against each other in a bid to solve the most crimes. | ||||||
| 113 | "Different Strokes" | Nicholas Laughland | Isabelle Grey | Karl Collins guest stars | 23 September 1997 | |
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PC Slater goes undercover in an attempt to draw out a thief. Notes: Karl Collins would join the casy as DC Danny Glaze in 1999. | ||||||
| 114 | "Sparks" | Brian Farnham | Peter J Hammond | David Quilter, Maureen O'Brien and Brian Capron guest star | 25 September 1997 | |
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DS Beech loses his cool with a DS from Severn Valley, while Skase falls for the charms of his WDC. | ||||||
| 115 | "The Lion's Den" | Simon Meyers | Barry Simner | Sally Ann Matthews and Paul Angelis guest star | 26 September 1997 | |
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Slater goes undercover as a bouncer at a club run by the notorious Guy Walsh. As Slater gains his trust, will he be exposed? | ||||||
| 116 | "The Needs of the Many" | Chris Lovett | Clive Dawson | — | 30 September 1997 | |
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PC Slater is surprised when, in uniform, he bumps into the target of his undercover investigation. | ||||||
| 117 | "Cross Purposes" | Ged Maguire | Edwin Pearce | Tony Selby and Sheila Dunn guest star | 2 October 1997 | |
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DS Boulton and Sgt Boyden both have an interest in the same pub landlord, but for different reasons. | ||||||
| 118 | "Free to Speak?" | Christopher Hodson | Richard Stoneman | Final appearance of PC Nick Slater | 3 October 1997 | |
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It's PC Slater's final day at Sun Hill, and he takes Keane out for a farewell dinner. Loxton, Quinnan and Skase do their best to extinguish any intimate moments. | ||||||
| 119 | "Dishonour Among Thieves" | Ged Maguire | Terry Hodgkinson | June Page guest stars | 7 October 1997 | |
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Sgt Boyden deals with a complaint from a notorious burglar who has had his own house broken into. | ||||||
| 120 | "Coup de Grace" | Tim Holloway | Nicholas McInerny | Di Botcher and Philip Wright guest star | 9 October 1997 | |
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DS Boulton finds himself trying to save a marriage when the husband is given another three-year sentence. | ||||||
| 121 | "Night of the Long Knives" | Brian Parker | Scott Cherry | Jason Salkey guest stars | 10 October 1997 | |
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The relief are furious at working in endless shifts, especially when Keane, Loxton and Jarvis have called in sick. Its Garfield's duty as Fed Rep to sort things out, when an evening turns from bad to worse. | ||||||
| 122 | "Straying" | James Cellan Jones | Rod Beacham | Peter Gunn and John Normington guest star | 14 October 1997 | |
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WPC Page and PC Stamp look into the disappearance of a man and his dog. DS Beech and DC Carver act on info received about an alleged robbery. | ||||||
| 123 | "A Bad Lot" | Ian White | Chris Lang | — | 16 October 1997 | |
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PC Garfield deals with a twelve-year-old boy who is running amok on a housing estate. | ||||||
| 124 | "Crimes of a Lesser Passion" | James Cellan Jones | Tunde Babalola | — | 17 October 1997 | |
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Sgt Ackland and PC Jarvis deal with a stabbing. | ||||||
| 125 | "Force" | Michael Ferguson | Carolyn Sally Jones | David Quilter and Luisa Bradshaw-White guest star | 21 October 1997 | |
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Insp Monroe responds to suggestions that he is out of touch with front-line policing and goes on the beat with PC Jarvis. | ||||||
| 126 | "Walkabout" | Brian Parker | Peter J. Hammond | Thomas Craig guest stars | 23 October 1997 | |
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WPC Page assists a missing person's enquiry by impersonating the young woman in question. | ||||||
| 127 | "Shades of Grey, Part One" | Danny Hiller | Manjit Singh | Ace Bhatti and Nicola Stephenson guest star | 24 October 1997 | |
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DI Deakin and DS Boulton lead the search for two children who are snatched from school and presumed to be on their way back to Pakistan with their estranged father. | ||||||
| 128 | "Shades of Grey, Part Two" | Danny Hiller | Manjit Singh | Ace Bhatti and Nicola Stephenson guest star | 28 October 1997 | |
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DI Deakin and DS Boulton are on the trail of the kidnapper, but the children's father has decided to pay the ransom money. | ||||||
| 129 | "Women at Work" | John Bruce | Patrick Melaphany | — | 30 October 1997 | |
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DC Carver and WPC Blake investigate the hit-and-run of a woman employed by a jealous lover to test her man's fidelity. | ||||||
| 130 | "Solid Evidence" | Tania Diez | Candy Denman | Wil Johnson guest stars. | 31 October 1997 | |
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Insp Monroe leads the search for a little girl who has disappeared after school, and whose mother is a prostitute and father a pimp. | ||||||
| 131 | "Going Down" | Jo Shoop | Spenser Frearson | Colin Baker guest stars | 4 November 1997 | |
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WDC Croft feels let down by the parents of a young drug addict who had promised to keep him clean. | ||||||
| 132 | "Accomplice" | Derek Lister | Tony Mulholland | Hour-long episode; WPC Jamila Blake returns to uniform; Nicholas Murchie guest stars | 6 November 1997 | |
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The abduction of a girl bears the hallmarks of a serial killer whom Carver helped to put away years ago. Did he work alone? | ||||||
| 133 | "Last Fare" | Jo Shoop | Richard McBrien | Sally Faulkner and Biddy Hodson guest star | 7 November 1997 | |
