The Sweeney
Encyclopedia
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television
police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad
, a branch of the Metropolitan Police
specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London
. The programme's title derives from Sweeney Todd
, which is Cockney rhyming slang for 'Flying Squad'.
The programme was shot entirely on 16mm film by Thames Television
's film division, Euston Films. It originally aired on ITV
between 1975 and 1978 in the nine - ten pm (21:00–22:00) weekday (usually Monday) slot with repeated showings at the same time until the early 1980s. It starred John Thaw
as Detective Inspector Jack Regan, and Dennis Waterman
as Detective Sergeant George Carter. Such was its popularity in the UK that it spawned two theatrically released feature film
spin-offs, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2.
Notably this popular TV series aired in a dark period for the real-life Flying Squad. In the late 1970s it was publicly censured for being involved in bribery
and police corruption
, and its close links with the criminal fraternity. Unlike the unwavering high standards seen in the fictional Sweeney, the actual commander of the Flying Squad, Detective Chief Superintendent
Kenneth Drury was convicted of five counts of corruption and jailed for eight years on 7 July 1977. An internal investigation, called Operation Countryman
, was then launched to stamp out more corruption. A further 12 officers were convicted and many others resigned.
, brother of the better-known Troy Kennedy Martin
who contributed several episodes and wrote the second film. It was born from a one-off drama, entitled Regan, which Ian Kennedy Martin wrote for Thames Television's Armchair Cinema series of one-offs in 1974. The part of Regan was specifically written for Thaw.
From the very beginning, the show was seen as having series potential. After Regan scored highly in the ratings, work began on the development of the series proper. Ian Kennedy Martin's ideas for the series were for it to be partially studio-based, with more dialogue and less action but producer Ted Childs
disagreed with this, and Ian Kennedy Martin reluctantly parted company with the project. It was filmed almost entirely on location on filmstock (which gave it a startling degree of realism), and had a heavy bias toward action sequences.
The writers were given strict guidelines to follow: "Each show will have an overall screen time (minus titles) of 48mins 40secs. Each film will open with a teaser of up to 3 minutes, which will be followed by the opening titles. The story will be played across three acts, each being no more than 19 minutes and no less than 8 minutes in length. Regan will appear in every episode, Carter in approximately 10 out of 13 episodes. In addition to these main characters, scripts should be based around three major speaking parts, with up to ten minor speaking parts."
The Sweeney was the first really modern police-based series on British television. Previously, most dramas featuring the police had shied away from showing 'coppers' as fallible human beings. The police in The Sweeney was far removed from the BBC world of Dixon of Dock Green
, or even from the BBC's slightly more realistic Z-Cars
(which itself had been co-created by Troy Kennedy-Martin). They were brutal and violent in dealing with London's hardened criminals, and prone to cutting corners and bending laws. The series showed a somewhat more realistic side of the police, which often had a disregard for authority, rules and the 'system', as long it got the job done. Until The Sweeney this had been a subject largely whitewashed by British television.
It was a fast-paced edge-of-your-seat action series, depicting the Squad's relentless battle against armed robbery; but it nevertheless included a substantial degree of humour.
For the time, it had a high degree of graphic on-screen violence and the episodes had a high number of on-screen deaths.
as Detective Inspector John "Jack" Regan, the Flying Squad's chief 'thief-taker
'. He's a tough police officer, often frustrated by Scotland Yard's red tape. Originally from Manchester
(like Thaw himself), he has been in London for several years, so his accent has modified somewhat, but traces of his Northern origins are still evident. He also refers to his Northern roots every now and again (his poor upbringing, his father's work on the Manchester Ship Canal), which brings mild ridicule from George Carter, a Londoner. A heavy drinker and smoker (comically, he is sometimes seen stealing other people's cigarettes), Regan has some success with the ladies - although not as much as Carter. He can be seen as quick with his fists. He has an ex-wife, Kate, and a daughter, Susie; and in the last episode of the first series, "Abduction", Susie was kidnapped.
Regan helps out an ex-informer whose son is kidnapped in "Feet of Clay" (Series 4); and his sympathetic pushing enables his boss Haskins to ask for help when his wife goes missing after a breakdown, in "Victims" (Series 4): it's Regan who finds her. Regan repeatedly bends the rules in order to achieve the desired result: for example, fabricating evidence and arranging for a criminal to be kidnapped in "Queen's Pawn", and illegally entering private properties and threatening to lie about being attacked by a prisoner in order to get information in Regan. Despite this, he's unwilling to cheat for purely personal gain: he delivers a sharp put-down to a corrupt copper in "Bad Apple", and refuses to take a bribe in "Golden Fleece".
In the Squad, informality was everything. Everyone called DCI Haskins simply "Haskins" (except to his face), though Regan would occasionally call him by his first name, Frank. No one ever called Regan "Mister" - except the villains, or sometimes Carter when talking to Haskins. To the Squad he was always simply "the Guv'nor", or just "Guv". In turn, he invariably called Carter and the other Squad members by their first name. But off-duty he and George Carter were friends and drinking buddies, so in private Carter called him Jack. This is all in accordance with widespread police convention.
Regan was driven around in a Ford Consul
GT, which was one of the most recognisable sights on television during the 1970s and still has cult status some 30 years later. Although he is seen driving various cars himself in the series, he always has a driver when using the Consul (and the similar Ford Granada
models used in later stories), which served as a Squad car: when the Squad travelled they always went "mob handed". Regan did have his own car outside of the squad, in the series.
plays Detective Sergeant George Carter who comes from South London
; and Regan seeks him out in the pilot episode because of his knowledge of the South London area. His age is given in the episode "Hit and Run" as 26. In the series' timeline we learn that George had previously been in the Squad, but had quit for family reasons (cf. Regan and "Jigsaw"). George was married to Alison Carter, a schoolteacher, but is widowed in the episode "Hit And Run" when Alison is murdered by mistake by a gang of diamond smugglers. He's a former amateur boxer
, as we see from the pilot Regan, and is described as having professional boxing potential in the episode "Chalk and Cheese". Like his superior, he's fond of drinking, football
, and - after the death of his wife - womanising. Carter isn't as violent or aggressive as Regan and usually plays the good cop. In the episode "Latin Lady" he introduces himself to Christobel Delgado (Meg Davies) as George Hamilton Carter.
plays Frank Haskins, married with three children at boarding schools and is Regan's immediate superior. Prior to the series timeline the character had done "National Service
in the Signals Corps
in a minor intelligence role" (as revealed in the episode "Stay Lucky, Eh?"). He is frequently seen at odds with Regan, preferring more conventional policing methods.
The main 'Haskins episodes' are "Golden Fleece", where he is set up to be the victim of a corruption enquiry, and "Victims", where his wife suffers a mental breakdown due to memories of a miscarriage. Although he appeared in the opening titles of every episode of the first three series, he did not appear in all of them.
The character was not present at the start of the fourth, final series, and his role was taken by other superiors such as Detective Chief Inspector Anderson, played by Richard Wilson and Detective Chief Superintendent Braithwaite played by Benjamin Whitrow
. Haskins returned a few episodes into the fourth series. There are two versions of the fourth series opening credits - one without Haskins, and one with him.
Detective Sergeant Tom Daniels (John Alkin
) is the most prominent member of the supporting Squad. Other members include Sergeant Kent, Detective Constable Thorpe, and DS Matthews in the first series, DC Jerry Burtonshaw (Nick Brimble
) (Series 1-3), and DC Jellyneck (Series 4). Detective Chief Superintendent Maynon (Morris Perry
) appears occasionally as a superior officer, and is seen as being more willing than Haskins to bend the rules in order to get a result in the episode "Queen's Pawn". With Haskins absent, a semi-regular superior officer named DCS Braithwaite (Benjamin Whitrow
) appears in Series 4.
Regan's ex-wife Kate appears in the episode "Abduction", after previously featuring in the pilot; and his daughter Susie (Jennifer Thanisch
) appears in several episodes, most notably "Abduction".
Carter's wife Alison (Stephanie Turner
) is seen attempting to prise him away from the Squad in the episode "Jigsaw", while her hostility toward Regan is apparent in the episode "Abduction". She is murdered in a case of mistaken identity in the episode "Hit And Run". In the DVD commentary for "Abduction" it is mentioned that the reason for this was that the actress was asking for too much money to continue to appear in the series. Her death was convenient for the show, releasing Carter to play a more freewheeling role, 'on the pull' - and allowing his banter with Regan, which had become a very popular part of the show, to develop even further. Stephanie Turner went on to appear in Juliet Bravo
, also devised and part-written by Ian Kennedy Martin.
