| Kerry Young | |
|---|---|
| The Bill character | |
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| First appearance | "Too Close to the Wind" 11 July 2002 |
| Last appearance | "Friendly Fire (Part Two)" 21 October 2004 |
| Portrayed by | Beth Cordingly |
| Spin offs | The Bill Uncovered: Kerry's Story (2004) |
| In-universe information | |
| Title | Police Constable |
| Occupation | Police officer |
| Spouse | Luke Ashton (2002–2003) |
| Significant other | |
| Relatives | George Young (father) |
Kerry Young is a fictional character from the British police procedural television series The Bill, played by Beth Cordingly. She first appeared in the eighteenth series episode "Too Close to the Wind", broadcast on 11 July 2002. Kerry was introduced as a police constable, who joins the Metropolitan Police based at the Sun Hill station. Cordingly's casting and Kerry's creation occurred after a large number of characters were written out by the show's new executive producer Paul Marquess. Ahead of her audition, Cordingly worried that she might be typecast as a bitch because of her past roles. However, Marquess met with all the new actors and wrote their characters around them, and Cordingly was relieved when Kerry's biography was full of "nice stuff". To prepare for the role, Cordingly spent time with the Met to learn about their daily routine and joined them for a day out in a squad car, which she admitted left her with motion sickness.
Kerry is initially portrayed as confident, bubbly, down to earth, and impulsive. Cordingly said her character prefers to get on with things instead of analysing them, but sometimes her attitude frustrates her older colleagues. Cordingly enjoyed playing a character that was likeable and not a bitch, compared to some of her previous roles. However, Kerry was seen as a victim in her first year as everything went wrong for her. She eventually began to grow stronger and harden up, as well as becoming tougher in her career too. Cordingly found Kerry's police uniform helped her get into character, but she found it was unflattering and likened herself to the Michelin man when she wore it. A lot of Kerry's storylines have focused on her love life. In her first scenes, Kerry has a one-night stand with PC Nick Klein (René Zagger). She later establishes a relationship with PC Luke Ashton (Scott Neal), which develops into a love triangle when he has an affair with Sergeant Craig Gilmore (Hywel Simons). Kerry and Luke eventually marry and she becomes pregnant, however, she miscarries when she learns of Luke's affair. Cordingly thought the storyline went on for too long and she had to work on making Kerry's ignorance around her husband credible.
Kerry later has a brief affair with Sergeant Dale "Smithy" Smith (Alex Walkinshaw), before she begins a relationship with Australian PC Cameron Tait (Daniel MacPherson), whom she had to arrest in his debut episode. Cordingly and McPherson began a relationship in real life which they found helped them with their characters in later storylines. In April 2004, Kerry is targeted by PC Gabriel Kent (Todd Carty), who manipulates her into thinking that Smithy has date raped her. Cordingly pointed out that the audience see a kiss between Smithy and Kerry and nothing else, leaving it ambiguous as to what happened. Gabriel uses this to his advantage and tells their colleagues Smithy date raped Kerry. In the midst of this, the shift are called to a bank siege, where Kerry volunteers to isolate with a man who has a bomb strapped to his chest. The storyline comes to a dramatic climax as the bomb goes off while Kerry is distracted, leaving her unconscious. Cordingly enjoyed being involved in the stunts during filming. Gabriel's obsession with Kerry leads him to rape her, shortly after she get engaged to Cameron. Kerry does not report the rape and Carty believed it was because of her earlier accusation against Smithy, which would make her look like "the girl who cried wolf".
In an effort to prove that she is a good officer, Kerry goes undercover with the Radfords, a local crime family. As she becomes romantically involved with David Radford (Alex McSweeney), Cordingly said Kerry's loyalties are divided due to her disillusionment with the force and clashing with Inspector Gina Gold (Roberta Taylor). Lynda Bellingham said her character Irene Radford wants to turn Kerry against the force. Cordingly was unsure whose side Kerry was on during the storyline. On 29 March 2004, it was announced Cordingly had decided to leave The Bill. She had planned to go in January 2004, but she chose to go out at "a climax point" for her character instead. Producers decided to kill her off and make her the fourth victim of the Sun Hill sniper. In the lead up to her final scenes, Kerry is arrested for her involvement with the Radford family, she uncovers Gabriel's real identity, and discovers Andrea Dunbar (Natalie J. Robb) is actually an undercover journalist. Kerry also realises she loves Smithy, who also declares his love for her. Cordingly made her final appearance as Kerry on 20 October 2004, as she is shot by Gabriel outside the station. ITV later aired a special episode all about the character titled The Bill Uncovered: Kerry's Story.