Portrayed by Roger Leach
First Appearance Funny Ol’ Business – Cops & Robbers
Final Appearance Start With The Whistle
Call Sign SO 54
Tom Penny was one third of the holy trinity: Penny, Peters and Cryer. And for a short while all was well in the sergeants office. The peace was not to last, Tom was a troubled soul who was unable to leave the pressures of work at the office. His wife turned up at the station asking Bob Cryer for help after Tom had beaten her. The pressure upon Tom increased fourfold after attending a call to deal with a ‘crazy cat lady’, who stabbed him. Tom survived but was never the same again. When he returned to work he struggled to cope, drinking and popping pills became the norm. He was resistant to those who tried to help him. Things came to ahead after he dropped a cup of coffee over a computer in the CAD office. Tom was given another break for convalescence. Later Tom did find himself being a bit of a hero bringing in the Canley Fields child-murderer and then listening to his sickening confessions. Tom was put out when he discovered it would be PC Dave Quinnan to receive commendation for this case, not him. Finally the drink got the better of Tom, he was caught, by Barton Street officers, drink driving. He was above the legal limit but still felt it unfair as felt the officers had been waiting outside the pub for him. Tom resigned on medical grounds, citing the old gunshot wound. The last time we saw Tom Penny he was working as a security officer, he had not really come to terms with leaving the force and continued to act as if he was a police officer. The tale of Tom Penny was quite a sad one really.
Trivia
Roger has been credited as writer for two episodes of The Bill.
– Married to the Job (1991)
– One of Those Days (1990)
Quotes
Official Site
IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0494860/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2
Roger Leach
Roger sadly died in 2001.