''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s

British television Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...

police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars

John Thaw John Edward Thaw, (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles. He starred in the television series '' Inspector Morse'' as title character Detective Chief Inspector ...

as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and

Dennis Waterman Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', '' Minder'' and '' New Tricks'', singing the theme tunes of th ...

as his partner, Detective Sergeant George Carter. It was produced by the

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

subsidiary Euston Films for broadcast on the ITV network in the UK between 2 January 1975 and 28 December 1978. The programme's title comes from the real-world

Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymi ...

nickname " Sweeney Todd" used to refer to the Flying Squad by London's criminal fraternity in the mid 20th Century. The popularity of the series in the UK led to two

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s, ''

Sweeney! ''Sweeney!'' is a 1977 British action crime drama film and extension of the ITV television series ''The Sweeney'' which aired on ITV from 1975 to 1978. The film did well enough at the box office that a sequel, ''Sweeney 2'', was released in ci ...

'' (1977) and '' Sweeney 2'' (1978), both starring Thaw and Waterman, and a later film, ''

The Sweeney ''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. It stars John Thaw as Detective Insp ...

'' (2012), starring

Ray Winstone Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is perha ...

as Regan and Ben Drew as Carter.

Background

''The Sweeney'' was developed from a one-off TV drama entitled ''Regan'' which served as the pilot episode for the series. ''Regan'' is a 90-minute television film written by

Ian Kennedy Martin Ian Kennedy Martin (born 23 May 1936) is a British television scriptwriter who created the action drama series ''The Sweeney'' (1975–1978). Career He began his television career in the 1960s, first as a script editor on the military police d ...

for the

anthology series ''Armchair Cinema'' (see '' Armchair Theatre'') in 1974. The part of Jack Regan was specifically written for

, who was a friend of Ian Kennedy Martin, with whom he had worked on the TV drama series '' Redcap'' in the 1960s. Dennis Waterman was cast after his performance in the ''

Special Branch Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and intelligence in British, Commonwealth, Irish, and other police forces. A Special Branch unit acquires and develops intelligence, usu ...

'' episode "Stand and Deliver", also produced by Euston Films. From the very beginning, the ''Regan'' film was seen as having series potential. After it scored highly in the ratings, work began on the development of the series proper. Ian Kennedy Martin saw the subsequent series as being mainly studio-based, with more dialogue and less action, but producer Ted Childs, inspired in part by '' Get Carter'' (1971) and '' The French Connection'' (1971), disagreed. Following this battle for creative control, Ian Kennedy Martin parted company with the project. His shoes as series writer were filled by his brother Troy Kennedy Martin, Roger Marshall,

Ranald Graham Ranald Ian Mackenzie Graham (3 January 1941 – 29 August 2010) was a Scottish writer, director and producer, best known for his writing work on the British television series '' The Sweeney'', '' The Professionals'' and '' Dempsey and Makepeace'' ...

and

Trevor Preston Trevor Preston was a British screenwriter. He wrote the series '' Out'' and created the series '' Ace of Wands''. He also wrote a 1976 TV movie adaptation of ''James and the Giant Peach''. Writing credits 1960s work 1966 * ''Four People'' (seria ...

. Every writer on the series was given very specific guidelines to follow: "Each show will have an overall screen time (minus titles) of 48 minutes 40 seconds. 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 fewer 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." Previously, most TV police dramas had shied away from showing officers as being fallible. The series shows a somewhat more realistic side of police life, depicting them as flawed human beings, some with a disregard for authority, rules and the "system". Police officers in ''The Sweeney'' are ready and willing to meet violence with violence when dealing with London's hardened criminals, and are prone to cut corners and bend the law in pursuit of their prey, as long as it gets the right result. Until ''The Sweeney'', the violent reality of policing was largely ignored by British television. The series broke new ground for TV drama and didn't shy away from self-awareness and genre-referential humour. This is very evident in episodes such as 2.7 "Golden Fleece" when Regan brandishes a lollipop at Carter and says "who loves ya, baby" in a nod to hit US crime series '' Kojak'' (1973–78); or in 2.10 "Trojan Bus" when Regan whistles the theme-tune to the BBC's sedate police series '' Dixon of Dock Green'' (1955–76) after a particularly elementary piece of detective work. The series also captured the zeitgeist as it was made during a dark period for the real-world Flying Squad. During the mid-1970s Flying Squad officers were publicly censured for being involved in

bribery Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Cor ...

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

and for having excessively close links with the criminal fraternity. At the time, this reality served as a backdrop to the series, and it is reflected in the mood, tone and story lines of ''The Sweeney''. Detective Chief Superintendent Kenneth Drury, the Flying Squad's real-life commander, was convicted on five counts of corruption and imprisoned for eight years. Twelve other officers were also convicted and many more resigned. In the late 1970s, this and other scandals led to a massive internal investigation into the activities of the

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

and

City of London Police The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temples. The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, o ...

lead by

Dorset Police Dorset Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Dorset in the south-west of England, which includes the largely rural area covered by Dorset Council, and the urban conurbation of Bournemouth, Christchurch ...

