# The Bill series 13

The thirteenth series of the British television drama The Bill was broadcast from 2 January to 30 December 1997. The series consisted of 152 episodes, including three-hour-long specials. There were just two cast departures in the series after four the year before; actor Tom Butcher left the role of PC Steve Loxton after seven years on the show; however, he would return in two episodes in 1999 as a guest at Dave Quinnan's wedding. The other departure was that of Alan Westaway, who left his role of PC Nick Slater after two and a half years. Their characters were replaced by PCs Luke Ashton and Sam Harker, with actors Scott Neal and Matthew Crompton appearing as guest actors on a number of times, both of the actor's most recent guest stints coming the previous year. The series also saw DC Tom Proctor, introduced into CID. Actor Gregory Donaldson revealed in a 2018 interview on The Bill Podcast that the role came after impressing producers in a guest stint earlier in the series, portraying burglary suspect Andy Melford in an hour-long special, "In the Dark".
On 3 April 2013 the complete series was released as a two-part region-free DVD box set in Australia. The DVD artwork depicts DSs Don Beech (Billy Murray) and John Boulton (Russell Boulter).

## Episodes

| # | Title | Episode notes | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1 | "The Old Pals' Act" | Neil Reidman and Daniel Brocklebank guest star | Chris Lovett | Edwin Pearce | 2 January 1997 (1997-1-2) |
| Conway leads a raid on an after-hours pub, but during the raid, both Hollis and Keane are injured. Meanwhile, McCann and Slater stop a young boy trying to make an exit through the fire escape and find him in possession of cannabis and a substantial amount of money. Brownlow is called in when the boy is discovered to be the son of the local district judge. ||||||
| 2 | "All's Fair" | David Sibley guest stars | Ian White | Rosamund Orde-Powlett | 3 January 1997 (1997-1-3) |
| McCann and Keane investigate when a man is found mugged having been sprayed in the face with Mace. Hours later, a woman arrives at the station claiming to have been attacked by a mysterious assailant, whom she rebuffed with Mace. Daly has to work out which party is telling the truth, and to prove it decides to speak to one of the man's previous victims. ||||||
| 3 | "Man Trap" | Martin Freeman, Jill Halfpenny and David Spinx guest star | Peter Lydon | Nick Crittenden | 9 January 1997 (1997-1-9) |
| Quinnan and Blake investigate when a teenage boy is found dead from an electric shock in the flat of one of his neighbours. Initial suspicion falls upon a poor DIY job to wire up an outside light, but when Ackland and McCann discover that the victim and his brother were blackmailing local residents over tenancy agreements, another motive comes to light. ||||||
| 4 | "Bad Debt" | Michelle Butterly and Derek Martin guest star | Jo Shoop | Clive Dawson | 10 January 1997 (1997-1-10) |
| Beech and Croft investigate the theft of a loan shark's records, but Beech's prior acquaintance with the victim proves to be an issue for Croft. Meanwhile, Ackland and Page investigate when a young girl comes to the station to report a loan shark who has been hassling her mother - and uniform and CID find an interesting link between the two cases. ||||||
| 5 | "Professional Opinion" | Gordon Salkilld guest stars | Peter Lydon | Nigel Baldwin | 14 January 1997 (1997-1-14) |
| Daly and Skase investigate a woman whose son died after drinking her methadone. ||||||
| 6 | "Testament" | – | Chris Lovett | Peter J. Hammond | 16 January 1997 (1997-1-16) |
| Croft and Boulton investigate the sudden death of an apparently healthy, but secretive woman. ||||||
| 7 | "A Policeman's Lot" | Vicky Entwistle, Kenneth MacDonald and Bruce Byron guest star | Ian White | Clive Dawson | 17 January 1997 (1997-1-17) |
| Garfield objects when the officers of Sun Hill are forced to work with security guards following a vicious mugging and a burglary. ||||||
| 8 | "The Devil You Know" | René Zagger and Terence Beesley guest star | Tom Cotter | Andrew Rattenbury | 21 January 1997 (1997-1-21) |
| Garfield and Keane attend to a girl who collapses at a party after taking Ecstasy. Her father is convinced that she has been influenced by her boyfriend, but his faith in his daughter may not be justified. ||||||
| 9 | "Once Bitten" | Rebecca Lacey and Dean Harris guest stars | Mandy Honeyman | David G. McDonagh | 23 January 1997 (1997-1-23) |
| Greig investigates a drug smuggling ring. The wife of one of the suspects is one of Boyden's former lovers and she suggests giving their relationship a second chance. ||||||
| 10 | "Turnaround" | Tony Guilfoyle guest stars | Chris Lovett | Graham Mitchell | 24 January 1997 (1997-1-24) |
| Meadows and Deakin investigate the disappearance of a convicted child sex offender following a campaign of harassment. ||||||
| 11 | "Over the Fence" | June Page guest stars | Simon Meyers | Renny Krupinski | 28 January 1997 (1997-1-28) |
