#jon iles

Is there any interest in creating a community for fans of The Bill to discuss and have more opportunities to interact/chat about the show almost like a forum from what it sounds like?

If you'd be interested, please like/comment/reblog this post to show your potential interest so we can all see if it would be worth attempting to create one or not.

Tumblr is beta testing a new 'community' idea [apparently not available to all as yet but should appear for most] that it says is:

Communities is a new feature in development, currently in beta testing. Our hope is to empower everyone on Tumblr to create new, dedicated spaces to connect with people over shared interests. It’s a bit like using tags but more contained, it’s a bit like having a shared blog but with more options, and it’s a bit like a group chat except it’s slower. Access to communities is not yet out to all users, and currently has incomplete support across the Tumblr mobile apps

Labs blog post

Help page post/more information

It's still in testing mode and they're asking for feedback. They state it can be a private group or more open access.

Public communities can be seen and visited by non-members, logged in or logged out. However, only the feed of posts in each community tab, and the About page, are accessible. Non-members cannot view the member list, see who reacted with what, or see community comments. Non-members with an invite can see everything a member can see, but cannot interact with anything until they accept the invitation.

Private communities cannot be seen or visited by non-members at all. The existence of a private community is not hidden, however, if someone has the URL (they’ll see a message like “this is a private community”). Non-members with an invite can see everything a member can see, but cannot interact with anything until they accept the invitation.

Click here for an invite link

TW: Mental health discussions in... well frankly not the best terms. Written and filmed in the 80's.

"Bloody Woodentop, don't know why I'm doing this anyway." Mike complains, helping Yorkie locate an address after all the signs had been stolen. They're trying to arrest a poacher for avoiding his day in court.

Ted and Bob have arranged a fishing trip to Margate and are meeting at the station to get on the minibus with the other officers attending. They're already in high spirits with Ted doing a Jake The Peg impression, claiming it's to stop him from getting legless.

Bob offers to find Viv some room on the back seat but is concerned she might lose her virtue. "Promises promises, that's all I get round this nick!" She laughs. Typically the bait is running late so they can't yet leave.

Reg is delaying helping packing the bus up by fussing over paperwork with June. Tom is amused that Dashers was 'charmed' by Bob into helping because most of uniform are on the beano to Margate. Whilst he's waiting for the bait to arrive, Bob is amused to read another letter from an 'admirer'. ''I want you to lose your temper, yell and swear and keep up a steady rhythm. PS is it true what they say about policemen with big noses?" "It's about time I got one of those!" Tom laughs, chasing Bob around the front office to try and read the rest.

On the estate Russell Archer is refusing to open the door properly to Yorkie and Mike, claiming he didn't attend because he wasn't feeling well. They force the door open and wait for him to get changed before realising they've been had and Archer has legged it out the window of his bedroom. Yorkie and Mike give chase but lose him in the crowd of a nearby shopping street.

A lady has found an unknown urn of ashes on her doorstep and handed it to Viv who brought it with her to the station, not knowing what to do with it otherwise. Tom is equally lost, claiming she should have put it in a bin or something rather than bring it back with her.

Taffy reports a burglary to Ted but he's insistent he's not on duty and to take it to Mike 'cos he's got nothing to do'. Mike is being carpeted by Roy with Yorkie for letting the poacher leg it. Roy warns Yorkie that he will be up very early the next morning to return to Archer's to drag him out of bed - even if he is half dressed again - and to not let him have time alone. They get interrupted by a call coming in to report the robbery. It's a little more serious than Taffy let on as it's an armed robbery with a sawn off shotgun. It happened to a milkman and, from what he says, the description is Archer. There was no sign of a gun at the house but Mike suspects he had it in the bedroom with him. Roy blames Mike for Archer still being out there and wants Ted and Bob to work it. He calls the station to get June to stop them going out...

Roy returns with Mike and tasks Reg with finding Ted. Reg is already annoyed because he only walked in the front office - on his day off - and got tasked with cleaning someone else's mess.

At the bookies Bob is placing a bet after feeling lucky from his 20p win! Behind him as he speaks to the bookie, Archer arrives looking shifty and overhears that Bob is a police officer. The bookie teases Bob that he's picked a right plonker.

In the pub Sadie is 'entertained' by Ted miming to her why he's wearing a bright yellow waterproof coat. He's the only customer because it's before opening time.

Reg knocks repeatedly on the door to get Ted's attention and then tells him that Roy wants him. "I'm not here." "Well don't say I didn't tell you!" Ted sighs and laments that he can never have a day off, sinking his pint in one.

