The Bill was broadcast on ITV under the title "Woodentop" on 16 August 1983. "Woodentop" starred Mark Wingett as PC Jim Carver and Trudie Goodwin as WPC June Ackland of London's Metropolitan Police, both attached to the fictional Sun Hill police station. Although originally only intended as a one-off, "Woodentop" impressed ITV to the extent that a full series was commissioned, first broadcast on 16 October 1984 with one post-watershed episode per week, featuring an hour-long, separate storyline for each episode of the first three series. The first episode of the full series was "Funny Ol' Business – Cops & Robbers". With
AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama in 1991 was renamed "Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama". In 2000, the Awards were again awarded in two categories, called "Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature or Mini Series" and "Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama". In 2002, the Awards were again combined under the title "Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama" and two years later, in 2004, the Award was named "Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy". A separate comedy Award was established in 2006, and this Award