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DS Beech and WDC Rawton investigate the assault and robbery of a minicab driver. | ||||||
| 134 | "Stolen Thunder" | John Bruce | Stephen Plaice | Mark Wing-Davey guest stars | 11 November 1997 | |
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DI Deakin and DC Proctor are furious that an inexperienced young barrister has been assigned to prosecute one of their court cases. | ||||||
| 135 | "P.C." | Ian White | Richard Stoneman | — | 13 November 1997 | |
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Loxton carries out an illegal stop-and-search of a black man, unaware that he is an off-duty police officer. This episode is sometimes referred to, misleadingly, as "P.C., Part One" as it is the first part of a two-part story, with "No Trace" as the second part. | ||||||
| 136 | "No Trace" | Tania Diez | Richard Stoneman | Final regular appearance of PC Steve Loxton; Pauline Melville guest stars | 14 November 1997 | |
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A disenchanted Steve Loxton decides to resign from the force for good, but before he goes, he helps Quinnan settle a score with a crooked lawyer. This episode is sometimes referred to, misleadingly, as "No Trace, Part Two" as it is the second part of a two-part story, with "P.C." as the first part. | ||||||
| 137 | "A New Way to Pay Old Debts" | Albert Barber | Len Collin | Freddie Earlle guest stars | 18 November 1997 | |
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Sgt Boyden and WPC Blake investigate the death of an alcoholic found burned to death. | ||||||
| 138 | "After All These Years" | Tim Holloway | Lisa Evans | Veronica Roberts and Roy Heather guest star | 20 November 1997 | |
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Sgt Ackland and PC Quinnan investigate a car crash involving an elderly driver. | ||||||
| 139 | "Sands of Time" | Albert Barber | Anthony Valentine | Paul Jerricho guest stars | 21 November 1997 | |
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As the threat of tenure looms over DC Jim Carver, he is desperate to prove himself to Meadows by capturing a jewel thief who absconded years ago. | ||||||
| 140 | "Identity Crisis" | James Hawes | Mark Clompus | John Axon, Stuart Laing and Collette Brown guest star | 25 November 1997 | |
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DS Boulton pressurises a young couple in the hope of getting a result. | ||||||
| 141 | "The Same Stripe, Part One" | Chris Lovett | Elizabeth Anne-Wheal | James Marcus and JoAnne Good guest star | 28 November 1997 | |
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Ackland finds herself under investigation for accepting bribes. | ||||||
| 142 | "The Same Stripe, Part Two" | Chris Lovett | Elizabeth Anne-Wheal | JoAnne Good guest stars | 2 December 1997 | |
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Ackland is behind bars on a charge of accepting bribes, and her trusted informant has disappeared without trace. | ||||||
| 143 | "Hot Plastic" | Harry Bradbeer | Gregory Evans | — | 4 December 1997 | |
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DI Deakin tries to salvage an operation after an unsuccessful raid in which Sgt Cryer is scalded, DC Skase is injured, and the target escaped. | ||||||
| 144 | "Gaybashing" | Michael Ferguson | Simon Tyrell | Hannah Waterman guest stars | 5 December 1997 | |
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Sgt Boyden and PC Quinnan investigate an assault in a public toilet, a notorious meeting place for homosexuals. | ||||||
| 145 | "Potential For Conflict" | Catherine Morshead | Neil Clarke | First appearance of PC Luke Ashton; Geoffrey McGivern and Dominic Power guest star | 9 December 1997 | |
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Stamp visits Hendon for new recruit Luke Ashton's last day of training. But Ashton's confidence takes a severe knock, and he might not pass the course. | ||||||
| 146 | "Heartbreak Hotel" | Ged Maguire | Alan Pollock | Jane Wall guest stars | 11 December 1997 | |
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DI Deakin and WDC Rawton investigate the assault of a man who has been charming middle-aged women out of their savings. Notes: Jane Wall would join the cast as PC Di Worrall in 1999. | ||||||
| 147 | "Humpty Dumpty, Part One" | Ian White | Tom Needham | — | 12 December 1997 | |
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Ashton has a bad first day at Sun Hill when he and Stamp see a boy fall from the roof of a building. | ||||||
| 148 | "Humpty Dumpty, Part Two" | Ian White | Tom Needham | Rik Mayall and Roy Holder guest star | 16 December 1997 | |
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Cryer remains convinced that Jimmy's fall off the roof was not an accident. But who pushed him - and is his death linked to the attack on Bannerman? | ||||||
| 149 | "Humpty Dumpty, Part Three" | Ian White | Tom Needham. | Rik Mayall guest stars | 18 December 1997 | |
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All evidence points to Jimmy's father killing Bannerman and then pushing his son off the roof. But can Cryer and Ashton find a way to prove it? | ||||||
| 150 | "Out" | Harry Bradbeer | Tony Mulholland | Jason Merrells guest stars | 19 December 1997 | |
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DS Daly puts the pressure on an ex-con who would risk another jail sentence rather than inform on a friend. | ||||||
| 151 | "Twanky" | Mike Cocker | Mark Holloway | Hour-long episode | 22 December 1997 | |
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Putting on a Christmas panto proves to be the toughest case of the year for Page and the officers at Sun Hill. | ||||||
| 152 | "Things That Go Bump in the Night" | Gill Wilkinson | Terry Hodgkinson | Final episode produced by Michael Chapman, first appearance of PC Sam Harker; Timothy Bateson guest stars | 30 December 1997 | |
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Sgt Boyden and WPC Page find a notorious safecracker, blown up and in a semi-conscious state, in a dilapidated building. | ||||||