Mike asks at the council if they have any other information for Archer, perhaps another address or an address of a close relative. He comes up against a brick wall as the assistant refuses to hand out any information on Archer or his family, despite Mike's charm or his 'I'm just asking you to help me put away a dangerous nutter!' patter. She tells him to make a formal application because she won't bend the system for him. He begs her for a clue before someone gets hurt and she gives in, telling him that the Archer's arrived a year ago. Social Services visited the disused caravan park they'd moved into and found him scavenging for food with no water, rats and knee deep in rubbish. He was forcibly evicted and moved them into a flat.

Roy cancels the day off and wants uniform on standby to find Archer. Bob complains and says he should contact Division for cover but Roy insists it's down to Sun Hill's mistake and they have to cover and find him. June fights to get the men to listen to her and shouts that there's been another armed robbery. "Now do you want to argue?" Roy says pointedly to Ted and Bob.

The bookie that Bob was talking to insists he won't go to the hospital despite having his hand shot by a pellet gun by Archer. He insists he'll be alright and work the pellets out with a pen knife and soak it in disinfectant. 🤢 He tells Roy that the man said nothing to him and simply pointed the gun at him. He claims that the man is 'a bleedin' looney' and had 'that look in his eye'. He put his hands out to reach for the till to give him money and 'the looney' squeezed the trigger.

Mike tells Roy that Archer is a loner and has a Didicoi background (lives like a traveller but isn't a 'true blood' traveller). He used to be a "caravan dwelling roadside scrap metal dealer if you want the full title." Ted explains. Mike claims he's socially inadequate and can't adapt to 'normal' life and has struggled since being placed in a flat. Roy returns to the station, leaving Bob and Ted together at the scene as the experts, claiming "Poaching and fishing go together." "... Very good." the men chorus.

Jim calls in a sighting of Archer with 'something under his coat' but Archer got spooked and ran off before he could rob the grocer. Robin and Jim come face to face with him and Robin ends up getting shot whilst pursuing him.

Whilst the front office are trying to deal with getting help to Jim and Robin, a quiet and lost looking elderly man comes into the office telling Tom he's lost his wife. She was in the urn...

Mike, Bob and Ted race to help Jim and spot him chasing Archer. Archer takes an old lady and her 2 grandchildren hostage at gunpoint. They manage to get the kids away and try to calm Archer down but he locks himself inside the flats - a sheltered housing block - with the elderly woman. Bob updates the station, asking for Roy to be sent alongside backup. They evacuate the other flats in the same block into the day room so all the residents are together and safe and then evacuate the nearest houses facing the flats and place cordons to stop anyone getting near the window of the flat just in case.

Mike tells Roy that Ted has been in charge whilst waiting for him and that he's done very well. Ted comes over to explain that the woman who has been taken hostage, Mrs Knowles, is a very timid lady who easily frightens since she was mugged a couple of months ago. He was just about to find an observation point as Roy arrived. Archer has not made a demand nor has he been spotted by the windows yet. Roy arranges for armed response and someone from C7 (communications) to give them a link direct to the flat that is locked only to the police.

At the station Brownlow arranges for potential temporary accommodation for those displaced from their homes if it runs into the night time and sends assorted services to the scene. The press are starting to sniff around wanting to link Robin being shot with the siege. With things in hand, Brownlow heads to the scene himself. Bob watches the flats from the observation house whilst Roy attempts to make telephone contact with Archer. Archer hangs up before Roy can finish explaining who he is. "We might need to try something else..."

Viv comments that she's glad Archer didn't aim any lower on Robin because he was very close to 'losing his John Thomas.' June laughs that it's typical of Viv to think like that and then 'comforts' Yorkie by agreeing that he's likely to be used as cannon fodder by Roy when this is all over. Robin has had the pellets removed from his stomach and thankfully Archer was too far away from him to do any real damage. It would have been a very different story if just a little closer.

On scene, Roy lifts the letterbox with the end of a broom and calls through to Archer. Archer shouts at them to go away and won't let them inside. Roy asks him to put the phone back on the hook and they'll talk to him that way...

Archer locks the door and pushes things in front of it. "Need a bloody chainsaw to get in that way, now!" CID regroup and tool up, Ted of course still eating at the same time 🤣 and earns himself a dirty look from Roy and Brownlow for dropping bullets on the floor.

The warden arrives and tells them that he's called the nephew of the elderly lady as her daughter and son in law are away hence her having the grandchildren. Brownlow tries to ring Archer who answers. Brownlow promises him that he doesn't want to shoot him when Archer claims that's what they want - he just wants to know how he and Mrs Knowles are and if they need anything and let him know that he can talk to them by just picking up the phone. Archer hangs up without requesting or saying anything. Brownlow wants to keep everything as low key as possible - especially in Archer's line of sight - to try and get to a calm resolution as quickly as possible.

