Episode
The Bill: Dropout Factory
Overview
PC Luke Ashton is shocked to discover that his wife, PC Kerry Young, is pregnant. DC Danny Glaze sees a way to get enough evidence to arrest a teenage burglar when a young man is attacked by two thugs, although his informant may be at risk. DCI Jack Meadows is furious when DS McAllister is dropped off at work by a handsome young man. Sun Hill station holds an Open Day, and DC Eva Sharpe invites her family along, but after a row, her daughter Joanna goes missing.
Details
- Series
- The Bill
- Season
- Season 19
- Episode
- Episode 11
- Air date
- 2003-02-04
Episode context
Dropout Factory is Episode 11 in Season 19 of The Bill. It aired on 2003-02-04.
Previous / Next
Episode 10: Thinking Out Loud
The seemingly random drive-by shooting of a young girl at a local bank seems more deliberate when her father is discovered to be an accountant for some local thugs. FDO Roberta Cryer is suspicious about PC Cathy Bradford's HIV lie after Bradford is berated by DS Phil Hunter for putting others at risk. PC Nick Klein attends Simon Kitson's memorial service, but lets his emotions get the better of him when he encounters Pat Kitson there. PC Kerry Young investigates reports of a flasher, and encounters the mysterious but charming new Aussie PC, Cameron Tait.
Episode 12: Without A Trace
A massive search is underway for DC Eva Sharpe's missing eight-year-old daughter, Joanna. As a police officer, Eva is only too aware how serious the situation is, especially when a press conference is called. PC Reg Hollis is suspicious of a couple he questions during enquiries. Joe Kincaid joins the search, and Sgt. Craig Gilmore notices the attraction between Kincaid and PC Luke Ashton. PC Ruby Buxton discovers a vital clue to Joanna's disappearance at a local corner shop.
More episodes from this season
Episode 9: Crackdown
PC Des Taviner is transferred to CSU, and unsettles the team with his methods and aggressive attitude. Sgt. June Ackland worries about her marriage proposal to PC Jim Carver, and DCI Jack Meadows makes his feelings for DS Debbie McAllister. Roberta Cryer questions an evasive PC Cathy Bradford about her medication - a question Bradford is ill-prepared to answer. DS Phil Hunter is also caught on the wrong foot when DC Mickey Webb's investigation into a corrupt judge could land him in hot water. Attending a domestic at a local house, PC Luke Ashton discovers a love triangle that is not all it appears to be.
Episode 13: The Cat With Nine Lives
An assault on a prison officer may not be the straightforward mugging it appears to be. PC Jim Carver moves in with the Sharpes as their Family Liaison Officer, hoping to glean some vital information on Joanna's disappearance. PC Kerry Young suspects her husband is having an affair, and notices something going on when Ashton visits his sergeant in hospital after Gilmore is attacked while guarding a witness. PC Des Taviner ignores what could be an important clue in the Joanna Sharpe investigation, as he thinks it comes from an unreliable source. When the police get word there may be a paedophile ring operating in Sun Hill, they are determined to keep this news from Joanna's distraught parents.
Episode 8: Cross Transfer
PC Des Taviner is eager to investigate Judge Sinclair, who he suspects is corrupt. DCI Meadows, a friend of the judge, insists he drop it, but asks DC Mickey Webb to keep an eye on the case. Insp. Gold overhears Taviner and Meadows, and encourages Taviner to investigate in secret. TDC Brandon Kane urges PC Cathy Bradford to reveal that she is HIV positive, but Bradford is reluctant as she thinks it could ruin her chances of joining CID. A clairvoyant's glimpse of the future encourages Sgt. June Ackland to reconsider the nature of her relationship with PC Jim Carver.
Episode 14: False Pride
Despite the objections of her colleagues, DC Eva Sharpe returns to work, escorted by new Sergeant Sheelagh Murphy. Eva's colleagues, and a special unit from Scotland Yard, do their best to investigate a possible paedophile ring without alarming Eva and her husband. PC Jim Carver finds the pressure of being the Sharpes' Family Liaison Officer too much, and finds himself tempted to have a drink, but Sgt. June Ackland is on hand to show him just how much she cares about him. DCI Jack Meadows is convinced his old friend Judge Sinclair is a paedophile, and despite DC Mickey Webb's objections to keep the investigation official and above board, Meadows confronts Sinclair on his own terms.
