#abe lyttleton

[juneackland]

The Bill - 'The Chief Super's Party' (ITV, 1986).

[juneackland]

The Bill - ‘Lost’ (ITV, 1985).

[juneackland]

The Bill - 'This Little Pig' (ITV, 1985).

[juneackland]

The Bill - ‘Snouts + Red Herrings’ (ITV, 1985).

[juneackland]

The Bill - 'Public and Confidential' (ITV, 1986).

[forensicated]

02x08 - Public And Confidential

Abe and June are sent on a job that "said something about missiles." When they arrive they find someone has taken to the roof of a row of shops and they are throwing tiles from the roof. A crowd has gathered underneath and 2 shop keepers are rowing on the pavement. When June asks what's going on the man on the roof claims that they are his tiles. A man in the crowd shouts encouragement and 'you tell them!' type comments. Another observer asks the man why the roofer is up there and the man says he has no idea, but he's all for encouraging people. 😂 June tells Abe that he better get up there but he claims he suffers from vertigo.

A man enters the station, clutching a bag. He speaks in panicked Polish and Bob tries to help him. He slows him down and gets him to stop, asking Taffy to take over the comms desk while Jim goes to get the man a cup of tea. "... Don't know why I bothered becoming a doctor of Philosophy." he sighs, sitting down.

Bob receives a personal call. "It's for you." Taffy tells him. Bob tells him to deal with it but Taffy tells him it's "from a lady." "My missus?" "No, Sarge." "Then tell her to call back." The woman insists on holding on to speak to Bob as it's urgent and she's in a call box. When Bob finally takes it it turns out to be Wendy, Tom Penny's wife. She tells Bob it's a bit delicate but she really wants to have a private word.

Jim protests at being left with the Polish gentleman who is still very upset. They've only just sent for the unofficial interpreter (essentially a friend of Bob) who owns a clothes shop(!) That is if 'he still speaks Polish'. Bob's solution is to swap Jim for Reg for a couple of hours!

Roy has been searching CID for papers that Ted manages to find in seconds. Mike is bringing in a man suspected of conning a group of people by posing as a gasman to falsely empty meters. Arthur, claims that he didn't touch anyone so can't be charged with anything. Ted reminds him he doesn't have to touch someone to cause them willful harm.

"Now you've got everyone's attention, pack it in!" June tries to order from the ground, shouting up at the man. He shouts back that he'll stop it 'when [he] gets his money!" The crowd aren't helpful and keep inflaming the situation. The roofer agrees to give June 10 minutes to sort it as the crowd sing 'Only 10 minutes more'.

The shop assistant tells Abe that the roof is his. Abe tells him he has no argument over who the roof belongs to but the roofer insists they are his tiles and he has not been paid properly for the work. "How come they are his tiles if they are attached to my roof?" The man asks, insisting the roofer is breaking the law and they have to stop him. June finally suggests calling the fire brigade. The man finally tells him that he employed him to redo his roof. "Go on, Mister!" shouts a little girl. "Throw some more!"

Abe tells June that the shopkeeper admits to employing the roofer and says he paid in full in cash for his roof. He claims the roofer is now claiming more money and he's refusing to pay it. They can't work out how he got up there as there's no ladder, no skylight in the shop and no back way for him to climb. A little girl keeps shouting at the roofer to throw more tiles. June threatens to arrest her for inciting a riot and causing civil disturbance and growls at her.

June goes up to the roof of the flats opposite the shops to see what's happening. The roofer claims he got up there by helicopter and refuses to stop. June spots a skylight above a second shop and plans to send Abe up. This is why the shopkeepers were arguing.

Wendy Penny arrives for a chat with Bob who takes her into the canteen. She tells him, reluctantly, that the Penny's marriage isn't a bad one on the whole but recently it's started going wrong. Bob suggests Tom might be considering leaving her but Wendy tells him it's not that. Tom is beating her. Bob can hardly believe it and is called away for a few moments to speak to the unofficial interpreter.

The second shopkeeper refuses to let the police speak to the roofer via their skylight. He explains that the roofer is well known - and worked on his own roof - and that the 'unscrupulous bastard next door' is skimping him. June threatens to arrest him for obstruction and he says it would be an honour.

Arthur claims that being taught with his hand in a gas meter isn't stealing, it's tax avoidance. He says the price of gas is artificially high and the government is taxing them through the payments. Although he's confessed, Ted has a bad feeling that they're going to struggle to get an actual charge to stick.

The unofficial interpreter tells Bob that the Polish man is from Gdansk and is a deckhand from a boat that docked in Tilbury. He's terrified that he's being followed and wants to claim asylum. Bob asks him to hang around for a little while to talk to the man to get more information from him and to write down what he says. He has to tell Brownlow that the man is claiming Political Asylum. Brownlow reminds him to make sure that he's not from Crouch End after a couple of students pulled a stunt for Rag Week a few years back pretending to be from the Middle East.

Bob returns to Wendy and she realises he's not 100% sure of what to believe. He asks the Penny's have talked about it when Tom is calmer but Wendy says Tom claims it's her fault because she goads him into rage. Bob tells her that it would be a serious matter if she makes the allegations official. Wendy tells him they're not allegations. Tom beats her black and blue regularly and has done for almost half a year. With the canteen filling up, Bob takes her downstairs to continue their chat in private. She continues to explain that Tom won't attend marriage counselling and he won't talk to her or accept he has a problem. Bob tells her that Tom will lose his job if it goes further. She says she knows and then asks what he's like at work. Bob tells her that he's the same as he always has been. Wendy says she's been through all other potential temper triggers and that it has to be something at the station triggering him.

Brownlow speaks to Taffy about his career progression and tells him he doesn't think Taffy has future plans. He suggests to him to apply for a job as a coroner's clerk. Bob tells him it's a dead man's shoes job - a job with no progression. Reg is jealous and claims he doesn't know why Brownlow didn't ask him to apply instead. Later Taffy tells Bob he's not going to apply for the job and Bob advises him to tell Brownlow carefully because the Chief Super has his eye on him for not pulling his weight.

Ted arranges a lineup of roughly 50-year-old white clean-shaven men to see if his victims can pick Arthur out of the lineup. The first witness to view the identity parade picks out the wrong man. Ted worries that they're not going to get a result and Mike sighs. "Oh well, it's only the gas board."

Reg reports that 2 more Polish men have arrived since the first one. Bob speaks to them and one who speaks English tells him that the man who presented at the station earlier was being followed after all - by them - and that he's having trouble 'with his heart' and further explains that he's in love. He tells them to wait when they ask to speak to him. Bob tells him, via the interpreter, that two shipmates have arrived to speak to him and he reacts in pure fear that doesn't need to be translated. Bob tells Taffy to put him in a cell to keep him safe. When an argument breaks out as Taffy is moving the Polish gentleman, Bob helps separate them and the interpreter translates that the other two men have gone to call the captain.

Abe makes it onto the roof but he's panicking when he sees how high up he is. The roofer tells him he'll strip the entire thing if he has to and isn't bothered about a potential court case because he'd get to put his side of the case across and show his books and receipts. The roofer realises that Abe is terrified and moves to help him, walking him back to the skylight. He tells him that he attended the station that morning and spoke to a 'young copper on the desk' to explain the situation and showed his receipts and accounts register. The officer allegedly replied that they were his tiles and that he could do what he wanted to do to reclaim them if not paid so he is doing exactly that because the shopkeeper still owes him £1800.

Bob explains to Brownlow that CID are speaking to the Polish gentleman in the cells via his unofficial interpreter friend and that if it continues the Home Office will want to attend to work out what has happened. Brownlow recognises Tom's wife and asks Bob if everything is alright. Bob tells him everything is fine. Satisfied Charles returns to his office just as Bob gets a report of a burglary at a block of flats which has led to the burglar being detained in a bedroom by a vigilante group fed up with being broken into regularly by likely the same man. He sends June across to deal with Taffy, leaving Abe to sort the situation with the roof.

Bob asks Wendy Penny if she has seen the doctor as a result of Tom beating her. She tells him she hasn't so there is no medical evidence. Wendy says she doesn't want to go so far as to make a case against Tom, she simply wants Bob to talk to him.

