Gary Lucy sends fans wild as he hints at an Australian reboot of The Bill 14 years after it was axed in the UK
He rose to fame as PC Will Fletcher in the 1990s.
And Gary Lucy reprized his famous role this week when he donned the uniform of a police officer again for an Instagram post on Thursday.
The actor, 42, drove fans wild when he took on the role of a regular officer monitoring the streets of London in a short video clip, in which he made the decision to jump ship and go abroad – with the lure of better weather and better pay, prompting him to start a new life in Perth.
While ITV axed The Bill in 2010 following reports of a reboot, fans were quick to wonder whether the police drama would return in an Australian setting.
They wrote: ‘Australian the bill perhaps’; ‘Is this a hint that The Bill is coming back or am I reading too much into this’; ‘I damn well hope so!!’; ‘I haven’t seen Gary in a police uniform for at least 15 years’; “Oooh, I see Gary Lucy in a police officer’s uniform.”
Gary Lucy is driving fans wild when he hinted at an Australian reboot of The Bill with an Instagram post on Thursday, 14 years after it was axed in Britain
Gary rose to fame as PC Will Fletcher in the 1990s, a role he played for five years until 2010
But unfortunately for fans, all was not as it seemed as the actor revealed he had forces with the Western Australian Police as part of their plan to recruit more British bobbies.
Gary captioned the clip: ‘New role for a new police force… who’s up for a trip Down Under?
‘If it works for the real British agents who are leaving for better weather and better wages, I can see why this agent is tempted! @wa_police does he have anything to pack?’
Western Australia Police’s hands-on campaign has attracted more than 1,900 international applications to join their force – the vast majority of whom are British officers lured by the lure of a life in the sun.
While that may be good news for British police officers looking to emigrate, it wasn’t the update Bill fans were hoping for.
In 2022, it was reported that The Bill was on course for a massive return to television screens, more than a decade since its last broadcast.
The popular ITV police procedural television series aired from August 1983 to August 2010, running for a whopping 2,425 episodes.
The series followed the lives of the employees of the fictional Sun Hill station in East London.
Fans of the critically acclaimed show have been waiting for a double whammy after The Sun claimed not one, but two reboots were in the pipeline.
The actor, 42, sent fans wild when he took on the role of an ordinary officer monitoring the streets of London in a short video clip, which saw him make the decision to jump ship and go abroad.
While ITV axed The Bill in 2010 following reports of a reboot, fans were quick to wonder whether the police drama would return in an Australian setting.
But unfortunately for fans, all was not as it seemed, when the actor revealed he had joined the Western Australian police force as part of their plan to recruit more British bobbies.
In July 2021, it became clear that cast members from the original show, Graham Cole, Trudie Goodwin and Mark Wingett, were approached by writer Simon Sansome who had reportedly acquired the rights to the original series.
Mark, 63, played DC Jim Carver, while Graham, 72, was PC Tony Stamp in the show and Trudie, 72, had the role of Sergeant June Ackland.
An insider has since told the publication that UKTV was in the early stages of developing a new version of the show.
They said: ‘In the minds of many producers and executives, The Bill is a drama waiting to be rebooted.
‘It is a simple format, but it has attracted a loyal following who would love to see it again.
‘No doubt any new incarnation would be tweaked to attract a whole new generation to the show.’
During the 26 years that The Bill ran, the series also featured a lot of famous faces as guests. Many of them appeared in the series before they really broke through in Hollywood.
Among those who have appeared on the show are Emma Bunton, James McAvoy, Russell Brand and Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt.
In April 2020, Trudie, Mark and Graham joined Eric Richard and Chris Ellison for a virtual reunion following the COVID-19 lockdown.
In 2022, it was reported that The Bill was set for a massive return to television screens, over a decade since its last broadcast (L-R Ben Roberts as Chief Inspector Conway, Jane Wall as PC Worrell and Colin Tarrant as Inspector Monroe in 1999).
The cast began the “in prison” call with the bars as a backdrop, before switching to photos of Sun Hill and images of themselves from the past, reminiscing.
Chris, who played Inspector Frank Burnside, recalled shooting car scenes “with our pants off, not because we were too hot, just bored”, while Mark recalled the “belly laughing”.
Graham joked that Keira Knightley “never called” after working with her on one of her very first TV episodes.
She appeared on the show in 1995 when she was only 10 years old.
THE BILL CAST: WHAT THEY DO NEXT
Graham Cole – Tony Stamp
The tough star Graham has played PC Stamp for over twenty years.
He was written out the year before the show was axed, when he became a driving instructor instead.
He was written out as The Bill was regenerated with a younger cast, which led to its demise.
However, Graham returned to acting and appeared in Law & Order: UK, Doctors and Holby City, among others.
He also received an OBE for his continued work for charities.
Mark Wingett – Jim Carver
Mark appeared as Carver on 720 of The Bill’s 2,425 episodes.
He was already a well-known actor, with roles including Quadrophenia and The Professionals.
He had a two-year hiatus from The Bill, but returned for the final episodes when the show ended in 2010.
He has since appeared in the likes of Doctors and Hollyoaks and appeared in the 2015 big screen adaptation of Far From The Madding Crowd, opposite Carey Mulligan, Juno Temple and Michael Sheen.
Chris Ellison – Frank Burnside
Chris played the volatile Burnside on The Bill for fifteen years and proved so popular that he was given a spin-off in 2000.
With the title Burnside, he worked for the National Crime Squad.
The series only lasted one season and six episodes were broadcast.
He has since appeared in EastEnders, an audio play for Doctor Who, as a contestant on Pointless Celebrities and found himself in Celebrity Big Brother in 2015 alongside Janice Dickinson, Jenna Jameson and Daniel Baldwin.
Jeff Stewart – Reg Hollis
Jeff is best known for his role as PC Reg Hollis in The Bill. The actor played the beloved character for 24 years before the character was axed in 2008
Jeff “felt severely let down” by the shock and later attempted suicide.
But he overcame his mental health problems and went on to star in Crossroads, Doctor Who and Hi-De-Hi! He also appeared in the killer crocodile sequel Lake Placid: The Final Chapter.
Trudie Goodwin – June Ackland
Ackland was the longest-lived female character on The Bill, with Trudie playing the role for 24 years, from the 1983 pilot to 2007.
The character left the series when her relationship with Jim Carver ended.
From 2011 to 2015 she starred in Emmerdale as Georgia.
She also made headlines when it was revealed that her daughter is pop star La Roux.
Eric Richard – Bob Cryer
Eric appeared in 670 episodes of The Bill and eventually retired from the police drama in 2004.
He next appeared in Holby City and even popped up in the 2017 Christopher Nolan epic Dunkirk, starring Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy.
Off-screen, he suffered a personal tragedy when it emerged that his grandson Charlie was the youngest victim of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
Diane Parish – Eva Sharpe
Diane played DC Eva Sharpe – the outgoing, outspoken officer who was loved by many and annoyed by some.
She left The Bill after a short stint and joined the cast of EastEnders in 2006, where she has been a regular ever since, playing a tough girl. Denise Vos.
She took a break from soap after having a baby, but returned 18 months later.
She won the Royal Television Society award for Best Actress in 2001.
Roberta Taylor – Gina Gold
The character Gold played between 2002 and 2008 and decided to resign from the force after another character was taken hostage. Before landing a role in The Bill, Roberta Taylor had roles in shows such as Inspector Morse, Minder and The Knock, to name a few.
Previously, she was a regular face in EastEnders, where she played Irene Raymond from 1997 to 2000. She then starred in Father Brown and Casualty and appeared in Luther last year.