Kevin Lloyd

[Edwin King]

Actor Kevin Lloyd, Tosh Lines in the police drama 'The Bill', has died
after collapsing in a clinic where he was undertaking treatment for
alcheholism.

He was sacked from his role in the series last week because of his drink
problem.

[Pete]

The article from "The Daily Telegraph" on 4th May about the death of
Kevin Lloyd:

KEVIN Lloyd, who starred in ITV's The Bill, died suddenly at the
weekend after a drinking session in a village pub near Burton-on-Trent,
Staffs, police said yesterday.

The 49-year-old father of seven, who was an
alcoholic, had been drinking heavily since he was
sacked a week ago for arriving drunk on the set for
his £130,000-a-year role as the abrasive policeman
Tosh Lines.

He collapsed after leaving the pub to return to the
Dove Clinic, Rolleston, where he was being treated
for his alcoholism. Staff tried to revive him before
he was taken to hospital at Burton, where he died
late on Saturday. The clinic's manager, Haydn Lunn,
said yesterday: "Mr Lloyd was admitted last Tuesday
for treatment under the supervision of his
consultant. Despite all efforts, he failed to
respond to clinical inputs and was in the process of
being discharged. Tragically, on Saturday Mr Lloyd
fell into unconsciousness after drinking alcohol . .
. obviously a full investigation is under way."

A 34-year-old carer, who was one of the last people
to see him alive, said she had seen him in the
village Co-op store, 400 yards from the Dove Clinic,
buying lager. Shortly before he collapsed, he was
seen drinking from a bottle of whisky, she said.
Marc Aylott, landlord of The Spread Eagle pub in
Rolleston, said: "He first came in here on Thursday.
I'd say he's been in a couple of times, just for
about 15 minutes each time. He came in on his own
and didn't show any signs to give us cause for
concern."

As members of the cast of The Bill reported for
filming yesterday, Billy Murray, who plays Det Sgt
Don Beech, said everyone was "shocked and saddened".
He said: "Kevin was Tosh - he will be sadly missed.
We were all sad when he was dismissed, but it was
inevitable. It had been on the cards for over a
year. I told him, as others did, that my door was
always open to him if he needed help . . . I just
feel so awful for the family - it's such a waste of
a life."

A spokesman for Pearson Television, the programme's
makers, said: "Kevin was a fine actor and a very
popular man, and his problems saddened everyone at
The Bill. His death comes as a terrible shock. It is
my understanding that any scenes yet to be screened
containing Mr Lloyd's character, Tosh Lines, will
still be shown." Mr Lloyd had filmed an episode, due
to be screened in a couple of months, in which his
character would be shown agonising over whether to
leave the police.

The actor, who had been living with his girlfriend,
Rita Hudson, in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, was the son
of a policeman. His marriage to his wife Lesley, 48,
who lives in Duffield, Derbyshire, with the couple's
children, broke up in 1995 after 22 years. Mr Lloyd
once blamed his 10-year run as Tosh Lines for the
cause of his drinking after deciding to commute
daily from filming in London to his home in Derby
rather than uproot his family.

In an interview to publicise his autobiography, The
Man Who Loved Too Much, he said: "I drank far too
much at the time. The problem escalated over a
period because I was working seven days a week. It
was the one thing I thought would keep me going."
Earlier this year the producers of The Bill paid for
him to be treated for his drink problem.

The actor was told on Monday that he had been sacked
after he was reported to have stumbled over one of
his lines 20 times. He later told a friend: "I am
doing everything I possibly can to get my job back."