, codenamed

Operation Countryman Operation Countryman was an investigation into police corruption in London in the late 1970s. The operation was conducted between 1978–1982 at a total cost of £3 million and led to eight police officers being prosecuted, although none were convi ...

. All of this may have inspired parts of the plot of '' Sweeney 2''.

Cast and characters

Main characters

The two main protagonists are Detective Inspector Jack Regan (

) and Detective Sergeant George Carter (

). The third is Detective Chief Inspector Frank Haskins ( Garfield Morgan), their boss and a senior Flying Squad officer.

Jack Regan

stars as

Detective Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

John "Jack" Albert Regan, a tough police officer, often frustrated by Scotland Yard's red tape. Originally from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

(like Thaw himself), he has been in London for several years. He occasionally refers to his northern roots (his poor upbringing, his father's work on the

Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the ri ...

), which prompts banter from George Carter, a Londoner, such as humming " The Red Flag". A heavy drinker and smoker (comically, he is sometimes seen stealing other people's cigarettes), Regan has some success with women; although not as much as Carter, or in one episode, Detective Chief Inspector Haskins. He has an ex-wife, Kate, and daughter, Susie, who live in Ruislip. Regan may be tough but he is also a decent man, seen to help out an ex-informer whose son is kidnapped in 4.9 "Feet of Clay"; and his sympathetic pushing enables his boss Haskins to ask for help when his wife goes missing after a breakdown, in 4.13 "Victims"; it's Regan who finds her. Regan will bend the rules in order to achieve the desired result: for example, fabricating evidence, arranging for a criminal to be kidnapped, illegally entering private property and threatening to lie about being attacked by a prisoner in order to get information. Despite this he has his own very strong moral code. He's unwilling to cheat for personal gain, delivers a blistering attack on a corrupt copper, and refuses to take bribes. Although he is seen driving various cars himself throughout the series, Regan usually travels by squad car with police driver. He drives what is presumably his own car, a green 1974

Ford Capri The Ford Capri is a fastback coupé built by Ford of Europe, designed by Philip T. Clark, who was also involved in the design of the Ford Mustang. It used the mechanical components from the Mk2 Ford Cortina and was intended as the Europe ...

(Mk II) 3.0 Ghia (PTW 475M), in episode 1.13 "Abduction".

George Carter

plays

Detective Sergeant Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...

George Hamilton Carter who comes from

south London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the boroughs, in whole or in part, of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, Sut ...

. In the series' timeline, George was in the Flying Squad prior to events in ''Regan'', but quit for family reasons (cf. ''Regan'' and 1.5 "Jigsaw"). Carter is not as aggressive as Regan and usually plays the "good cop" role. He is married to Alison Carter, a schoolteacher, but is widowed when she is murdered in episode 2.5 "Hit and Run". He is a former amateur boxer, as shown in the pilot ''Regan'', and is described as having professional boxing potential in episode 2.1 "Chalk and Cheese". Like Regan, he enjoys a drink, and follows

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

. After the death of his wife Carter is shown dating women in several episodes.

Frank Haskins

Garfield Morgan plays

Detective Chief Inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is u ...

Frank Haskins. He is married and has three children, all at boarding school, and is Regan's immediate superior. Prior to the series timeline, the character had done "

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in the Signals Corps in a minor intelligence role" (as revealed in episode 2.9 "Stay Lucky, Eh?"). He is frequently seen at odds with Regan, preferring more conventional "by-the-book" policing methods. (Though is still willing and able to "mix it" with villains on the street, giving Regan and Carter physical and/or armed support several times.) The main episodes featuring Haskins are 2.7 "Golden Fleece", in which he is set up to be the victim of a corruption inquiry, and 4.13 "Victims", in which his wife, Doreen, suffers a mental breakdown. During the first three series, Haskins appears in the opening titles of every episode whether or not the character appears in the actual story. Haskins is absent at the start of the fourth and final series due to Garfield Morgan's other professional commitments, but he returns a few episodes in. Correspondingly, there are two versions of the fourth series opening titles, one with, and one without, Haskins.

Other recurring characters

The Squad

The series introduces several other Squad officers over the years including: Detective Sergeant Matt Mathews (John Flanagan); Detective Sergeant Kent (Carl Rigg); Detective Constable Thorpe (Martin Read); Detective Constable Jellineck (James Warrior); Detective Constable Gerry Burtonshaw ( Nick Brimble); Detective Sergeant Tom Daniels (

John Alkin John Alkin (born 17 January 1947) is an English actor turned spiritual healer. He was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, under the name John Kenneth Foinquinos. Alkin is best remembered for two roles: DS Tom Daniels in ''The Sweeney'' and barrister B ...

). Regan's squad car comes with an "authorised" police driver. In the first series Regan has a variety of drivers including Len ( Jack McKenzie), Fred (Denis DeMarne) and Brian Cooney ( Billy Murray). Episode 1.7 "The Placer" introduces the character of Bill (Tony Allen) who becomes Regan's regular driver, although he plays a peripheral, non-speaking role in most episodes. Tony Allen subsequently worked as wardrobe manager for many of John Thaw's later projects. When Haskins is absent, other senior officers step in to manage the squad, including Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Quirk ( Bill Maynard) and Detective Chief Inspector Anderson ( Richard Wilson), sarcastically referred to as "

Andy Pandy ''Andy Pandy'' is a British children's television series that first appeared on BBC Television in summer 1950. Originally live, a series of 26 filmed programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series of 13 episodes was made. A revival of the s ...

" by Regan, Carter, and other Squad officers. Other more senior officers include: Detective Chief Superintendent Maynon ( Morris Perry), a semi-regular throughout the series and more willing than Haskins to bend the rules to get a result (later promoted to

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

); Detective Superintendent Grant (

T.P. McKenna Thomas Patrick McKenna (7 September 1929 – 13 February 2011) was an Irish actor, born in Mullagh, County Cavan. He had an extensive stage and screen career. Career Early years Thomas Patrick McKenna was born at Mullagh, County Cavan, Ireland ...

); Detective Chief Superintendent Braithwaite (

Benjamin Whitrow Benjamin John Whitrow (17 February 1937 – 28 September 2017) was an English actor. He was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for his role as Mr Bennet in the 1995 BBC version of ''Pride and Prejudice'', and voiced the role of Fo ...

). Colin Douglas features as an unnamed

in series 1, with

Michael Latimer Michael James Latimer (6 September 1941 – 25 June 2011) was a British television stage and film actor who later in his career turned to writing, directing and producing. Early life Latimer was born in Calcutta, where his father had a busines ...

as Commander Jackman in series 2. The relationship between Squad officers is largely informal. Regan is always referred to as "Guv'nor", or just "Guv". He invariably calls Carter and the other Squad members by their first names, or occasionally nicknames. Carter, as Regan's assigned Sergeant, is frequently addressed as "Skipper" or "Skip". When off duty, Regan and Carter are friends and drinking buddies, so in private Carter calls him "Jack". This is all in accordance with widespread police convention. Everyone calls DCI Haskins simply "Haskins" (or Mister Haskins), though Regan occasionally calls him by his first name, "Frank".

The Cars

The cars used in ''The Sweeney'' became just as important to the series as any of the human characters. The most iconic car in the series is NHK 295M, a metallic copper-bronze 1974

Ford Consul The Ford Consul is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1951 until 1962. The name was later revived for a model produced by Ford in both the UK and in Germany from 1972 until 1975. Between 1951 and 1962, the Consul was the four-cyl ...

3000 GT V6 (often mistaken for a Granada Mk1). As well as being the main squad car used to get Regan and Carter around London, it also features in the opening titles of series 1-3 (driven by stuntman Joe Wadham). Other squad cars featured include an onyx green 1973 Ford Granada 3.0 Ghia (Mk1) (NHK 292M), a blue 1974

Ford Cortina The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car that was built initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various guises from 1962 to 1982, and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s. The Cortina was produced in fiv ...

2000 XL (Mk3) (NHK 296M), a bronze 1976 Ford Granada (Mk1) 3.0 Ghia X (RHJ 997R). The main squad cars were supplied for filming by Ford from their press fleet at no cost, and the producers were specifically told that the cars were not to be damaged. Such was the prominence of the company's cars in the series, it was jokingly referred to as "The Ford Squad". In later episodes Ford updated the cars, providing a metallic silver Mk1 Ford Granada Ghia 3.0 V6 (NWC 301P), a silver 1978 Ford Granada (Mk2) 2.8iS (VHK 491S) and a silver

(Mk4) 2.0 GL (PNO 548R), among others. A jupiter red Granada (UAY 272S) was due to be used for filming in season four but it suffered bodywork damage while being delivered to Euston Films and was replaced. The series is infamous for featuring

Jaguars The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

as the criminal's car of choice. Jaguar S-types in particular were regularly deployed throughout the series as getaway cars, most notably in episode 1.10 "Stoppo Driver". A blue/grey S-type DWD 606C is used in the series 1-3 opening titles, pursued and chased down by the Squad in NHK 295M. One reason cited for the regular appearance of Jaguars is that they were favoured by the stunt drivers as being the "safest" cars to use. The same few cars would be used and re-used, crashed, fixed up, and resprayed numerous times. According to

Kevin Whately Kevin Whately (born 6 February 1951) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Neville "Nev" Hope in the British comedy drama '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'', Robert "Robbie" Lewis in the crime dramas '' Inspector Morse'' 1987–2000 an ...

, John Thaw claimed that he had witnessed the regency red 1960

Jaguar Mark 2 The Jaguar Mark 2 is a mid-sized luxury sports saloon built from late 1959 to 1967 by Jaguar in Coventry, England. The previous Jaguar 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre models made between 1955 and 1959 are identified as Mark 1 Jaguars.Eric Dymock, The ...

(registration 248 RPA) used in ''Inspector Morse'' being written off several times while filming ''The Sweeney''. Apparently, the car was in real-life a "polished up wreck" and would often break down during filming. A red

Fiat 850 The Fiat 850 (''Tipo 100G'') is a small rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive car manufactured and marketed by Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1964 to 1973. History Overview Its technical design was an evolution of the successful Fiat 600. The interna ...

coupé (UJB 92G) makes cameo appearances in several episodes: typically, it is parked at the side of the road as the action takes place around it. One theory is that the car belonged to a crew member who tried to include it as an in-joke in as many episodes as possible.

Family

Other featured characters include the close family of the three leads. Regan's ex-wife Kate (

Janet Key Janet Key (10 July 1945 – 26 July 1992) was an English actress with a varied career in theatre, film and television from the late 1960s until her death. Career Key was born in Bath, Somerset, and trained at the nearby Bristol Old Vic Theatr ...

) appears in the pilot ''Regan'' and in episode 1.13 "Abduction". Their daughter Susie (

Jennifer Thanisch Jennifer Thanisch (born 24 April 1964) is an English former child actress, most active during the 1970s. Life Jennifer Thanisch is a native of Laleham, Middlesex, where her parents owned the Three Horseshoes, a public house. Her first role was in ...

) appears most notably in "Abduction". Carter's wife Alison ( Stephanie Turner) is seen attempting to prise him away from the Squad in episode 1.5 "Jigsaw", while her hostility toward Regan is apparent in 1.13 "Abduction". She is murdered in episode 2.5 "Hit and Run". In the DVD commentary for "Abduction", it is claimed that Alison was written out because actress Stephanie Turner was asking for too much money to continue to appear in the series. Stephanie Turner went on to appear in '' Juliet Bravo'', also devised and part-written by Ian Kennedy Martin. Doreen Haskins ( Sheila Reid) features in the penultimate episode 4.12 "Victims", which deals with her deteriorating mental health and the impact of police work on family life. One of Haskins' three children, Richard, also appears in this episode.

Guest stars

Guest stars in the show included: *

Joss Ackland Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE (born 29 February 1928) is an English retired actor who has appeared in more than 130 film and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock ...

* Tony Anholt *

Coral Atkins Coral Rosemary Atkins (13 September 1936 – 2 December 2016) was an English actress who opened and ran a home for disadvantaged children. She cared for 37 children over a period of 26 years. Biography Atkins was born in Richmond upon Thames ...

* Lynda Bellingham * Hywel Bennett *

Brian Blessed Brian Blessed (; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor, presenter, writer and mountaineer. Blessed is known for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars'', Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of '' I, Claudius'', King Richard I ...

* James Booth * Donald Burton * Simon Callow * Cheryl Campbell * Tony Caunter * Warren Clarke * George Cole ɫ *

Kenneth Colley Kenneth Colley (born 7 December 1937) is an English film and television actor whose career spans over 60 years. He came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett in the '' Star Wars'' films '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ' ...

* James Cosmo *

John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor best known for portraying Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise and Gimli in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. His other roles include Michael Malone in the 1993 series ''The Untouch ...

Vernon Dobtcheff Vernon Dobtcheff (born 14 August 1934) is a British actor, best known for his roles on television and film, he has acted in numerous stage productions. Biography Dobtcheff was born in Nîmes, France, of Russian descent. He attended Ascham Pre ...

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was p ...

* Colin Douglas * Lesley-Anne Down * Rosemarie Dunham * Michael Elphick * Arthur English *

Norman Eshley Norman Eshley (born 30 May 1945) is an English actor best known for his television roles. Biography Eshley attended Bristol Grammar School and worked in a bank, before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He played many ...

* Derek Francis * Ronald Fraser * Prunella Gee *

Sheila Gish Sheila Gish (born Sheila Anne Syme Gash; 23 April 1942 – 9 March 2005) was an English actress. For her role in the 1995 London revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical ''Company'', she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in ...

* Peter Glaze * Julian Glover * Brian Hall * Cheryl Hall * Edward Hardwicke *

Tina Heath Tina Heath (born 1953) is a British actress and former television presenter. She and husband Dave Cooke have two children. Early career Her first television appearance was in 1969, when she appeared in ''Broaden Your Mind'' on BBC 2 alongside Gra ...

Ian Hendry Ian Mackendrick Hendry (13 January 1931 – 24 December 1984) was a British actor. He worked on several British TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, including the lead in the first series of '' The Avengers'' and '' The Lotus Eaters'', and played ...

Del Henney Del Henney (24 July 1935 in Anfield, Liverpool – 14 January 2019) was a British actor. Early life After an education at the Liverpool Collegiate School, Henney served in the British Army and graduated from RADA in 1965. Career Film Henney ...

* Paul Henry * Julian Holloway *

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

* Ken Hutchison * Barrie Ingham * David Jackson * Geraldine James *

Peter Jeffrey Peter Jeffrey (18 April 1929 – 25 December 1999) was an English character actor. Starting his performing career on stage, he would later have many roles in television and film. Early life Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence ...

* Paul Jones *

John Junkin John Francis Junkin (29 January 1930 – 7 March 2006) was an English actor and scriptwriter who had a long career in radio, television and film, specialising in comedy. Early life Born in Ealing, Middlesex, the son of a policeman, he and hi ...

* Roy Kinnear * Ronald Lacey * Alan Lake *

Lynda La Plante Lynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh; 15 March 1943) is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the '' Prime Suspect'' television crime series. Early life Lynda La Plante was born Lynda Titchmarsh on ...

George Layton George Layton (born 2 March 1943) is an English actor, director, screenwriter and author best known for three television roles – junior doctor Paul Collier in the comedy series '' Doctor in the House'' and its sequels '' Doctor at Large'', '' ...

* Maureen Lipman * Sue Lloyd * David Lodge * Kenny Lynch * John Lyons *

T. P. McKenna Thomas Patrick McKenna (7 September 1929 – 13 February 2011) was an Irish actor, born in Mullagh, County Cavan. He had an extensive stage and screen career. Career Early years Thomas Patrick McKenna was born at Mullagh, County Cavan, Ireland, ...

Philip Madoc Philip Madoc (born Philip Arvon Jones; 5 July 1934 – 5 March 2012) was a Welsh actor. He performed many stage, television, radio and film roles, and was recognised for having a "rich, sonorous voice" and often playing villains and office ...

* Alfred Marks * Judy Matheson * Bill Maynard * Malcolm McFee * Warren Mitchell *

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, workin ...

ɫ̩ɫ̩ *

Lee Montague Lee Montague (born Leonard Goldberg; 16 October 1927) is an English actor noted for his roles in film and television, usually playing tough guys. Montague was a student of the Old Vic School. Montague's film credits include ''The Camp on Blo ...

* Patrick Mower * Billy Murray *

Alex Norton Alexander Hugh Norton (born 27 January 1950) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as DCI Matt Burke in the STV detective drama series '' Taggart'', Eric Baird in BBC Two sitcom '' Two Doors Down'', DCS Wallace in '' Extremely Dangerou ...

* Jim Norton * Daphne Oxenford *

Nicola Pagett Nicola Mary Pagett Scott (15 June 1945 – 3 March 2021), known professionally as Nicola Pagett, was a British actress, known for her role as Elizabeth Bellamy in the 1970s TV drama series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973), as well as bein ...

* Geoffrey Palmer * Moira Redmond *

Michael Ripper Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor. He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. Along with Michael Gough ...

* Maurice Roëves *

Sheila Ruskin Sheila Ruskin (born 28 March 1946) is an English actress. She played Vipsania in the BBC adaptation of '' I, Claudius'' (1976), Kassia in the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Keeper of Traken'' (1981) and Alta One in the ''Blake's 7'' episode "Redemp ...

* Tony Selby * Nadim Sawalha * George Sewell * Catherine Schell * Anne Stallybrass * Tony Steedman * Gwen Taylor * Stephanie Turner *

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...

Peter Vaughan Peter Vaughan (born Peter Ewart Ohm; 4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016) was an English character actor known for many supporting roles in British film and television productions. He also acted extensively on the stage. He is perhaps best known ...

* Colin Welland * Diana Weston * Geoffrey Whitehead *

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American popular music and country music singer who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard' ...

* Richard Wilson * Stuart Wilson *

John Woodnutt John Edward Arthur Woodnutt (3 March 1924 – 2 January 2006) was an English character actor, often cast in villainous roles. Early life and education The younger son of Harold Frederick Woodnutt and brother of the Conservative MP Mark Woodnutt ...

* Robert Gillespie(thin ice) *

Tony Aitken Tony Aitken (born 20 June 1946) is an English actor, known for playing a variety of parts in popular television programmes. He attended Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire, Belmont Abbey School, Hereford, 1959–64. He was active in the amateur dramati ...

(thin ice) *

June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the '' ...

(Ep1) ::ɫGeorge Cole and Dennis Waterman went on to star in '' Minder''. ::ɫ̩ɫ̩Morecambe and Wise appeared in return for Thaw and Waterman appearing on their show. Many up-and-coming actors also appeared in the show during its run, such as: *

John Challis John Spurley Challis (16 August 1942 – 19 September 2021) was an English actor. He had an extensive theatre and television career but is best known for portraying Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long-running BBC Television sitcom ''Only ...

* Carol Drinkwater *

Christopher Ellison Christopher Michael Ellison (born 16 December 1946 in St Pancras, London) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as DCI Frank Burnside in the ITV police series ''The Bill'' and short-lived spin-off series '' Burnside''. Education ...

Janet Ellis Janet Ellis, (born 16 September 1955) is an English television presenter, actress and writer, who is best known for presenting the children's television programmes ''Blue Peter'' and '' Jigsaw'' between 1979 and 1987. She has published two nove ...

Richard Griffiths Richard Thomas Griffiths (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013) was an English actor of film, television, and stage. For his performance in the stage play '' The History Boys'', Griffiths won a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk ...

* Karl Howman *

Sally Knyvette Sally Knyvette (; born 9 February 1951) is a British actress, theatre director and drama teacher. Early life Born Sally James in Horsham, Sussex, the daughter of a doctor, Knyvette lived in France and then Switzerland for nearly twelve years. S ...

Patrick Malahide Patrick Gerald Duggan (born 24 March 1945), known professionally as Patrick Malahide, is a veteran British film, television and theatre actor, author and producer, known, amongst other things, for his roles as Inspector Alleyn in ''The Inspect ...