Doreen Haskins plays a minor role in some episodes, although the penultimate episode "Victims" deals with her deteriorating mental health and returns to the theme of the job's impact on family life. One of Haskins' three children, Richard, also appears in that episode.
and Dennis Waterman
big names, The Sweeney also had an impressive list of guest stars, including Diana Dors
, Brian Blessed
, Ian Hendry
, Alan Lake
, Alfred Marks
, Peter Jeffrey
, Julian Glover
, T. P. McKenna
, Warren Clarke
, Stuart Wilson, Paul Jones
, Lesley-Anne Down
, David Lodge
, Maurice Roëves
, Patrick Troughton
, Patrick Mower
, Philip Madoc
, Sheila Gish
, Bill Maynard
, Geoffrey Whitehead
, Kenneth Colley
, Daphne Oxenford
, Brian Hall
, James Booth
, John Rhys-Davies
, Ronald Lacey
, Ronald Fraser
, Kenny Lynch
, Tina Heath
, Simon Callow
, Hywel Bennett
, John Hurt
, Warren Mitchell
, Roy Kinnear
, George Sewell
, Michael Ripper
, Sheila Ruskin
, Peter Vaughan
, Vernon Dobtcheff
, Joss Ackland
, Michael Elphick
, Edward Hardwicke
, Barrie Ingham
, George Cole (whom Waterman went on to star alongside in hit follow-up vehicle Minder
) and Maureen Lipman
, as well as the writers Lynda La Plante
and Colin Welland
. Morecambe and Wise
appeared late on, in return for Thaw and Waterman appearing on their show. Many up and coming actors such as Karl Howman
, Ray Winstone
, John Challis
, Patrick Malahide
, Richard Griffiths
, June Brown
, Sandy Ratcliff
and Andrew Paul
also appeared in the show during its run. Thaw later played Inspector Morse
.
Each episode had an eight and a half week production schedule: two weeks pre-production (for casting
, finding locations etc.), two weeks shooting, four weeks picture editing
(the first two weeks of which overlapped with the shoot), two weeks sound editing, and two and a half days dubbing
.
, Shepherd's Bush
, Hammersmith
(where the Flying Squad's offices were based - referred-to as 'The Factory' by the characters), Fulham
, Earl's Court, Kensington & Chelsea
and Notting Hill
districts, close to the Euston Films HQ at Colet Court
in Hammersmith. However, other notable locations in London, the South East of England and further afield were also used for filming the show's episodes and included:
Highlights of the first series were "Ringer", where the team were attempting to prevent a criminal being sprung from prison, "Jackpot", "Stoppo Driver", and "Abduction" (in which Regan's daughter Susie was kidnapped), focussing on the strains which the job caused to family life. "Night Out" subtly illustrated the backgrounds and family lives of Regan and Carter; parallels are drawn between the unhappy situation of the main villain's family and Regan's own domestic situation.
The early episodes feature a great degree of hostility and mistrust between Regan and his superior, Haskins, who in one episode ("Ringer") attempts to separate Carter from Regan in order to help Carter's career.
The episode "Queen's Pawn" is a display of how Regan is willing to bend the rules in order to get a result, as he fabricates evidence, illegally opens private mail, and even arranges the kidnapping of one of the criminals in order to get the desired result.
Series 1 Episodes
All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Thursdays 9.00pm
All Series 1 episodes were shot in 1974.
Other highlights included a pair of tongue-in-cheek episodes, "Golden Fleece" and "Trojan Bus", featuring two cocky but likeable Australia
n villains, played by British actors Patrick Mower
and George Layton
; and the episode "Hit And Run", in which Carter's wife Alison is murdered.
Series 2 Episodes
All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Mondays 9.00pm
All Series 2 episodes were shot in 1975.
), an army deserter whose experiences in Northern Ireland had left him embittered. Cook also appeared in the later episode "On The Run".
Other episodes explored different themes: "Tomorrow Man" focussed on the clash between traditional policing methods and newer more technological ways of solving crime, methods which, in the real world, have made crimes such as those depicted in The Sweeney - of villains in stocking masks carrying out wages snatches - seem anachronistic. "Bad Apple" dealt with police corruption
, and here Regan, despite being seen to bend the rules in other episodes in order to achieve convictions (i.e. for legitimate motives), will not bend them for his own profit, and is shown to hold the deepest contempt for the corrupt officers.
Series 3 Episodes
All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Mondays 9.00pm
The following episodes were shot in 1975: Tomorrow Man, Visiting Fireman, Taste Of Fear, Sweet Smell Of Succession, Loving Arms and Lady Luck. The following episodes were shot in 1976: Selected Target, In From The Cold, Taste Of Fear, Bad Apple, May, Down To You Brother, Payoff and On The Run.
For the fourth series the title sequence was changed, and a number of other changes were also made, with Haskins absent from a number of episodes. The final series has been criticised as the weakest. This falling off in quality led John Thaw and Dennis Waterman to the realisation that the show was in danger of running out of steam, and to take the decision to end it while it was still at the peak of its popularity .
The opening episode of the series, "Messenger of the Gods", divides fans, with some seeing it as tongue in cheek and the show was beginning to run out of steam.
Other notable episodes include "Nightmare", which features a slightly experimental dream sequence as part of the plot. This is also the episode with the highest body count, and features another then-contemporary plot of two ex-IRA
men committing a major crime in order to buy their way back into the organisation. "Bait" featured a performance by George Sewell
, who had starred in The Sweeneys Euston Films forerunner series, Special Branch
, as well as in the film Get Carter
, which was a major influence on The Sweeney, and whose main character, Jack Carter, may have been the inspiration for the names of the two main Sweeney characters.
"Hearts And Minds", the last episode to be filmed, featured the popular comedians Morecambe and Wise
, and was a quid pro quo for the appearance of Waterman and Thaw in a sketch in the 1976 Morecambe and Wise Christmas show on the BBC.
The final broadcast episode "Jack or Knave" (aired in late-December 1978) saw a slightly ambiguous ending, with the main character, Jack Regan, temporarily locked up after being implicated in a corruption scandal, of which he is finally exonerated. He then announces that he's had it with the Squad, and the series ends with him resigning in disgust.
The final scene left open the possibility of a further series in 1979, if the two stars could be talked into making it, but this was not to be. Both of them felt the high standards of the show could not be maintained over a fifth series.
Series 4 Episodes
All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Thursdays 9.00pm
The following episodes were shot in 1977: Messenger Of The Gods, Drag Act, Trust Red, Money Money Money, Feet Of Clay, One Of Your Own and Jack Or Knave. The following episodes were shot in 1978: Hard Men, Nightmare, Bait, The Bigger They Are, Hearts and Minds, Latin Lady and Victims.
, cinema versions of The Sweeney were made, featuring the same actors and characters. The two films were far more raw than the TV series, featuring levels of violence, sex and nudity that would not have been possible on television at the time.
In Sweeney!
(1977), Regan and Carter get involved in a plot based on the Profumo Affair
. British actor Barry Foster
guest-stars as an Americanised, and more deadly, version of Stephen Ward
. The film appears to be set in the then near-future, indicated by the line "He made the same speech in 1978", The film was mostly made in 1976, also noticed on the wall in the scene where the OPEC delegates meet, is a chart which says 1979, which would back this up.
In Sweeney 2
(1978), Jack & George eventually find themselves going to the island of Malta
in order to track down a group of particularly violent armed robbers who have been committing bank and payroll robberies all over London and kill anybody that gets in their way, even members of their own gang, Jack & George were assigned the case by their recently convicted Chief Inspector as his last order, as he is about to be charged with corruption.
and directed by Nick Love
. Love was also to write the feature length episode alongside Ian Kennedy Martin
, the original creator. Filming was originally planned for 2009 with Ray Winstone
's name confirmed for the role of George Carter, and Ewan McGregor
(Star Wars
) and Daniel Craig
(James Bond
) being sourced as keen possibilities for the lead role of Jack Regan. Orlando Bloom
and Tom Hardy
were other names linked to the remake. It was not revealed whether the film would have been set in the 1970s or in the present day. However, Fox Searchlight withdrew support a few weeks before filming was due to start and the project looked to be on hold, until July 2010, when the budget on the project was confirmed at US$
16-million. In April 2011, the participation of Winstone was confirmed for the role of Jack Regan, with Ben Drew, alias rapper Plan B, taking the role of George Carter, and Allen Leech
is also starring in the film.
The first three books were authored by Ian Kennedy Martin, the rest by Joe Balham. The plots of the books are not taken from any of the television episodes; overall, the tone of the books differ somewhat from the television series in that Regan is usually depicted as working alone, and his relationship with Carter is distinctly unfriendly.
featured a strip called "The Teeny Sweeney" which was originally drawn by J Edward Oliver
. A trio of schoolboys played at being plain-clothes policemen, with two of them looking like little versions of Regan and Carter. They even had "Flying Squad" written on the side of their cartie. Their attempts at being helpful however almost always ended in disaster.
film Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
features a character introduced as "Shouting George from The Weeny" (played by Jim Broadbent
). Despite the character's name, he is in fact a direct yet affectionate parody of Jack Regan.
At one stage 'Regan' shouts "Mark it!", which is slang for following a suspect, but in this case means "market" as 'Carter' drives erratically through a market place. 'Carter' tells 'Regan' to stop shouting — to which 'Regan' barks the reply "I can't!".
When they burst into the bank it turns out that the men are genuine painters and that 'Regan', their guv (or boss), is there to tell them that they have the wrong sort of white paint(!) 'Carter' says, "Think we'd better go back to the yard, guv, and get some more." "Shut up!"
One of the painters talks in a squeaky-like voice and is called "Squealer", which is slang for informant
.
(This ad was the follow-up to a hugely popular one spoofing The Professionals
a year or so previously.)
The pilot episode "Regan" was also released on DVD in November 2005. Both films, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2 have also been released on DVD.
The 2007 18 Disc Network release contains all four series, the pilot and both of the spin-off films. Along with all this, the boxset contains exclusive extras.
Below is a list of all the extras of the boxset:
Regan:
Commentary with Dennis Waterman, producer Ted Childs and director Tom Clegg
Series One:
Commentaries with Dennis Waterman, Garfield Morgan, producer Ted Childs, writers Trevor Preston and Troy Kennedy-Martin, directors Tom Clegg and David Wickes and editor Chris Burt
Episode introductions by guest stars Warren Mitchell, Wanda Ventham, Prunella Gee, John Forgeham, Billy Murray, Tony Selby and Dudley Sutton
Series Two:
Episode introductions by guest stars Bill Maynard, Gwen Taylor, James Booth, Ken Hutchison and Lynda Bellingham
Series Three:
Series Four:
'Sweeney!' and 'Sweeney 2':
All four series one are now available as Region 1 (North America) DVDs.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad
Flying Squad
The Flying Squad is a branch of the Specialist Crime Directorate, within London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Squad's purpose is to investigate commercial armed robberies, along with the prevention and investigation of other serious armed crime...
, a branch of the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The programme's title derives from Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
, which is Cockney rhyming slang for 'Flying Squad'.
The programme was shot entirely on 16mm film by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
's film division, Euston Films. It originally aired on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
between 1975 and 1978 in the nine - ten pm (21:00–22:00) weekday (usually Monday) slot with repeated showings at the same time until the early 1980s. It starred John Thaw
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
as Detective Inspector Jack Regan, and Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
as Detective Sergeant George Carter. Such was its popularity in the UK that it spawned two theatrically released feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
spin-offs, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2.
Notably this popular TV series aired in a dark period for the real-life Flying Squad. In the late 1970s it was publicly censured for being involved in bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
and police corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
, and its close links with the criminal fraternity. Unlike the unwavering high standards seen in the fictional Sweeney, the actual commander of the Flying Squad, Detective Chief Superintendent
Chief Superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces organised on the British model.- United Kingdom :In the British police, a chief superintendent is senior to a superintendent and junior to an assistant chief constable .The highest rank below Chief Officer level, chief...
Kenneth Drury was convicted of five counts of corruption and jailed for eight years on 7 July 1977. An internal investigation, called Operation Countryman
Operation Countryman
Operation Countryman was a wide-ranging investigation into police corruption within the Metropolitan Police Service in London from 1978-1984. After being initially established to investigate allegations of corruption in the City of London Police, the main investigation was soon shifted to...
, was then launched to stamp out more corruption. A further 12 officers were convicted and many others resigned.
Background
The series was created by writer Ian Kennedy MartinIan Kennedy Martin
Ian Kennedy Martin is a British television scriptwriter. He is best known for his creation of the popular 1970s police drama series The Sweeney, produced by Euston Films for Thames Television, which ran on the ITV network from 1975 to 1978. It also spawned two feature film spin-offs...
, brother of the better-known Troy Kennedy Martin
Troy Kennedy Martin
Troy Kennedy Martin was a Scottish-born film and television screenwriter best known for creating the long running BBC TV police series Z-Cars, and for the award-winning 1985 anti-nuclear drama Edge of Darkness...
who contributed several episodes and wrote the second film. It was born from a one-off drama, entitled Regan, which Ian Kennedy Martin wrote for Thames Television's Armchair Cinema series of one-offs in 1974. The part of Regan was specifically written for Thaw.
From the very beginning, the show was seen as having series potential. After Regan scored highly in the ratings, work began on the development of the series proper. Ian Kennedy Martin's ideas for the series were for it to be partially studio-based, with more dialogue and less action but producer Ted Childs
Ted Childs
Edward Samuel "Ted" Childs is a British television producer, screenwriter and director, whose notable works include The Sweeney, Kavanagh QC, Soldier Soldier, Making Waves, Inspector Morse and its spin-off Lewis...
disagreed with this, and Ian Kennedy Martin reluctantly parted company with the project. It was filmed almost entirely on location on filmstock (which gave it a startling degree of realism), and had a heavy bias toward action sequences.
The writers were given strict guidelines to follow: "Each show will have an overall screen time (minus titles) of 48mins 40secs. Each film will open with a teaser of up to 3 minutes, which will be followed by the opening titles. The story will be played across three acts, each being no more than 19 minutes and no less than 8 minutes in length. Regan will appear in every episode, Carter in approximately 10 out of 13 episodes. In addition to these main characters, scripts should be based around three major speaking parts, with up to ten minor speaking parts."
The Sweeney was the first really modern police-based series on British television. Previously, most dramas featuring the police had shied away from showing 'coppers' as fallible human beings. The police in The Sweeney was far removed from the BBC world of Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, or even from the BBC's slightly more realistic Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
(which itself had been co-created by Troy Kennedy-Martin). They were brutal and violent in dealing with London's hardened criminals, and prone to cutting corners and bending laws. The series showed a somewhat more realistic side of the police, which often had a disregard for authority, rules and the 'system', as long it got the job done. Until The Sweeney this had been a subject largely whitewashed by British television.
It was a fast-paced edge-of-your-seat action series, depicting the Squad's relentless battle against armed robbery; but it nevertheless included a substantial degree of humour.
For the time, it had a high degree of graphic on-screen violence and the episodes had a high number of on-screen deaths.
Main characters
The main two characters were Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Detective Sergeant George Carter. Their superior officer was DCI Frank Haskins.Jack Regan
John ThawJohn Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
as Detective Inspector John "Jack" Regan, the Flying Squad's chief 'thief-taker
Thief-taker
In English legal history, a thief-taker was a private individual hired to capture criminals. The widespread establishment of professional police in England did not occur until the 19th century...
'. He's a tough police officer, often frustrated by Scotland Yard's red tape. Originally from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
(like Thaw himself), he has been in London for several years, so his accent has modified somewhat, but traces of his Northern origins are still evident. He also refers to his Northern roots every now and again (his poor upbringing, his father's work on the Manchester Ship Canal), which brings mild ridicule from George Carter, a Londoner. A heavy drinker and smoker (comically, he is sometimes seen stealing other people's cigarettes), Regan has some success with the ladies - although not as much as Carter. He can be seen as quick with his fists. He has an ex-wife, Kate, and a daughter, Susie; and in the last episode of the first series, "Abduction", Susie was kidnapped.
Regan helps out an ex-informer whose son is kidnapped in "Feet of Clay" (Series 4); and his sympathetic pushing enables his boss Haskins to ask for help when his wife goes missing after a breakdown, in "Victims" (Series 4): it's Regan who finds her. Regan repeatedly bends the rules in order to achieve the desired result: for example, fabricating evidence and arranging for a criminal to be kidnapped in "Queen's Pawn", and illegally entering private properties and threatening to lie about being attacked by a prisoner in order to get information in Regan. Despite this, he's unwilling to cheat for purely personal gain: he delivers a sharp put-down to a corrupt copper in "Bad Apple", and refuses to take a bribe in "Golden Fleece".
In the Squad, informality was everything. Everyone called DCI Haskins simply "Haskins" (except to his face), though Regan would occasionally call him by his first name, Frank. No one ever called Regan "Mister" - except the villains, or sometimes Carter when talking to Haskins. To the Squad he was always simply "the Guv'nor", or just "Guv". In turn, he invariably called Carter and the other Squad members by their first name. But off-duty he and George Carter were friends and drinking buddies, so in private Carter called him Jack. This is all in accordance with widespread police convention.
Regan was driven around in a Ford Consul
Ford Consul
The Ford Consul is a car manufactured by Ford in Britain.Between 1951 and 1962 the Consul was the four-cylinder base model of the three-model Ford Zephyr range, comprising Consul, Zephyr and Zephyr Zodiac...
GT, which was one of the most recognisable sights on television during the 1970s and still has cult status some 30 years later. Although he is seen driving various cars himself in the series, he always has a driver when using the Consul (and the similar Ford Granada
Ford Granada (Europe)
The March 1972 released Granada succeeded the British Ford Zephyr, and the German P7-series as Ford's European executive car offering. At first, lower models in the range were called the Ford Consul, but from 1975 on they were all called Granadas. The car soon became popular for taxi, fleet and...
models used in later stories), which served as a Squad car: when the Squad travelled they always went "mob handed". Regan did have his own car outside of the squad, in the series.
George Carter
Dennis WatermanDennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
plays Detective Sergeant George Carter who comes from South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
; and Regan seeks him out in the pilot episode because of his knowledge of the South London area. His age is given in the episode "Hit and Run" as 26. In the series' timeline we learn that George had previously been in the Squad, but had quit for family reasons (cf. Regan and "Jigsaw"). George was married to Alison Carter, a schoolteacher, but is widowed in the episode "Hit And Run" when Alison is murdered by mistake by a gang of diamond smugglers. He's a former amateur boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, as we see from the pilot Regan, and is described as having professional boxing potential in the episode "Chalk and Cheese". Like his superior, he's fond of drinking, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, and - after the death of his wife - womanising. Carter isn't as violent or aggressive as Regan and usually plays the good cop. In the episode "Latin Lady" he introduces himself to Christobel Delgado (Meg Davies) as George Hamilton Carter.
Frank Haskins
Garfield MorganGarfield Morgan
Garfield Morgan was an English actor who appeared mostly on TV and occasionally in films.Born in Birmingham, Morgan was apprenticed as a dental mechanic before going to drama school. He started his acting career with the Arena Theatre, Birmingham...
plays Frank Haskins, married with three children at boarding schools and is Regan's immediate superior. Prior to the series timeline the character had done "National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the Signals Corps
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
in a minor intelligence role" (as revealed in the episode "Stay Lucky, Eh?"). He is frequently seen at odds with Regan, preferring more conventional policing methods.
The main 'Haskins episodes' are "Golden Fleece", where he is set up to be the victim of a corruption enquiry, and "Victims", where his wife suffers a mental breakdown due to memories of a miscarriage. Although he appeared in the opening titles of every episode of the first three series, he did not appear in all of them.
The character was not present at the start of the fourth, final series, and his role was taken by other superiors such as Detective Chief Inspector Anderson, played by Richard Wilson and Detective Chief Superintendent Braithwaite played by Benjamin Whitrow
Benjamin Whitrow
Benjamin "Ben" Whitrow is a British actor. He attended the Dragon School, Tonbridge School, and RADA. Whitrow was also part of the King's Dragoon Guards from 1956 to 1958. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1981...
. Haskins returned a few episodes into the fourth series. There are two versions of the fourth series opening credits - one without Haskins, and one with him.
The Squad
In the early episodes the team has a variety of drivers including Len (Jack McKenzie) (the first 2 episodes) and Fred (in the episode "Jigsaw"). However, the episode "The Placer" in the first series introduces the character of Bill the driver (played by Tony Allen, who subsequently worked as wardrobe manager for many of John Thaw's later projects), and he remains a constant throughout the series, although he plays a peripheral, non-speaking role in most episodes.Detective Sergeant Tom Daniels (John Alkin
John Alkin
John Alkin was a British actor turned spiritual healer.Alkin is best remembered for 2 roles, namely that of DS Tom Daniels in The Sweeney, and as barrister Barry Deeley in the long running daytime TV Drama Crown Court...
) is the most prominent member of the supporting Squad. Other members include Sergeant Kent, Detective Constable Thorpe, and DS Matthews in the first series, DC Jerry Burtonshaw (Nick Brimble
Nick Brimble
Nick Brimble , is an English actor known for his performance as Little John in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and his appearances on various television shows....
) (Series 1-3), and DC Jellyneck (Series 4). Detective Chief Superintendent Maynon (Morris Perry
Morris Perry
Morris Perry is an English actor, best known for his roles on television.Perry was born in Bromley, Kent, England. Credits include: The Avengers, Z-Cars, Champion House, The Champions, The Persuaders!, Doctor Who , Special Branch, The Sweeney, Survivors, The Professionals, Secret Army,...
) appears occasionally as a superior officer, and is seen as being more willing than Haskins to bend the rules in order to get a result in the episode "Queen's Pawn". With Haskins absent, a semi-regular superior officer named DCS Braithwaite (Benjamin Whitrow
Benjamin Whitrow
Benjamin "Ben" Whitrow is a British actor. He attended the Dragon School, Tonbridge School, and RADA. Whitrow was also part of the King's Dragoon Guards from 1956 to 1958. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1981...
) appears in Series 4.
Family
Other main characters include the close family of the three leads.Regan's ex-wife Kate appears in the episode "Abduction", after previously featuring in the pilot; and his daughter Susie (Jennifer Thanisch
Jennifer Thanisch
Jennifer Thanisch was an English child actress during the 1970s.-Life:Jennifer Thanisch is native of Laleham, Middlesex, where her parents owned the Three Horseshoes, a public house. Her first role was in the film Dark Places, which starred Christopher Lee and Joan Collins...
) appears in several episodes, most notably "Abduction".
Carter's wife Alison (Stephanie Turner
Stephanie Turner
Stephanie Turner is an actress.She is best known for the lead role of Inspector Jean Darblay in the first three series of the 1980s television BBC police drama Juliet Bravo. Prior to this, she had played Dennis Waterman's screen wife, Alison Carter, in early episodes of The Sweeney and WPC Howarth...
) is seen attempting to prise him away from the Squad in the episode "Jigsaw", while her hostility toward Regan is apparent in the episode "Abduction". She is murdered in a case of mistaken identity in the episode "Hit And Run". In the DVD commentary for "Abduction" it is mentioned that the reason for this was that the actress was asking for too much money to continue to appear in the series. Her death was convenient for the show, releasing Carter to play a more freewheeling role, 'on the pull' - and allowing his banter with Regan, which had become a very popular part of the show, to develop even further. Stephanie Turner went on to appear in Juliet Bravo
Juliet Bravo
Juliet Bravo is a British television series, which ran on BBC1 between 1980 and 1985. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over control of a police station in the fictional town of Hartley in Lancashire.-Programme name:...
, also devised and part-written by Ian Kennedy Martin.
Doreen Haskins plays a minor role in some episodes, although the penultimate episode "Victims" deals with her deteriorating mental health and returns to the theme of the job's impact on family life. One of Haskins' three children, Richard, also appears in that episode.
Guest stars
As well as making John ThawJohn Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
and Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
big names, The Sweeney also had an impressive list of guest stars, including Diana Dors
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
, Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, Ian Hendry
Ian Hendry
Ian Hendry was an English film and television actor. He is best known for his work on several British TV series of the early 1960s such as The Avengers, and for his roles in 1970s films such as Get Carter .-Career:Hendry was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and educated at Culford School...
, Alan Lake
Alan Lake
Alan Lake was an English actor, best known as the third husband of Diana Dors.-Biography:Lake was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire on 24 November 1940...
, Alfred Marks
Alfred Marks
Alfred Edward Marks OBE was a comic actor and comedian.-Biography:Marks was born as Ruchel Kutchinsky in Holborn, London. He left Bell Lane School at 14 and started in entertainment at the Windmill Theatre. He then served in the RAF as a Flight Sergeant in the Middle East where he arranged...
, Peter Jeffrey
Peter Jeffrey
Peter Jeffrey was a British actor with many roles in television and film.Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence Alice and Arthur Winfred Gilbert Jeffrey. He was educated at Harrow School and Pembroke College, Cambridge but had no formal training as an actor...
, Julian Glover
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover is a British actor best known for such roles as General Maximilian Veers in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Bond villain Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only, and Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-Personal life:Glover was born in...
, T. P. McKenna
T. P. McKenna
Thomas Patrick McKenna , known professionally as T. P. McKenna, was an Irish actor who worked on stage, in film and television in Ireland and the UK from the 1950s.- Film and television :...
, Warren Clarke
Warren Clarke
-Biography:Clarke was born in Oldham, Lancashire. His first television appearance was in the long running Granada soap opera Coronation Street, initially as Kenny Pickup in 1966 and then as Gary Bailey in 1968. His first major film appearance was in Stanley Kubrick's controversial A Clockwork...
, Stuart Wilson, Paul Jones
Paul Jones (singer)
Paul Jones is an English singer, actor, harmonica player, and radio personality and television presenter.-Career:As P. P...
, Lesley-Anne Down
Lesley-Anne Down
Lesley-Anne Down is a British film and television actress, former model and singer.Down achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
, David Lodge
David Lodge (actor)
David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
, Maurice Roëves
Maurice Roëves
Maurice Roëves is a British actor, born in Sunderland, County Durham on 19 March 1937.His television roles include Danger UXB , The Nightmare Man , the 1984 Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani, Days of our Lives , Tutti Frutti , Rab C...
, Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton
Patrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
, Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
, Philip Madoc
Philip Madoc
Philip Madoc is a Welsh actor who has had many television and film roles.One prominent role was the title character in the BBC Wales drama The Life and Times of David Lloyd George...
, Sheila Gish
Sheila Gish
Sheila Gish was a British stage and television actress.She was born Sheila Anne Gash in Lincoln, studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and made her stage debut with a repertory company....
, Bill Maynard
Bill Maynard
Walter Frederick George Williams , better known by the stage name Bill Maynard, is an English comedian and actor.-Early life and career:...
, Geoffrey Whitehead
Geoffrey Whitehead
Geoffrey Whitehead is an English actor. He has appeared in a huge range of television, film and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at the Shakespeare Globe, St...
, Kenneth Colley
Kenneth Colley
Kenneth Colley is an English actor. A long-time character actor, he came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
, Daphne Oxenford
Daphne Oxenford
Daphne M. Oxenford is an English actress known for her television and radio work.She is possibly best known for being the voice for BBC radio's Listen with Mother from 1950 to 1971, and for being one of the readers on newspaper review programme What the Papers Say for over thirty years...
, Brian Hall
Brian Hall (actor)
Brian Charles Hall was an English actor perhaps best known for his role in the British sitcom Fawlty Towers where he played the hotel chef Terry.-Career:...
, James Booth
James Booth
James Booth was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. Though handsome enough to play leading roles, and versatile enough to play a wide variety of character parts, Booth naturally projected a shifty, wolfish, or unpredictable quality that led inevitably to villainous roles...
, John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
, Ronald Lacey
Ronald Lacey
Ronald Lacey was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30 year period and is perhaps best remembered for his villainous roles in Hollywood films, most famously Major Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Career:Lacey attended Harrow Weald Grammar School and...
, Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser was an English character actor, who appeared in numerous British films of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s whilst also appearing in many popular TV shows.-Background:...
, Kenny Lynch
Kenny Lynch
Kenny Lynch, OBE is an English singer, songwriter, entertainer and actor from London. Lynch appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s...
, Tina Heath
Tina Heath
Tina Heath is a British actress and former television presenter. In 1973, she played the title role in the popular children's television serial Lizzie Dripping after first playing the character in an episode of Jackanory Playhouse in 1972; her character was supposed to be 12 years old, but in fact...
, Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
, Hywel Bennett
Hywel Bennett
Hywel Thomas Bennett is a Welsh film and television actor. Bennett is best known for his recurring title role as James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley from 1979 to 1984 and its sequel The Return of Shelley from 1988 to 1992....
