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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