* Andrew Paul * Sandy Ratcliff *

Production

''The Sweeney'' strived for authenticity and social realism. This ethos was reflected in most aspects of production, from the storylines, casting, locations and most importantly the dialogue. As well as the series title, cockney rhyming-slang gave extra colour to the dialogue, including ‘poppy’ (money), ‘bottle’ (courage) and ‘grass’ (informer). Criminal and police slang was also used, including 'ringer' (a car thief, also a stolen car with fake plates), 'stoppo' (a getaway car), 'snout' (informant), 'factory' (police station/office), 'fence' (selling stolen goods, also someone who sells stolen goods) and 'fireman' (someone who deals with problems). Many of these slang terms were brought to a wider audience for the first time in ''The Sweeney'', some even entered popular use, but the terms have remained part of the British crime drama landscape. ''The Sweeney'' was shot on

16mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, ed ...

, allowing producers to use much smaller and more agile camera crews than shooting on videotape allowed at that time. This made it possible to shoot almost entirely on location for both exteriors and interiors, helping to give the series a startling degree of realism and elevating London as a character of its own. Using film also allowed directors to feature many more action sequences. Directors Tom Clegg, Terry Green, Douglas Camfield, David Wickes, Mike Vardy and William Brayne were among the group of "guerrilla filmmakers" that realised the episodes. What they and the crews delivered is a fast-paced series, depicting the Squad's relentless battle against armed robbery; but it also includes a substantial degree of humour. For the period it has a high degree of on-screen violence, and it is not unknown for several deaths to occur in an episode. Each episode had a budget of £266,000 with an eight-and-a-half-week production schedule: two weeks' pre-production (for

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''casting'', which is ejecte ...

, finding locations etc.), two weeks' shooting, four weeks' picture

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

(the first two weeks of which overlapped with the shoot), two weeks' sound editing, and two-and-a-half days' dubbing. The filming of each episode normally took 10 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 10, i.e. one location per day. At the Euston Films production office in Colet Court, Hammersmith, a standing set of the Flying Squad offices was constructed which provided an alternative option for when inclement weather restricted the day's shooting. Two days would normally be spent filming on the set, equalling 10 minutes of any episode being set in the offices. Shooting took place through the spring, summer, autumn and winter months; exterior night shooting was expensive, and was limited to three minutes of external night material in any episode.

Filming location

Most of the locations used for filming ''The Sweeney'' were around the west London area—in particular, Acton,

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and F ...

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London ...

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswor ...

Earl's Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

, Kensington & Chelsea and

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

districts, close to the Euston Films HQ at Colet Court in Hammersmith. The

London Docklands London Docklands is the riverfront and former docks in London. It is located in inner east and southeast London, in the boroughs of Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Newham, and Greenwich. The docks were formerly part of the Port o ...

, derelict at the time, were ideal for filming location sequences. The opening titles were filmed in Colet Gardens. 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: *

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in t ...

Penton Hook Lock Penton Hook Lock is the sixth lowest lock of forty four on the non-tidal reaches of the River Thames in England. It faces an island which was until its construction a pronounced meander (a hook) and is on the site of its seasonal cutoff. It ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

- "Thin Ice", "Bad Apple", "On the Run", "Feet of Clay" & "Jack or Knave?". *

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batt ...

- "Jigsaw", "Stoppo Driver", "Faces", "Trap", "Trojan Bus", "Country Boy", "Visiting Fireman", "Tomorrow Man", "May" & "Victims", "Chalk & Cheese" (Craven Arms, Lavender Hill) *

Bermondsey Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham ...

- "Regan". *

Black Park Country Park Black Park is a country park in Wexham, Buckinghamshire, England to the north of the A412 road. It is managed by Buckinghamshire Council, formerly County Council. It has an area of , of which two separate areas totalling have been designated a ...

, Wexham,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

- "Regan", "Payoff", "On the Run" & "Hearts & Minds". * Dulwich - "Regan", "Ringer". *

Dulwich Hamlet F.C. Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in East Dulwich in south-east London, England. They are currently members of and play at Champion Hill. History The club was formed in 1893, by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. Th ...

"Ringer". *

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After ...

/ Maltese Archipelago - "Sweeney 2". *

- "Bait" (Cromwell Crescent & Logan Place). * Earlsfield - Garratt Lane and Garratt Snooker Club - "Supersnout". *

- "Jackpot". *

Heathrow Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others bei ...

- "Golden Boy", "Stoppo Driver" & "Tomorrow Man". *

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

- "Hit and Run" & "Trojan Bus". *

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also a name given to ...

- "Hard Men" *

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale ...

- "Night Out". (The Warrington Hotel) *

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vil ...

- "Ringer". *

Potters Bar Potters Bar is a town in Hertfordshire, England,in the historic County of Middlesex Hertsmere Borough Council – Community Strategy First Review (PDF) north of central London. In 2011, it had a population of 21,882. In 2022 the population was ...

"Big Spender". *

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

Putney Bridge Putney Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge over the River Thames in west London, linking Putney on the south side with Fulham to the north. The bridge has medieval parish churches beside its abutments: St Mary's Church, Putney is built on the so ...

