The Bill

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Name: The Bill
Abbreviation(s):
Creator:
Date(s): 1984-2010
Medium: TV
Country of Origin: UK
External Links:
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The Bill is a long running British police procedural television series that focuses on the lives and work of one shift of police officers. It has been described as Britain's longest running police soap opera.

The show began broadcasting in October 1984 and aired its last episode in August of 2010. Over 2000 episodes have aired.

Overview of Fandom History

An excellent overview of the The Bill fandom history in Australia has been documented here.

Fanworks

Fanfic

"The earliest gen fan fiction relative to The Bill appeared in hardcopy format in Australia and in Britain in the early 1990s. An undated Australian fiction, written by Cathy Goodwin, echoed the ethos of The Bill at that time by focusing exclusively on police work. Other examples of undated Australian work include ‘Hole in One’, ‘Any Place Any Time’ and ‘MTA’. In Britain at about the same time, J. Urquhart published The Bill Sun Hill and Xmas at Sun Hill, two short-story fanzines. The earliest het fan fiction relative to The Bill is unarchived. However, since the ethos of The Bill pre-1997 (as noted in relation to gen fan fiction) was on professional life and not on romantic/sexual liaisons, it is reasonable to expect one of two consequences. Either there would be numerous het stories in an attempt to satisfy fan’s longing for conventional romantic narratives or there would be few, if any, het stories, reflecting the ethos of the show at the time. My research indicates the latter explanation. Post-1997 the data changes slightly. Het stories appear with increasing frequency, although the most focus is on the doomed onscreen lovers John Boulton (murdered by corrupt colleague Don Beech) and Claire Stanton.

Slash fiction featuring characters from The Bill also appears with increasing frequency post-1997. Some examples use characters who are overtly represented as gay, such as Craig Gilmore, Luke Ashton and Juliette Becker, while others, like ‘Sue’s’ ‘Blue Movie’ and authorised (by Sue) sequel ‘Dark Blue Reflections’ by ‘Tavlan’ focus on characters who are unquestionably heterosexual, such as Inspectors Andrew Monroe and Jack Meadows. There is a sense of exuberance in many of these stories that celebrates equality and strong mutual attraction. This slash fiction is as much about trust and sensuality as it is about sexual behaviour and the reconfiguring of sexuality. The fact that fans of the series have appropriated The Bill’s routine of everyday life to create same-sex couplings is perhaps a testament to the strength of the series and the diversity of its audience." [2]

Fanzines

Mailing Lists and Websites

"Fans of The Bill subscribe to a number of interactive websites dedicated to the series in general or to specific characters, which appear and disappear on a regular basis. Two of the major interactive sites pre mid-2004 were an Australian-based email discussion list ([email protected]), which began 4 July 2000 and had 105 members by September 2003, and the now-defunct billfans.net forum (http://www.billfans.net), which began September 2002 and boasted 2,476 registered members when it closed on 19 June 2004. The billfans.net site, which incorporated a number of discussion forums and facilities, was run by a British computer programmer." [1]

  • NickSmiffyslash "NickSmiffyslash". Archived from the original on 2003-11-28. Description: "To discuss the Nick/Smiffy pairing in "The Bill" (or other pairings involving Nick or Smiffy with someone else) and post slash fan fiction. Adult-only list - it is understood that you are over 17 if you join."
  • Bill, The "Bill, The". Archived from the original on 2003-11-29. (created October 1998) Description: "The first ever gen The Bill list. Mailing list devoted to discussion of the UK police drama The Bill. Companion list to Sunhill (See listowner at [email protected] for information on this list). The only rules are (a) play nice -- flaming will not be tolerated; and (b) please use spoiler warnings for episodes immediately after airing, and indicate UK in the subject line if appropriate.
  • Sun Hill "Sun Hill". Archived from the original on 2002-08-09. Description: "For the discussion of and fiction about the UK television programme "The Bill". Adult topics -- including slash and other erotic "The Bill" fanfiction -- are welcome, so be aware that you may encounter this material. Anyone under 18 or offended by either adult fiction or same-sex erotica should not subscribe. Fiction posted to Sun Hill may be archived at the Jasmine Alley with authors' permission

[Archive/other website: The Jasmine Alley]."

Resources

References

  1. ^ [1]
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