Woodentop (The Bill)
| Woodentop | |
|---|---|
Opening title card for Woodentop
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|
| Genre |
Police procedural Drama |
| Created by | Geoff McQueen |
| Starring |
Mark Wingett Gary Olsen Trudie Goodwin Peter Dean Robert Pugh Colin Blumenau Jon Croft Gary Hailes Colin McCormack Chris Jenkinson Richard Huw Paul McKenzie |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lloyd Shirley |
| Location(s) | London, England |
| Running time | 50 mins. |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV Network |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| First shown in | 16 August 1983 |
| Original release | 16 August 1983 |
"Woodentop" is an episode of the Thames Television series Storyboard, which includes a series of one-off plays on different themes. The episode was originally broadcast on 16 August 1983. Woodentop became the forerunner to long-running British police television series The Bill, which went on air 14 months later and continued for 26 years. The name woodentop is a colloquialism for beat policemen who traditionally wear helmets; the nickname is itself an allusion to the Children's TV series The Woodentops.
The episode documents PC Jim Carver's first day at Sun Hill Police Station, where he is partnered with experienced WPC June Ackland. It isn't specified how long Ackland has been at Sun Hill, but it appears to have been substantial even at this point as she is highly respected. The day is an eventful one; the pair's first assignment together leads them to discovering a decomposing woman's body in her bath. Later whilst on patrol Jim encounters a rude youngster (Gary Hailes) and influenced by comments made by older officers at the station decides to clip him round the ear. This action results in him receiving a reprimand at the station from Sergeant Wilding. Fortunately for Carver, the boy's father approves of his son's treatment, and thus no further action is taken. June Ackland and Dave Litten have been in an on-again off-again relationship, and whenever they cross paths both tend to go silent making other members of their relief uncomfortable. Sergeant Wilding advises Ackland to drop Litten, saying that she can do better. PC Reg Hollis is also mentioned in this episode. Whilst not appearing on screen, an attempt is made to contact him by radio. When he fails to answer the call, the officers in the station make the assumption that he has wandered out of radio range.
Thames Television transmitted Woodentop as part of its Storyboard anthology series of one-off dramas. It was written by Geoff McQueen, a writer who had genre experience after writing episodes of LWT's The Gentle Touch. Woodentop stood out from run of the mill police dramas of the time for a number of reasons including the use of hand-held cameras and natural lighting as well as the use of naturally sounding dialogue. The show created a realistic portrayal of modern-day policing, and there was nothing like it on television at the time, a fact which was actively exploited by the programme's makers.
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