The Bill to be made available to stream for free via UKTV Play from May

There’s great news for fans of The Bill with the show being made available to stream online thanks to UKTV Play.

UKTV’s free streaming service will exclusively host the police procedural drama which ran for over 25 years between 1984 and 2010.

Series 1-5 of The Bill will start streaming on 1 May at 10am, with a further series being made available at the start of each month. Series 6 launches 1 June. Series 7 begins 1 July. Series 8 will be added 1 August. Series 9 launches 1 September.

Following the lives of policemen and women working at the fictional Sun Hill Police Station in East London, The Bill was renowned for giving stars who are now successful their first break.

Familiar faces including actress Keira Knightley, entertainer and author David Walliams, actor Sean Bean, singer Emma Bunton and comedian Russell Brand all appeared as extras on the show.

The Bill originally started as a one off drama originally titled Old Bill and then Woodentop, starring Mark Wingett as PC Jim Carver and Trudie Goodwin as WPC June Ackland of London’s Metropolitan Police.

After proving an instant hit, it was turned into an ongoing series that ran for 26 years following its first broadcast on 16 October 1984.

UKTV Play is a free on demand TV service. The Bill series 1-5 launches 10am on 1 May.

You can also catch up on more recent episodes which also air on UKTV’s channel Drama.