From the early Sixties until the rise of John Thaw as Regan of The Sweeney in the Seventies, Stratford Johns as Charlie Barlow was the most famous police officer on television. 

The character began in Z-Cars, then appeared in the spin-off series Softly Softly and was finally employed by the Home Office in Barlow. 

Which makes this story about him from Stan Collins - I was on the Liberal Democrats' federal policy with him years ago - all the more impressive:

I met Stratford Johns once in the gents outfitters where I worked after school and hols. He knew the owner and her late husband.
The shop was packed so he came behind the counter and helped until we'd cleared the queue. Then he bought what he'd come in for and left.
Real gent!

— Stan Collins (@NatsSnilloc) December 24, 2022

Stan added in a later tweet that no one sad anything at the time, but some returned over the next few days to ask if if had been Stratford Johns who served them,