The news that ITV is axing the Bill after 27 years reminded me of my brush with the programme. In the early 90s I was living in a hall of residence in Tooting while I was training as a journalist. One morning there was a lot of noise and activity in my corridor and we were summarily told to make ourselves scarce. Still sleepy, I went to shower. When I came back, in just a dressing gown, I was astonished to see cast and crew of the Bill in the corridor, particularly the bloke who played Carver. As you’d expect, I did make myself scarce. They mostly filmed in nearby Merton but often used locations around Tooting which meant you were never quite sure if a police incident was real or The Bill.
