Andrew Paul
Encyclopedia
Andrew Paul is a British
-Jewish actor
best known for playing PC Dave Quinnan in the ITV
drama The Bill
for 13 years.
and grew up in Manor House
, London
. After turning professional at the age of 14 when he enrolled at a stage school. He appeared in the film Bugsy Malone
at 14, and in an episode of police drama The Sweeney
at the age of 16. Two years later, he took the background role of convict Betts in the cinematic re-make of controversial borstal
movie Scum
. Betts' character was notable in the film, as he was the only one seen to be released - albeit temporarily, for his wedding
.
He spent much of the 1980s on stage, working with the Royal Shakespeare Company
,and played major role in Going Out, about a group of teenagers in the Portsmouth
area, although he took a part in the lukewarmly-received ITV sitcom Tripper's Day
in 1984. Set in a supermarket
, this was a notable programme only because it was the final television work undertaken by the distinguished British actor Leonard Rossiter
prior to his sudden death. Paul stayed in the series when it was re-cast with Bruce Forsyth
two years later and re-named Slinger's Day
. Neither were deemed a success.
In 1989, he joined The Bill, the long-running police serial, as PC Dave Quinnan, and became a very popular character and a household name. When the series decided to focus more on the officers themselves and less on crime, Quinnan was given a number of serious storylines which Paul performed with some panache. These included being kicked almost to death by a gang of thugs and having to spend several weeks in hospital on a drip, falling in love with a colleague's girlfriend and having an affair with her (and then marrying her after the affair became public), and then having an extramarital relationship himself with another officer. The character was eventually transferred after successfully undertaking undercover work.
This tied in with Paul's decision to leave The Bill
after 13 years. He briefly played Maxwell Moon in the popular BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
and went on to be a regular cast member in Where the Heart Is
, playing Billy Boothe, until the series was axed in 2006. He has recently guest starred in City Homicide
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
-Jewish actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for playing PC Dave Quinnan in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
drama The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
for 13 years.
Career
Paul was an actor in adolescenceAdolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
and grew up in Manor House
Manor House, London
Manor House is a district of North London.-Location:Built up in the mid 19th century as part of an area called Brownswood Park, today, like other areas of London, it is a district without a formal town centre, but distant enough from other town centres that it has come to be recognised as an area...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After turning professional at the age of 14 when he enrolled at a stage school. He appeared in the film Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in New York City in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema...
at 14, and in an episode of police drama The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
at the age of 16. Two years later, he took the background role of convict Betts in the cinematic re-make of controversial borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
movie Scum
Scum (film)
Scum is a 1979 British crime drama film directed by Alan Clarke, portraying the brutality of life inside a British borstal. The story was originally made for the BBC's Play for Today strand in 1977, however due to the violence depicted in the film, it was withdrawn from broadcast...
. Betts' character was notable in the film, as he was the only one seen to be released - albeit temporarily, for his wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
.
He spent much of the 1980s on stage, working with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
,and played major role in Going Out, about a group of teenagers in the Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
area, although he took a part in the lukewarmly-received ITV sitcom Tripper's Day
Tripper's Day
Tripper's Day is a British television sitcom produced by Thames Television for ITV. The plot involved Leonard Rossiter as Norman Tripper, a Northern manager assigned to a London supermarket with a problematic staff...
in 1984. Set in a supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
, this was a notable programme only because it was the final television work undertaken by the distinguished British actor Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
prior to his sudden death. Paul stayed in the series when it was re-cast with Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
two years later and re-named Slinger's Day
Slinger's Day
Slinger's Day is a British sitcom that aired for two seasons from 1986 to 1987, made by Thames Television for the ITV network. It was a continuation of Tripper's Day, which had originally come to a natural end after Leonard Rossiter's death, and, despite the overwhelmingly negative response it had...
. Neither were deemed a success.
In 1989, he joined The Bill, the long-running police serial, as PC Dave Quinnan, and became a very popular character and a household name. When the series decided to focus more on the officers themselves and less on crime, Quinnan was given a number of serious storylines which Paul performed with some panache. These included being kicked almost to death by a gang of thugs and having to spend several weeks in hospital on a drip, falling in love with a colleague's girlfriend and having an affair with her (and then marrying her after the affair became public), and then having an extramarital relationship himself with another officer. The character was eventually transferred after successfully undertaking undercover work.
This tied in with Paul's decision to leave The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
after 13 years. He briefly played Maxwell Moon in the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and went on to be a regular cast member in Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)
Where the Heart Is is a British television drama series set in the fictional town Skelthwaite.First shown in 1997, it was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone...
, playing Billy Boothe, until the series was axed in 2006. He has recently guest starred in City Homicide
City Homicide
City Homicide was an Australian television drama series that aired on the Seven Network between 27 August 2007 – 30 March 2011. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne...
.