Bob suggests that the roofer is winding Abe up but Abe insists it's unlikely and that he'll strip it to the rafters if the fire brigade is called. Bob tells him to use some of his Irish Blarney to get the roofer down from the roof and to draw an end to it sooner rather than later. "It's not Blarney, Sarge. It's Hackney charisma!" The fire brigade is called for! They then send Abe up on the roof to go arrest him as they have no authority to force the man down or arrest him. Slowly and reluctantly - and almost slipping - Abe gets to the top. The roofer tells him to come and put the cuffs on if he wants to arrest him. Abe looks down and sees how far he is, climbing back down again. Abe returns to the skylight and tells the roofer that the man has offered 1200 by cheque. The roofer wants it all in cash - and a further £600 for putting the tiles back. Abe tells him he'll need it for the size of the fine he's going to get. The shopkeeper wants to be certain that the man will get the full weight of the law on him for what he's done. When Abe says yes, he offers 1300 as his final offer.

The second witness to the identity parade circles the men and doesn't recognise him. Ted and Mike realise no one would identify him because he'd given them a rebate by claiming they'd ''overpaid' and slipped them a handful of silver coins.

An immigration official attends and is taken to speak to the Polish gentleman and takes him away with him.

Bob speaks to Wendy after dealing with everything else and tells her that he's been thinking and he's realised that Tom has been passed over twice for promotion and that it might have hit him that he's going to remain a Sgt forever. Bob admits it's the sort of thing he'd keep to himself and that sometimes the only people they can hurt are family. Wendy says things are now clearer and that she knows where to start. Bob tells her she can come back if she needs to and that she did the right thing by coming in. Ted asks him who the woman is and Bob asks him if he thinks of anything other than scotch and women. "Well, you've got the order wrong, but no!" Ted laughs.

Bob asks Jim if a man attended the station that morning to ask about tiles on a roof. Jim admits that a man attended to report materials on a site that he hadn't been paid for. Jim had told him he had the right to remove them if he had proof. He admits he didn't clarify what the man was referring to as he used his initiative and that it's a civil matter and nothing to do with the police.

Bob's friend teases June about having a dress made for her and that he'd make sure it fits her perfectly with " a pleat here, a tuck there." "Never mind your 'tuck here', hands off! That's Government property!" Bob teases, pointing to June. "I'm a taxpayer, aren't I!? Part of her is mine!"

As Bob leaves he spots Tom Penny coming in for his shift. Tom is all smiles but, about to leave, Bob casts a long look back at Tom with a heavy sigh.

[forensicated]

02x01 - Snouts And Red Herrings

TW: Racist language and ignorant behaviour (filmed in the 1980's)

Maintenance men are working in the very busy Front Office and June can't hear anything from the radios due to the constant noise. Bob has to rearrange his phone call and Taffy can barely hear the lady at the Front Desk complaining about her neighbours choosing to keep a goat in their garden. She claims it's causing criminal damage by eating her rosebushes. Next to her, Yorkie is trying to deal with a man presenting his license and MOT certificate.

Upstairs, Ted is complaining about Roy's recent attitude. Mike repeats the old adage of judging someone by results not how they do their job. "Bullshit, we're policemen, not sales reps!" Mike says the Super lets him get away with it so there's nothing they can do. Ted is not appeased, claiming Brownlow wants a quiet life and an easy way to get his foot on the next rung of the ladder and is only interested in admin and politics. Roy arrives, telling them that he wants a particularly violent man arrested, suggesting they take backup. He doesn't, however, tell them what they're arresting him for and orders Ted to 'just get it done'.

The Front Office is still in chaos and it's about to get worse as the electricity needs to go off for half an hour. Bob tries to tell Ted and he claims they can turn it off forever as far as he's concerned. Bob tries to find out what's wrong and Ted rages that he'll lose his pension over Roy because one day he'll just lose it and punch him.

Bob tells him to give Roy some time and he'll 'come to terms with it'. Ted scoffs and says he's had three months to come to terms with it. The 'it' is a divorce after 15 years of marriage as Mrs Galloway refused to keep putting up with Roy's work/life balance (or work/work balance for Roy!) As they leave, the man who was presenting at the front desk with his license and MOT is recognised by Mike as Mr Farmer 'long time no see!'. Definiely-not-Mr-Farmer-Honest shuffles uncomfortably and tells him he has the wrong man.

Viv and Jim are having a chat with a grocer who has had to manage on his own whilst his wife is in hospital. They joke about men not being able to cope when left to their own devices. As Viv gets a call to go try calm Mrs Goat Complainer Beck down Jim jokes about her having his slippers ready for 1.30pm. "Something that needs a man?" Jim grins as Viv asks him to assist her.

The power will now apparently have to be off for about an hour - at least. Bob snaps that he can't have it down for as long as the builder claims it might take because they need it to power the personal radios and be able to give jobs out and send assistance if required as well as charge the batteries for the radios. At the front desk, Abe Lyttleton reports to see Bob Cryer. He's a day early and popped in to introduce himself and have a look around.

Mrs Beck claims her neighbours are hippies who spend their time on another planet. She claims she's tried everything but the smell and damage are too much! She wants him gone!

Roy heads to a disused train station to meet an informant. "If I'm in the wrong place, Conga, I'm gonna kick your arse. Then if I am you won't hear me so it'll come as a nice surprise." "Got a way with words you have, Galloway." Conga drawls, telling Roy to get his wallet out because his information is good. He tells him about a robbery that's being planned at a bank in Sun Hill. Roy threatens to arrest him for wasting his time if he doesn't give him any more information so he names two men - Frank Parry and Denny Lamb but won't give the location or time without money up front.

Ted and Mike have returned from using their 'charm' on Roy's prisoner, wrestling him into a cell. He put up a good fight as Ted has taken some good whacks to his face.

Roy sits outside with a camera, taking pictures of a builder's lorry that Jim showed interest in earlier before Viv took him with her to see Mrs Beck. The cigar is still present whilst taking the pictures. His observation tells him that it's Parry and Lang working on the building beside the grocers.

Pete Muswell joins his colleagues in the canteen, moaning when he spots Abe talking to Bob, claiming that 'it had to happen, I suppose'. Taffy and June look disgusted with him with Taffy pointing out that tact has never been his strong point. "All I said was-." "We heard exactly what you said." June cuts him off. Bob introduces Abe to the others who all welcome him except Pete who avoids his gaze and continues eating. Jim and Taffy tell him Bob is one of the best and will see him right. Pete burps and leaves the table with Viv apologising for him. "One out of 6 of you isn't bad." Abe says, lifting his tea as the power suddenly cuts out.

Mike, Taffy and Tom talk about Mr Farmer who definitely isn't Mr Farmer! He's a former landlord and they used to drink in his pub after work. His mother lives at the address that he brought the licence in for and Mike suspects that he's gotten a fake one after having his real one suspended for five years again.

The personal radio system and battery charger isn't working despite promises from the builder that they'd run a temporary line to it. An apprentice reports it to the foreman who tells him to check the line. The trainee attempts to fix the fusebox, however, he makes the situation worse as the fuse completely blows when his back is turned and doesn't notice the issue.

Bob tells Charles that Abe appears bright and sharp with a good sense of humour. Abe is the first black officer at Sun Hill and Charles tells Bob that Abe's his third posting in 3 and a half years. Bob understands, telling Charles it can't be easy being a minority in a minority. Charles tells him not to give him any special treatment either way and that he'll have the offenders of any internal bigotry transferred in a flash. He wants Sun Hill to succeed for Abe where the others failed.

Ted has freshened up after his rough and tumble with Roy's suspect. Roy tells him and Mike something urgent has come up and wants to know who has the lease for the empty shop on Queen's Parade. Roy has also been contacting bank managers to try glean further information on a potential robbery that Conga mentioned. When one located on Queen's Parade returns his call he forces the boys out of his office. "How the hell can we work as a team if he won't tell us what is going on?" "He'll soon put us in the picture." Mike assures him."Ours not to reason why-" "You're talking like a prat, Mike!" Ted snaps.

The electrics are still not on but the front office is much quieter. Bob starts to try and tidy up, moving the workmen's tools. It turns out that the electrics went off right as they decided to take a lunch break. Jim returns for a new battery and tells Bob that he and Viv are going to see if the goat owners have returned home and gives him a registration to look up when the electricity is turned back on. It's the same one that Roy spotted and the registration on the tax disk is not the same as the one on the vehicle.

Roy suspects the bank in question is the one on Queen's Parade - near to where Parry and Lamb are working and that it's a cover whilst they dig underneath the building into the bank. Their form appears to be petty stuff so he asks Mike to obtain a complete set of plans for the surrounding area from the Town Hall. He tells him to use his charm to get the plans without giving anything away. "How can I give anything away? I don't know what's going on." The building they're 'working on' is up for let and it has been on the market for 6 months. The owner denies employing builders or decorators.

Roy has made a call to DHQ to get some information and observation done via the back door. Bob takes them up to find Ted still simmering and apologises for interrupting. Roy tells Ted to gather CID and tell them to call their wives and lovers to tell them they won't be home because they're all on overtime. He still gives them no idea why! He also won't tell Bob, only that he'll be informed if and when. Bob reminds him that his violent prisoner needs a charge to enable him to stay longer and he shouts after him to charge him with assaulting Ted before continuing to look through the pictures from DCHQ.

Yorkie and Tom arrive at the pub of Mr Farmer and find no one in when trying at the private entrance. Tom tries again before a very nervous-looking woman peeks out and claims that Mr Farmer is not home. Yorkie sees him driving off out the back and tries to report the registration back to the station.

In CID, Roy is finally opening up and suggests Lamb and Parry will be digging sidewards from the empty shop into the vault next door. He suspects that one has form with explosives and they'll likely set small charges so they can get up through the floor to get the money. He doesn't want to go in too early to spook them or let them know that they're onto them but in the same breath, he doesn't want to leave it too late to let them get away with the cash. Roy has a meeting planned with the bank manager and wants to keep everything looking normal so nothing can leak out. Whilst there is explosives form, there's no history of firearms. Roy suggests where Ted and Mike should wait but Ted points out that doesn't give them a view of each other so he suggests that he move in slightly. Roy snaps back that he has to do it his way and that he doesn't have time for a debate."What's up with you lately?" Roy scoffs. "What's up with me?" Ted snaps in disbelief.

Downstairs the foreman is claiming the electrics job is more involved than he expected it to be and that he doesn't have a time for Bob for how much longer it'll take. June tells Jim that the transit belongs to Frank Parry but the tax disk is registered to Dennis Lamb.

Ted watches the van drive away and gets out to have a look. He tries to radio back to the station to get them to inform Roy. Jim spots it driving past him as he was about to go deal with the tax disk/reg business. Neither he nor CID are aware of each other's interest in it.

The next morning the power is still not fully back on and the personal radio batteries have not been recharged because of it. Abe arrives to start his first day and finds his Sergeants distracted by trying to deal with the chaos.

Galloway's angry prisoner is not happy to still be in the cells and is demanding his 'sodding breakfast'. Taffy chirpily tells him they don't have that sort, "Only English or continental." He's going to put in a complaint and wants Galloway. "Grilled or scrambled?"

Mike watched Lamb and Parry leave the pub at 11.23pm the night before. He followed them back to their digs where he stayed till 2am and then left to return home for some sleep. Ted stayed on obbo at the site until 2am and no one went near the place. He's left Jim (Random extra Jim, not JimJim) watching and everything is still quiet. Mike is sent back to watch the van and Ted is sent to relieve Jim.

The owners of the goat have been spoken to and have promised to keep an eye on him to ensure he's behaving. Bob explains this in the briefing and asks them to keep an eye on it when passing. Jim is sent out with Abe to help show him around with Bob telling him he might learn something from him.

Roy calls his ex and tries to speak to his daughter, Julia. He tries to talk to her when she finally answers but she instantly calls for her mum. Mrs Galloway, Kate, asks what he wants and he tells her he'd gotten the divorce papers through that morning and wants to talk. "Talk?" Kate sounds almost surprised but still disbelieving. "You want to talk?" Roy is struggling and tries to beg her. "Pleease!" "You've left it too late. About 10 years too late!" She snaps, hanging up. Roy hangs his head, throwing papers across the floor and shouting "DAMN!" as Bob nears, quietly apologising and telling Roy he'll come back later. Roy asks him what he wants and he explains he still has the violent prisoner from the day before and Roy says he'll be down in 10 minutes. "... Are you alright, mate?" "Fine."

The apprentice electrician/maintenance man is fascinated by Viv as he passes her, watching her go with a goofy smile. "She'll eat you alive, sunshine..." The foreman smirks. "If she doesn't I certainly will, both of you!" Bob adds."It wasn't our fault, chief. The fuse on the temporary line blew. We hadn't any way of knowing!"

June bawls Pete out for not making Abe welcome in briefing. He claims he can still have an opinion even though he's wearing a uniform and June reminds him to keep it private and that it has no place at work. "He'll have to get used to it. I'm not prejudiced anyway." Course not Pete. Before June can respond Mrs Beck comes running out to them and shouts at them to come follow her into her garden as it's 'gone off its rocker'. The goat owners insist there's nothing to be worried about and that the goat is called Hector as he was a trojan warrior in a past life. Pete goes out to say see him and he charges Pete several times, leading to them calling for a vet to calm him.

Taffy takes Roy's prisoner his breakfast and pulls down the divider to get the tea thrown back in his face. He should be glad it's just tea...! Roy visits the prisoner in his cell and tells him he's in dead lumber. (Bet the guest stars were glad when they moved and cell conditions improved 😂)

Roy winds him up about 'an old slag you're supposed to be knocking off' as his albi. "Can't tell you who though chief, married woman you see." Roy fakes laughing, before the prisoner makes an offhand comment about it maybe being Roy's wife. Roy doesn't find it funny, in fact he flies forward to attack him and has to be pinned back by Bob. The prisoner growls that he'll do Roy for that and Bob shouts back at him to shut it. Outside Bob and Roy have a growled argument before Roy shouts at him to just release the prisoner.

The vet goes to see Hector who takes a shine to him and behaves with him whilst the vet checks him over. "He obviously didn't fancy you!" June smirks before she and the vet realise what's been going on with Hector... he's high!

Mrs Farmer tells Tom she still has no idea where her husband is and worries that he'll be sent to prison. Eventually she confesses that he's probably gone to his sisters in Barkingside. She said she tried to stop him but he was frightened of being locked up so legged it. He obtained the license by using his brother-in-law's name who now lives in Australia so he used his identity. Everything had been fine until he was stopped for speeding and then it fell apart. Tom promises he'll sit on it for an hour to give her the chance to get in touch with her husband and get him to come in under his own steam so it looks better for him in court. Thankfully he takes them up on their 'offer'.

Ted and Mike are horrified to see Uniform crawling over the transit van that they're watching. They try to call into Sun Hill to report it and get them away but of course, the batteries are not charged so their radios are not working and Jim and Abe are oblivious. Bob instructs Ted to do whatever he sees fit to not blow the job. Ted tries to pretend to be a member of the public having an emergency but Abe doesn't recognise him to know that it's a distraction and to move. Mike and Ted have to arrest Lamb and Parry and hope they have enough to go on. Roy is furious and blames Uniform for messing it up, shouting that he only needed one more day. Bob tells him that it's his own fault for not being more open and telling them what was going on so he could warn his relief to stay clear and is sure that all they'll get from them is a bent tax disk because of his pigheadedness. Having had enough of the entire situation, Bob knocks off 12 minutes early to go the pub, unable to take anymore.

Ted tells Roy that his snout fed him a dummy job because there was nothing in the basement to make out that they were up to anything dodgy other than some poor plastering. Roy blames Ted for moving in too soon and Ted finally gets to point out how unbearable Roy has been. He doesn't care if Roy reports him because he is the one who cocked up by not opening up and telling anyone else. "Now you're just a loud-mouthed bully boy who stamps his feet when he doesn't get what he wants!"

In the pub Bob comforts Ted and tells him Roy isn't vengeful and to calm down, sleep on it, and everything will be alright in the morning. Sadie, the barmaid, interrupts to tell them that a bank has been broken into via the sewer and the robbers went straight up into the vault. Thankfully it isn't a bank that was on Sun Hill's patch! Roy enters the pub at the other end of the bar to Ted and Bob. Slowly he works his way round after buying them a drink." Haven't been that bad have I?" "Yes." Bob replies before Ted adds. "Worse." Calmly Roy suggests meeting back at the nick when he's finished his drink so they can go through what they do have together to try and nail Parry and Lamb.