| Cryer and Loxton go to the scene of a disturbance between neighbours. They manage to calm the situation down but Steve recognises one of the neighbours that he arrested a few years previously for burglary. He sees the box for an expensive computer outside the house which he suspects is stolen. He and Cryer find themselves drawn into another argument between the two couples when they're both found to be in possession of computer equipment stolen during a ram raid robbery of a factory and each one claims to have bought it from the other. ||||||
| 12 | "Grey Area" | Fiona Victory and Adjoa Andoh guest star | Jane Prowse | Nicholas McInerny | 30 January 1997 (1997-1-30) |
| Meadows and Rawton investigate a doctor accused of killing a terminally-ill patient in his care. ||||||
| 13 | "One Big Happy Family" | – | John Bruce | Steve Handley | 31 January 1997 (1997-1-31) |
| Garfields complaint that Brownlow and Conway are out touch with real police work brings an unexpected response. ||||||
| 14 | "The Eye of the Beholder" | Doña Croll and Jonathan Newth guest star | Chris Lovett | Margaret Phelan | 4 February 1997 (1997-2-4) |
| Datta is trying to secure a conviction in a domestic violence case, but the victim unwittingly leaves out important details when giving evidence. ||||||
| 15 | "Say a Little Prayer" | Joe Jacobs guest stars | Jo Shoop | James Mavor | 6 February 1997 (1997-2-6) |
| Quinnan and Page try to find the culprit who threw a television set from the balcony of a block of flats and narrowly missed Slater. ||||||
| 16 | "Downfall" | Helen Blatch, Dolly Wells and Carol Hawkins guest star | Brian Parker | Peter J. Hammond | 7 February 1997 (1997-2-7) |
| Daly and Skase investigate after a man is found dead at the foot of the stairs in his apartment block. ||||||
| 17 | "True to Life Player" | Dannielle Brent, Fionnuala Ellwood and David Harewood guest star | Simon Meyers | Tunde Babalola | 11 February 1997 (1997-2-11) |
| Boulton and Carver investigate an allegation that a football star raped a young fan. ||||||
| 18 | "Take Away" | – | Adrian J. Fearnley | Richard Stoneman | 13 February 1997 (1997-2-13) |
| Ackland investigates a complaint from a prisoner that he was given a pizza topped with cigarette ends. ||||||
| 19 | "Your Call Too" | Chris Gascoyne guest stars | Nick Laughland | David Hoskins | 14 February 1997 (1997-2-14) |
| Croft and Skase disagree when they have to choose between investigating an assault charge and a cocaine deal. ||||||
| 20 | "Breaking Up" | Denise Welch guest stars | Jan Sargent | Elizabeth-Anne Wheal | 18 February 1997 (1997-2-18) |
| Rawton investigates a woman's claims that her ex-husband's mistress is trying to kill her. ||||||
| 21 | "A Price to Pay" | – | Edward Blum | Carolyn Sally Jones | 20 February 1997 (1997-2-20) |
| Boulton tries to trap a roomful of crooks, but Greig gets his man. ||||||
| 22 | "Just Looking" | Paul Bown and Cheryl Hall guest star | Tom Cotter | Chris Ould | 21 February 1997 (1997-2-21) |
| Boyden deals with a man stopped for soliciting who claims he was searching for his missing daughter. ||||||
| 23 | "A Tangled Web" | Frank Grimes and Geoffrey Freshwater guest star | Jeremy Silberston | Tony Lindsay | 27 February 1997 (1997-2-27) |
| Deakin and Croft investigate when a man is found shot with his brother's wife, as two unhappy marriages reach crisis point. ||||||
| 24 | "Rolling in It" | Jane Hazlegrove and John Light guest star | Nick Laughland | Jimmy Gardner | 28 February 1997 (1997-2-28) |
| Slater and Quinnan find drugs in a Lamborghini, but the owner blames his unemployed brother-in-law. ||||||
| 25 | "Added Bonus" | Kim Taylforth guest stars | Nigel Douglas | Julian Spilsbury | 4 March 1997 (1997-3-4) |
| Greig tries to establish why a man has confessed to a burglary that he didn't commit. ||||||
| 26 | "Holding On" | Robyn Moore guest stars | Brian Parker | Kevin Scouler | 6 March 1997 (1997-3-6) |
| Cryer and Blake respond to a young man's claim that his stolen car had his four-month-old baby inside, but Blake suspects that the man's wife may know more about her son's disappearance than she is letting on. The plot thickens when Cryer interviews the man responsible for stealing the young man's car and he claims that he fed information about the man's extra marital relations to his wife. ||||||
| 27 | "Crime Management" | Jamie Foreman and Ken Drury guest star | Catherine Morshead | J. C. Wilsher | 7 March 1997 (1997-3-7) |
| Croft and Lines try to get the victim of a stabbing to identify his attacker, aware that the attack may have been orchestrated by a vicious loanshark who has been on Lines's radar for some time. Meanwhile Boulton, who is aware that Lines hasn't recruited an informant for months, is forced to have a quiet word in Deakin's ear after Deakin asks the team to speak to their informants about a gang responsible for a number of warehouse robberies. ||||||
| 28 | "Age Gaps" | – | Jan Sargent | Julian Perkins | 11 March 1997 (1997-3-11) |
