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 became "Best Lead Actress in Television Drama". AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actress in Television Drama is awarded annually by the Australian Film Institute as part of the awards in television for excellence in acting in television drama by an actress. The first Award was made in 1986. Prior to 1990, two awards existed and were called "Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini Series" and "Best Lead Actress in a Telefeature". The awards were merged in 1990 to become "Best Actress in a Leading Role