DS Jim Carver    played by Mark Wingett

First appearance    Woodentop (16/08/83)        

Earnest, intense and scrupulously honest, Jim Carver had all the makings of a first class sergeant in the Bob Cryer mould. He arrived at Sun Hill as a probationer, originally wanting to be a traditional copper, wearing a uniform and dealing with the public. He wasn't sure whether to become a policeman or a social worker and, although some of his ideals had been bashed out of him by two decades of tough police work - he was still a man of integrity. Jim was a clever intuitive thief-taker, often jumping to the right conclusion on not much evidence, but making his fair share of mistakes.

Enthused by Burnside, however, who once had a strong influence on him, Jim sold his soul to CID, becoming a DC in 1988. His antipathy towards some of Burnside's more dubious working practices was offset by Frank's charisma but after his mentor left Sun Hill, Carver's career drifted into decline. The policy of tenure forced him to go back into uniform almost ten years later – and he chose to jump before he was pushed in order to stay at Sun Hill. His inability to adjust led to a serious drink problem, which nearly cost him his job. Initially met with some reservations from his colleagues upon returning from Rehab, Carver managed to overcome his demons and become a respected member of the team.

He had other faults though. A quick temper sometimes lead him into inappropriate physical action - he was unafraid of confrontation and picked up more than his share of knocks and bruises in the line of duty. On his first idealistic day on the Sun Hill beat, the greenest of new bobbies, he spoiled everything by giving an insolent young yobbo a clip round the ear. He went for Burnside when he thought Frank was being callous about Viv Martella's death, and the two men had to be pulled apart. But most people understood when Jim threatened to kill Phil Young for a sexual attack on WPC Norika Datta. Jim had carried a torch for her for years, but she didn't want to know.

Carver was an intuitive operator, but his hunches were often sound because he had an interest in, and awareness of, people. However, he was always a man who took things to heart and was often upset by the occasionally, moral grey areas in which he found himself working. Injustice angered him and occasionally he found his colleagues' coldness shocking. Jim's lovelife had never been much to speak of (his girlfriends tended to be the 'lame duck' type and usually let him down), but after working for almost two decades he found the ideal partner in June Ackland, his sergeant. But the course of true love never runs smoothly and when Jim found himself staring down the barrel of a loaded pint glass he realised it was time to do some soul searching. With June away on holiday, Jim woke up in the loving arms of a woman he was helping out in his role as Family Liaison Officer. One wedding later - Jim had a new wife - and a very unhappy colleague in June Ackland. After heartache following his split with June, Jim had high hopes for his marriage to Marie and struggled to come to terms with the fact that she was an alcoholic with a violent temper. They divorced, and before long Jim found himself back with June. This coincided with a happy time for the Sun Hill officer - he was glad when he moved again from uniformed work into CID, because life was more interesting for him there. 

Unfortunately, Jim's happiness was short-lived and when he began to run up massive gambling debts, his marriage was dealt a severe blow. In the end, he decided to leave Sun Hill and June to head for pastures new, knowing that he would only make the same mistakes again if he stayed. He returned as a DS to the station in March 2007 in order to catch a drug deal who had escaped from Manchester.