The Bill (1984 – 2010)

"Woodentop" is an episode of the Thames Television series Storyboard, which comprises a series of one-off plays on different themes. The episode was originally broadcast on 16 August 1983. Woodentop became the first-ever episode to long-running British police television series The Bill. 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 second series of The Bill, a British television drama, consisted of twelve episodes, broadcast between 11 November 1985 and 10 February 1986. Many of the cast and crew shared their memories of making this second series for the book Witness Statements, including stars John Salthouse, Eric Richard, Trudie Goodwin, Mark Wingett, Peter Ellis, Nula Conwell, Jon Iles, Larry Dann, Colin Blumenau, Robert Hudson, Ashley Gunstock and Ralph Brown; along with writers Barry Appleton, Lionel Goldstein, Ginnie Hole and Christopher Russell, producer Peter Cregeen and directors Michael Ferguson and John Woods.

The third season of *The Bill*, the iconic British police drama, delivered twelve compelling episodes between September and December 1987. Now available on DVD, this collection first appeared as part of a wider three-season release in Australia back in 2006, before being offered individually in the UK and again in Australia several years later. The striking Australian DVD cover showcases Chief Superintendent Charles Brownlow, while the British edition takes a different approach with a dynamic collage featuring Detective Inspector Roy Galloway alongside PCs Nick Shaw and Viv Martella, and Detective Constable Mike Dashwood. Fans Down Under will recognize the box set’s prominent image of Chief Superintendent Brownlow.

The fourth season of *The Bill* marked a significant shift for the popular police drama, delivering forty-eight episodes between July and December 1988. This was the first series to embrace a streamlined half-hour format, accompanied by an updated theme tune – the beginning of several musical refreshes over the show’s run. Initial DVD releases in Australia, appearing on shelves in December 2006, unfortunately combined Seasons 4 and 5, though they actually contained only the complete fourth series. Later, UK viewers could find the season broken into four individual volumes, released throughout 2008 and 2010. A subsequent Australian re-release arrived in August 2011. The striking DVD artwork varies by region: the most recent Australian version showcases DS Ted Roach, while the British releases feature a dynamic collage of characters from across the season’s storylines. Interestingly, the original Australian box set opted for a single image – a portrait of DI Frank Burnside.

The fifth season of *The Bill*, a staple of British television drama, delivered an impressive 104 episodes throughout 1989, airing from January 3rd to December 28th. Fans Down Under were among the first to revisit these cases, with selections from Series 5 appearing on DVD as part of the "Collection 3" and "Collection 4" box sets, released between August 2007 and November 2007. Later, UK audiences could enjoy dedicated releases: “Volume 4” brought together the first four episodes in March 2010, followed by “Volume 5” featuring thirteen more in July 2011. The series continued to be released in installments, with "Volume 6" containing forty-eight episodes hitting shelves in October 2012 and the final batch completing the collection as “Volume 7” in September 2013.

The sixth season of *The Bill* delivered a staggering 104 episodes of police drama to British screens between January and December 1990. Now, fans Down Under can relive those cases – and the familiar faces within them. Originally released as part of DVD collections in 2008, and later re-packaged into two sets in 2012, these releases offer a nostalgic journey back to the world of Sun Hill station. The striking cover art for the most recent Australian editions spotlights detectives Tosh Lines and Frank Burnside; earlier boxsets featured PC Reg Hollis and DS Ted Roach instead. For UK viewers, the first nine episodes of the season are available on DVD as Volume 7.

Series seven of *The Bill*, a landmark year for the iconic police drama, delivered an impressive 105 episodes throughout 1991. For the first time ever released on DVD down under in June 2012, this season’s packaging showcases memorable images of Sergeant Alec Peters and WDC Viv Martella. Beyond the gripping storylines themselves, dedicated fans can now delve even deeper into the making of Series seven. Exclusive audio commentaries, featuring director Stuart Urban and camera operator Alison Chapman, offer fascinating insights into the production of key episodes – 'Cry Havoc', 'The Negotiator,' and 'They Also Serve' – available to subscribers of The Bill Podcast Patreon Channel.

The eighth season of *The Bill* delivered a relentless stream of policing drama throughout 1992, unfolding across an impressive 105 episodes from January to December. For the first time ever, fans Down Under could relive these cases when the complete series arrived on DVD in Australia back in 2012. This season’s iconic cover art perfectly captures the era, spotlighting familiar faces – PCs and Dets Steve Loxton and Mike Dashwood – amidst the action.

The ninth season of *The Bill* – a landmark year for the iconic police drama – delivered an impressive 155 episodes to screens between January and December 1993. For the first time ever, fans down under got to revisit this classic run when the complete series arrived on DVD in Australia back in October 2012. More recently, in 2020, dedicated enthusiasts were treated to insightful audio commentaries, offering a deeper look behind the scenes with writer Roger Davenport (for the episode 'Blind Spot') and actor Mike Burnside, who portrayed D.A.C. Trevor Hicks, providing fascinating perspectives on their work.

The tenth season of *The Bill* delivered a relentless stream of police drama throughout 1994, unfolding across an impressive 156 episodes from January to December. Viewers in Australia got a chance to revisit this era of the show years later, with DVD collections – split into four parts – released on October 3rd, 2012, offering a deep dive into the cases and characters of Series 10.

The eleventh season of *The Bill* delivered a relentless stream of police drama across 149 episodes, airing from January to December 1995. This year marked significant shifts within Sun Hill station; both DI Johnson, played by Jaye Griffiths, and DS Pearce, portrayed by Martin Marquez, moved on from their regular roles. Stepping in were new detectives – DS Boulton (Russell Boulter) and DS Beech (Billy Murray), the latter taking over for Chris Deakin after his promotion to Detective Inspector. While Griffiths and Marquez would later reprise their characters in guest appearances—Griffiths in 2003, Marquez a year later—it was little known at the time that Murray's character, Beech, would become *The Bill’s* most enduring antagonist. The season also saw Mark Spalding join as Chief Inspector Paul Stritch, replacing Philip Whitchurch’s Chief Inspector Cato, though his tenure proved brief, lasting just seven months before he departed.