Callum Stone | |
---|---|
The Bill character | |
First appearance | "Good Cop, Bad Cop" 8 August 2007 |
Last appearance | "Respect: Part 2" 31 August 2010 |
Portrayed by | Sam Callis |
In-universe information | |
Occupation | Police Sergeant |
Callum Stone is a fictional character from the British police procedural television series The Bill, played by Sam Callis. He first appeared in the twenty-third series episode "Good Cop, Bad Cop", broadcast on 8 August 2007. Callis had previously appeared in the series during 2004, in a guest role playing the character of Karl Radford. Callis believed this familiarity helped him to quickly adapt to the role. Callum's role in the show is a Police Sergeant. He is characterised as having an unorthodox policing style and is portrayed in stark contrast to the rest of the show's characters. Callis has explained that The Bill's script writers made Callum's persona ambiguous, leaving viewers to interpret whether or not Callum is a good or bad intentioned character. Callis believed his character adopts his "own moral code" and Callum views his role as being "there to administer justice", but not to the extreme he is a vigilante character.
Producers included Callum in some of The Bill's notable storylines and stunts, including a bomb explosion and a river diving rescue scenario. Writers created a rivalry between Callum and Police Inspector Dale "Smithy" Smith (Alex Walkinshaw) from his introduction. A later story between Callum and Emma Keane (Melanie Gutteridge) hinted at romance but resulted in her death. Callum also shares numerous stories with Sally Armstrong (Ali Bastian). The show's executive producer Johnathan Young was invested in the character. In 2008, Young revealed that his writing team would fully explore Callum's contentious policing routines. When the show was reformatted into a late night drama, Young revealed that Callum would be centric to the show's continuation.
The Bill was cancelled in 2010 and Callis remained under contract until filming ceased. Callum's final stories explore his backstory, in which he attempts to expose his deceased father's criminal past and reconnect with his estranged family. Callis made his finale appearance as Callum in the twenty-sixth series episode "Respect: Part 2", which was also the show's finale.