Woodentop (The Bill) Woodentop (The Bill) "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
Thorne (TV series) Thorne (TV series) Thorne is a British television crime drama series, based on the novels of author Mark Billingham, that first broadcast on Sky One on 10 October 2010. A single six-episode series, starring David Morrissey in the title role of Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, broadcast at 21:00 on Sundays until 14 November. As well as Morrissey, the series also stars Aidan Gillen, Eddie Marsan, O-T Fagbenle and Lorraine Ashbourne in supporting roles. The series comprises two three-part dramatisations of the first two "Thorne" novels, "Sleepyhead" and "Scaredycat". "Sleepyhead", directed by Stephen Hopkins, previewed in full at the BFI Southbank