| Boulton and Rawton try to persuade a teenage girl to turn informant after her boyfriend is attacked by drug dealers. ||||||
| 29 | "In the Dark" | Hour-long episode; Charles Dale and Amelia Bullmore guest star | Robin Sheppard | Tom Needham | 12 March 1997 (1997-3-12) |
| Skase hopes that information provided by a blind woman after a burglary may help to catch a dangerous serial killer. ||||||
| 30 | "Crying Wolf" | George Rossi and Cathy Murphy guest star | Catherine Morshead | Edwin Pearce | 13 March 1997 (1997-3-13) |
| Monroe is called in to mediate when a former mental patient is accused of threatening behaviour by his elderly neighbours. ||||||
| 31 | "Confidence" | Elaine Lordan guest stars | Gill Wilkinson | Philip Kingston | 14 March 1997 (1997-3-14) |
| Keane uses information supplied by a friend to help C.I.D. in an operation against a drug dealer. ||||||
| 32 | "All For Love" | Bruce Alexander and Jo Kendall guest star | Gill Wilkinson | Tony Mulholland | 18 March 1997 (1997-3-18) |
| Greig and Lines investigate an assault on a man who has previously killed two people in a drink-driving accident, and suspect that a relative may have sought natural justice. ||||||
| 33 | "Only the Lonely" | Louisa Lytton, Dido Miles and Angela Bruce guest star | Martin Hutchings | Clive Dawson | 20 March 1997 (1997-3-20) |
| Deakin and Skase investigate a fire, and find that a mother's grief has had unexpected repercussions. ||||||
| 34 | "Copier" | Peter Cleall and Amanda Abbington guest star | Harry Bradbeer | Simon Tyrrell | 21 March 1997 (1997-3-21) |
| Rawton investigates the assault of a woman in her new flat and tries to link the attack to an unsolved case. ||||||
| 35 | "Fashion Victims" | Marlene Sidaway guest stars | Jeremy Silberston | Gwyneth Hughes | 25 March 1997 (1997-3-25) |
| Slater and Garfield arrest a boy for selling stolen goods. ||||||
| 36 | "Hook, Line and Sinker" | Vicki Pepperdine and Trevor Byfield guest star | Justin Hardy | Ben Cooper | 27 March 1997 (1997-3-27) |
| Beech investigates a woman who uses her sexuality to con her business partner and clients. ||||||
| 37 | "No Claims Bonus" | Philip Martin Brown guest stars | Justin Hardy | Nicholas McInerny | 28 March 1997 (1997-3-28) |
| Croft is concerned when Boulton decides to use a former colleague, now down on his luck, as an informant. ||||||
| 38 | "Joker" | Alan Ford, Desmond McNamara and David Horovitch guest star | Martin Hutchings | Katharine Way | 31 March 1997 (1997-3-31) |
| Beech and Croft investigate the killing of a stand-up comic. ||||||
| 39 | "Typecast" | Marc Bolton and Shirin Taylor guest star | Mandy Honeyman | Isabelle Grey | 1 April 1997 (1997-4-1) |
| Boyden and Page try to find who is responsible for a series of graffiti attacks. ||||||
| 40 | "A Hard Rain" | Ariyon Bakare guest stars | John Bruce | Stephen McAteer | 3 April 1997 (1997-4-3) |
| Boulton and Croft have to deal with rival drug dealers when a customer suffers tragic consequences. ||||||
| 41 | "Rings on Her Fingers" | First appearance of new style Motorola MTS2000 radios; Sean Arnold guest stars | Chris Lovett | Simon Moss | 4 April 1997 (1997-4-4) |
| Jarvis and Rawton investigate the ram raiding of a shop. ||||||
| 42 | "Strange Meeting" | Ron Donachie guest stars | Jo Shoop | Len Collin | 8 April 1997 (1997-4-8) |
| Conway coordinates the search for an escaped sex offender and a missing teenager who was last seen in his company. ||||||
| 43 | "A Bitter Pill" | Rob Jarvis and John Rogan guest star | Sarah Harding | Barry Simner | 10 April 1997 (1997-4-10) |
| Rawton and Skase investigate an attempted suicide by an ill woman, and suspect her son and daughter of assisting her. ||||||
| 44 | "Dial 'M' For Marmalade" | Charles Kay guest stars | Sarah Harding | Edward Canford-Dumas | 11 April 1997 (1997-4-11) |
| Meadows investigates a murder by strangulation and suspects the homeless schizophrenic man whom the victim had befriended. ||||||
| 45 | "Sisters" | David Quilter guest stars | Gwennan Sage | Chris Lang | 15 April 1997 (1997-4-15) |
| Daly and Croft investigate the suspicious death of one of three sisters. ||||||
| 46 | "Flesh and Blood" | Tracey Wilkinson and Lloyd McGuire guest star | Nigel Douglas | Anne Downey | 17 April 1997 (1997-4-17) |
| Beech investigates the sudden death of a baby on the night that his parents celebrated their anniversary. ||||||
| 47 | "Parklife" | Connor McIntyre guest stars | Nigel Douglas | Stephen Plaice | 18 April 1997 (1997-4-18) |
| Loxton and W.P.C. Keane deal with the burglary of a pharmacy and a violent stabbing. ||||||
| 48 | "Two's Company" | Natalie Roles guest stars | Jo Shoop | Nigel Baldwin | 22 April 1997 (1997-4-22) |
| Greig and Croft investigate a burglary and discover that the married householder had been in contact with a girl through a "lonely hearts" column. ||||||
| 49 | "Inside Edge" | – | John Bruce | Elizabeth-Anne Wheal | 25 April 1997 (1997-4-25) |
| Meadows and Rawton investigate the assault of a prison officer. ||||||
