It was a night to squirm in your armchair - in 2005, B.B.C.-4 put out 'Television On Trial', a series in which programmes from a particular decade were shown to 'experts' who would then debate their merits. One week, the '70's was under the microscope. The dice seemed loaded against the era from the start, as 'Love Thy Neighbour' was included ( some seem to think it was the only I.T.V. sitcom made then ). Other shows included 'That's Life!' and 'The Sweeney'. The 'experts' were the late Alan Coren and Sarfraz Manzoor. Coren defended the shows as much as he could ( only to do an astonishing U-turn at the end ), while Manzoor grumbled and griped like one of the brats from 'Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory'. This guy, born in 1971, obviously had a bad childhood and blames it on the television of the time. When 'The Sweeney' came on, I thought 'he's got to change his tune. The show is a classic' but no, he put the boot into that too.
Created by Ian Kennedy Martin, 'The Sweeney' started life as a one-off play for the I.T.V. network called 'Regan', broadcast in June 1974. It presented a tougher police character than had been seen on television before, in fact at times it was hard to distinguish his actions from those of the criminals he was chasing. John Thaw gave a brilliant performance, supported by Dennis Waterman as 'D.S. George Carter', and Garfield Morgan as their no-nonsense superior 'Haskins'. 'The Sweeney' appeared a year later, and quickly established itself as a ratings hit. In 1976, it formed part of a strong Monday night line-up, along with 'Coronation Street' and 'George & Mildred'.
The groundwork had been done by the third and fourth seasons of 'Special Branch', a Euston Films production starring George Sewell and Patrick Mower. Despite a number of good episodes, 'Branch' failed to gel, hence its eventual replacement by 'The Sweeney'. The show derived its title from the Cockney rhyming slang for 'Flying Squad' - 'Sweeney Todd'. It should be noted that the B.B.C.'s 'Dixon Of Dock Green' was still on air when Regan and Carter began their battle with the London underworld, and the contrast between the shows could not have been greater. Whereas Dixon greeted audiences with a friendly 'evenin' all', 'The Sweeney' were more likely to knee you in the groin and exclaim: "You're nicked, son!". It set new standards for violence, bad language and nudity. It was compulsory viewing for us strapping lads, albeit embarrassing if viewed in parents' company.
It did go over the top at times. One early episode had the Sweeney receiving a tip-off that a bank was due to be robbed, so they staked out a pub across the road. Within minutes of arriving at the scene, Regan was in bed with the landlady, and directing police operations by phone from her bedroom! Another story involved a craze for homemade handguns. When two men got into a scrap, one of these 'cowboy' guns went off accidentally, resulting in their horrific disembowelling. Patrick Mower and George Layton played a pair of Australian con-men in two enjoyable Roger Marshall-scripted episodes. John Hurt guested in 'Tomorrow Man' as a computer expert seeking revenge on the man who cheated him out of a fortune ( George Cole ). And who can forget 'Hearts & Minds' which guested no less than Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise?
'The Sweeney' was so popular it spawned two cinema films. The B.B.C. tried to cash in with their series 'Target' starring Patrick Mower which was, if anything, even more violent ( and which seems to have been virtually forgotten ). More recently, 'Life On Mars' was a superb tribute to the show's greatness, with Philip Glenister's 'Gene Hunt' and John Simm's 'Sam Tyler' doing perfect justice to the memories of Regan and Carter.
Violent cop dramas are commonplace now, but in 1975 'The Sweeney' came as a breath of fresh air - it was closer to reality than anything seen before on British television - a fact Sarfraz Manzoor should bear in mind the next time he attempts to watch an episode. Interestingly, when the 'Television On Trial' audience cast its votes as to which decade was the best for television, the '70's won by a landslide! Hard luck, Mr.Manzoor!
Created by Ian Kennedy Martin, 'The Sweeney' started life as a one-off play for the I.T.V. network called 'Regan', broadcast in June 1974. It presented a tougher police character than had been seen on television before, in fact at times it was hard to distinguish his actions from those of the criminals he was chasing. John Thaw gave a brilliant performance, supported by Dennis Waterman as 'D.S. George Carter', and Garfield Morgan as their no-nonsense superior 'Haskins'. 'The Sweeney' appeared a year later, and quickly established itself as a ratings hit. In 1976, it formed part of a strong Monday night line-up, along with 'Coronation Street' and 'George & Mildred'.
The groundwork had been done by the third and fourth seasons of 'Special Branch', a Euston Films production starring George Sewell and Patrick Mower. Despite a number of good episodes, 'Branch' failed to gel, hence its eventual replacement by 'The Sweeney'. The show derived its title from the Cockney rhyming slang for 'Flying Squad' - 'Sweeney Todd'. It should be noted that the B.B.C.'s 'Dixon Of Dock Green' was still on air when Regan and Carter began their battle with the London underworld, and the contrast between the shows could not have been greater. Whereas Dixon greeted audiences with a friendly 'evenin' all', 'The Sweeney' were more likely to knee you in the groin and exclaim: "You're nicked, son!". It set new standards for violence, bad language and nudity. It was compulsory viewing for us strapping lads, albeit embarrassing if viewed in parents' company.
It did go over the top at times. One early episode had the Sweeney receiving a tip-off that a bank was due to be robbed, so they staked out a pub across the road. Within minutes of arriving at the scene, Regan was in bed with the landlady, and directing police operations by phone from her bedroom! Another story involved a craze for homemade handguns. When two men got into a scrap, one of these 'cowboy' guns went off accidentally, resulting in their horrific disembowelling. Patrick Mower and George Layton played a pair of Australian con-men in two enjoyable Roger Marshall-scripted episodes. John Hurt guested in 'Tomorrow Man' as a computer expert seeking revenge on the man who cheated him out of a fortune ( George Cole ). And who can forget 'Hearts & Minds' which guested no less than Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise?
'The Sweeney' was so popular it spawned two cinema films. The B.B.C. tried to cash in with their series 'Target' starring Patrick Mower which was, if anything, even more violent ( and which seems to have been virtually forgotten ). More recently, 'Life On Mars' was a superb tribute to the show's greatness, with Philip Glenister's 'Gene Hunt' and John Simm's 'Sam Tyler' doing perfect justice to the memories of Regan and Carter.
Violent cop dramas are commonplace now, but in 1975 'The Sweeney' came as a breath of fresh air - it was closer to reality than anything seen before on British television - a fact Sarfraz Manzoor should bear in mind the next time he attempts to watch an episode. Interestingly, when the 'Television On Trial' audience cast its votes as to which decade was the best for television, the '70's won by a landslide! Hard luck, Mr.Manzoor!