First Broadcast
1975-1982 UK
Episodes
53 and two films
Starring
John Thaw, Dennis Waterman, Garfield Morgan (Det Chief Inspector Frank Haskins) and a large cast of top British character actors.
The Story
Det Insp Jack Regan (John Thaw) and George Carter (Waterman) have a simple mission in life: catch villains. They don’t care if they tread on the toes of their superiors or ignore police procedure. Lorry hijackers, bank robbers, bent coppers, safe crackers, burglars and other London-based thugs are fair game. Carter’s wife has died which frees him to drink Scotch with Regan and work long hours. The duo is most at home in pubs, seedy clubs and their Ford Granada V6 car.
The Title
The title is derived from Cockney rhyming slang for the Flying Squad (Sweeny Todd).
Impact
It earned huge audiences for ITV and just as importantly The Sweeney divided viewers down the middle. Its rough language and violence shocked those brought up on gentler dramas like Z Cars and Dixon of Dock Green.
Regan and Carter would frequently “rough up” suspects, drink large amounts of booze and ignore procedure. Some senior police officers later complained that some of their more junior officers started mimicking their behaviour. Its longevity is beyond doubt.
Fact or fiction?
Although some viewers refused to believe that the police could behave in that way, corruption was not uncommon in the 1970s.
The subsequent real life Operation Countryman inquiry into police bribery, theft and collusion proved The Sweeney was based firmly on fact.
Countryman was a six-year internal investigation into London’s Flying Squad which showed that some senior officers had actually helped bank robbers.
Best Moments
Jack Regan burgles his boss’s office in search of his annual report.
Catchphrases
We’re the Sweeny, son, and we haven’t had any dinner
Look slag, I don’t give a toss who you have in your bed
Yer nicked
Shut it
Language
EastEnders may have spawned “Estuary English” but the Sweeney used its own Cockney crime code.
It was deeply politically incorrect but at the time equally authentic. “Dubbed up” meant being locked in a cell and a “Gold watch” was their favourite tipple.
A monkey was £500 and if you were on your Jack Jones you were alone. Woe betide any market stall holder who was selling a Sexton (Sexton Blake, fake) because they could find themselves in front of the Chelsea Potter (Judge) before doing a carpet (three months in jail).
Trivia
John Thaw later said he had no recollection of ever saying “Get your trousers on son, you’re nicked.”
The series was so successful that two spin-off films were made.
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