Tosh in action. Note his lack of formality.
This is perhaps the greatest of all t.v. characters.  The actor Kevin Lloyd played Alfred "Tosh" Lines for ten glorious years.
Tosh
Tosh joined the British television police drama "The Bill" in 1988.   He was a true copper who may have looked somewhat unkempt but usually got a result.   I think he was generally at his best when on an obbo or interviewing a snout down the local cafe.   He could always be relied upon by both his fellow detectives and the DCI.

Tosh was a family man with a wife and five children.  He had difficulty meeting his mortgage repayments.  In one episode police are called when his family cause a disturbance at a local bank after finding they have no money in their account.   Incidentally his wife and children were played by Kevin`s real-life family.
Lexicon
Obbo- A stakeout.  Observation of suspects.  Usually carried out in a car.  Polystyrene cups of tea mandatory.  These almost always had to be dicarded after a sip as the suspects made a run for it.
Snout-An informant.  Had to be bribed in the cafe with a free meal and a fag.   Also had to be reassured that they were not a grass.  If these techniques did not work they could be threatened with being dropped off from the police car near their cohorts.
Grass-A person who tips off the police to criminal activity.  Can be used as a verb e.g "I ain`t gonna grass him up".
DCI-Detective Chief Inspector.  The boss.
Nick-The police station.  In this case Sun Hill.
Lock-up-The place where every criminal in Sun Hill keeps their stolen cars,jewelry or dodgy goods.  Refers to a type of garage which has a lockable door and is rented out (usually to criminals).
Gov-Short for governor.  Used to address a superior.
"You`re nicked"-"You have been arrested".   Can be followed with "My son".   To which the criminal traditionally replies, "It`s a fair cop Gov".  Which means, "I have no argument with that".
The Jasmine-Allen- The Jasmine Āllen estate.  A high-rise estate where many of the criminal familes in Sun Hill abide.
Toerag- A generally unlikeable character.
Geezer- A man.
A result- A case which has been solved.
"You`re avan a lauf ain`t ya?"- "You must be joking".  This must be said with a thick London accent and an air of incredulity.
Kevin Lloyd came from a family of coppers.  His grandfather, father and uncle were all policemen. He is said to have based Tosh on aspects of his father`s personality.

Kevin sadly died on the second of May 1998 in an alcohol clinic while attempting to dry out, only a week after being dismissed from The Bill.
The Bill contains a lot of London/police terminology. Here is a quick sample.
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