Review: The Sweeney
Those of us of ‘a certain age’ remember an incredibly violent, “cockerney”, police drama from our childhoods. Much booze was quaffed, many fags were smoked, and a lot of dolly birds were shagged. Mix that with some hardcore London criminals, brown wallpaper, a constantly shouting boss and that general uncomfortable feeling you get when you see anything from the early 70s in Britain and you have the groundwork for The Sweeney!
Why does this one series still resonate with a British audience? I mean, this series is pretty grim, both in story and look. Yet it’s remembered with delight, and is held up as a classic of UK TV along with I, Claudius and Elizabeth R.
The answer is quite easy. Sweeny is fantastic, starring a plethora of UK stars of yesteryear, with central performances from a truly exceptional John Thaw (Regan) and equally good Dennis Waterman (Carter). My dad wouldn’t miss an episode, I was banned from seeing it, it was THAT violent. Of course it is violent, but watching it now you can’t believe how the perception of ‘violence’ has changed.
One of the reasons for the shows popularity can be placed at the feet of the iconic cars driven by the fuzz and the crims, in fact they became major characters and as important to the series as any of the human characters. The best known car in the series is NHK 295M, a metallic copper-bronze (Tawny Metallic) and a 1974 Ford Consul 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 stunt man Joe Wadham.
Produced by the Thames Television it was broadcast on the ITV network in the United Kingdom from 2 January 1975 to 28 December 1978. Included is the amazing remastered 50th anniversary is the very first episode which was developed from a one-off TV for Armchair cinema 1974 drama titled Regan, a 90 minutes film, which served as the pilot episode for the series.
The beautifully restored episodes, in the original 4.3 TV format complete with ad breaks, look absolutely fantastic, and if it wasn’t for all the smoking, lack of seatbelts and vintage Jags tearing around gravel pits, you’d swear it was filmed yesterday. If you’re a fan of The Sweeney, you’re going to want to start your collection to come with this definitive Series One box set, no arguments!
60MW Towers enjoyed watching this immensely, and we can’t wait for series 2.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Option to view episodes in original Mono, 5.1 surround sound, or isolated music tracks
Armchair Cinema: Regan (original and 50 minute cut-down versions)
Interview with series creator Ian Kennedy Martin
Restoring The Sweeney
Reconstructed titles from Original Stills
Vintage Thames Trailer for Jackpot
Introduction to Queen’s Pawn by Tony Selby
Introduction to The Placer by John Forgeham
Introduction to Cover Story by Prunella Gee
Introduction to Golden Boy by Dudley Sutton
Introduction to Stoppo Driver by Billy Murray
Introduction to Big Spender by Warren Mitchell
Introduction to Abduction by Wanda Ventham
Audio Commentary on Armchair Cinema: Regan by actor Dennis Waterman, producer Ted Childs & director Tom Clegg
Audio Commentary on Ringer with actors Dennis Waterman, Garfield Morgan, writer Trevor Preston & editor Chris Burt
Audio Commentary on Jackpot with authors of “The Sweeney The Official Companion” Robert Fairclough & Mike Kenwood
Audio Commentary on Thin Ice with Producer Ted Childs, writer Troy Kennedy Martin & director Tom Clegg
Audio Commentary on Night Out with director David Wickes & assistant director Bill Westley
Additional Audio Commentary on Night Out with producer Ted Childs & writer Troy Kennedy Martin
Audio Commentary on Stoppo Driver with actors Dennis Waterman & Garfield Morgan
Audio Commentary on Abduction with actors Dennis Waterman, Garfield Morgan, writer Trevor Preston & director Tom Clegg
Booklet featuring an essay by Dennis Waterman
Review by Tina from discs kindly supplied by Old Gold Media via Fetch Publicity.
