Kevin Lloyd

Who was Kevin Lloyd?

Kevin Reardon Lloyd was an English actor, born in Derby, and trained at East 15 Acting School, London. Best known for his part of DC Alfred "Tosh" Lines in Thames Television's The Bill.

Prior to this he had already played the high profile role of nightclub owner, Don Watkins, in the soap opera Coronation Street. He also made appearances in a number of other TV shows, including the first series of Starting Out, Boon, Minder, Dear John, Farrington of the F.O., Dempsey and Makepeace, Z-Cars, Andy Capp, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Blake's 7, and Casualty.

Lloyd was one of the most popular members of the television show, The Bill. In 1996, the show won the award for "Best TV Drama" at the National Television Awards and it was Lloyd who collected it on behalf of the cast and crew. His Welsh-born father, Ellis Aled Lloyd, was himself a police officer who was killed in an accident while answering an emergency call aged 46 in 1970.

A chronic alcoholic, he played "Tosh" continuously from 1988 until he was sacked from The Bill in 1998 for his lack of punctuality and failing to learn his lines. Within days, he was admitted to a clinic in Burton upon Trent for detoxification and was administered sedative medication, but then left the premises to drink alcohol. He returned to the clinic in an intoxicated state, retired to bed, fell asleep, then choked on his vomit, failing to awaken due to the mixture of sedatives and alcohol in his bloodstream. He died just one week after his dismissal from The Bill.