| 50 | "You and Me Versus the World" | Heather Peace guest stars | Ged Maguire | Rod Beacham | 29 April 1997 (1997-4-29) |
| Boulton and Lines investigate a vicious hammer attack. ||||||
| 51 | "Pay Back" | Andrew Lancel guest stars | Jonathan Hacker | Patrick Melanaphy | 1 May 1997 (1997-5-1) |
| Beech and Carver investigate a vicious attack, but have to piece the evidence together when neither the suspect nor victim can remember what happened. ||||||
| 52 | "A Place of Your Own" | Charlie Brooks and Cindy O'Callaghan guest star | Michael Cocker | Kevin Scouler | 2 May 1997 (1997-5-2) |
| Garfield and Page search for a missing teenager and come across a man who exploits children in care. ||||||
| 53 | "Don't Want to Hear the Bad News" | – | Jonathan Hacker | Paul Mousley | 6 May 1997 (1997-5-6) |
| Daly and Skase investigate a burglary and uncover a deep rift between the suspect's girlfriend and her mother. ||||||
| 54 | "It's Good to Talk" | Adrian Scarborough guest stars | Gwennan Sage | Julian Spilsbury | 8 May 1997 (1997-5-8) |
| Monroe coordinates a search for the victims of a kidnapping. ||||||
| 55 | "Split Second" | Kelly George guest stars | Ged Maguire | Candy Denman | 9 May 1997 (1997-5-9) |
| Page ends up in a hostage situation following a failed armed robbery. ||||||
| 56 | "Old Fools" | Keith Marsh guest stars | Brian Parker | Ben Cooper | 13 May 1997 (1997-5-13) |
| Greig and Croft enlist the help of two pensioners to trap a team of burglars. ||||||
| 57 | "Auld Lang Syne" | Howell Evans, Patricia Kane and Rosemary Martin guest star | Michael Cocker | Terry Hodgkinson | 15 May 1997 (1997-5-15) |
| Page and Slater find an apologetic stranger in an elderly couple's back garden, but when Rawton digs deeper into his background his motives for being there seem more suspicious than he made out. ||||||
| 58 | "Warnings" | Arthur White and Jo Warne guest star | Brian Parker | Peter J. Hammond | 16 May 1997 (1997-5-16) |
| Boyden and Datta respond to an apparent sighting of a missing woman by her daughter. ||||||
| 59 | "Calling Time" | Jacquetta May guest stars | John Bruce | Edwin Pearce | 20 May 1997 (1997-5-20) |
| Boulton and Rawton investigate when a pub landlord is run over after giving Boulton information. ||||||
| 60 | "Black and Blue" | Fay Ripley and Aden Gillett guest star | Mike Vardy | Matthew Leys | 22 May 1997 (1997-5-22) |
| Jarvis and Keane arrest a nanny for stealing from her employers. ||||||
| 61 | "A Bunch of Fives" | Dominic Power and Justin Pickett guest star | Chris Lovett | Tom Needham | 23 May 1997 (1997-5-23) |
| Shock waves strike Sun Hill when Beech is found beaten unconscious in an alleyway. Uniform and CID join forces to find his attackers. ||||||
| 62 | "Short, Sharp, Shock" | Su Elliott guest stars | Tania Diez | Mark Illis | 27 May 1997 (1997-5-27) |
| Boulton and Skase investigate a mugging, but the victim's father takes the law into his own hands ||||||
| 63 | "Get You Back" | Amy Marston guest stars | Dominic Lees | Simon Tyrrell | 29 May 1997 (1997-5-29) |
| Quinnan and Keane deal with a teenage girl with a broken nose who claims that her ex-boyfriend assaulted her. ||||||
| 64 | "Powers of Persuasion" | – | Tania Diez | Graham Mitchell | 30 May 1997 (1997-5-30) |
| Rawton and Boulton have to decide whether to find the driver of a car involved in a hit-and-run incident, or to prosecute the witness. ||||||
| 65 | "A Rock and a Hard Place" | Barbara Marten and Catherine Tate guest star | Mike Vardy | Matthew Wingett | 3 June 1997 (1997-6-3) |
| Deakin and Carver come under pressure from Conway to find a vicious robber who has been preying on elderly victims. ||||||
| 66 | "The Wrath of God" | Ellen Thomas and Larrington Walker guest star | Audrey Cooke | Terry Hodgkinson | 5 June 1997 (1997-6-5) |
| Skase and Carver have to deal with a preacher who specialises in dodgy miracles. ||||||
| 67 | "Knight Errant" | – | Dominic Lees | Anna Wheatley | 6 June 1997 (1997-6-6) |
| Loxton struggles to cope with a young female suspect who makes no secret of her attraction to him. ||||||
| 68 | "Punch Bag" | Andrée Bernard guest stars | Mike Vardy | Steve Handley | 10 June 1997 (1997-6-10) |
| Skase and Croft investigate the circumstances leading to a mother ending up unconscious at the foot of a stairway. ||||||
| 69 | "Best Eaten Cold" | – | Peter Lydon | Alan Pollock | 12 June 1997 (1997-6-12) |
| Greig and Rawton investigate a journalist's claims that he acted in self-defence to stop an intruder. ||||||
| 70 | "Lucky Day" | – | Peter Lydon | Scott Cherry | 13 June 1997 (1997-6-13) |
| Meadows is concerned when Lines seems to be getting too involved in investigating the sale of some stolen cars. ||||||
| 71 | "For Richer, For Poorer" | Annie Hulley and Ben Miles guest star | Albert Barber | Nigel Baldwin | 17 June 1997 (1997-6-17) |
| Quinnan and Garfield look into the disappearance of a man reported missing by his mother, although his wife has her doubts. ||||||
| 72 | "No More Milk" | – | John Bruce | Terry Hodgkinson | 19 June 1997 (1997-6-19) |
