Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know

Viewers are set to see Eddie Santini in an altogether different light!

When Eddie Santini joined the team at Sun Hill six months ago, we were warned that he was not a man to be trusted. Now we are about to find out why.
In an hour-and-a-half special episode of The Bill screening on Tuesday 25 August, Eddie finds himself working at close quarters on an undercover operation with pretty new recruit WPC Rosie Fox, played by Caroline Catz.
Things go awry later that evening when, back at Rosie's flat following some drinks, Eddie misreads Rosie's signals.
"Eddie pushes Rosie too far," explains Michael Higgs who plays him.
"When she tells him to back off, he doesn't comply. Quite understandably, she's furious with him. From this point it's downhill all the way."
Eddie apologises profusely, but Rosie wants nothing more to do with him. It is after this that things turn really nasty between them. "Eddie takes a malicious delight in tormenting her," reveals 31-year-old Michael. "He makes strange phone calls, spreads lies about her and generally makes her life a misery.
"He becomes a physiological bully, but his colleagues are none the wiser because he's clever enough to cover it up. He lies constantly." Cases of sexual harassment such as this are a current hot topic within the real police force. "It's at an all-time high" says Michael. "Perhaps it's because more women are speaking out more or because they've simply had enough.
"I can imagine it's a very sexist environment. Policemen are not the most sensitive bunch of blokes on the whole."
Michael is aware that the shocking storyline is unlikely to make him one of the most popular men in Britain. "I am happy not being recognised as being on The Bill, but perhaps all that will change with this storyline," he says resignedly.
"I would hope that people have a little more intelligence to confuse me with Eddie."
The Bill has been the subject of much press attention over the last few months. Ratings have continued to fall despite the recent introduction of more soap-orientated storylines and it has been reported that producers have been given six months to arrest the decline.
But Michael is taking it all in his stride. "Like anything that's untried they have to see how it goes," he says. "If this new format is a success then fine, but if not then it will obviously have to go." Jon Peake