The Bill originated from a one-off drama called 'Woodentop', part of the Storyboard series, broadcast on 16 August 1983; ITV was so impressed that a full series was commissioned.

The show's title comes from 'Old Bill', a slang term for the police, which was creator Geoff McQueen's original title for the series before it was renamed 'Woodentop' for its pilot broadcast.

Creator Geoff McQueen claimed he named the fictional police station 'Sun Hill' after a street name in his home town of Royston, Hertfordshire.

The first filming location, a set of buildings in Artichoke Hill, Wapping, was abandoned after actors were mistaken for real police officers during violent industrial action at the neighbouring News International plant in the winter of 1985–86.

The production later moved to an old wine distribution warehouse in Merton, South West London, in March 1990; the move was written into the show as an 'ongoing refurbishment' followed by a terrorist car-bomb explosion in the station car park that killed PC Ken Melvin.

Some outdoor scenes were actually filmed indoors with microphones surrounding the actors, with outdoor sounds dubbed in later, and siren sounds were always added afterward in the dubbing suite since the production lacked permission to use real sirens on location.

Unlike most police dramas, The Bill used genuine police uniforms; when the series ended, the Metropolitan Police Service bought back 400 kilograms of uniforms and body armour to prevent them from falling into criminal hands.

The live episode 'Fatal Consequences', broadcast on 30 October 2003 for the show's 20th anniversary, involved a crew of 200 staff and seven camera crews, and was reported to be the first live television broadcast of a programme not largely confined to a studio.

The 2005 live episode 'Confessions of a Killer', marking ITV's 50th anniversary, used CGI to depict a fire engulfing Sun Hill station, only the second time computer-generated imagery had been used on the show, since creating a real fireball in the corridors was not feasible.

Several actors who later became famous appeared as guest or child performers in The Bill early in their careers, including Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Ray Winstone, and Sean Bean.

Actor Kevin Lloyd, who played DC Tosh Lines, died a week after being sacked from the show for turning up to work drunk, meaning his character continued to appear on screen for over a month after his real-life death.

Jeff Stewart, who played PC Reg Hollis for the longest run of any character (1984–2008), reportedly cut his wrists on set after learning his contract would not be renewed, and his character was subsequently written out off-screen.

Trudie Goodwin's 24-year portrayal of WPC/Sergeant June Ackland reportedly broke a world record for the longest time an actor had portrayed a police officer on screen.

An episode broadcast in March 2008 featuring a fictional treatment for multiple sclerosis was branded 'grossly irresponsible' by the MS Society.

When The Bill began, the majority of the Police Federation opposed the programme, claiming it portrayed the police as a racist organisation, though relations later improved to the point where the executive producer met the Met's Commissioner in 2006.

Following the announcement of the show's cancellation in 2010, fans launched a 'Save The Bill' Facebook campaign, which was promoted on air by BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles.