The Sweeney: Series 1 – Review

By Sarah Morgan

Ford Granadas, stockings over faces, kipper ties and hard men – yes, the first series of The Sweeney is out on Blu-ray, and it’s never looked so good.

Everything may be a murky shade of brown, grey or green, but the language is colourful, to say the least. When the crime drama first burst onto TV screens in the days of three channels, it was groundbreaking – never before had coppers who were as nasty as the robbers they were trying to catch been depicted in a British TV show.

As soon as The Sweeney appeared, Dixon of Dock Green and the only slightly less polite folk of Z Cars must have realised their days were numbered.

Ian Kennedy Martin created the central character of Jack Regan specifically for his old friend John Thaw. Regan first appeared in the self-titled feature-length pilot which was originally broadcast as part of ITV’s Armchair Cinema strand in 1974.

“Wonderful stuff”

It kick-starts this boxset, and still packs a punch, introducing us to the hard-bitten DI Regan and his sidekick DS George Carter (Dennis Waterman) of the Flying Squad (or Sweeney Todd, in cockney rhyming slang) – Regan’s opening line, “Get yer trousers on, you’re nicked” has gone down in TV history.

The drama proved so popular with viewers that a series was quickly commissioned, although creative differences saw Kennedy Martin depart (his brother, Troy, would, however, continue to write for the show). Producer Ted Childs, inspired by Get Carter and The French Connection, wanted more action-driven stories set largely on location rather than the studio-shot and dialogue-heavy programmes audiences had previously been given.

The result was a massive hit that ran for four enthralling series. It’s still wonderful stuff, despite it – or maybe even because of it – looking so dated.

Thaw and Waterman were great mates off screen, and it shows in their performances – there is clearly a genuine camaraderie between them that makes the friendship between their characters completely believable.

“Falling into place”

The scripts must have been a joy for actors, and is perhaps why so many great guest stars crop up throughout the run. The first episode alone boasts Brian Blessed, Ian Hendry, June Brown and Alan Lake, with the likes of Wanda Ventham, Prunella Gee, Brian Glover and Alfred Marks popping up in later editions.

As you’d expect from a 13-episode run, some stories are better than others. The weakest is undoubtedly the finale, in which Regan’s daughter is kidnapped – as a supposedly worried father, he’d appear more concerned than he does, so the plot doesn’t quite ring true.

Apart from that, it’s a fine start, with all the elements falling into place, including Harry South’s wonderful theme and the more soulful version that plays out over the end credits.

As Jack Regan might say if he was still around: “Shut it and watch The Sweeney, or you’ll be nicked!”

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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