| Rawton and Page have to deal with a 14-year-old tearaway and half a million pounds in counterfeit money. ||||||
| 73 | "An Englishman's Home" | Susan Jameson guest stars | Simon Massey | Barry Simner | 20 June 1997 (1997-6-20) |
| Garfield and Blake are called to help enforce a demolition order on a home extension, when an ongoing dispute between neighbours erupts into violence. ||||||
| 74 | "Loyal to the Last" | Nicola Duffett guest stars | John Bruce | Chris McWatters | 24 June 1997 (1997-6-24) |
| Blake arrests a woman for assault and Beech tries to persuade her to help convict her husband for forgery. ||||||
| 75 | "Rent" | James McAvoy guest stars | Albert Barber | Stephen McAteer | 26 June 1997 (1997-6-26) |
| Boyden and Keane investigate the hit-and-run of a young busker. ||||||
| 76 | "Last Respects" | Perry Fenwick and Kacey Ainsworth guest star | Harry Bradbeer | Stephen Plaice | 27 June 1997 (1997-6-27) |
| Meadows hopes that a family funeral will lure a couple of jewel thieves into the open. ||||||
| 77 | "Too Much to Lose" | – | Harry Bradbeer | Candy Denman | 1 July 1997 (1997-7-1) |
| Stamp tries to persuade an unhappy convict not to ruin his chances of release. ||||||
| 78 | "Do Unto Others" | Julie Hesmondhalgh and Eric Mason guest star | Ross Devenish | Tony Lindsay | 3 July 1997 (1997-7-3) |
| Loxton and Keane try to sift the truth from three conflicting stories when a severe case of bullying results in a fifteen-year-old boy being stabbed. ||||||
| 79 | "Mid-Life Crisis" | John Cater, Leslee Udwin and Paul Herzberg guest star | Ross Devenish | Gregory Evans | 4 July 1997 (1997-7-4) |
| Daly and Skase discover that a jeweller is fencing stolen goods. ||||||
| 80 | "Performing" | Rosie Marcel and Kelly Marcel guest star | Chris Lovett | John Brennan | 8 July 1997 (1997-7-8) |
| Boyden and Page come to the aid of a former porn actress who is worried that her younger sister faces a similar fate. ||||||
| 81 | "Playing With Fire" | Letitia Dean guest stars | Jane Prowse | David G. McDonagh | 10 July 1997 (1997-7-10) |
| Meadows and Lines suspect that the owner of a beauty salon set it on fire herself to claim on the insurance policy. ||||||
| 82 | "No Guarantees" | Laila Morse and Christopher Colquhoun guest star | Pete Travis | Katharine Way | 11 July 1997 (1997-7-11) |
| Rawton tries to stop a loan shark who is terrorising his female customers, but finds it hard to get the victims to talk ||||||
| 83 | "Gentleman Jim" | WPC Jamila Blake is seconded to CID | Mike Vardy | Scott Cherry | 15 July 1997 (1997-7-15) |
| Blake is placed on attachment to C.I.D. D.C. Carver, behind on his paperwork, is far from pleased when Blake drags him around Sun Hill following up leads on a trivial car theft case. Their investigations, however, lead them to a gang of armed robbers. ||||||
| 84 | "Rift" | Nick Conway guest stars | Pete Travis | Michael Jenner | 17 July 1997 (1997-7-17) |
| Slater and Ackland attend to what appears to be a teenage catfight over an older man. ||||||
| 85 | "Stand By Your Man" | – | Derek Lister | Isabelle Grey | 18 July 1997 (1997-7-18) |
| Daly tries to find out who is forcing a convict to smuggle drugs into a prison. ||||||
| 86 | "Replica" | Nicholas Pinnock guest stars | Michael Cocker | Rod Lewis | 22 July 1997 (1997-7-22) |
| Loxton and McCann confiscate a gun. ||||||
| 87 | "Mr Friday Night" | Amanda Holden and Paul Mark Elliott guest star | Mike Vardy | Len Collin | 23 July 1997 (1997-7-23) |
| Boyden and Page grill a witness after the disappearance of a good-time girl. ||||||
| 88 | "Hitting the Nerve" | Barbara Ewing, Fiona Dolman and Roger Allam guest star | Brian Farnham | Renny Krupinski | 25 July 1997 (1997-7-25) |
| Greig and Carver react when one prosecution witness disappears and another ends up in a coma two days before the trial. ||||||
| 89 | "Thicker Than Mud" | Elizabeth Bennett and Andrew Scarborough guest star | Ian White | Maxwell Young | 29 July 1997 (1997-7-29) |
| Deakin and Beech investigate an arson attack on a small, respectable clothes shop. ||||||
| 90 | "Alternative Therapies" | Daniel Casey and Benedict Wong guest star | Jane Prowse | Clive Dawson | 31 July 1997 (1997-7-31) |
| Skase and Boulton investigate the theft of illegally imported body parts of endangered animals from a Chinese pharmacy. ||||||
| 91 | "Foxed" | First appearance of DC Tom Proctor; Jonathan Coy guest stars | Nigel Bristow | Tony McHolland | 1 August 1997 (1997-8-1) |
| Daly and Carver investigate the burglary of an antiques shop and are struck by the strange behaviour of the sales assistant. ||||||
| 92 | "These Foolish Things" | Sheree Murphy guest stars | Peter Lydon | Mark Johnson | 5 August 1997 (1997-8-5) |
| D.C.I Meadows leads an investigation into the snatching of a child from his pram and uncovers a case of extortion. ||||||
| 93 | "Neighbours" | Neil Maskell guest stars | Nigel Bristow | Mark Holloway | 7 August 1997 (1997-8-7) |
| P.C. Garfield and W.P.C. Keane try to settle a neighbourhood feud. ||||||
