The 1970s were unique in the variety and now classic TV series that were shown on national television, and The Sweeney certainly falls into that bracket.
Hard to believe it was fifty years ago, but that was when The Sweeney burst open the door and exploded onto TV screens, forever changing the face of TV police drama.
Detective Inspector Jack Regan (John Thaw) and Detective Sergeant George Carter (Dennis Waterman) of the Flying Squad had only one rule when it came to taking down London criminals – forget the rules! Audiences were blown away by this new depiction of the police as flawed and realistic characters willing and ready to bend the rules if it meant keeping the streets safe.
The series had a strong ensemble cast headed by John Thaw as Jack Regan and his loyal sidekick, pre-Minder Denis Waterman as George Carter.
While watching the episodes, it’s important to put them in context and remember when it was shown. It is at times surprising when watching the series that the sexism, blatant violence towards suspects, the smoking and drinking, even the fact that no one in a car had to wear a seat belt, were considered normal back then.
You just have to love Regan when slapping a criminal across the head and saying “I’m from the Sweeney and i haven’t had my dinner!” Times were certainly different back then.
You do get many famous actors popping up in parts, such as Brian Blessed and Ian Hendry. Also, this was a series where, at times, the criminals got away, something unheard of in almost all police dramas at the time.
Also, seeing the streets of London as they were back in the seventies brings about a touch of nostalgia, especially if you grew up there.
This set includes the pilot episode called Regan (original & 50-minute versions) as well as all the episodes of the first season. Remastered from the original 16mm negatives, the series looks superb, full of detail and probably looking better than when they were first broadcast.
This was first released by Network a few years back, but now has been re-released by Old Gold Media with some great extras, which include –
Option to view episodes in original Mono, 5.1 Surround sound, or isolated music-only tracks
Armchair Cinema: Regan (original & 50-minute 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
A great series, and fans will be pleased to know that the other seasons will also be released on Blu-ray soon. Some say that they don’t make TV series like this anymore…..what a shame.
SERIES -8.5 PICTURE – 8.5 AUDIO – 8 EXTRAS – 9