The Bill writers.

[emandvee]

Do the writers of The Bill keep any sort of system where they can keep track of the characters? We have many of the older episodes on cable and a lot of the guys appeared earlier as bad guys, Deakin was a secret affair for June and Cassie's Mum was a prostitute! Now Jack Meadows wife is another actress.

[bernardo]

Most soaps (and The Bill is a soap these days) have a historian whose job is to keep track of details like these, but it is often acceptable to make changes over time if a character does not appear for a long period.

[mikewith]

... also, lots of jobbing actors appear on shows like The Bill, Casualty etc as different characters. Baddie one day, good guy the next. I think they have to wait three years between appearances (if memory serves) but of course with re-runs all over the place the same faces will crop up. Another ythought: if an actor does well in a small part for one episode, the chances are they will be asked back - maybe as a permanent character.

[Janetex]

It's all gone pear-shaped, but, I read recently that a good Australian script writer has been hired and the intention is to wash some of the soap out of the Bill.