| 94 | "Glass House" | Margot Leicester and George Sweeney guest star | Peter Lydon | Kevin Scouler | 8 August 1997 (1997-8-8) |
| D.S. Boulton and D.C. Lines try to persuade a woman to help catch her husband, who is involved in a drug deal. ||||||
| 95 | "This Old Man" | – | Dominic Lees | Colin Wyatt | 12 August 1997 (1997-8-12) |
| Garfield is affected by the death of an old man. ||||||
| 96 | "Tommy the Hero" | James Ottaway and Frank Jarvis guest star | Mike Cocker | Chris Ould | 14 August 1997 (1997-8-14) |
| W.D.C. Rawton has to choose between solving a minor domestic dispute and finding two violent robbers. ||||||
| 97 | "Driven To It" | – | Jo Shoop | Patrick Melaphany | 15 August 1997 (1997-8-15) |
| D.S. Daly enlists the help of a cab driver to catch a drug dealer. ||||||
| 98 | "A Man Out Walking His Dog" | Roger Walker, Christine Kavanagh and Roy Evans guest star | Jonathan Hacker | Terry Hodgkinson | 19 August 1997 (1997-8-19) |
| Sgt. Boyden and W.P.C. Keane attend the scene of a possible suicide when a man's body is found in a car, poisoned by alcohol and exhaust fumes. ||||||
| 99 | "Hunt" | Patrick Murray and Mark Burdis guest star | Jonathan Hacker | Mark Illis | 21 August 1997 (1997-8-21) |
| Sgt. Boyden and D.S. Beech try to find a couple before a vicious drug-dealer gets to them. ||||||
| 100 | "Has Anyone Here Seen Bigmouth?" | Anita Dobson, Sharon Small and Del Henney guest star | Jo Shoop | Ray Brooking | 22 August 1997 (1997-8-22) |
| D.S. Daly and D.I. Deakin try to find an informant who has disappeared following a failed police operation. ||||||
| 101 | "This Land Is Ours" | Philip McGough and Allan Surtees guest star | Brian Farnham | Hugh Ellis | 26 August 1997 (1997-8-26) |
| Sgt. Cryer and Ch. Supt. Brownlow police a demonstration at a development site after peaceful protesters are threatened with violence. ||||||
| 102 | "Paying the Piper" | – | Brian Farnham | Sheila Duncan | 28 August 1997 (1997-8-28) |
| D.S. Boulton's investigation is hampered by an informant who is putting family loyalty first. ||||||
| 103 | "On the Hurry Up" | – | Mike Cocker | Richard Stoneman | 29 August 1997 (1997-8-29) |
| When a flying bottle causes Slater to crash a panda, Monroe bans all pandas from responding to priority calls, a move that leads to frustration amongst the relief. Slater is suspicious as to why Loxton won't assist him in the investigation into a series of hoax calls linked to his crash. ||||||
| 104 | "Not in the Script" | – | Ian White | Robert Jones | 2 September 1997 (1997-9-2) |
| When Slater is recommended by Rawton for undercover work, he is overjoyed. His colleagues, however, ridicule him, and their interference almost costs them a trial operation. Will he bottle it? ||||||
| 105 | "Flower Power" | Michael McKell guest stars | Nicholas Laughland | Elizabeth Anne-Wheal | 4 September 1997 (1997-9-4) |
| P.C. Hollis discovers a hoard of illegally imported wildflower bulbs and helps in the subsequent Customs and Excise operation. ||||||
| 106 | "A Breach of Trust, Part One" | Jacqueline Defferary guest stars | Nicholas Laughland | Maxwell Young | 5 September 1997 (1997-9-5) |
| Daly's worst fears are realised when a nurse reports that she has received malicious phone calls from a mentally-disturbed ex-prisoner. ||||||
| 107 | "A Breach of Trust, Part Two" | Jacqueline Defferary and Anna Manahan guest star | Nicholas Laughland | Maxwell Young | 9 September 1997 (1997-9-9) |
| Daly and Blake are forced to release their prime suspect, and the race is on to prove his guilt before he strikes again. ||||||
| 108 | "Fool" | – | Simon Meyers | Spenser Frearson | 11 September 1997 (1997-9-11) |
| P.C. Quinnan and Sgt. Boyden want to use a would-be stand-up comedian as an informant, but he is as hopeless off-stage as he is on. ||||||
| 109 | "Armed and Dangerous" | – | Simon Massey | Tunde Babalola | 12 September 1997 (1997-9-12) |
| P.C. McCann is convinced that a gun remains unaccounted for when a gang of armed robbers is captured. ||||||
| 110 | "Animals" | Ged Simmons and Derek Riddell guest star | Dominic Lees | Steve Handley | 16 September 1997 (1997-9-16) |
| Ackland and Blake investigate the dangerous world of dog fighting - full of vicious dogs and hard men. ||||||
| 111 | "Look into My Eyes" | – | Chris Lovett | Tom Needham | 18 September 1997 (1997-9-18) |
| D.I. Deakin and W.P.C. Blake follow up allegations of attempted rape against a stage hypnotist. ||||||
| 112 | "Performance Anxiety" | Desmond Askew and Linda Hayden guest star | Christopher Hodson | J.C. Wilsher | 19 September 1997 (1997-9-19) |
| Sun Hill's performance comes under scrutiny, and officers from C.I.D. and uniform compete against each other in a bid to solve the most crimes. ||||||
| 113 | "Different Strokes" | Karl Collins guest stars | Nicholas Laughland | Isabelle Grey | 23 September 1997 (1997-9-23) |
| P.C. Slater goes undercover in an attempt to draw out a thief. ||||||
| 114 | "Sparks" | David Quilter, Maureen O'Brien and Brian Capron guest star | Brian Farnham | Peter J Hammond | 25 September 1997 (1997-9-25) |