"Contact Breaker", "Abduction" "Taste of Fear" & "Sweeney 2". * Queens Park Rangers F.C.,

Loftus Road Loftus Road is a football stadium in White City, London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers. In 1981, it became the first stadium in British professional football to have an artificial pitch of Omniturf installed. This remained in ...

- "I Want the Man!". *

Raynes Park Raynes Park is a residential suburb, railway station and local centre near Wimbledon, London, and is within the London Borough of Merton. It is situated southwest of Wimbledon Common, to the northwest of Wimbledon Chase and to the east of ...

- "Big Spender", "Golden Fleece" & "Victims". *

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

(River Lane; Leonard Gold's house) -"The Bigger They Are" *

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...

- "Queen's Pawn", "Golden Fleece" (

Bank of England The 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 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government o ...

Sports Centre), "Victims" & "Sweeney 2" (Danebury Avenue/Alton Estate). *

Sandown Park Racecourse Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse ...

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up ...

, Surrey - "Big Spender". *

- "Jackpot". *

Southall Gas Works Southall Gas Works is a former gas works site of around in Southall, west London, which is currently being redeveloped for mixed-use including 3,750homes as part of Berkeley Group’s The Green Quarter. Location The site is located in Sout ...

- "Faces". *

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

- "Ringer". * Staines, - "The Placer". * Tooting Bec - "Abduction" (Trinity Road & Tooting Bec Tube Station). *

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boro ...

- "The Placer", "Golden Fleece" (

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium () in Twickenham, south-west London, England, is a rugby union stadium owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), English rugby union governing body, which has its headquarters there. The England national rugby union team plays ...

) & "Bad Apple". *

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...

- "Thou Shalt Not Kill" (

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In Jun ...

) & "Bad Apple". *

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its nam ...

- "Queens Pawn", "Jigsaw", "Abduction", "Country Boy", "Tomorrow Man", "May", "Drag Act" & "Sweeney 2". *

White City White City may refer to: Places Australia * White City, Perth, an amusement park on the Perth foreshore * White City railway station, a former railway station * White City Stadium (Sydney), a tennis centre in Sydney * White City FC, a football c ...

- "May" (

White City Stadium White City Stadium was a stadium located in White City, London, England. Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, it hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and other sports like swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock ca ...

). * Wimbledon - "Contact Breaker" (

Wimbledon Stadium Wimbledon Stadium, also known as Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium, was a greyhound racing track located in Wimbledon in southwest London, England. It also hosted stock car and other small circuit motor racing events, and until 2005 hosted motor ...

), "Stay Lucky, Eh?" "May", "Lady Luck" & "Money, Money, Money". *

Wokingham Wokingham is a market town in Berkshire, England, west of London, southeast of Reading, north of Camberley and west of Bracknell. History Wokingham means 'Wocca's people's home'. Wocca was apparently a Saxon chieftain who may ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

- "Thin Ice".

Series overview

Episodes

Series 1 (1975)

Series 2 (1975)

Series 3 (1976)

Series 4 (1978)

Films

The cinematic versions of ''The Sweeney'' feature the same actors and characters as the TV series, however both films have levels of swearing, violence, sex and nudity that would not have been possible on television at the time.

''Sweeney!'' (1977)

In ''

,'' Regan and Carter become involved in a plot which shares similarities to the 1963 Profumo affair and British actor Barry Foster features as an American socialite loosely based on Stephen Ward. Made in 1976, and released in 1977, the film appears to be set in 1979. On screen and in-film references include the line "The same damned speech you made in 1978" and a large banner at the

OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, ) is a cartel of countries. Founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has, since 1965, been headqua ...

delegates meeting features the convention's logo and the year "1979". This suggests that the events of the film occur after the end of the television series chronologically, assuming series 4 is set in 1978 as broadcast.

''Sweeney 2'' (1978)

In '' Sweeney 2'', Regan and Carter are on the trail of particularly violent armed criminals. The gang has carried out several successful bank and payroll robberies all over London and killed anyone that gets in their way, even their own members. Regan and Carter are assigned the case as a last order from Detective Chief Superintendent Jupp ( Denholm Elliott) before he resigns to face allegations of corruption in the courts.

2012 Reboot

In director Nick Love's film, the characters from the original series are re-imagined, and the setting and action are moved to the early 21st Century. ''

'' (2012) stars

as Regan, Ben Drew as Carter and Damian Lewis as Haskins. In the UK, ''The Guardian'''s Steve Rose gave Nick Love's film a one star review, saying that "rather than upgrading the 1970s TV favourite, it (the 2012 film) treats it like a stolen car – to be stripped down, resprayed and erased of identifying features. Only the brand name has been retained." The 2012 film was remade in France as '' The Squad'' (2015'')'', also known as ''The Sweeney: Paris''.

Music

The title theme music and end credit reprise were both written by Harry South, a key figure in British jazz during the 1950s and 1960s. Dave Gelly writing in ''The Guardian'' called South's title music "the most emblematic TV theme of its day". Incidental and background music for the series was selected from off-the-shelf production music libraries, including De Wolfe, KPM, Bruton and

Chappell Chappell may refer to: Places * Chappell, Nebraska, United States * Chappells, South Carolina, United States * Chappell (crater) on the moon * Mount Chappell Island, Tasmania, Australia * North West Mount Chappell Islet, Tasmania, Australia Organi ...