Needing to get to the other side of the window, Mike and Ted contemplate their options before legging it, head down, to the other side of the building, passing the very window of the flat Archer is holed up in. Luckily he doesn't shoot at them!

Archer finally rings and requests Bob after he saw him in the bookies so knows who he is and what he is. Bob is confused because he doesn't know him but he takes the phone. Archer wants him to come to the flat alone and will only talk that way. Roy walks with Bob as far as he can until they're in Archer's sightline. Roy wants more to be more involved but Bob reminds him of Brownlow's words - as low key as possible so as not to upset Archer. "If I do talk my way in I don't want you coming in through the window on a line or anything similar." Roy says it's his funeral and Bob laughs saying if it is, to not let Tom Penny near his ashes!

Slowly, Bob approaches the flats and heads inside. He knocks and is allowed inside the flat with his hands on his head. Archer searches him for weapons before letting him sit down near a terrified Mrs Knowles. Mrs Knowles quietly tells him that Archer spotted Bob in the bookies so he is the only person he wishes to talk to. "I don't like folks, I don't like talking to people I can't see!" Archer whimpers, pulling the wire from the phone.

Charles reassures Roy that Bob has the ideal temperament for dealing with Archer and tells him to give him time. In the flat, Archer stares out the window with his gun, listening but not reacting at first to Bob trying to get him to give himself up. Archer then insists he's only alive because he has hostages and that, come night-time, he'll show the police who is really cornered. Bob calmly tells him to switch the telly on to watch the news and sees what he's up against.

The communications bloke has some more equipment in the car that will allow him to listen in after a while. Roy says no and that he'll go and listen outside the flat instead - at least they'll find out if he has more ammunition that way (!)

Archer watches the news and sees the police and snipers outside waiting for him to come out. Mrs Knowles learns that he shot a policeman and panics which further riles Archer and makes him smash the television up. Mike reports the crash to Roy and then tells him of the meals on wheels van who tried to deliver when it all first kicked off and suggests they try pull a blag rather than Roy risking listening at the door.

Bob gently comforts Mrs Knowles and gets her to sit down, reassuring her that everything will be OK. Archer claims that he'll shoot him first if his friends come in. Bob tells him he came to help Archer and that if he's going to continue behaving like that he'll ditch him. Archer gets angry and pushes Bob against the wall claiming that it's him in charge.

Bob tells him they'd never let him walk out without him and that he's his 'passport' so needs to start working with him. Archer doesn't take it kindly...

Bob tells him to do it and Archer growls that he's getting on his nerves. He growls at Bob that he has no idea what it's like to be told to constantly moved on, 'get away from me you tinker', and hunted and trapped. He claims that's what the council did when they moved him into a flat. Bob said he should have talked to someone and that he'll listen to him and to talk before it's too late.

Archer seems to listen and backs off, looking back out the window. He looks from it to Bob and back again. "What will they do to me? If I give myself up?" he asks. Bob explains he'll have to go to court. Archer worried he'd go to prison. "I couldn't stand that...I'll kill myself first." Bob promises it doesn't have to be that way and that it'd be in his favour. He hasn't been in trouble before outside of the poaching, no record of violence and he promises he'd speak up for him as would Mrs Knowles.

The communications expert reports to Brownlow that a van is being let through the cordon.

Bob gently reassures him and asks him to give him the gun and that it can all be over. A nervous and very frightened Archer is about to give him it before he spots the van. He asks what it is and Mrs Knowles gently explains it'll be the meals on wheels lady and that she's late. Outside it's shown to be June in the ladies gillet. June removes meals from the van and Bob continues gently reassuring him.

Brownlow watches the goings on through binoculars and tells the communications expert that it's a police officer and that something must have happened, running over to the other officers.

Archer looks more paranoid and claims that he's being tricked and that Bob lied. Having spotted that June was the meals on wheels lady which likely means something is about to happen very quickly, Bob urges him to hand him the gun. June knocks on the door and the armed officers Sergeant give the 'go' order. Officers ring the bell and in the distraction Roy and Ted literally leap over the wall and kick in the back door, pointing guns at Archer. An armed officer points his gun through the window and Bob SCREAMS at Archer to drop the gun, knowing how close he'd been to a peaceful resolution.

In the rush and chaos, Archer doesn't get chance to drop his gun before Roy and Ted shoot him.

"He gave himself up. He was going to give me the gun! Can't you see that?!" Bob screams at Roy who tells him if he believes that he's a fool.