Some of our biggest stars took their first acting steps on the Sun Hill beat.

Among them is Robert Carlyle, now best known for his performances in Trainspotting and The Full Monty. An up-and-coming actor at the time, he guest-starred in the 1991 episode The Better Part Of Valour.

Former EastEnder Martine McCutcheon also had an early taste of television on the police drama.

She played a paper girl in one episode in 1991, then returned a year later playing teenager Amanda Jones, brought into the station after being found at a drugs party.

But the drama did not just boost the careers of young actors destined for greater things – many singers also found their feet on the pavements of the fictional borough of Canley.

Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton appeared in 1993 aged 17, while one-hit wonder Chesney Hawkes also had a role two years earlier.

The show even featured a genuine rock legend when Who frontman Roger Daltrey appeared in 1999.

Some cast members have been catapulted as far as Hollywood, with Pirates Of The Caribbean actress Keira Knightley getting a break on the show as a child actor.

She played 10-year-old Sheena Rose in 1995, a young tearaway found to have stolen coins in her bag.

Her Atonement co-star James McAvoy had one of his first TV appearances on The Bill two years later.

Comic and actor Russell Brand appeared in the show aged 18 in 1994 and David Walliams landed a role in 2002, just a year before Little Britain made him a star.