Jack Wilding

Jack Wilding was a Metropolitan Police Officer serving at Sun Hill with the rank of Sergeant.

In August 1983, he was Duty Sergeant during P.C. Jim Carver's first shift and due to a lack of personnel assigned him onto a 'puppy walk' with W.P.C. June Ackland.

Following Carver and Ackland's discovery of human remains in a flat, Wilding offered advice to Ackland, including telling her to avoid office romances (in particular with P.C. Dave Litten).

He later assigned Carver to walk the beat with Litten and had to give both a dressing down, when Carver clipped the ear of a youth they were questioning.

Despite his difficult relationship with D.I. Roy Galloway and CID (he often referred to them as 'Superstars'), Wilding requested Galloway's assistance in speaking to the father of the youth to try and smooth over the incident involving Carver.

Wilding had a long working relationship with his immediate superior, Inspector Sam Deeping, going back twenty years when they walked the beat in Islington (Deeping remembered Wilding as being a stickler for the rules) and they often shared a drink in Deeping's office reminiscing about the old days. Deeping felt that Wilding would have made a good Inspector but Wilding preferred where he was. (Woodentop)

Notes[]

Sgt. Jack Wilding was played by Peter Dean who would find wider fame as Pete Beale in Eastenders. His appearance in Woodentop would be the only appearance with the character of Sgt Bob Cryer (played by Eric Richard) taking on many of the attributes of Wilding for the series proper.

Wilding wears a wedding ring, suggesting he is married.

Wilding's epaulette number is O87 as seen on screen in the episode.