In 1983 he made his first appearance as PC Jim Carver in "Woodentop", which became the pilot episode for "The Bill". He was one of four actors in "Woodentop" who returned in the series' first complete season. He played Jim Carver in around 780 episodes, from 1984 until his departure in 2005 which ended 21 years on The Bill. Jim Carver was central to several major plotlines on "The Bill", including the character's struggles with alcoholism, gambling and as a victim of domestic violence. Wingett made a brief return in March 2007 to coincide with the departure of Trudie Goodwin, then the only other remaining original cast member.