. In 2001 a soundtrack album ''Shut it! The Music of The Sweeney'' was released and in contains a large selection of the incidental music used in the programme, some augmented with classic pieces of dialogue from various episodes. Also included on the album is the main title theme music from the first feature film, ''Sweeney!''.

Books

Nine books were written and released in 1977 published by Futura Publications Ltd. *''The Sweeney''Book review
trashfiction.co.uk *''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 written 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 differs somewhat from the television series in that Regan is usually depicted as working alone, and his relationship with Carter is distinctly unfriendly.

Popular culture

*In 1977, the BBC responded to the success of ''The Sweeney'' on ITV and commissioned its own hard-hitting police series, ''

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

''. It was heavily criticised for the levels of violence and the BBC cancelled it after just two series. *The repeat of the episode "Selected Target" on 21 December 1978 recorded the highest viewing figure of the series, with 19.05 million people watching. This coincided with a 24-hour strike at the BBC. *''The Sweeney'' is mentioned in the song ''

Wow! WideOpenWest (doing business as WOW!) is the sixth largest cable operator in the United States with their network passing 3,248,600 homes and businesses. The company offers landline telephone, cable television, and broadband Internet services. ...

'' by

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

.; and '' Cool For Cats'' 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. *Reference is made to ''The Sweeney'' in the '' Black Books'' 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 Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

's real Flying Squad lost an important surveillance technique when ''The Sweeney'' exposed their use of the roadside tents erected by

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the li ...

, who would place them over open manholes in the street to protect them from the weather. These tents are frequently shown in the series as hideaways for keeping a covert eye on suspects. *A two-part 1998 instalment of '' Diagnosis: Murder'', "Obsession", features lead villains named Carter Sweeney and Regan Sweeney. *The creators of the show ''

Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...

'' and its sequel, '' Ashes to Ashes'', have often stated that ''The Sweeney'' was a big influence on both programmes. *To date, only one episode of ''The Sweeney'' has been shown on the BBC. It was shown on 31 May 1993 as part of the "Cops On The Box" segment of BBC Two's "Crime And Punishment" season. The episode broadcast was "Supersnout". It was introduced by Shaw Taylor, better known for his ''Police 5'' series on ITV. *In the UK, repeats were shown on

UK Gold Gold is a British pay television channel from the UKTV network that was launched in late 1992 as UK Gold before it was rebranded UKTV Gold in 2004. In 2008, it was split into current flagship channel Gold and miscellaneous channel, W, with clas ...

and Channel 5 in the 1990s. In the 2020s, episodes are repeated most weekdays on

ITV4 ITV4 is a British free-to-air television channel which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a line-up that consists of sports, cult clas ...

Detectives on the edge of a nervous breakdown

The 1993

Comic Strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...

film ''

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. The film employs techniques of metafictional parody to make overt critical comparisons between 1990 ...

'' features a character introduced as "Shouting George from ''The Weeny''" (played by

Jim Broadbent James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the feature film '' Iris'' (2001), as well as winning a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe for ...

Comics

In 1977 and 1978, publishers

Brown Watson Thorpe & Porter (widely known as T & P) was a British publisher, importer, and distributor of magazines and comic books. At first, the company was known for repackaging American comics and pulp magazines for the UK market. Later on, it became a ...

(who specialised in annuals based on TV series) published two editions of ''The Sweeney Annual'' featuring a mix of comic strips (some with art by Brian Lewis) and illustrated text stories, interspersed with occasional features on the TV series, articles about policing, puzzles and (in the 1978 annual) an interview with John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. In the early 1980s, the comic ''

Jackpot Jackpot or Jackpot! may refer to: * A prize, such as a progressive jackpot * Gardena jackpots, a poker variant * Jackpot, Nevada, a community on the Nevada–Idaho state border Comics * Jackpot (comics), several comic book characters * ''Jackp ...

'' 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.

TV Advert

A TV ad for the

Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...

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 The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly ...

, 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 An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) 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 informant ...

Home releases

The complete TV series of ''The Sweeney'' was released by Network on 14 DVDs in 2005. This release did not include the pilot film ''Regan'' or either of the two feature films. ''Regan'' was released on DVD in November 2005. Both films, ''Sweeney!'' and ''Sweeney 2'', have also been released on DVD. In 2007 Network released an 18-disc box-set containing ''Regan'', all four television series and both feature films. The box-set also contains exclusive extras, listed below: ''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

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'' 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,

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.

Blu-ray Release

In 2012, the first series was released on high-definition

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

by Network. For this release the original 16 mm film negatives were scanned in HD and comprehensively restored by BBC Studios and Post Production. The pilot episode ''Regan'' was also given a Blu-ray release by Network at roughly the same time. In September 2018, Network confirmed via Twitter that

releases of Series 2 to 4 had been abandoned due to "lack of demand".

References

External links

* * *
The Sweeney
at Nostalgia Central

* Ian Kennedy-Martin

*David Wickes
The Sweeney
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