Chris Simmons is constantly asked when The Bill will be making a comeback.
The Hollyoaks actor – who is still best remembered for playing the role of DC Mickey Webb in the hit ITV show from 1998 until the program ended in 2010 – says people always recognise him for the role and still hold out hope that the police drama could return.
Chris told Inside Soap magazine: “I do get it quite a bit, people saying to me, ‘When are they going to bring back The Bill?’ I forget that there are repeats on TV all the time.
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“People still watch it, and they tell me stories I was involved with in the early 2000s.
“I’m just thinking, ‘I can’t remember that. It was a long time ago.'”
The 44-year-old star – who has also starred in Casualty – recently joined Hollyoaks as far-right extremist Stuart Sumner, and says he was drawn to the role because he wanted to play someone who was “mysterious” and “dark”.
He said: “I actually first heard about him from someone that I worked with on The Bill years back, and I thought he sounded like an amazing character to play.
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“Then, when I got sent the breakdown and some scenes to read, it was just really mouth-watering.
“He’s dark, mysterious, charming – he has the gift of the gab and could blag anything.”
The TV star is hopeful the storyline – which also features Jonny Baxter (Ray Quinn) and Sami Maalik (Rishi Nair) – will open people’s eyes up to how much racism is prevalent in the UK.
When asked what he hoped viewers would learn from the plot, he said: “Just that this is something that’s happening all around – it can be happening next door without you ever realising.
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“Hollyoaks is really good at starting conversations about things like this.
“When they take on this kind of story, they really take it on – they do their homework and take their time.
“There’s a long story arc with this plot.”
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