The Bill *Pilot Episode* Woodentop (Storyboard)

The Bill, Back on the beat - where it all began...

It's PC Jim Carver's first day at Sun Hill, mentored by WPC June Ackland, he thinks he's having a bad day when they find the dead body of an old woman, but worse is to come.

Written by Geoff McQueen
Directed by Peter Cregeen
Originally shown 16th August 1983
*No Copyright intended, this is purely for the benefit of The Bill fans*

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Woodentop
• Wooden
• Top
• The
• Bill
• TheBill
• 1983
• 16th
• th
• August
• Pilot
• Episode
• 1st
• First
• Ever
• Storyboard
• PC
• Carver
• WPC
• Ackland
• Sun
• Hill
• Police
• Station
• Sierra
• Oscar
• Uniform
• CID
• C.I.D.
• London

[mity15]

Classic

[masere]

4:44 on the clock - almost identical to 999!

[WarrenThwaites]

My apologies. I find the older I get the more my memory can play tricks on me, by enabling me to remember past events incorrectly. I apear to have my 1970's confused with my 1980's and you are perfectly correct.

[oldsalt0]

@WarrenThwaites

I think that you must be thinking of a completely different programme when you talk about the "1970's Series".

"Woodentop" was the pilot episode to "The Bill", shown as part of Thames TV's Storyboard season of one-off plays to test ideas for potential future series.

I was devised by Geoff McQueen around 1982, and the programme was made May 1983 and transmitted later that year.

Its success leading to a series of 12 episodes being commisioned - Renamed "The Bill"

[WarrenThwaites]

Not bull at all my dear chap.

Turns out there were only 3 episodes and not 7 as I thought though, but they are now being sold on DVD in Australia and here's part of the synopsis that goes with it...................From its origin as a single play in ITV’s Storyboard series, The Bill began as three hour-long series before being relaunched and reformatted into the long-running regular weekly ratings hit that it has now become.

[happynotnormal]

@shahideurope They used to be issued in the Met. WPCs were given them to carry kit around in.

[CHANNELMICHAEL]

@WarrenThwaites No it wasn't. This is complete bull.

[WarrenThwaites]

This is not the first episoide at all instead was the pilot for when the sries was resurrected in 1983. The very first ever piloted an hour-long series back in the early 1970's, but was unfortunately axed after only one season despite 3 or 4 repeat showings due to it's popularity. The opening sequence of those two pairs of constables feet walking along that cobbled street was the intro made for the origional 1970's series and re-used here, as too was the accompanying theme music.

[shahideurope]

20:34 - why would a female police officer need a handbag?

[chain0fflowers]

cheeky leaky!