#norika datta

[augustusaugustus]

11.117 Damage Limitation

DEAKIN: For what it’s worth, for my money, we did all the right things.

MEADOWS: Well. Here’s to Jo Morgan. Let’s hope she understands.

MONROE: They’ve agreed not to pursue the complaint. LOXTON: Nice one, Sir! MONROE: If you apologise.

MONROE: All right? LOXTON: It took a bit of doing, Sir. MONROE: And now it’s over. Except that it’s not, really, is it, Steve? LOXTON: Sir? MONROE: You overreacted. LOXTON: They picked the wrong day, Sir. MONROE: We can all keep cool when everything’s going well; the test comes when it isn’t.

Like the episode dealing with the fall-out from Viv’s death, this one focuses on good and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Andrew suggests counselling and Bob says that the choices are drinking with your mates or getting on with the job. June is shown visibly improved after confiding in a friend (Bob) and letting her emotions out, while the final seconds of the episode show Steve drinking alone. No surprise at all that Steve responds with anger and isolation, given that anger’s the only emotion he allows himself and the people who know him best are too good at seeing through his mask.

[steveloxton]

Series 11 Minor Appearances

[sgtsteele]

9.141 Real Villains

[derekconway]

12.43 Animal

[reghollis]

11.90 The Devil You Don’t Know

[inspectormonroe]

10.109 Birthright

[terminusantequem]

Bod Mellor (British, b. 1970), Police Constable Norika Datta (Seeta Indrani) 2016. Oil on canvas, 76 x 61 cm

[igiveupmiss3]

Riding A Bike

Detective Inspector Norika Datta normally headed up Sun Hill’s Adult Safeguarding Unit, but once a beat policewoman, always a beat policewoman as this young idiot discovered when he unwisely broke into Norika’s flat while she was working from home, researching for an upcoming court case. When she heard her side door being forced, DI Datta’s basic training immediately returned to help her make her arrest. She hid behind the door of her study as the teenage burglar cautiously entered the room. Within seconds Norika had him in an armlock with one hand and administered three sharp slaps (left, right, left) to the terrified and bewildered boy’s face with the other. “He burst into tears and surrendered to me,” DI Datta related. With no handcuffs at home, the woman sat her captive on her setee and told him not to move. She then fetched some rope from the kitchen and, sitting next to the tearful and subdued lad, tightly tied him up and gagged him. The failed burglar then sobbed quietly to himself while Norika called Sun Hill.

“As I said to the guys who came to collect him,” the policewoman smiled, “it was like riding a bike - you never forget!”

Sources: retrorope and actress Seeta Indrani on Shutterstock

[georgefairbrother]

Leading TV historian and author, Oliver Crocker, pictured here with Jon Iles (DC Mike Dashwood in 194 episodes of The Bill from 1984), has over the past few years been compiling an incredibly detailed oral history of the The Bill from those who actually made it, including its stars, supporting talent and behind the scenes artists and technicians. The ITV (Thames) police drama ran for nearly 2500 episodes, from its pilot, Woodentop, in 1983 to its final episode in 2010. At its peak, it was watched by 18 million viewers in the UK. Jon Iles was the very first interviewee for the podcast series, and set things off to a very high standard.

In over 100 podcast episodes, Oliver has interviewed many of the major stars of the programme across its entire run, including Trudie Goodwin and Mark Wingett (above), Chris Ellison (DI Frank Burnside), Graham Cole (PC Tony Stamp), Eric Richard (Sgt Bob Cryer), Barbara Thorn (Insp Christine Frazer), Larry Dann (Sgt Alec Peters), Seeta Indrani (WPC Norika Datta); from some of the originals including Robert Hudson (Yorkie), Nula Conwell (Viv Martella), Colin Blumenau (Taffy) and Ashley Gunstock (PC Robin Frank), to stars of the later era including Todd Carty and Beth Cordingly. And many luminaries in between, from uniform and CID, too numerous to mention.

One or two have remained elusive - Jeff Stewart (Reg Hollis) has thus far declined, perhaps understandably as his departure from the series was deeply and personally traumatic. John Salthouse (DI Roy Galloway) declined the podcast but was very friendly and helpful with information for Oliver's first of two books on the series, Witness Statements: Making The Bill Series 1-3. (Witness Statements II is now also out).

The interviews are fascinating as pretty much all the participants have been breathtakingly honest; about producers and their behaviour and often brutal decision-making, and about the rollercoaster life of an actor even in a successful series. It's not always as much fun as it looks. Having said that, it was a happy cast which made a big effort to make guest stars and extras welcome, and it's interesting to note that the older, more experienced actors, playing CID and uniformed supervisors, tended to mentor the younger actors in the same way their real-life counterparts took care of junior officers.

Tony Scannell (DS Ted Roach) had agreed to be interviewed but sadly passed away before the recording date.

The Bill Podcast is on all the major platforms, and according to Listen Notes is in the top 1.5% of podcasts globally.

@robbielewis thought you might be interested in this one.

[augustusaugustus]

12.10 Old Dogs, New Tricks

Another new technology episode, this time a crime database computer system. Reg thinks it’s brilliant, the chief inspectors are not convinced and Tony hates its guts.

[augustusaugustus]

12.8 No Assistance Required

LOXTON: There’s more to driving than speed.

Norika gets the unwanted attention of a real creeper and Steve is stupid enough to accept an area car race challenge from a Stafford Row PC. Andrew gets wind of it and is a bit OOC with his willingness to ignore the gossip—although if he were going to do so for anyone, it’d be for Steve, whom he’s endlessly determined to see the good side of.

[augustusaugustus]

11.148 Ties That Bind

A baby is dumped at social services. Andrew and Norika investigate.

[augustusaugustus]

11.134 Love Me, Love My Dog

Gary’s passed his first sergeant’s exam, but Bob isn’t sure he’s ready for the role. This episode does a good job of showing why—he’s a kind man with good instincts, but gets too emotionally involved. We’ve also seen in past episodes that he’s a follower not a leader—like when the other PCs are bullying Reg.

[augustusaugustus]

11.109 Knowing the Score

Jo’s back and she’s absolutely rocking a new pixie cut. The gorgeous Meera Syal guesting & Moya Brady in a pre-Robbie Cryer role.

[augustusaugustus]

11.83 Body Beautiful

Mark Arden guesting as a…junked-up body builder? Does The Bill even know what that is?

Norika’s looking-at-Rod face.

SKASE: Look, I’m not saying it wasn’t a good idea. It’s just you can’t go treading on too many toes. CROFT: Yeah, well you’d know about that.

A fun episode, with some Suzi cleavage and wet, topless Rod for the perves in the audience. Suzi’s a lot more cut-throat than usual, and it was nice watching her get a win, even if there was a lot of fall-out from it.

Generally I would ship characters that have the dynamic that Rod & Suzi do and a part of me wants to here, too, but (a) Suzi’s far too smart to go there and deserves better and (b) Rod’s attitude towards all women make me feel like he could only ever have a healthy relationship with a man.

[augustusaugustus]

12.86 Big Bullies

A boy comes into the station to report an assault by his teacher. Seems a bit OOC in this one for Andrew to be so dismissive of teachers hitting kids, but then again it was still legal in private schools in Australia at this point. Also, tbf, the kid is awfully obnoxious.

(Yes, this is basically an Andrew & Norika picspam with a bit of Reg thrown in. Sorry not sorry.)