The Bill's Jim Carver on bad behaviour, booze, gambling and getting paid for it

He spent 21 years playing alcoholic, gambling cop Dc Jim Carver on The Bill.

And actor Mark Wingett has revealed that one of the reasons he stayed in the show for so long was because he could behave badly and be paid for it.

“Jim Carver is my favourite character I’ve ever played,” Mark tells the Daily Star.

“Over the years he grew from this young, innocent policeman to this alcoholic, gambling mess of a man.

“Playing him was great fun, I could behave abominably, get away with it and be paid for it, it was fantastic.

“It was great to grow alongside Carver for 21 years too.”

But Mark admits fans of The Bill didn’t always have sympathy for his character when they saw him in the street.

He says: “I think people could always relate to Carver because of his problems.

“Having said that, people used to see me in the street and just point and laugh at me.”

The Bill ended in 2010 after a mammoth 2,425 episodes, and fans were so upset they even started a petition to ask ITV to bring the police series back.

Now they could be in luck because Mark has been in talks about a spin-off called Sun Hill.

Named after the station where The Bill was set, it’s rumoured to have a mix of old and new cast members.

Mark and his veteran former co-stars Graham Cole, who played Pc Tony Stamp, and Trudie Goodwin (his on-screen wife Sgt June Ackland) are being brought in to help blood the newer coppers.

Mark says the project is not currently being filmed, but it is in the development phase.

“However, if it goes ahead it would be the three of us coming back as advisors to the younger police at Sun Hill,” he says.

Mark reckons that if The Bill ever came back, it would be modernised. He says: “One of the things The Bill did well was that it was current.

“It often moved with modern times, and issues such as terrorism and protests against the police would be subjects a modern Bill would cover. ”

The Bill was also a major employer of the country’s actors –something Mark believes has been missed since it finished.

Stars such as David Tennant, Keira Knightley, James McAvoy and Sean Bean all made career-launching appearances.

Mark says: “We had so many guest actors on that and it was a real rite of passage for them, as well as young directors and crew such as make-up artists.”

Mark, who kicked off his career playing rebellious mod Dave in Quadrophenia, has reunited with some of his former co-stars from the 1979 flick for a modern day-set spin-off called To Be Someone.

Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox and Trevor Laird are all back for the movie, which Mark describes as a “classic British comedy caper”.

And Mark hopes the film will be a breath of fresh air, because a lot of British cinema has become too serious in recent years.

He says: “I think one of the reasons why Quadrophenia remains so popular today is that it tackles serious subjects but is full of humour.

“The thing about modern films is that often they are very worthy and there’s no humour in them.

“To Be Someone is a nod to that kind of old comedy, and I think seeing something life-affirming with familiar actors will be great escapism.”

In To Be Someone, Mark plays Tommy, the manager of a club owned by the main character Danny (Sam Gittins).

He’s married to Toyah Willcox’s character Bonnie and the pair are bisexual swingers.

Mark reveals the film was in the pipeline for five years, adding that a big part of him signing up was the chance to work with his Quadrophenia pals again.

Starring Phil Daniels as Jimmy, a 1960s mod who escapes his dead-end job by dancing, taking drugs and fighting with the rival Rockers, Quadrophenia is a coming-of-age movie classic.

Mark and the rest of the cast were teenagers when they starred in it.

“The film’s story was a rite of passage for Jimmy – but it was the formative teenage years for the main cast as well,” he adds.

“Over the years we’ve never not been in touch with each other and we have all become lifelong friends.

“It was a very special group, like a little family. I’m not being over the top when I say that, it’s for real.”

●Kaleidoscope Entertainment presents

To Be Someone in cinemas today and on digital and DVD on August 9.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk