#tom penny

[awkward-pause]

Tom Penny, 1996

[foxtrot-oscar]

The Bill » Top 100 Episodes (In No Particular Order) » 3x12 - Not Without Cause

Roy: Lose this match, Carver, you'll be back in uniform tomorrow

This ep marks the end of an era, with it being the last of the original run of 1 hour eps as well as the last appearance of DI Roy Galloway. (We also lose Kite and Shaw, though their absences aren't felt the same way)

This is one of only two eps from 1-3 on the list, which I kind of feel bad about, but similar to the PM era eps a lot of them deal with multiple concurrent stroylines alongside each other, so while there's stand out scenes in many of them, as eps they're harder to pin down.

The format serves this one well though. There's a lot of low stakes plotlines running through, with the relief investigating various crimes while working on a pool match between CID and uniform - meanwhile Tom Penny has gone missing, having been shot by a booby trap, and while his abscence is noted, everyone's a bit too busy or distracted for the alarm bells to really kick in at first, not helped by the fact that it's Tom, so no one's especially bothered about him not being in their immediate vicinity. It's a very good contrast, with Tom facing a life or death situation on his own while constantly cutting back to the mundane day to day of everyone else.

There's a lot of nice little character moments in this one - the only real downside is it's not much of an exit for Roy, but I'm not sure they even knew he wouldn't be returning for the switch to serial at this point, so I can't judge this ep for that.

[skatersvin]

Tom Penny - Flip Skateboards

[filthyneverdie]

OG TOM PENNY

(NAMO - PASSPORTS | CITY BY THE SEA)

[forensicated]

05x32 - No Shelter

Interesting fact: Terry Marcel is directing and his daughter, Kelly Marcel (actor sister of Rosie Marcel) plays an extra at a party.

A PC 'extra' who later becomes Timothy Able in about 20 eps is guarding the front desk as an Italian gentleman asks for directions. Timothy disappears into the back of the front office (nice picture of it here...) to ask Tom what he should do.

Tom calls upstairs for Jim because he knows a little bit of Italian. When asked, Jim admits he knows 'a bit' but doesn't look too keen on the thought of being able to understand properly.

Yorkie's having trouble with his girlfriend and they argue on the telephone. Tom urges him to hurry up and he promises he'll only be a couple more minutes.

In the canteen, Taffy, Viv, Claire and Malcolm are reading the papers and discussing how much the wind kept them awake. Taffy says it's the deterioration in the ozone layer, also known as the greenhouse effect. Malcolm reckons his flat felt like someone had started up a nuclear winter. [You forget how big the threat of Nuclear War was then. How things change... ha!] Behind them, Tosh is frying something at a cooker and tells them they've got a 'nice morning' outside where it's peeing it down. Tom calls for his uniform lot to finish and get back outside. "It's only a little bit of rain!"

Jim reports that the driver is Scilian and he wants to get to the Blackwall Tunnel but Jim can't remember which is left and which is right in Italian.

Pete clearly had a good night if the others didn't...! The boys think it was from a fight, but it definitely doesn't look like it! He tries to find a scarf to cover it up but only Jim has one he can borrow - and it's bright yellow. That's a no then. Tom leads briefing as Pete comes in late and with a plaster over his bruise, having 'cut himself shaving'. "I thought perhaps a vampire had got you."

Heading out on the beat, it's still peeing it down and is pitch black. Pete wants to nick the driver of a broken down van for blocking the station carpark exit and pissing him off. It's the Italian from the front office. Tom sends him out on foot patrol with Yorkie instead, as they can't get the cars out. Yorkie disappears when Pete wants to nick someone for a naff crime just to get back in the station; he's clearly still worked up about his argument with his girlfriend.

Malcolm and Vic are trying to hide under a canopy but are still getting wet through. I love their friendship, they really have a natural rapport together. Just look at their grins! Viv is supposed to be going out that afternoon. Malcolm asks if she plays Trivial Pursuits(!) "Often!"

