The
lowdown: 'The Sweeney' is a British police drama that was broadcast
on ITV between January 1975 and
December 1978. A total of
53 episodes were made, plus two feature films. A one-off telemovie called
'Regan' was
made as part of the 'Armchair
Cinema' series, and became the pilot for 'The Sweeney'. Both the pilot
and the
regular series starred John
Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Dennis Waterman as Detective
Sergeant
George Carter. They
are members of the elite Flying Squad which investigates major crimes.
Regan and Carter are
tough, no-nonsense cops
who are not afraid to break the rules at times in order to bring villians
to justice, although
they know that there is
a line that cannot be crossed. The villains are tough so the cops have
to be tougher, and the
show often provoked controversy
due to its portrayal of violence. The show became one of the most popular
British
crime shows of all time,
and was broadcast in 51 countries.
'Hit and Run' was the fifth
episode of the second season, and featured Patrick Troughton as Reg Crofts,
a used car
dealer who has been using
a school teacher, Judy Grinden, as the unknowing courier in a diamond smuggling
operation. Judy decides
that she does not want to make these special trips to France anymore. When
her boyfriend
Alan Fowler (Gary Waldhorn)
fails to convince her to make one last trip, Crofts decides that she knows
too much and
must be eliminated. He hires
a hitman to kill Judy; the hitman waits outside her school and runs her
down as she is
walking home. However, Carter's
wife Alison is killed in a case of mistaken identity. Meanwhile, Judy has
gone on the
run, with Crofts and Fowler
in pursuit. The episode is one of the most touching of the series, as it
shows hard man
Carter coping with his grief
while determined to bring to justice the man responsible for killing his
wife. Patrick Troughton
is great as Crofts, a rather
more vicious version of the Arthur Daley-style villain. However, it is
disappointing that he did
not get much screen time.
The
verdict: 'The Sweeney' looks rather dated now, but it is still
one of the best British crime shows ever made. It has
great scripts and the acting
of Thaw and Waterman is excellent. One of the attractions of watching 'The
Sweeney' and
other show of its vintage
is identifying the guest stars who later became famous for other roles.
Indeed, many actors
who appeared in 'Doctor
Who' had guest roles in 'The Sweeney', including Michael Sheard, Lynda
Bellingham, Brian
Blessed and Tony Selby.
If you enjoy British crime drama, 'The Sweeney' is a must-see, if only
to remember how such
shows used to be made.
Trivia:
The title of the show comes from the cockney rhyming slang for Flying Squad
- 'Sweeney Todd'.
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