The Bill - Up in Smoke - Part 1 - 12:55 pm Friday, March 13 on U&Drama +1

Kaye Wragg (Actor) .. PC Diane Noble

Born: May 04, 1972 in Stockport

Best Known For: The Lakes, The Bill and Holby City.

Early-life: Kaye Michelle Wragg was born in Stockport on May 4, 1972. She went on to study Media Performance at the University of Salford. She first made an impact as an actress playing the manipulative Lucy Archer in Jimmy McGovern's acclaimed 1990s drama The Lakes.

Career: Wragg has been a regular on TV screens, appearing in the likes of The Sins, In a Land of Plenty, Mersey Beat, My Family, Wire in the Blood, No Angels, and The Bill. More recently, she has made guest appearances in Inspector George Gently, Vera, Silk, Call the Midwife, Silent Witness, Waterloo Road and Death in Paradise. In 2015, she became a regular on Holby City.

Quote: 'I'm very scared of the police. I always feel guilty when I've not done anything.'

Trivia: In The Bill, she always tried to do her own stunts.

Alex Walkinshaw (Actor) .. Sgt Dale Smith

Born: October 05, 1974 in Barking, Essex

Best Known For: Playing Smithy in The Bill.

Early-life: Alex Walkinshaw was born in Barking, Essex, on 5 October 1974. A keen swimmer as a child, he used to train five days a week and compete in various competitions, finding it helped his asthma. An energetic, extroverted child, he studied drama as an outlet for his creativity. After studying drama at his secondary school, Alex soon found he had a real talent and joined a Saturday drama class. Encouraged by his teachers, Alex was elated to be accepted into the Sylvia Young Theatre School and later the London Dance Studios.

Career: His first TV appearance was at the age of 12 as an extra in Grange Hill. From 1992 to 1993 he appeared in the sitcom Side by Side. He first appeared in The Bill as a guest star in 1992, 1993 and 1995, before joining as a regular cast member in 1999. He played PC Dale Smith, better known as 'Smithy'. He left the show in 2001, only to return in 2003 when his character was promoted to Sergeant. After a spell in Waterloo Road, Walkinshaw joined the cast of Casualty in 2012 as senior staff nurse Adrian Fletcher. He took his character to Holby City in August 2014.

Quote: On his move from Casualty to Holby City: 'I was really quite nervous when I first started, but everyone has been so welcoming and friendly that I feel my transition has been fairly smooth.'

Trivia: In 2007, he took part in The Weakest Link and won £9,450 for Essex-based charity called 'Kids in Need'.

Sam Callis (Actor) .. Sgt Callum Stone

Scott Maslen (Actor) .. DS Phil Hunter

Best Known For: Playing Jack Branning in EastEnders.

Early-life: Scott Alexander Maslen was born on June 25, 1971 in Woolwich, London. He signed up to join the Royal Marines at 16 but ending up breaking his foot and not getting into the Recruit training course. He visited Miami at 18 and was spotted by photographer Bruce Webber, which started his career as an international model. Five years later, he turned to acting and joined the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Career: After graduating, Maslen landed a role in the TV series Lock, Stock… as well as parts in Highlander: The Raven and the promotional video for Grand Theft Auto 2. He played Phil Hunter in The Bill between 2002 and 2007, before going on to join the cast of EastEnders as Jack Branning. In 2015, Maslen played MP James Holloway in The Royals. He also appeared in the 2010 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Quote: 'In my secondary school, they stuck me in drama because I was a gobby kid and they were like ‘what are we going to do with him?''

Trivia: He enjoys fishing.

Doug Rao (Actor) .. DS Stuart Turner

Reece Ritchie (Actor) .. Duncan Wilde

Jake Nightingale (Actor) .. Colin Wilde

Roberta Taylor (Actor) .. Insp Gina Gold

Born: February 26, 1948 in London

Best Known For: Playing Irene Raymond in EastEnders and Inspector Gina Gold in The Bill.

Early-life: Born the illegitimate child of a bus conductor on 26 February, 1948, in London, Roberta was brought up by her mother, aunts and grandmother. She was always very close to her mum, and they lived in the same street in London before she died suddenly of bronchial pneumonia. Roberta documented her early years in the 2005 memoir Too Many Mothers. After attending drama school in London, she joined the highly acclaimed Glasgow Citizens' Company and worked for years in theatre.

Career: Appeared in the projects Ladykillers, Inspector Morse, The Witches, Tom & Viv, Dangerfield and Silent Witness before being cast as Irene Raymond in EastEnders. She stayed with the hit soap for three years until 2000, then went on to appear in Doctors and Holby City. After four previous appearances in The Bill, she was finally cast as Gina Gold in 2002, and played the same character in spin-off series MIT: Murder Investigation Team. She also appeared in the BBC's 2005 critically acclaimed adaptation of Bleak House.

Quote: 'It's fantastic to play somebody like Gina (in The Bill). She is just so sarcastic with everybody. It takes people's breath away and she is not shocked by anything.'

Trivia: Away from acting, she is an active supporter of the Labour Party.

Sally Rogers (Actor) .. DC Jo Masters

Louisa Lytton (Actor) .. PC Beth Green

Born: February 07, 1989 in London

Best Known For: Playing Ruby Allen in EastEnders.

Early-life: Louisa Claire Lytton was born in London on February 7, 1989. She is of Italian descent on her mother's side. Louisa studied at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. Her first TV appearance was as a little girl in the 1999 BBC comedy Let Them Eat Cake.

Career: Lytton's big break came in 2005 when she began playing Ruby Allen in EastEnders. She left the show in 2006 and went on to star in The Bill from May 2007 until March 2009. Since then, she has made guest appearances in Casualty and Murdoch Mysteries and starred in the films Payback Season (2012), The Knot (2012) and Young, High and Dead (2013). In 2014, she had a recurring role in the ITV comedy drama Edge of Heaven. Away from acting, Lytton finished in fourth place in the 2006 series of Strictly Come Dancing and finished 9th out of 14 as one half of the United Kingdom's entry for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. On the stage, she has starred in Annie and Boogie Nights. In early 2016, she was a contestant on Channel 4's sporting reality show The Jump.

Quote: 'Everyone in my family is naturally quite small. I never diet, I just try to eat healthily.'

Trivia: Lytton supports Arsenal FC.

Danielle Isaie (Actor) .. Jade Morris

Isabelle Joss (Actor) .. Marie Cox

Mario Demetriou (Actor) .. Kris Johnson

Tom Bennett (Actor) .. Ryan Chambers

Okezie Morro (Actor) .. Lee Clark

Graham Cole (Actor) .. PC Tony Stamp

Seema Bowri (Actor) .. PC Leela Kapoor

Nicholas McInerney (Writer)

Karl Neilson (Director)

Andrea Sapsford (Producer)

The Bill: Up in Smoke - Part 1

12:55 pm - 1:55 pm, Friday, March 13 on U&Drama +1 (60)

About this Broadcast

Up in Smoke - Part 1
Season 23, Episode 1

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