In the late-60s, while working as a bricklayer foreman, Woodhouse knew there was something missing from his life. The one day he saw a policeman jump into a speeding car, off to a job, and realised he too needed the danger and excitement of the force. From the moment he began training, his sense of humour saw him occasionally skating on thin ice. But after joining CID he developed into a good detective, even in his early career in the Flying Squad was more Clouseau than Carter. Diagnosed with lung cancer, he had diseased lung removed and after a fill-recovery, he returned to the force in an intelligence role, investigating Triads and the like, and now nicknamed 'One Lung Woody'. In his memoirs, he paints a picture of a changing organization, not always for the better, and allows his personality to shine through, admitting how he's now 'a Victor Meldrew-type character, although once considered himself to be more of a Michael Caine figure.' Best of British