| D.S. Beech loses his cool with a D.S. from Severn Valley, while Skase falls for the charms of his W.D.C. ||||||
| 115 | "The Lion's Den" | Sally Ann Matthews and Paul Angelis guest star | Simon Meyers | Barry Simner | 26 September 1997 (1997-9-26) |
| Slater goes undercover as a bouncer at a club run by the notorious Guy Walsh. As Slater gains his trust, will he be exposed? ||||||
| 116 | "The Needs of the Many" | – | Chris Lovett | Clive Dawson | 30 September 1997 (1997-9-30) |
| P.C. Slater is surprised when, in uniform, he bumps into the target of his undercover investigation. ||||||
| 117 | "Cross Purposes" | Tony Selby and Sheila Dunn guest star | Ged Maguire | Edwin Pearce | 2 October 1997 (1997-10-2) |
| D.S. Boulton and Sgt. Boyden both have an interest in the same pub landlord, but for different reasons. ||||||
| 118 | "Free to Speak?" | Final appearance of PC Nick Slater | Christopher Hodson | Richard Stoneman | 3 October 1997 (1997-10-3) |
| It's P.C. Slater's final day at Sun Hill, and he takes Keane out for a farewell dinner. Loxton, Quinnan and Skase do their best to extinguish any intimate moments. ||||||
| 119 | "Dishonour Among Thieves" | June Page guest stars | Ged Maguire | Terry Hodgkinson | 7 October 1997 (1997-10-7) |
| Sgt. Boyden deals with a complaint from a notorious burglar who has had his own house broken into. ||||||
| 120 | "Coup de Grace" | Di Botcher and Philip Wright guest star | Tim Holloway | Nicholas McInerny | 9 October 1997 (1997-10-9) |
| D.S. Boulton finds himself trying to save a marriage when the husband is given another three-year sentence. ||||||
| 121 | "Night of the Long Knives" | Jason Salkey guest stars | Brian Parker | Scott Cherry | 10 October 1997 (1997-10-10) |
| The relief are furious at working in endless shifts, especially when Keane, Loxton and Jarvis have called in sick. Its Garfield's duty as Fed Rep to sort things out, when an evening turns from bad to worse. ||||||
| 122 | "Straying" | Peter Gunn and John Normington guest star | James Cellan Jones | Rod Beacham | 14 October 1997 (1997-10-14) |
| W.P.C. Page and P.C. Stamp look into the disappearance of a man and his dog. D.S. Beech and D.C. Carver act on info received about an alleged robbery. ||||||
| 123 | "A Bad Lot" | – | Ian White | Chris Lang | 16 October 1997 (1997-10-16) |
| P.C. Garfield deals with a twelve-year-old boy who is running amok on a housing estate. ||||||
| 124 | "Crimes of a Lesser Passion" | – | James Cellan Jones | Tunde Babalola | 17 October 1997 (1997-10-17) |
| Sgt. Ackland and P.C. Jarvis deal with a stabbing. ||||||
| 125 | "Force" | David Quilter and Luisa Bradshaw-White guest star | Michael Ferguson | Carolyn Sally Jones | 21 October 1997 (1997-10-21) |
| Insp. Monroe responds to suggestions that he is out of touch with front-line policing and goes on the beat with P.C. Jarvis. ||||||
| 126 | "Walkabout" | Thomas Craig guest stars | Brian Parker | Peter J. Hammond | 23 October 1997 (1997-10-23) |
| W.P.C. Page assists a missing person's enquiry by impersonating the young woman in question. ||||||
| 127 | "Shades of Grey, Part One" | Ace Bhatti and Nicola Stephenson guest star | Danny Hiller | Manjit Singh | 24 October 1997 (1997-10-24) |
| D.I. Deakin and D.S. Boulton lead the search for two children who are snatched from school and presumed to be on their way back to Pakistan with their estranged father. ||||||
| 128 | "Shades of Grey, Part Two" | Ace Bhatti and Nicola Stephenson guest star | Danny Hiller | Manjit Singh | 28 October 1997 (1997-10-28) |
| D.I. Deakin and D.S. Boulton are on the trail of the kidnapper, but the children's father has decided to pay the ransom money. ||||||
| 129 | "Women at Work" | – | John Bruce | Patrick Melaphany | 30 October 1997 (1997-10-30) |
| D.C. Carver and W.P.C. Blake investigate the hit-and-run of a woman employed by a jealous lover to test her man's fidelity. ||||||
| 130 | "Solid Evidence" | – | Tania Diez | Candy Denman | 31 October 1997 (1997-10-31) |
| Insp. Monroe leads the search for a little girl who has disappeared after school, and whose mother is a prostitute and father a pimp. ||||||
| 131 | "Going Down" | Colin Baker guest stars | Jo Shoop | Spenser Frearson | 4 November 1997 (1997-11-4) |
| W.D.C. Croft feels let down by the parents of a young drug addict who had promised to keep him clean. ||||||
| 132 | "Accomplice" | Hour-long episode, WPC Jamila Blake returns to uniform; Nicholas Murchie guest stars | Derek Lister | Tony Mulholland | 6 November 1997 (1997-11-6) |
| The abduction of a girl bears the hallmarks of a serial killer whom Carver helped to put away years ago. Did he work alone? ||||||
| 133 | "Last Fare" | Sally Faulkner and Biddy Hodson guest star | Jo Shoop | Richard McBrien | 7 November 1997 (1997-11-7) |
| D.S. Beech and W.D.C. Rawton investigate the assault and robbery of a minicab driver. ||||||
| 134 | "Stolen Thunder" | Mark Wing-Davey guest stars | John Bruce | Stephen Plaice | 11 November 1997 (1997-11-11) |
