Micah Balfour first appeared in The Bill last year as a gang member. Micah returns to Sun Hill at the end of September - but this time he's on the right side of the law... Micah, you're returning to Sun Hill as new Pc Benjamin Gayle. Tells us a bit about him. "He's been in the force for five years when he moves to Sun Hill. It takes him a while to warm to people and, of course, there are a lot of people trying to work him out, too. He's a good cop with a definite sense of right and wrong and likes to help out victims of crime. But he has underlying anger issues that come out throughout his journey." Why's he angry? "He had a bit of a troubled upbringing; he was fostered at a young age. If he feels that people are being mistreated or that people are pushing his buttons he can react quite violently. But it's not something he wants to tap into very often, so when he does have his moments, he feels a lot of remorse afterwards." What happens on Benjamin's first day at Sun Hill? "Ben gets teamed up with Pc Will Fletcher (Gary Lucy) and they are out looking for two missing children, when they stumble upon a guy who's been badly beaten up. As the story progresses you discover the man has been attacked by three guys who caught him fishing illegally. Later, when Ben goes to make an arrest, he's confronted by the three guys with weapons - but we soon realise that he's able to handle himself. What does Will think of the new recruit? When they first start working together, Will's not sure how to work Benjamin out. But Will soon figures out that Ben's a decent copper. And what does Ben make of Will? "Ben finds Will a bit of a character; he likes his spirit. As for the other officers, Ben's trying to suss them out and work out who he's going to get along with. There will certainly be times where he clashes with other officers at Sun Hill." Anyone in particular? "Down the line, I believe that Ben and Sergeant Stone (Sam Callis) do cross swords. Stone crosses the line every now and again and, like I say, Ben is very straight down the line so that's where they would probably not see eye to eye." Last year, you appeared in the The Bill as Sken gang member Asher Campbell. What's it been like returning to the show, this time as a cop? "Well, it's obviously better being on the right side of law - I know my mum's happier seeing me play a good guy rather than a drug-dealing criminal. But I had a really good time when I was here a year ago and I'm glad to be back."
