The series continued the approach from the previous year in merging procedural policing drama with personal lives being touched upon, but one change from the norm saw plots focused on the perspectives of the victims or their community, while the show also moved onto more hard-hitting issues including online grooming (Closing the Net Parts 1 & 2), domestic terrorism (Frontline), knife crime (Walk on By) and human trafficking (Forgotten Child Parts 1 & 2).
[2] Hollis was not given an on-screen exit as a result, instead resigning off-screen following the death of PC Emma Keane in the show's 3-part Frontline plot.
[4] In the autumn, The Bill celebrated its 25th anniversary with scenes aired in Germany as part of a crossover with Leipzig Homicide to investigate the abduction of a German national in London.
[6] In addition to the controversial dismissal of Jeff Stewart, the show also wrote out 6-year veteran Roberta Taylor after the actress resigned from her role as Inspector Gina Gold, the once iron-fisted character crumbling over fears she would face the death of another officer; the aforementioned death of Emma Keane that caused Gold's breakdown would be the last time the show killed off a police officer character before production ended two years later.
A clue left at the scene suggests a connection to notorious child killers Alistair Haig and Linda Johnson, but the former is dead and the latter is in prison.
Part One – Innocent Blood: Smithy reconnects with troubled mum Carly Samuels when she reports the stabbing of a local teenager, Tito Morientes.
Meanwhile, CID stumble across an illegal renting racket run by one of the suspects in Tito's assault, while Roberts and Armstrong investigate a young boy who sets fires to relieve the stress of looking after his sick grandmother.
Part Two – Wall of Silence: A shock shooting sees Carly Samuels gunned down on the Jasmine Allen Estate, and she tragically dies of her injuries upon arrival to hospital.
Part Three – Breaking Point: Leanne Samuels continues to refuse Smithy's help as her FLO when she is found trying to confront Tito Morientes at his flat.
Part Four – Deadly Secret: The day of Carly Samuels' funeral unfolds in chaos as Tito Morientes is arrested after a gun is fired during a brawl at the procession.
Meanwhile, Alisha Danniels’ phone signal puts her at the scene of the murder, and she gives another statement that reveals there was a third man in the car, turning the case on its head.
As part of the forensic check of the car, bullets are found in a hidden compartment of the boot, so Carter tracks the owner in order to bust him selling them on.
Part Seven – Truth & Lies: As the trial for Carly Samuels' murder kicks off, Dasari is surprised to find out that the defence barrister is her ex-boyfriend Sunil Davdra.
Key witness Joel Pearce folds after being threatened inside prison, causing Smithy to beg of Alisha Danniels to change her mind and give evidence.
Part One – Pay Back: An SUV owned by known criminal Dylan Morrison is involved in a chase and crash, but the driver is a young boy called Liam Harvey.
When Morrison is attacked and found with the word 'scum' tattooed on his forehead, CID investigate and link it to a blackmail scam involving a reality TV star.
Green and Keane come on shift with hangovers; their day starts badly when they turn up late to a briefing, covering uniform for investigations while CID work a fraud case, and it only gets worse when Heaton volunteers to join the duo on patrol.
Part One: Gayle and Stamp discover the body of missing teenager Abbey Ferguson in a derelict building, dead from a heroin overdose, and the trail of evidence leads back to her pimp Danny Peters.
The recently arrived DC bonds with her new boss when she realizes he had an indifferent visit with his son, with Manson overhearing that Turner bet Moss £20 that she could find something personal out about him.
Conveniently, Smithy and new PC Mel Ryder have already dealt with Figgis, who has been harassing his estranged wife, but after holding them hostage with a replica handgun, he goes missing.
Part Two – Undercover: Suspected gun runner Andrew Tyrell mentions supplier Billy Figgis has been working with Kieran Wallace, a thug converting firearms for an as yet unknown kingpin.
With Smithy attending alongside Kieran Wallace, Fletcher and Green find another issue: a stolen case of volatile fireworks being set off by kids.
Gold goes into meltdown when Ryder is nearly killed when the vehicle full of fireworks explodes, but she carries on when she and Fletcher have to take a woman in labour to hospital in the transport van.
Moss recovers the gun, which CID subsequently link to the murder of an ex-con, but Smithy spends the entire day concerned his cover will be blown if they are unable to bring it back.
Part One: Whilst on operation at the docks to arrest thieves, Meadows is stopped by Karen Lacy, now an Intelligence Officer with the Serious and Organized Crime Agency.
When this turns out to be a lie after a search, Sian claims her diary is inside detailing a rape at the hands of her uncle, Graham Boyce, when she was a child.
As alarms ring, signalling the demolition, Sian runs at the block, chased by Armstrong; as the building collapses, the pair are nearly crushed to death.
Rape victim Paula Merrick suffers a dose of nerves and is found out of her face on vodka, but Ryder cleans her up and brings her to court.
Stone, Valentine, Brown and Gayle attend a stabbing; the victim, Jake Quinn, claims his girlfriend Nicola's husband, Gerrard Parry, was responsible.
Part One: Masters is on scene when a pub landlord discovers the body of a teenage prostitute, Kelly Porterfield; her ex-boyfriend Andy Donnelly is a suspect for her fatal overdose.