ABOUT STEVE LOXTON

Rank: Constable
Serial Number: SO 363
Division: Metropolitan Police Station, Sun Hill, London.

Formerly of the British Army, Steve Loxton had been a police officer in his native Manchester, and arrived at Sun Hill in 1989 with an attitude that earned him both respect and dislike.  Trained as an Area Car driver, Steve Loxton worked hard to get results, but was also regarded as arrogant and abrupt, with little patience for the public, and at times, his colleagues.

Steve Loxton’s aim was to become a firearm’s officer, but after taking the Lippett’s Hill course, he changed his mind, deciding it was too risky.  Fans were left to ponder the real reason behind his decision: after all, he had been in the Army and presumably had firearms training.  Had he suffered a bad experience in the Army?  Perhaps he enjoyed using firearms a little too much and thought it wise not to continue?  Or did he fear killing an innocent civilian and didn’t have the stomach for it after all?  Such conjecture added to his mystique.

Intensely private, it was indicated that Steve Loxton had been married, but again, fans were left to ponder whatever became of his wife: that they had broken up was presumed, the reasons for which, remained unknown.

Immaculately groomed, Steve Loxton always had a certain style.  He was also perceived as a ‘hard man’, with seemingly little sympathy for anyone.  Fans however, fondly recall the time he took care of a stray dog named Reg, and when he struggled privately with his emotions after the death of a child, whom he had found trapped underneath an overturned lorry.

Perceived throughout his time at Sun Hill by his superiors and colleagues as one to ‘bend the rules’, Steve Loxton was accused once more of an indiscretion, and resigned from the Met, to the disappointment of his many fans, in 1997.  He returned in 1999 for two episodes of The Bill, as a guest at PC Dave Quinnan’s wedding, in which he indicated that he had been doing security work in Manchester.  However, it was soon revealed that his line of work involved drug connections, and he had turned to alcohol.  It seemed that he was a broken man.

Throughout his years at Sun Hill, Steve Loxton emerged as a complex and enigmatic character.  Fans simply wanted to know why he behaved the way he did, and were fascinated by his unknown qualities.  Despite his success at keeping a very private personal life, Steve Loxton’s mystique only added to his appeal, where fans were drawn to the character’s complexity, and disappointed by his exit.

Steve Loxton was played by Tom Butcher, and full credit obviously goes to him for making the character of Steve Loxton so believable.
 
 
 

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