Drama behind the scenes at 'The Bill'

Tempers are frayed at Sun Hill, the dramatic heart of ITV's long-running police drama The Bill. Technical staff are said to be furious at poor working conditions and long hours for which they claim they often get no extra pay.

Some are said to be receiving no money for preparatory work on episodes or for "wrapping-up" work while others are allegedly failing to get their 11-hour breaks between shifts.

The unhappy atmosphere comes after months of upheaval on The Bill which underwent a revamp earlier in the year. Ten new characters were introduced, including one played by the former EastEnders actor Roberta Taylor, and a number of older ones were axed. The show became a twice-weekly serial in an attempt to boost ratings. Audiences had fallen to about seven million from 10 million as recently as last year.

Many of the lighting technicians, camera operators and other crew on the show, which has been running for 18 years, are freelance and were reluctant to rock the boat by objecting to management demands. But in recent months, the trade union Bectu has organised meetings in a pub near where the show is made. Shop stewards have been elected.

Bectu representatives have now asked the production company Thames Television to consider recognising the union voluntarily so it does not have to force a ballot on the issue. A ballot would be more difficult to organise among a freelance workforce than among a permanent team.

A union spokesman refused to discuss details of the case, insisting negotiations were at a "sensitive" stage. A Thames Television spokeswoman said it rejected some of the claims made by Bectu.

None the less, the unhappiness is thought to reflect a common situation in the industry, particularly on long-running shows. Budgets are tight, particularly in the commercial sector, which has been hit by a slump in advertising revenue.

The need to get more hours of film in the can every day creates extra pressure for the staff. The problem is so bad that Pact, an alliance representing television and cinema producers, has been lobbying the BBC and ITV for fairer budgets for programme makers.