| D.I. Deakin and D.C. Proctor are furious that an inexperienced young barrister has been assigned to prosecute one of their court cases. ||||||
| 135 | "P.C." | – | Ian White | Richard Stoneman | 13 November 1997 (1997-11-13) |
| Loxton carries out an illegal stop-and-search of a black man, unaware that he is an off-duty police officer. This episode is sometimes referred to, misleadingly, as "P.C., Part One" as it is the first part of a two-part story, with "No Trace" as the second part. ||||||
| 136 | "No Trace" | Final regular appearance of PC Steve Loxton; Pauline Melville guest stars | Tania Diez | Richard Stoneman | 14 November 1997 (1997-11-14) |
| A disenchanted Steve Loxton decides to resign from the force for good, but before he goes, he helps Quinnan settle a score with a crooked lawyer. This episode is sometimes referred to, misleadingly, as "No Trace, Part Two" as it is the second part of a two-part story, with "P.C." as the first part. ||||||
| 137 | "A New Way to Pay Off Old Debts" | – | Albert Barber | Len Collin | 18 November 1997 (1997-11-18) |
| Sgt. Boyden and W.P.C. Blake investigate the death of an alcoholic found burned to death. ||||||
| 138 | "After All These Years" | Veronica Roberts and Roy Heather guest star | Tim Holloway | Lisa Evans | 20 November 1997 (1997-11-20) |
| Sgt. Ackland and P.C. Quinnan investigate a car crash involving an elderly driver. ||||||
| 139 | "Sands of Time" | Paul Jerricho guest stars | Albert Barber | Anthony Valentine | 21 November 1997 (1997-11-21) |
| As the threat of tenure looms over DC Jim Carver, he is desperate to prove himself to Meadows by capturing a jewel thief who absconded years ago. ||||||
| 140 | "Identity Crisis" | John Axon and Collette Brown guest star | James Hawes | Mark Clompus | 25 November 1997 (1997-11-25) |
| D.S. Boulton pressurises a young couple in the hope of getting a result. ||||||
| 141 | "The Same Stripe, Part One" | James Marcus and JoAnne Good guest star | Chris Lovett | Elizabeth Anne-Wheal | 28 November 1997 (1997-11-28) |
| Ackland finds herself under investigation for accepting bribes. ||||||
| 142 | "The Same Stripe, Part Two" | JoAnne Good guest stars | Chris Lovett | Elizabeth Anne-Wheal | 2 December 1997 (1997-12-2) |
| Ackland is behind bars on a charge of accepting bribes, and her trusted informant has disappeared without trace. ||||||
| 143 | "Hot Plastic" | – | Harry Bradbeer | Gregory Evans | 4 December 1997 (1997-12-4) |
| D.I. Deakin tries to salvage an operation after an unsuccessful raid in which Sgt. Cryer is scalded, D.C. Skase is injured, and the target escaped. ||||||
| 144 | "Gaybashing" | Hannah Waterman guest stars | Michael Ferguson | Simon Tyrell | 5 December 1997 (1997-12-5) |
| Sgt. Boyden and P.C. Quinnan investigate an assault in a public toilet, a notorious meeting place for homosexuals. ||||||
| 145 | "Potential For Conflict" | First appearance of PC Luke Ashton; Geoffrey McGivern and Dominic Power guest star | Catherine Morshead | Neil Clarke | 9 December 1997 (1997-12-9) |
| Stamp visits Hendon for new recruit Luke Ashton's last day of training. But Ashton's confidence takes a severe knock, and he might not pass the course. ||||||
| 146 | "Heartbreak Hotel" | Jane Wall guest stars | Ged Maguire | Alan Pollock | 11 December 1997 (1997-12-11) |
| D.I. Deakin and W.D.C. Rawton investigate the assault of a man who has been charming middle-aged women out of their savings. ||||||
| 147 | "Humpty Dumpty, Part One" | – | Ian White | Tom Needham | 12 December 1997 (1997-12-12) |
| Ashton has a bad first day at Sun Hill when he and Stamp see a boy fall from the roof of a building. ||||||
| 148 | "Humpty Dumpty, Part Two" | Rik Mayall and Roy Holder guest star | Ian White | Tom Needham | 16 December 1997 (1997-12-16) |
| Cryer remains convinced that Jimmy's fall off the roof was not an accident. But who pushed him - and is his death linked to the attack on Bannerman? ||||||
| 149 | "Humpty Dumpty, Part Three" | Rik Mayall guest stars | Ian White | Tom Needham. | 18 December 1997 (1997-12-18) |
| All evidence points to Jimmy's father killing Bannerman and then pushing his son off the roof. But can Cryer and Ashton find a way to prove it? ||||||
| 150 | "Out" | – | Harry Bradbeer | Tony Mulholland | 19 December 1997 (1997-12-19) |
| D.S. Daly puts the pressure on an ex-con who would risk another jail sentence rather than inform on a friend. ||||||
| 151 | "Twanky" | Hour-long episode | Mike Cocker | Mark Holloway | 22 December 1997 (1997-12-22) |
| Putting on a Christmas panto proves to be the toughest case of the year for Page and the officers at Sun Hill. ||||||
| 152 | "Things That Go Bump in the Night" | Final episode produced by Michael Chapman, first appearance of PC Sam Harker; Timothy Bateson guest stars | Gill Wilkinson | Terry Hodgkinson | 30 December 1997 (1997-12-30) |
| Sgt. Boyden and W.P.C. Page find a notorious safecracker, blown up and in a semi-conscious state, in a dilapidated building. ||||||