He’s known to millions as Jack Meadows, the old-school cop – newly promoted to Superintendent – who keeps the peace at Sun Hill nick.

But Bradford actor Simon Rouse, who plays Meadows in ITV’s popular police drama, The Bill, has a yearning for a role closer to home.

“I wrote a script about a newspaper in Bradford,” he says. “It was about a middle-aged man working for a tabloid in London, doing sensationalist stories, leading a very cynical life.

“He gets the sack, goes back to Bradford and takes over the local newspaper. He goes through a change, getting back to ‘real’ news stories and finding out what’s important, and he comes up against his old rival on a local news programme.

“It never got taken up for TV, which is a shame. There’s room for a good drama about a local newspaper.”

And where better to set it than a fictional version of the Telegraph & Argus? “Absolutely,” he smiles. “Bradford must be one of the busiest places to work as a news reporter. There’s so much going on, and it’s such a diverse district. I think you’re really at the frontline.”

If Simon, 58, has his way, his alter ego Jack Meadows would be heading back to Bradford too. “I’ve got this idea for a northern episode, with Jack going back to his roots in Bradford and reflecting on his past,” he says.

“It could happen. There are great places to film up there. People get blase about us filming in London – especially in posher areas where they just peek through the lace curtains now and then. On the estates we cause more interest, especially from kids.”

Simon is the second longest-running cast member in The Bill, which last week moved to a new weekly post-watershed slot. Filmed in high-definition, with slick opening titles and a new theme tune, it has drawn inevitable comparisons with US police dramas.

Simon plays down similarities with shows like CSI and The Wire. “British cop shows are completely different to American ones,” he says. “American shows are macho and earnest. I think we’ve retained our subtlety, our British sense of humour and irony.

“I suppose The Bill looks a bit more glamorous, and with a smaller cast it has a tighter feel. People said we’d be using bad language when we moved to 9pm, and I suppose we could, but that’s not really what we’re about.”

Cop shows come and go, but The Bill has remained popular. Last year, it celebrated its 25th anniversary and it survived ITV’s recent cull of popular drama shows.

“It’s a good quality show about grass roots policing, that’s why people seem to like it,” says Simon. “It consistently has good actors. One of the regular characters is in every scene – that gives it a unique energy. It’s a great ensemble show, everyone gets a fair crack at a decent storyline. “People love cop shows. They like seeing something horrible they wouldn’t normally come into contact with.”

Returning to a once-weekly hourly slot has brought the show full circle. It started in 1983 as a Friday evening drama about solid, no-nonsense policing, but several years ago it came under fire for going down the soap route.

Sensationalist storylines and torrid sagas about officers’ personal lives didn’t go down well with Simon. “I wasn’t into that,” he says. “There was an episode where DS McAllister was giving birth under my desk while her ex-lover held a gun to her head. I was thinking ‘What are we doing here?’ Jack Meadows brings gravitas, perspective and leadership to his team; as a seasoned detective and mentor, he balanced his heart and his head. Promotion to Superintendent may bring new challenges, but Simon says the role suits him.

“I can’t put my finger on why I like playing him, he just feels like part of me,” he adds. “We have a team of former police officers who advise us. Feedback from police is good, they like us.”

He’s played Meadows since 1990, but his association with cop dramas goes back further. “I grew up watching Z Cars, Dixon Of Dock Green and Softly Softly,” he says. “I went on to be in Softly Softly, and Minder, The Professionals and Juliet Bravo.”

Born in Fagley, Simon grew up in Heaton and went to Lorne Street, St Barnabas and Belle Vue schools.

“I was in Belle Vue’s drama club and some teachers saw some potential. I found from the age of 11 that acting was something I really enjoyed,” he says. “I joined West Riding Youth Theatre and did a course at the old Bradford Civic.”

His long list of TV credits includes Doctor Who, Boon, Bread and Robin Of Sherwood. His performance in 1973 film The Ragman’s Daughter got a glowing review from late T&A arts critic Peter Holdsworth, who called him “sensitive and impressive.”

“God, that’s going back a bit! It’s good to know the T&A were behind me!” laughs Simon, a married father-of-two.

Here’s a nugget for trivia fans – Simon is the cousin of Kimberley Walsh, one fifth of Britain’s hottest girl band, Girls Aloud.

“I don’t know her that well to be honest, but I follow her career and am very proud of her,” says Simon. “I don’t really have family in Bradford anymore, but I get back up there a couple of times a year. I particularly love the countryside, you can’t beat it.”

If he fulfils his dream of taking over that Bradford newspaper, we could be seeing a lot more of him…

The Bill is on ITV1 on Thursdays at 9pm.