Episode 7: Hard Liquor
Supt. Adam Okaro makes a shock decision to resign after he is forced to toe the line on the drugs issue by the Borough Commander. PC Des Taviner suspects a judge is corrupt when the absence of a key witness sees a court case collapse. PC Cathy Bradford is delighted after spending the night with TDC Brandon Kane, but Kane is indifferent. When an old school friend of PC Ruby Buxton disappears after being robbed, Buxton finds her friend's mother is defensive about her daughter's whereabouts. When the bank mistakenly credits his account, will DC Ken Drummond take the money and run, or notify them of their mistake?
Episode 15: Under Pressure
Supt. Adam Okaro is under pressure from the Borough Commander to get rid of DCI Jack Meadows after Meadow's confrontation with Judge Howard Sinclair. DC Eva Sharpe is furious when she discovers that her colleagues have kept the paedophile investigation from her, but when a child is found dead, there are fears it could be Eva's daughter Joanna. DC Sharpe and Sgt. Murphy investigate a pizza delivery man's missing moped. With his career on the line, DCI Meadows turns to Sgt. June Ackland to convince a reluctant witness to make a statement against Judge Sinclair.
Episode 6: Controversial Approach
Supt Adam Okaro's rumoured controversial approach to drug policy draws the media like flies, so Borough Commander Jane Fitzwilliam calls a press conference to make him toe the company line. PC Cathy Bradford has come to rely on her partner DC Brandon Kane's support, so when her HIV status is revealed, will she tell him the truth? If she plays on his sympathy, she may get him to bed. Suspecting him of having an affair with DS Debbie McAllister, DCI Jack Meadow's wife Laura arrives at the station to give him his marching orders. But even after McAllister explains to her there is nothing going on, Jack decides he's had enough and leaves home anyway. A small boy dies in a drive-by shooting in his neighbourhood, and Supt Okaro decides to walk to his press conference to give himself time to think. Will the press, the police and the community be ready for what he has to say?
Episode 16: The Darkest Hour
CID's investigation into the paedophile ring continues to throw up unanswered questions. Meadows realises that he is sailing very close to the wind whilst trying to link Howard Sinclair over his involvement with the ring. Fitzwilliam begins to get very iffy about Meadows' actions and warns Okaro he could face disciplinary action if he fails to deal with him. Sharpe is relieved when the young child's body is revealed not to be Joanna, but is frightened that she may have come to harm. Hunter is disturbed to find his criminal contacts are being linked with the abduction inquiry, while Stamp and Best are called out to a burglary at a luxury flat and discover a little more than they initially bargained for.
Episode 5: Method To The Madness
Supt. Adam Okaro issues an order that drug users are not to be arrested by his officers - instead Sun Hill will target the dealers. PC Cathy Bradford is furious at this change in policy when the junkie who stabbed her with a hyperdermic needle walks free. Meanwhile DS Phil Hunter is given a tip off about a 20k drug deal about to take place in Sun Hill. Villain Ron Gregory has a plan. He wants Phil and his fellow officers to intercept this deal so the patch stays clear for Ron's own dealing. But Phil's already on thin ice with his superiors. Will Phil ever get Ron Gregory off his back? PCs Ruby Buxton and Nick Klein are called to a violent domestic in a smart area of town, they are quick to arrest the husband for assault. But is it as simple as it at first appears? DC Danny Glaze is eager to talk to Sister Sarah Donohue after the pair's kiss the previous night, but the nun is in no mood to talk, particularly when her the community centre she runs is in danger of being closed by Ron Greg
Episode 17: Fraught With Danger
It's the day of reckoning for CID when they finally get suspected paedophile Clive Inverdale into court, but the situation goes from bad to worse when the court is stormed by a masked man with a gun, and Inverdale is shot dead. To make matters worse, Meadows' prime suspect, Ron Gregory, has an alibi in the form of none other than Hunter. With Sinclair also out of the picture, the investigation looks to be heading nowhere. Meanwhile, Osbourne and Hollis investigate several cases of stolen masonry, including one where the owner was brutally attacked during the robbery. A search of a derelict building for the stolen goods yields much more than expected when Joanna Sharpe is found alive.