Yorkie makes his way over to a phonebox and calls his girlfriend again. Their argument is interrupted when Yorkie is asked to go to a report of an all night party. He tries to get his girlfriend to agree to see him that afternoon, but she refuses and he has to leave it to go to the call.

Pete tries to stop someone for cycling the wrong way down a one-way street but unfortunately for his dreams of a dry uniform and warm station - he gets away!

Tosh reports to Tom that the ceiling in CID is leaking but Tom claims he already has enough on with the carpark being blocked.

Viv and Malcolm keep hiding under a shop doorway before Alec radios them to attend to an ongoing alarm.

Thankfully it stops raining, but the officers are all still wet through. Pete has to give directions to a young woman... and then he gets splashed by a massive lorry!

Viv and Malcolm find the gate to the trading estate locked. "Ladies first..." Malcolm grins before both of them climb over. The estate is vast so they split up. Viv calls in her location and spots someone so she advances on them. The man claims he's a builder before wrestling with her and hitting her to the floor. He aims a gun at her before being interrupted by Malcolm shouting. Viv shouts a warning that he's armed and Malcolm does an impressive leap into the bushes.

Viv runs after him, closely followed by Malcolm. A few moments later, the van speeds towards her and she throws something at it to try to stop it. At the same time, the man aims the gun at her and takes a shot. Malcolm hears her scream and runs immediately towards her whilst the van crashes into another parked car.

"Oh god, BASTARD!" Malcolm shouts, gently turning Viv over and believing she's been shot. Thankfully it looks like there's just a cut from a bit of window shrapnel or the side of the bullet because for a horrible moment there it looked like he'd shot her in the face. She reassures him she's OK and tells him to go after him. Malcolm only leaves her when he's truly sure she's OK and calls it in before running after the burglar. He advances on the van and shouts for him to throw his gun out the car. There's no movement inside, so he slowly moves nearer and looks inside. The burglar has gotten away.

Pete shelters in a doorway, miserably eating a packet of Munchies.

Taffy pulls over a car with a faulty break light and does a vehicle check. The driver doesn't speak but does do as he's asked by both him and Claire. Taffy tells him to clean up the inside of the car and to get his light fixed as they let him go. It's only the burglar who shot at Viv....!

Yorkie asks the partygoers to turn the music down. The young woman whose party is it protests that it's almost time to get up so she doesn't have to because 'it's not that loud'. Yorkie asks again and she snarkily snaps 'OK'.

Tom, Jim, Tosh and some other Uniform have reached the Industrial Estate. Tom tells them that Viv is OK but in pain with cuts and bruises. They've found some studs and similar that came off his jacket in the fight. Tom's going to accompany her to the hospital. Jim sniffs through the gap of the door that the man was trying to break in and tells Tosh it smells 'funny' like an Indian Takeaway. Tosh laughs and tells him not to be daft, but he sniffs and claims it smells more like a Chinese. They need to work out what's in the room, who owns the targeted premises, and if he had a larger van there to load up, where did the little one that he drove off in come in? Tosh makes a proper Dad joke about getting a cup of tea and sends Jim off to get him a drink from the nearby snack bar so he can ask the owner what he saw.

Viv relives what she saw and thought when she was held at gunpoint. It's all too similar to Tom's own thoughts when he thought his time was up. Tom sympathises with her and says that it's said that the chances of them being in those circumstances again is very rare [If only it was for poor Viv...]

"Didn't even have me truncheon with me..." she almost whimpers and refuses a hug, telling him she's alright. "Me bag..." she mutters, "I've left me bag behind!" Luckily, her nose isn't broken and her teeth are still in place. It will be a bit sore for a while, but she will be OK.

The van was stolen 2 days ago in Chigwell. It's a new food importing company and they're trying to locate the unit owner. Tosh makes another joke but Jim isn't feeling it and reminds him that Viv and Malcolm could have been killed. "That's the sort of sobering thought that gets me drunk!" Tosh frowns, telling Jim that he has to keep a sense of humour in the job." "Everyone tells me what I need in this job..." Jim mutters.

Pete smirks to himself as he stops at the side of a large puddle far enough back as another van approaches. He thinks he's swerved that bad luck...

Pete calls at his most recent flings and asks if she can let him in to dry off and warm up. She is about to refuse before he promises it's only to dry his trousers. When he leaves, he's sure they've shrunk but he doesn't mind given how they spent their time. It becomes clear that it's Yorkie's girlfriend... uh oh!

The owner of the unit arrives and has no idea who might want to steal from him. Inside is a kitchen and Jim tells the owner they could smell the Chinese food from outside. "We are Vietnamese." Whoops. Jim is saved by a well-timed radio call! The unit owner tells Tosh he employs 16 people, alongside some family members. Tosh asks for their names and addresses.

Jim's radio call was a follow-up on the yellow escort seen hanging around by the snack bar owner. The man has previous and soon Tosh and Jim are outside the mans house with armed support.

Armed support force their way in and arrest the man. Or rather they will in a couple of minutes after squirting a bit of air freshener. At least he won't have problems with constipation.

Tom drives Viv back to the station and they stop at a disturbance that is called in just as they drive past. It's the party girls again! They're refusing to quieten down and are rocking the police van as Taffy, Yorkie and Claire try and arrest them. Tom tells Viv to wait in the car and goes to assist. Seeing the chaos Viv goes to get stuck in and ends up being assaulted herself [By Kelly Marcel as mentioned above, the directors daughter]. The girl is dragged off by Taffy and shouts that it's police brutality! Tom checks on Viv who is holding her face. The poor love has only gotten hurt on the other cheek.

At the station at the end of the shift, Viv goes to attempt to put lipstick on but one look in the mirror stops her. Claire asks if she's alright. She's clearly not, despite what she says. Claire tells him that they've got the burglar and that he had a lock up of things he'd stolen from other jobs. She also thinks Viv will get a commendation. Viv is unmoved. "Have I got any hair missing?" she asks. Claire tells her no and asks if she's alright again. She says she didn't do anything and 'today was a day like any other day.' She recounts what happened and starts to cry.

Malcolm tells Pete and Taffy that he knew the man had a gun and still doesn't know why he chased him. Taffy tells him he'll get a commendation for it. Pete asks him for a drink and Malcolm agrees as he's going to get absolutely legless to forget it all. "She's lucky, she's not a bad looker, our Viv." Pete muses.

Viv asks Malcolm if he's alright. He congratulates her for stopping him. Pete jokes that they're alright on the beat with Malcolm. Malcolm asks Pete if he's wearing perfume...

Tosh comforts and congratulates Viv and tells her that the prisoner says she put up a good fight and that he wants to see her to apologise. Viv walks off to the cells and peeks in through the grill. The man moves nearer the grill and has a look at her face. He says he didn't aim to hit her and wouldn't kill anyone. He claims they shouldn't use women to patrol at night because it's dangerous. Finally, he adds a 'sorry, love!' Viv just shuts the grill in his face.

At the front desk, Timothy comes back to speak to Tom. He has another problem. A rather angry young woman is there demanding to know why her sister has been arrested. "Your thugs broke into a respectable party, beat up my boyfriend and arrested my sister." She wants to make a complaint. Tom looks flatly at her before he's called back by Tosh. Tosh presents him with a present - it's what the thief was after. He jokes that it will be replacing them soon enough!

The angry woman shouts and so Tosh just smirks and tells Tom to wait...

[joeygallagher]

Tom Penny - 360 Flip

Copenhagen, Denmark

Photo by Jesper Nilsson (1998)

[augustusaugustus]

5.102 Chinese Whispers

ACKLAND: Not exactly a shrinking violet, are you?

Dave’s first episode and he’s extremely unlikeable in the beginning. Trying it on with everyone in a skirt and just being plain annoying. I’m glad he matured after a while.

[sorcerermusic]

Tom Penny Oxford '91