Making over the Old Bill

O man has been caught on CCTV snorting coke. Another faces a rape charge. A third is pursued by a riotous mob who think he's a paedophile. Then there's the one responsible for an arson attack in which half a dozen people died. And that's only the policemen.

Clearly, the criminals are lagging behind as the long-running cop show gets a makeover, entwining personal and police matters in a way that's making The Bill unmissable at the moment.

And the odd bit of controversy doesn't hurt. A gay kiss by two male offices in uniform attracted more than 300 complaints because it happened before the 9pm watershed. Imagine the outcry if they'd have been out of uniform.

There is a serial killer on the loose in Sun Hill, but the coppers have too many problems of their own to pay much attention to that. Some are busy trying to stitch up unpopular station boss Superintendent Tom Chandler for a rape that occurred 20 years ago at police training college.

Devious Chandler, as played by Steve Hartley, has become a man you love to hate, and not just for his brutal treatment of the detective sergeant he's impregnated.

He's not very good at dealing with people, including manic depressive Anne Merrick who knows all about his guilty past. "I think you should prioritise your mental health," he tells her unsympathetically.

Even old favourites such as June Ackland and Jim Carver have been given a new lease of life with a secret affair. At least, it was a secret until Tony Stamp - fresh from fleeing the mob following a false child abuse claim - discovers Jim in his dressing gown at June's place.

New characters are being gradually integrated into the Sun Hill set-up, none more successfully than Roberta Taylor's acerbic Inspector Gina Gold. How we love seeing her be nasty to poor old June and smoking in areas clearly labelled No Smoking.

There are so many plots bubbling away, from young PC Luke Ashton's sexual confusion to dodgy detective Phil Hunter's shady deals, that you can't help but get hooked.

It may be soapier than before, but executive producer Paul Marquess has done wonders in turning around a series that was looking increasingly tired.