June Ackland

Infobox character
name = June Ackland


caption = Trudie Goodwin as Sergeant June Ackland and PC Ackland
first = 16 August 1983
last = 8 March 2007
cause = Retired
Duration = 1983–2007
occupation = Police Officer
title = Sergeant
callsign = 48
portrayer = Trudie Goodwin

June Ackland was a fictional character in the long running ITV drama "The Bill". She was played by Trudie Goodwin from 1983-2007. At the time of her departure she was the only remaining original character in the series having been in it since the pilot episode. Her call sign is '48'.

Woman Police Constable (1983-1995)

June Ackland is already part of the furniture at Sun Hill when the series begins, and appears to have been posted there for some considerable time. She is one of three officers to take new probationary constable Jim Carver under their wings on his first day, and show him the ropes.

Ackland says she joined the police to make a difference. It is later revealed that she had been raped in her teens and subsequently gave birth to the child, this may have had something to do with her decision. She later put the child up for adoption.

Ackland develops into a steadfast and dependable officer, who is firm in her belief that there is little difference between a male and female officer, once remarking that the 'W' prefix in 'WPC' meant nothing because they were all police constables whether male or female. She is an instinctive copper and can get on easily with people from different walks of life. She is a natural leader and is respected by her colleagues and superiors; however she does underestimate herself.

In 1995, Ackland finds herself at the centre of a murder attempt on her life. Her flat is broken into and set on fire, while an investigation into her own actions leads to some in the police station ostracising her. In the end, she no longer knows exactly who are her friends and who are merely pretending to be. She is also nearly killed during this period, but DS Jo Morgan was killed instead.

Sergeant Ackland (1996 - 2007)

June is promoted to the rank of Sergeant after being a constable for many years. A party thrown in her honour by PC Dave Quinnan is ruined by her handbag being stolen by a dodgy taxi driver and she misses out on the meal in her honour. There are few at Sun Hill who do not believe her promotion is fully justified.

Her time as Sergeant becomes more and more linked with Jim Carver. Carver has been a Detective Constable with C.I.D. for many years, but finds himself demoted to uniform under the rules governing tenure at the time, no-one is allowed to remain in a single position for more than ten years without having been approved for promotion.

Carver takes the move personally, and as his Sergeant it is up to Ackland to remind him that he was not part of C.I.D. anymore. Uniform requires a team approach, and Carver's attempts to remain a 'lone ranger' are not acceptable. Ackland reminds him of his first day on the beat back in 1983, when she asked him if he would ever want to join the detective branch: his response, she reminds him, is that he had no interest and that uniform division was where he wanted to be.

Despite her attempts, Carver begins drinking heavily. After a stint in rehab he returns to the station sober, but shaky. Ackland finds herself becoming Jim's guiding light, the one thing that keeps him on the straight and narrow. One day during a riot situation he recklessly and against orders charges into a warehouse where June is being held hostage by a group of youths. The thought that she may come to harm leads him to nearly throttle the young offender.

June and Jim continue to grow closer. Sharing a kiss, they realise that they have taken it too far and chose not to follow up. When June becomes the operational head of the new C.S.U. division at Sun Hill, Jim is quick to be transferred over. Although they keep their feelings bottled up, they support each other. June is officially Jim's lifeline.

She is shattered when, in 2003 he marries Marie Graham. All her feelings explode to the surface, leading to a vote of no confidence in her professionalism and her removal as head of C.S.U. back to uniform branch. The job of Head of C.S.U. is given to DS Ramani DeCosta, who is promoted from DC to DS. June watches silently as it becomes clear that Jim is being abused by his new wife. She does not need to read between the lines when she finds him in hospital with head injuries, which he claims he got from putting up some shelves that fell down on him. He later divorced Marie.

A year later, June becomes Jim's second wife. They marry twenty one years to the day after they first met. Feeling that she is now financially secure, she retires from the force, but is soon forced to return to her old job after six months because Jim's alcohol addiction is replaced with a gambling addiction. He takes the deed to their house and uses it as collateral in an attempt to repay his own debts. Jim realises that June cannot live her life while he is dragging her down, Jim is transferred. His departure leaves her shaken.

After Jim leaves, June faces several tribulations. Meeting the son she put up for adoption many years before, leaves her uncertain of herself, but ultimately leads to her reformation as a person.

June Ackland and love

One thing in which June has not been successful is love. Apart from her association with Jim Carver, she often finds herself on the wrong side of relationships.

After the end of her relationship with Jim, June falls for PC Gabriel Kent who is later revealed to be the adoptive brother of the son she gave up for adoption. Kent strings her along by making love to her then claiming to actually be her son, before revealing the truth and using his power over her to get her to cover up for some of his crimes.

Earlier in her life, she gained a reputation, by her own admission, of being "spinster June", the woman who would never be found in a relationship with a man. She has a rocky on-off relationship with PC Dave Litten, which ends after he puts his own career above her. She is 'the other woman' in an affair with DCI Gordon Wray, an affair which leads to him being expelled from Sun Hill after only a couple of months.

June's retirement

After many failed relationship, June falls in love with school headmaster, Rod Jessop, who she agrees to marry and move to the Cotswolds with. June announces her retirement, but is shocked when ex-husband and former colleague, Jim Carver returns to Sun Hill.

Jim reveals that he has been in Manchester and has been promoted to Detective Sergeant. Carver is following notorious drug dealer, Pat Hadley, who had recently escaped Carver's arrest and come down south to London, where he is suspected of orchestrating another deal. June tries to avoid Jim as best she can, but her attempts fail when she is paired with him to observe Hadley's movements. Later, things go terribly wrong when both are held at gunpoint by Hadley and his confused sidekick, Greg. When Hadley is about to drive off with some money, a handcuffed June convinces Greg that Hadley is not to be trusted. Greg and Hadley have a row, which results in Hadley hitting Greg over the head with a gun, knocking him out for a short time. Hadley taunts them with the gun, ready to shoot any one of them. By this time, DCI Jack Meadows and his team track Hadley down and are waiting to arrest him. While Hadley is investigating a noise, a tied up Greg manages to give Carver a the key to the handcuffs to release them. A struggle ensues between Carver, Hadley and Ackland. Carver punches Hadley and Hadley is arrested.

June returns to Sun Hill and is called to the DCI's office, where she is pleasantly surprised with an unexpected leaving do. After saying her goodbyes to fellow officers, including long-serving DCI Meadows, PC Reg Hollis and PC Tony Stamp, Carver tells her that he still loves her and he has the money he owes her, he also questions her love for Rod. June tells him that she loves him, but that they are not right for each other, she kisses him saying goodbye and goes back to Rod. June tells Rod that she cannot handle saying goodbye to all her friends and they make a swift move out of the station, as June holds Rod's hand, she looks back at the station, smiling. June is considered to be one of the very best officers Sun Hill has ever seen.

External links

*wikia|thebill|The Bill Wiki|Ackland, June|PAGENAME