, John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
, Warren Mitchell
Warren Mitchell
Warren Mitchell is an English actor who rose to initial prominence in the role of bigoted cockney Alf Garnett in the BBC television sitcom Till Death Us Do Part , and its sequels Till Death... and In Sickness and in Health , all of which were written by Johnny Speight...
, Roy Kinnear
Roy Kinnear
Roy Mitchell Kinnear was an English character actor. He is best remembered for playing Veruca Salt's father, Mr. Salt, in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.-Early life:...
, George Sewell
George Sewell
George Sewell was an English actor.-Early life and early career:The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist; Sewell left school at age 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses...
, Michael Ripper
Michael Ripper
Michael Ripper was an English character actor born in Portsmouth.He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. He played one of the two murderers in Richard III. Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions...
, Sheila Ruskin
Sheila Ruskin
Sheila Ruskin is an English actress.She is possibly best known for playing Vipsania in the 1976 BBC adaptation of I, Claudius but is also remembered by fans of Doctor Who for her performance as Kassia in the 1981 serial The Keeper of Traken, and by Blake's 7 fans as Alta 1 in the 1979 episode...
, Peter Vaughan
Peter Vaughan
Peter Vaughan is an English character actor, known for many supporting roles in a variety of British film and television productions. He has worked extensively on the stage, becoming known for roles such as police inspectors, Soviet agents and similar parts...
, Vernon Dobtcheff
Vernon Dobtcheff
Vernon Dobtcheff is a French and British actor.Dobtcheff was born in Nîmes, France, to a family of Russian descent. He attended Ascham Preparatory School in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, in the 1940s, where he won the Acting Cup...
, Joss Ackland
Joss Ackland
Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE , known as Joss Ackland, is an English actor who has appeared in more than 130 films and numerous television roles.-Early life:...
, Michael Elphick
Michael Elphick
Michael John Elphick was an English actor. Elphick was known in the UK for his trademark croaky voice and his work on British television, in particular his roles as the eponymous private investigator in the ITV series Boon and later Harry Slater in BBC's EastEnders.Robust and ruggedly good-looking...
, Edward Hardwicke
Edward Hardwicke
Edward Hardwicke , sometimes credited as Edward Hardwick, was an English actor.-Early life and career:...
, Barrie Ingham
Barrie Ingham
Barrie Ingham is an English actor in stage, TV and film.-Life and career:Ingham was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, the son of Irene and Harold Ellis Stead Ingham. He was educated at Heath Grammar School and became a Royal Artillery Officer. His major theatre debut was at Manchester Library...
, George Cole (whom Waterman went on to star alongside in hit follow-up vehicle Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
) and Maureen Lipman
Maureen Lipman
Maureen Diane Lipman CBE is a British film, theatre and television actress, columnist and comedienne.-Early life:Lipman was born in Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, the daughter of Maurice Julius Lipman and Zelma Pearlman. Her father was a tailor; he used to have a shop between the...
, as well as the writers Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante, CBE is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series....
and Colin Welland
Colin Welland
Colin Welland is a British actor and screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his script for Chariots of Fire ,,,....
. Morecambe and Wise
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
appeared late on, in return for Thaw and Waterman appearing on their show. Many up and coming actors such as Karl Howman
Karl Howman
Karl Howman is an English actor and also a British voice-over artist.He is well known but notable to many television viewers for his work as Jacko in the mid-1980's and early-90's BBC TV sitcom Esmonde and Larbey's Brush Strokes and as the title character in the series Mulberry .However Howman first...
, Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
, John Challis
John Challis
John Challis is an English actor.-Career:He is probably best known for his role as Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long running comedy show Only Fools and Horses, and its 2005 spin-off, The Green Green Grass....
, Patrick Malahide
Patrick Malahide
Patrick Malahide is a British actor, who has played many major film and television roles.-Personal life:Malahide, real name Patrick Gerald Duggan, was born in Reading, Berkshire, the son of Irish immigrants, a cook mother and a school secretary father...
, Richard Griffiths
Richard Griffiths
Richard Griffiths, OBE is an English actor of stage, film and television. He has received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor...
, June Brown
June Brown
June Muriel Brown, MBE is a British actress, best known for her role as the busy-body, chain-smoking gossip Dot Cotton in the long-running British soap opera EastEnders and for making other high profile television appearances on shows such as Doctor Who, Coronation Street, Minder, The Bill and...
, Sandy Ratcliff
Sandy Ratcliff
Alexandria "Sandy" Ratcliff is an English former actress. Ratcliff made an impression as a model and film actress in the 1970s, but she is best known for being one of the original cast members in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in the 1980s...
and Andrew Paul
Andrew Paul
Andrew Paul is a British-Jewish actor best known for playing PC Dave Quinnan in the ITV drama The Bill for 13 years.- Career :...
also appeared in the show during its run. Thaw later played Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
.
Production
The filming of each episode normally took ten working days, shooting about five minutes of edited screen time per day. Due to this the number of different filming locations had to be restricted to ten, i.e. one location per day. At the Euston Films production office in Colet Court, there was a standing set of the Flying Squad offices, which provided an alternative option should the weather restrict a day's filming. Two days would normally be spent filming on the set, equalling 10 mins of any episode being set in the offices. Shooting took place through the summer, so exterior night shooting was expensive and was limited to 3 minutes of external night material in any episode.Each episode had an eight and a half week production schedule: two weeks pre-production (for casting
Casting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
, finding locations etc.), two weeks shooting, four weeks picture editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
(the first two weeks of which overlapped with the shoot), two weeks sound editing, and two and a half days dubbing
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
.
Filming locations
Most of the locations used for filming The Sweeney were around the west London area - in particular ChiswickChiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
, Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush
-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
, Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
(where the Flying Squad's offices were based - referred-to as 'The Factory' by the characters), Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, Earl's Court, Kensington & Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
and Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
districts, close to the Euston Films HQ at Colet Court
Colet Court
Colet Court is a preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 in Barnes, London. It forms the preparatory department of St Paul's School, to which most Colet Court pupils go at the age of 13.-History:...
in Hammersmith. However, other notable locations in London, the South East of England and further afield were also used for filming the show's episodes and included:
- ChertseyChertseyChertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
/Penton Hook LockPenton Hook LockPenton Hook Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England situated on the northern "Middlesex" bank near Laleham, Surrey.The lock cuts across a large loop or hook in the river, creating Penton Hook Island There is a large marina in the disused gravel pits connected to this loop...
, SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
- "Thin Ice", "Bad Apple", "On The Run", "Feet Of Clay" & "Jack or Knave?" - BatterseaBatterseaBattersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
- "Jigsaw", "Stoppo Driver", "Faces", "Trap", "Trojan Bus", "Country Boy", "Visiting Fireman", "Tomorrow Man", "May" & "Victims" - BermondseyBermondseyBermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
- "Regan" - Black Park Country Park, WexhamWexhamWexham is a settlement and civil parish in the county of Buckinghamshire. It is on the borders of the unitary authority of Slough and the non-metropolitan county of Berkshire, in southern England....
, BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
- "Regan", "Pay Off", "On The Run" & "Hearts & Minds" - DulwichDulwichDulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
- "Regan", "Ringer" - Dulwich Hamlet F.C.Dulwich Hamlet F.C.Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is an English football club who play at Champion Hill stadium in Dulwich, in the London Borough of Southwark. Formed in 1893, they joined the Isthmian League a few years later, winning it a total of 4 times, between 1920 and 1949, and wear a famous pink and blue...
"Ringer" - GozoGozoGozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
/Maltese Archipelago - "Sweeney 2" - EarlsfieldEarlsfieldEarlsfield is an area within the London Borough of Wandsworth, London, England.Earlsfield is a typical London suburb and comprises mostly residential Victorian terraced houses with a high street of shops, bars, and restaurants between Garratt Lane, Allfarthing Lane, and Burntwood Lane...
- Garratt Lane and Garratt Snooker Club "Supersnout" - HeathrowHeathrow, LondonHeathrow was a small hamlet of Middlesex on the outskirts of London, that was demolished in 1944 for the construction of London Heathrow Airport...
- "Golden Boy", "Stoppo Driver" & "Tomorrow Man" - Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
- "Hit And Run" & "Trojan Bus" - Maida ValeMaida ValeMaida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
- "Night Out" - PeckhamPeckhamPeckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
- "Ringer" - Potters BarPotters BarPotters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....
, HertfordshireHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
- "Big Spender" - PutneyPutneyPutney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
/Putney BridgePutney BridgePutney Bridge is a bridge crossing of the River Thames in west London, linking Putney on the south side with Fulham to the north. Putney Bridge tube station is located near the north side of the bridge.-History:...
"Contact Breaker", "Abduction" "Taste Of Fear" & "Sweeney 2" - Queens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
, Loftus RoadLoftus RoadLoftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
- "I Want The Man" - Raynes ParkRaynes ParkRaynes Park is a suburb within the London Borough of Merton south-west London, centred around Raynes Park station and situated between Wimbledon and New Malden. It is 8.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross. The area is effectively divided into two by the Waterloo - Southampton mainline railway...
- "Big Spender", "Golden Fleece" & "Victims" - RoehamptonRoehamptonRoehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
- "Queen's Pawn", "Golden Fleece" (Bank of EnglandBank of EnglandThe Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
Sports Centre), "Victims" & "Sweeney 2" (Danebury Avenue/Alton Estate) - Sandown Park Racecourse, EsherEsherEsher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
, Surrey - "Big Spender" - Southall Gas WorksSouthall Gas WorksSouthall Gas Works is a site of around in Southall, west London, formerly occupied by a plant for the manufacture of town gas. Today a much reduced site is used for the pressure reduction and storage of natural gas and the remainder of the site is the subject of planning proposals.-Location:The...
- "Faces" - SouthwarkSouthwarkSouthwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
- "Ringer" - StainesStainesStaines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
, MiddlesexMiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
- "The Placer" - TwickenhamTwickenhamTwickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
- "The Placer", "Golden Fleece" (Twickenham StadiumTwickenham StadiumTwickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
) & "Bad Apple" - UxbridgeUxbridgeUxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
- "Thou Shalt Not Kill" (Brunel UniversityBrunel UniversityBrunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
) & "Bad Apple" - WandsworthWandsworthWandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
- "Queens Pawn", "Jigsaw", "Abduction", "Country Boy", "Tomorrow Man", "May", "Drag Act" & "Sweeney 2" - WimbledonWimbledon, LondonWimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
- "Contact Breaker", "Stay Lucky Eh?" "May", "Lady Luck" & "Money Money Money" - WokinghamWokinghamWokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
, BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
- "Thin Ice"
Episodes
A pilot episode, "Regan", was made as part of the Armchair Cinema series and shown in 1974. In all, four series were made with Series One being broadcast between January and March 1975 and Series Two following between September and December of the same year. Series Three was broadcast between September and December 1976, with the final series being shown two years later in 1978. Two 90-minute feature films, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2, were made in 1977 and 1978 respectively, between the third and fourth series.Series 1
The promotional episode shown to the press was "Thin Ice", which featured a relatively lightweight and somewhat humorous story, some comedy, and international locations.Highlights of the first series were "Ringer", where the team were attempting to prevent a criminal being sprung from prison, "Jackpot", "Stoppo Driver", and "Abduction" (in which Regan's daughter Susie was kidnapped), focussing on the strains which the job caused to family life. "Night Out" subtly illustrated the backgrounds and family lives of Regan and Carter; parallels are drawn between the unhappy situation of the main villain's family and Regan's own domestic situation.
The early episodes feature a great degree of hostility and mistrust between Regan and his superior, Haskins, who in one episode ("Ringer") attempts to separate Carter from Regan in order to help Carter's career.
The episode "Queen's Pawn" is a display of how Regan is willing to bend the rules in order to get a result, as he fabricates evidence, illegally opens private mail, and even arranges the kidnapping of one of the criminals in order to get the desired result.
Series 1 Episodes
All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Thursdays 9.00pm
- Ringer broadcast 02/01/1975
- Jackpot broadcast 09/01/1975
- Thin Ice broadcast 16/01/1975
- Queen's Pawn broadcast 23/01/1975
- Jigsaw broadcast 30/01/1975
- Night Out broadcast 06/02/1975
- The Placer broadcast 13/02/1975
- Cover Story broadcast 20/02/1975
- Golden Boy broadcast 27/02/1975
- Stoppo Driver broadcast 06/03/1975
- Big Spender broadcast 13/03/1975
- Contact Breaker broadcast 23/03/1975
- Abduction broadcast 27/03/1975
All Series 1 episodes were shot in 1974.
Series 2
The episodes "Faces" and "Thou Shalt Not Kill" were among the highlights of the second series. In the former an anarchist group (which appears to be German-based, with echoes of the then contemporary Baader-Meinhof gang) is staging a number of robberies in order to raise funds for its cause. However, the group has been infiltrated by British intelligence, leading to complicated inter-departmental politics between the police and the security services. "Thou Shalt Not Kill" features a tense hostage situation inside a bank, with Haskins faced with the dilemma of whether to risk the hostages' lives by shooting the criminals.Other highlights included a pair of tongue-in-cheek episodes, "Golden Fleece" and "Trojan Bus", featuring two cocky but likeable Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n villains, played by British actors Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
and George Layton
George Layton
George Layton is an English actor, director, screenwriter and author. He was educated at Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School in Bradford and later studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where he won the Emile Littler award. He went on to leading parts at Coventry and Nottingham and...
; and the episode "Hit And Run", in which Carter's wife Alison is murdered.
Series 2 Episodes
All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Mondays 9.00pm
- Chalk And Cheese broadcast 01/09/1975
- Faces broadcast 08/09/1975
- Supersnout broadcast 15/09/1975
- Big Brother broadcast 22/09/1975
- Hit And Run broadcast 29/09/1975
- Trap broadcast 06/10/1975
- Golden Fleece broadcast 13/10/1975
- Poppy broadcast 20/10/1975
- Stay Lucky Eh? broadcast 27/10/1975
- Trojan Bus broadcast 03/11/1975
- I Want The Man broadcast 10/11/1975
- Country Boy broadcast 17/11/1975
- Thou Shalt Not Kill broadcast 24/11/1975
All Series 2 episodes were shot in 1975.
Series 3
The episode "Taste Of Fear" introduced violent psychopathic criminal Tim Cook (George SweeneyGeorge Sweeney (actor)
George Sweeney is a British film and television actor who commenced his acting career in the 1970s.Sweeney has numerous television credits, including Z-Cars , Rumpole of the Bailey , Dixon of Dock Green , Softly, Softly , The New Avengers , The Sweeney , Return...
), an army deserter whose experiences in Northern Ireland had left him embittered. Cook also appeared in the later episode "On The Run".
Other episodes explored different themes: "Tomorrow Man" focussed on the clash between traditional policing methods and newer more technological ways of solving crime, methods which, in the real world, have made crimes such as those depicted in The Sweeney - of villains in stocking masks carrying out wages snatches - seem anachronistic. "Bad Apple" dealt with police corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
, and here Regan, despite being seen to bend the rules in other episodes in order to achieve convictions (i.e. for legitimate motives), will not bend them for his own profit, and is shown to hold the deepest contempt for the corrupt officers.
Series 3 Episodes
All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Mondays 9.00pm
- Selected Target broadcast 06/09/1976
- In From The Cold broadcast 13/09/1976
- Visiting Fireman broadcast 20/09/1976
- Tomorrow Man broadcast 27/09/1976
- Taste Of Fear broadcast 04/10/1976
- Bad Apple broadcast 11/10/1976
- May broadcast 25/10/1976
- Sweet Smell Of Succession broadcast 08/10/1976
- Down To You Brother broadcast 22/11/1976
- Payoff broadcast 29/11/1976
- Loving Arms broadcast 06/12/1976
- Lady Luck broadcast 13/12/1976
- On The Run broadcast 20/12/1976
The following episodes were shot in 1975: Tomorrow Man, Visiting Fireman, Taste Of Fear, Sweet Smell Of Succession, Loving Arms and Lady Luck. The following episodes were shot in 1976: Selected Target, In From The Cold, Taste Of Fear, Bad Apple, May, Down To You Brother, Payoff and On The Run.
Series 4
There was a two-year gap between the third and fourth series while the team made two feature films (Sweeney! and Sweeney 2) to cash-in on the show's popularity with audiences.For the fourth series the title sequence was changed, and a number of other changes were also made, with Haskins absent from a number of episodes. The final series has been criticised as the weakest. This falling off in quality led John Thaw and Dennis Waterman to the realisation that the show was in danger of running out of steam, and to take the decision to end it while it was still at the peak of its popularity .
The opening episode of the series, "Messenger of the Gods", divides fans, with some seeing it as tongue in cheek and the show was beginning to run out of steam.
Other notable episodes include "Nightmare", which features a slightly experimental dream sequence as part of the plot. This is also the episode with the highest body count, and features another then-contemporary plot of two ex-IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
men committing a major crime in order to buy their way back into the organisation. "Bait" featured a performance by George Sewell
George Sewell
George Sewell was an English actor.-Early life and early career:The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist; Sewell left school at age 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses...
, who had starred in The Sweeneys Euston Films forerunner series, Special Branch
Special Branch (TV series)
Special Branch is a British television series made by Thames Television for ITV and shown between 1969 and 1974. A police drama series, the action was centred on members of the Special Branch anti-espionage and anti-terrorist department of the London Metropolitan Police.The first two series were...
, as well as in the film Get Carter
Get Carter
Get Carter is a 1971 British crime film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a gangster who sets out to avenge the death of his brother in a series of unrelenting and brutal killings played out against the grim background of derelict urban housing in the city of...
, which was a major influence on The Sweeney, and whose main character, Jack Carter, may have been the inspiration for the names of the two main Sweeney characters.
"Hearts And Minds", the last episode to be filmed, featured the popular comedians Morecambe and Wise
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
, and was a quid pro quo for the appearance of Waterman and Thaw in a sketch in the 1976 Morecambe and Wise Christmas show on the BBC.
The final broadcast episode "Jack or Knave" (aired in late-December 1978) saw a slightly ambiguous ending, with the main character, Jack Regan, temporarily locked up after being implicated in a corruption scandal, of which he is finally exonerated. He then announces that he's had it with the Squad, and the series ends with him resigning in disgust.
The final scene left open the possibility of a further series in 1979, if the two stars could be talked into making it, but this was not to be. Both of them felt the high standards of the show could not be maintained over a fifth series.
Series 4 Episodes
All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Thursdays 9.00pm
- Messenger Of The Gods broadcast 07/09/1978
- Hard Men broadcast 14/09/1978
- Drag Act broadcast 21/09/1978
- Trust Red broadcast 28/09/1978
- Nightmare broadcast 05/10/1978
- Money, Money, Money broadcast 12/10/1978
- Bait broadcast 19/10/1978
- The Bigger They Are broadcast 26/10/1978
- Feet Of Clay broadcast 02/11/1978
- One Of Your Own broadcast 09/11/1978
- Hearts And Minds broadcast 23/11/1978
- Latin Lady broadcast 30/11/1978
- Victims broadcast 14/12/1978
- Jack Or Knave broadcast 28/12/1978
The following episodes were shot in 1977: Messenger Of The Gods, Drag Act, Trust Red, Money Money Money, Feet Of Clay, One Of Your Own and Jack Or Knave. The following episodes were shot in 1978: Hard Men, Nightmare, Bait, The Bigger They Are, Hearts and Minds, Latin Lady and Victims.
Film adaptations
Like many successful British TV series of the time, such as Porridge and Rising DampRising Damp
Rising Damp is a television sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV, first broadcast from 1974 to 1978. It was adapted for television by Eric Chappell from his well-received 1971 stage play, The Banana Box The series was the highest-ranking ITV sitcom on the 100 Best Sitcoms poll run in...
, cinema versions of The Sweeney were made, featuring the same actors and characters. The two films were far more raw than the TV series, featuring levels of violence, sex and nudity that would not have been possible on television at the time.
In Sweeney!
Sweeney! (1977 film)
Sweeney! is a 1977 British thriller film made as a spin-off from the television show The Sweeney, which ran from 1974 and 1978. It was released on Region 2 DVD in 2007. A sequel Sweeney 2 was released the following year.- Plot :...
(1977), Regan and Carter get involved in a plot based on the Profumo Affair
Profumo Affair
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of...
. British actor Barry Foster
Barry Foster (actor)
Barry Foster was a British actor who appeared in numerous film roles and is known for his leading role as a Dutch detective in the ITV drama series, Van der Valk, which spanned five series over 20 years from 1972....
guest-stars as an Americanised, and more deadly, version of Stephen Ward
Stephen Ward
Stephen Thomas Ward was an osteopath and artist who became notorious as one of the central figures in the 1963 Profumo affair, a British public scandal which profoundly affected the ruling Conservative Party government...
. The film appears to be set in the then near-future, indicated by the line "He made the same speech in 1978", The film was mostly made in 1976, also noticed on the wall in the scene where the OPEC delegates meet, is a chart which says 1979, which would back this up.
In Sweeney 2
Sweeney 2
Sweeney 2 is a 1978 film that is a sequel to the 1977 film Sweeney! which was itself a spin-off from the popular British TV show The Sweeney. Some of the action was transferred from the usual London setting to Malta. Denholm Elliot appears as a corrupt ex-officer, who asks his former subordinates...
(1978), Jack & George eventually find themselves going to the island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in order to track down a group of particularly violent armed robbers who have been committing bank and payroll robberies all over London and kill anybody that gets in their way, even members of their own gang, Jack & George were assigned the case by their recently convicted Chief Inspector as his last order, as he is about to be charged with corruption.
2012 re-make
A remake was announced in 2008 to be produced by DNA FilmsDNA Films
DNA Films is a British film production company founded by Duncan Kenworthy and Andrew Macdonald.-Film productions:* Dredd * Never Let Me Go * Shooting Someone...
and directed by Nick Love
Nick Love
Nick Love is a British film director and writer. Love came to public attention in the UK after making the films The Football Factory, The Business and The Firm. He has two 'Millwall' tattoos, including one on the inside of his bottom lip.Love is well known for collaborating with actor Danny Dyer...
. Love was also to write the feature length episode alongside Ian Kennedy Martin
Ian Kennedy Martin
Ian Kennedy Martin is a British television scriptwriter. He is best known for his creation of the popular 1970s police drama series The Sweeney, produced by Euston Films for Thames Television, which ran on the ITV network from 1975 to 1978. It also spawned two feature film spin-offs...
, the original creator. Filming was originally planned for 2009 with Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
's name confirmed for the role of George Carter, and Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
(Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
) and Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
(James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
) being sourced as keen possibilities for the lead role of Jack Regan. Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
and Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy
Edward Thomas "Tom" Hardy is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the 2008 British film Bronson, the character of Eames in Inception, and the villain Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis...
were other names linked to the remake. It was not revealed whether the film would have been set in the 1970s or in the present day. However, Fox Searchlight withdrew support a few weeks before filming was due to start and the project looked to be on hold, until July 2010, when the budget on the project was confirmed at US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
16-million. In April 2011, the participation of Winstone was confirmed for the role of Jack Regan, with Ben Drew, alias rapper Plan B, taking the role of George Carter, and Allen Leech
Allen Leech
Allen Leech is an Irish stage, television and film actor, best known for his role as Marcus Agrippa in the 2007 HBO television series Rome, and his role as chauffeur Tom Branson in ITV 2010 television series Downton Abbey....
is also starring in the film.
Books
A total of nine books were written and released in 1977 published by Futura Publications Ltd.- The Sweeney
- Regan and the Manhattan File
- Regan and the Deal Of The Century
- Regan and the Lebanese Shipment
- Regan and the Human Pipeline
- Regan and the Bent Stripper
- Regan and the Snout Who Cried Wolf
- Regan and the Venetian Virgin
- Regan and the High Rollers
The first three books were authored by Ian Kennedy Martin, the rest by Joe Balham. The plots of the books are not taken from any of the television episodes; overall, the tone of the books differ somewhat from the television series in that Regan is usually depicted as working alone, and his relationship with Carter is distinctly unfriendly.
Popular culture
- The repeat of the episode "Selected Target" on 21 December 1978 had the highest viewing figure of the series with 19.05 million people watching. This coincided with a 24-hour strike at the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
- In series 1 to 3 the main characters' carsCARSCars, or automobiles, motor cars, are wheeled motor vehicles used for transporting passengers.Cars or CARS may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Cars , a Disney/Pixar film series...
were a Ford Consul GT 3.0 litre V6 (often mistaken for a Granada Mk1), Granada GXL Mk1Ford Granada (Europe)The March 1972 released Granada succeeded the British Ford Zephyr, and the German P7-series as Ford's European executive car offering. At first, lower models in the range were called the Ford Consul, but from 1975 on they were all called Granadas. The car soon became popular for taxi, fleet and...
and a Cortina Mk3Ford CortinaAs the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
. In series 4 a late Mk1 Ford Granada Ghia is used as well as the updated Granada Mk2Ford Granada (Europe)The March 1972 released Granada succeeded the British Ford Zephyr, and the German P7-series as Ford's European executive car offering. At first, lower models in the range were called the Ford Consul, but from 1975 on they were all called Granadas. The car soon became popular for taxi, fleet and...
and Cortina Mk4Ford CortinaAs the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
.
- Dennis Waterman was cast after his performance in the Special BranchSpecial Branch (TV series)Special Branch is a British television series made by Thames Television for ITV and shown between 1969 and 1974. A police drama series, the action was centred on members of the Special Branch anti-espionage and anti-terrorist department of the London Metropolitan Police.The first two series were...
episode 'Stand and Deliver'. In the same episode Stephanie TurnerStephanie TurnerStephanie Turner is an actress.She is best known for the lead role of Inspector Jean Darblay in the first three series of the 1980s television BBC police drama Juliet Bravo. Prior to this, she had played Dennis Waterman's screen wife, Alison Carter, in early episodes of The Sweeney and WPC Howarth...
(who played his wife in The Sweeney) played his sister. She went on to have her own police series, Juliet BravoJuliet BravoJuliet Bravo is a British television series, which ran on BBC1 between 1980 and 1985. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over control of a police station in the fictional town of Hartley in Lancashire.-Programme name:...
.
- The Sweeney is mentioned in the songs WowWow (Kate Bush song)"Wow" was the second single to be released from Kate Bush's second album Lionheart.The single is an edited version of "Wow", although it is not labelled as such. On all European "Wow" singles, the first 12 seconds of synthesizer chords have been removed...
by Kate BushKate BushKate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
and Cool for CatsCool For Cats (song)"Cool for Cats" was the second single released from Squeeze's Cool for Cats album. It featured a comparatively rare lead vocal performance from Squeeze lyricist Chris Difford, one of only two occasions he sang lead on a Squeeze single A-side...
by Squeeze.
- In the orange-tinted photographs that are shown in the closing credits for Series 1–3, an enlarged set of fingerprints is displayed on a board behind Detective Chief Inspector Haskins. These belong to actress and model Pamela GreenPamela GreenPamela Green was an English glamour model and actress, best known at the end of the 1950s and early 1960s...
, whose boyfriend Doug WebbDouglas WebbDouglas Webb DFM, was a British photographer who worked in the film and television industries. He was also a veteran of the Dambusters raid.-Early life:Webb was born in Leytonstone, London...
took the stills photographs used in the titles and credits.
- A red Fiat 850 CoupéFiat 850The Fiat 850 is a small longitudinal-rear-engined rear wheel drive car which was produced between 1964 and 1973.-Overview:Its technical design was an evolution of the very successful Fiat 600. The internal name for the Fiat 600 development project was "Project 100" and consequently, the internal...
makes a cameo appearance in a lot of the episodes: typically it's parked at the side of the road as the action takes place around it. One theory is that the car belonged to a crewmember who tried to include it as an in-joke in as many episodes as possible.
- Heavy reference is made to The Sweeney in the Black BooksBlack BooksBlack Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
episode "The Blackout".
- Regan and Carter appear briefly as part of a stakeout operation in one of the novelizations of the TV series "The Professionals".
- Scotland YardScotland YardScotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
's real Flying SquadFlying SquadThe Flying Squad is a branch of the Specialist Crime Directorate, within London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Squad's purpose is to investigate commercial armed robberies, along with the prevention and investigation of other serious armed crime...
lost an important surveillance technique when The Sweeney exposed their use of the roadsideRoadsideMany things may be found along the roadside. These include:* Roadside attractions* Roadside memorials* Japanese Roadside Stations- Music :* Roadside Monument, a defunct US-based rock band* "Roadside", a song by Rise Against from The Sufferer & the Witness...
tents erected by telephoneTelephoneThe telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
engineers, who would place them over open manholes in the street to protect them from the weatherWeatherWeather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
. These tents are frequently shown in the series as hideaways for keeping a covert eye on suspects.
- A two-part 1998 instalment of Diagnosis: MurderDiagnosis: MurderDiagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...
, "Obsession", features lead villains named Carter Sweeney and Regan Sweeney.
- The creators of the hit show Life on MarsLife on Mars (TV series)Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
have often stated that The Sweeney was a big influence on the show.
Comics
In the early 1980s the British comic JackpotJackpot (comic)
Jackpot was a British comic book that ran from the issues dated 5 May 1979 to 30 January 1982, when it merged with Buster. Its strips included:*Jack Pott *Angel's Proper Charlies, a parody of Charlie's Angels*Adam and Eva*Class Wars...
featured a strip called "The Teeny Sweeney" which was originally drawn by J Edward Oliver
Jack Edward Oliver
Jack Edward Oliver was a British cartoonist. He is more usually known as J Edward Oliver or JEO and to his friends he was Jack....
. A trio of schoolboys played at being plain-clothes policemen, with two of them looking like little versions of Regan and Carter. They even had "Flying Squad" written on the side of their cartie. Their attempts at being helpful however almost always ended in disaster.
Detectives on the edge of a nervous breakdown
The 1993 Comic StripThe Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents.... The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and...
film Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown is a short comedy film made by The Comic Strip for the BBC, first broadcast in the UK in 1993....
features a character introduced as "Shouting George from The Weeny" (played by Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent
James "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
). Despite the character's name, he is in fact a direct yet affectionate parody of Jack Regan.
TV ad
A TV ad for the Nissan Almera car in the late 1990s had two characters similar to Carter and Regan racing through London to deal with a "bank job". A suspicious group of men have entered a bank dressed as painters. As 'Carter' races the car through the streets, 'Regan' keeps bellowing at him and others to "Shut it!"At one stage 'Regan' shouts "Mark it!", which is slang for following a suspect, but in this case means "market" as 'Carter' drives erratically through a market place. 'Carter' tells 'Regan' to stop shouting — to which 'Regan' barks the reply "I can't!".
When they burst into the bank it turns out that the men are genuine painters and that 'Regan', their guv (or boss), is there to tell them that they have the wrong sort of white paint(!) 'Carter' says, "Think we'd better go back to the yard, guv, and get some more." "Shut up!"
One of the painters talks in a squeaky-like voice and is called "Squealer", which is slang for informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
.
(This ad was the follow-up to a hugely popular one spoofing The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
a year or so previously.)
DVD and CD releases
The complete series of The Sweeney was released by Network on 16 discs in 2005.The pilot episode "Regan" was also released on DVD in November 2005. Both films, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2 have also been released on DVD.
The 2007 18 Disc Network release contains all four series, the pilot and both of the spin-off films. Along with all this, the boxset contains exclusive extras.
Below is a list of all the extras of the boxset:
Regan:
- Introduction by Ian Kennedy-Martin
Commentary with Dennis Waterman, producer Ted Childs and director Tom Clegg
Series One:
- Interview with creator Ian Kennedy-Martin
Commentaries with Dennis Waterman, Garfield Morgan, producer Ted Childs, writers Trevor Preston and Troy Kennedy-Martin, directors Tom Clegg and David Wickes and editor Chris Burt
- 'Thick as Thieves' episode and 'Special Branch' episode
Episode introductions by guest stars Warren Mitchell, Wanda Ventham, Prunella Gee, John Forgeham, Billy Murray, Tony Selby and Dudley Sutton
- Restoring "The Sweeney"
Series Two:
- Interview with stunt arranger Peter Brayham
- 'Wild Boys' featurette
- 'The Sweeney' annual PDF
- Interview with writer Roger Marshall
- 'Golden Fleece' episode script PDF
Episode introductions by guest stars Bill Maynard, Gwen Taylor, James Booth, Ken Hutchison and Lynda Bellingham
- 'Sweeney' film trailer with introduction by Lynda Bellingham
- 'Sweeney' film promotional gallery
Series Three:
- 'Redcap' episode
- 'Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show' 1976 sketch
- 'Strange Report' episode
- Episode introductions by guest stars Geraldine James, Steven Pacey, George Sweeney, Nadim Sawalha, Tina Heath and John Lyons
- 'ITV - This Is Your Life' clip from 1976 Thames trailer
- 'Evening News Film Awards' clip
- 'The Sweeney' 1977 Annual PDF
Series Four:
- 'The Electric Theatre Show' interviews with John Thaw, Dennis Waterman and Ted Childs
- 'This Is Your Life - John Thaw' extract
- 'This Is Your Life - Dennis Waterman' extract
- Series 4 textless titles with dual sound
- Episode introductions by guest stars James Warrior, George Sewell, Jenny Runacre, Nick Stringer, Gary Morecambe and Peter Wight
- 'Sweeney 2' film trailer with introduction by Ken Hutchison and James Warrior
- 'Sweeney 2' promotional gallery PDF
- Out-takes
- 'The Sweeney' 1978 Annual PDF
- Stills gallery Extract from 'Behind the Sunshine' PDF, recounting the making of 'Hearts and Minds'
'Sweeney!' and 'Sweeney 2':
- Commentary on Sweeney! with Ted Childs, Ranald GrahamRanald GrahamRanald Ian Mackenzie Graham was a Scottish writer, director and producer, best known for his writing work on the British television series The Sweeney, The Professionals and Dempsey & Makepeace.-Early life:...
and David Wickes - Commentary on Sweeney 2 with Ted Childs and Tom Clegg
- Textless material
- These extras are exclusive to the boxset.
All four series one are now available as Region 1 (North America) DVDs.
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album Shut it! The Music of The Sweeney was released in 2001 and features much of the incidental music used in the programme as well as many classic pieces of dialogue.See also
- Get CarterGet CarterGet Carter is a 1971 British crime film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a gangster who sets out to avenge the death of his brother in a series of unrelenting and brutal killings played out against the grim background of derelict urban housing in the city of...
- The Long Good FridayThe Long Good FridayThe Long Good Friday is a British gangster film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979 but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film...
- The ProfessionalsThe Professionals (TV series)The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
- MinderMinder (TV series)Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
- NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
- Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
- Life on MarsLife on Mars (TV series)Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
- Homicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
- Thief TakersThief TakersThief Takers was a police drama series made by Central Independent Television for the ITV network. The show depicted the work of a team in the Metropolitan Police Service's Flying Squad...
- Starsky and HutchStarsky and HutchStarsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
- Diagnosis: MurderDiagnosis: MurderDiagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...
Further reading
- Manuel AlvaradoManuel AlvaradoManuel Bernardo Alvarado Green was an English academic, who specialised in media studies. During his career he was secretary of the Society for Education in Film and Television and the editor of Screen Education...
and John Stewart, Made for Television: Euston Films Limited. London: Methuen/BFI, 1985. ISBN 0-423-01310-6 - Robert Fairclough and Mike Kenwood, Sweeney! The Official Companion. London: Reynolds & Hearn Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-903111-43-9 (review)
- Dennis WatermanDennis WatermanDennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
, Reminder. Hutchinson, 2000. ISBN 0-09-180108-7 - Martin DayMartin DayMartin Day is a screenwriter and novelist best known for his work on various spin-offs related to the BBC Television series Doctor Who, and many episodes of the daytime soaps Doctors and Family Affairs.-Work:...
and Keith ToppingKeith ToppingKeith Andrew Topping , is an author, journalist and broadcaster most closely associated with his work relating to the BBC Television series Doctor Who and for writing numerous official and unofficial guide books to a wide variety of television and film series, specifically Buffy the Vampire...
, Shut It! Virgin BooksVirgin BooksVirgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
, 1999. ISBN 0-7535-0355-7 - Mike Kenwood and George Williams, Fags, Blags, Slags & Jags: the Sweeney. The Unofficial Companion to the TV Series, 1998. No ISBN.
- Troy Kennedy MartinTroy Kennedy MartinTroy Kennedy Martin was a Scottish-born film and television screenwriter best known for creating the long running BBC TV police series Z-Cars, and for the award-winning 1985 anti-nuclear drama Edge of Darkness...
, "Four of a Kind", in: H.R.F. Keating, ed., Crime Writers. London: BBC, 1978. ISBN 0-563-16287-2 - Andrew Pixley, "The Sweeney: Compulsive Viewing", in: Prime Time Magazine, issue 13. London: WTVA ("Wider Television Access"), circa 1984. ISSN 0266-0083