Classic Endings: Series Finales Remembered

Yesterday the cast and crew of The Bill filmed the final scenes for the cop-drama which will air on ITV1 in September. Quite how the series will end is being kept a closely guarded secret and after 27 years on-air fans are hoping for something suitable that pays tribute to its long history. So we’ve cast our eye on a few other dramas and science fiction memorable finales to get you in the mood. Amongst those featured are Blakes 7, Crossroads and London’s Burning.

Blakes 7

The camp BBC series from creator Terry Nation that followed a small group of criminals/rebels who desperately battled against the tyrannical and brutal Terran Federation. By the time the series ended in 1981 Blakes 7 had already killed off several cast members such as Cally (Jan Chappell) and Travis (Brian Croucher) but for the actual big finale itself the producers decided to go one step further. Actor Gareth Thomas returned to reprise his role of Roj Blake, the title character, who had bowed out after two seasons but Thomas agreed to return on the condition Blake was killed off. The producers granted his wish and in the last five minutes Blake was brutally gunned down by former crewmate Avon (Paul Darrow) thinking his old friend had betrayed him. Federation Crack Troops then gunned down the other rebels; Dayna (Josette Simon), Vila (Michael Keating), Soolin (Glynis Barber) and Tarrant (Steven Pacey). The final shot of the series is Avon standing over the body of Blake surrounded by Federation Troops and raising his gun for one final battle. As the credits rolled gun fire was heard from some time before the theme tune kicked in. This episode aired during Christmas 1981 – quite brutal for the festive period but also quite memorable. So perhaps The Bill will bow out with all the officers being shot in a hostage situation?

Doctor Who

In 1989 the BBC cancelled Doctor Who somewhat unexpectedly. The producers had expected another season and so hadn’t planned for the last story of the season, Survival, to be the big finale of the series. When the news of the cancellation came they hastily arranged for 7^th Doctor Sylvester McCoy to record a monologue to be played over the final scene. After battling the Master once more the Doctor and Ace walk back to the Tardis with the Doctor giving a beautiful monologue about ‘cities made out of smoke’ and ‘there’s work to do’. So perhaps The Bill will end with the door open for a return at a future point and the officers commenting they’ve got work to get on with.

Crossroads

Now Birmingham based soap Crossroads doesn’t just have one ending but two. The original series ended in 1988 but the soap was revived in 2001 by Carlton Television but was cancelled two years later in 2003. The original series of the soap ended with original character Jill (Jane Rossington) driving off with lover John Maddingham (Jeremy Nicholas) having picked him over husband Adam (Tony Adams). Driving through the village of King’s Oak the two joke about setting up a new Motel somewhere else with Jill saying “I always thought Crossroads was an awfully good name”. The 2003 series ended with the glamorous new owner Angel Samson (Jane Asher) realising the Hotel was all a dream and she was in fact a checkout supermarket girl. Somehow we can’t see The Bill writing off any off itself as a dream but perhaps if an original character or two popped up that would appease long-term fans.

London’s Burning

The Bill and London’s Burning have something in common – not just being set in London – but being revamped by ITV bosses with disastrous results. The final season of the once popular fire-fighter drama saw a radical revamp with a bunch of new characters introduced with many of the previous cast disappearing between seasons. The drama also took on more of a soapy style although this had been creeping in for some time the revamp was to cut costs and attract a younger audience – it failed. Ratings dropped as fans turned off horrified and the axe fell. What was to be the last episode revolved around a Russian satellite heading towards London in one of the most improbable storylines ever. The series final moments featured the cast watching the satellite burning up above London. Now there’s certainly something to be said for going out with a bang but sometimes you can take that too far – there needs to be a balance.

Night and Day 

The short-lived LWT soap Night and Day had never shyed away from the barmy side of things with a string of plots which baffled what little viewers it had. For example in one episode time stopped completely as an Angel came down to question the residents of Thornton Street, where the soap was based, about the disappearance of Jane Harper (Georgina Walker). While other plots involved virgin armies, baby-swaps and self castration. In the soaps final episode in 2003 the first half of the episode resolved the disappearance of Jane when a terrible secret being revealed and a brutal murder. The second half flashed forward five years into the future as Jane was supposedly released from prison and revisited her friends and family to make sure they had moved on without her. Then came a shock as the police visited her family and told them Jane had died in prison. In the graveyard Jane’s ghost is seen before a Montague of events of the series played out. Now for The Bill a flash-forward to reveal what certain characters get up to in the future would be nice but even better would be a series of clips – played over the ORIGINAL theme tune – celebrating the shows 27 years on-air would be nice.

If you can think of any other classic series endings then why not post them below? Also why not post your own suggestions for The Bill’s big finale as well. Would you like it to end with a bang or maybe with a few old characters returning to mark the occasion? Post all your comments below!