show name	The Sweeney
format	Police / Crime
runtime	50 minutes
creator	Ian Kennedy Martin
starring	John ThawDennis WatermanGarfield Morgan
theme music composer	Harry South
channel	ITV
country	United Kingdom
first aired
last aired
num series	4
num episodes	53
producer	Euston Films LtdThames Television }}

''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. The programme's title derives from ''Sweeney Todd'', which is Cockney rhyming slang for 'Flying Squad'.

The programme was shot entirely on 16mm film by Thames Television's film division, Euston Films. It originally aired on ITV between 1975 and 1978 in the nine - ten pm (2100–2200) weekday (usually Monday) slot with repeated showings at the same time until the early 1980s. It starred John Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan, and Dennis Waterman as Detective Sergeant George Carter. Such was its popularity in the UK that it spawned two theatrically released feature film spin-offs, ''Sweeney!'' and ''Sweeney 2''.

Notably this popular TV series aired in a dark period for the real-life Flying Squad. In the late 1970s it was publicly censured for being involved in bribery and police corruption, and its close links with the criminal fraternity. Unlike the unwavering high standards seen in the fictional ''Sweeney'', the actual commander of the Flying Squad, Detective Chief Superintendent Kenneth Drury was convicted of five counts of corruption and jailed for eight years on 7 July 1977. An internal investigation, called Operation Countryman, was then launched to stamp out more corruption. A further 12 officers were convicted and many others resigned.

Background

The series was created by writer Ian Kennedy Martin, brother of the better-known Troy Kennedy Martin who contributed several episodes and wrote the second film. It was born from a one-off drama, entitled ''Regan'', which Ian Kennedy Martin wrote for Thames Television's ''Armchair Cinema'' series of one-offs in 1974. The part of Regan was specifically written for Thaw.

From the very beginning, the show was seen as having series potential. After ''Regan'' scored highly in the ratings, work began on the development of the series proper. Ian Kennedy Martin's ideas for the series were for it to be partially studio-based, with more dialogue and less action but producer Ted Childs disagreed with this, and Ian Kennedy Martin reluctantly parted company with the project. It was filmed almost entirely on location on filmstock (which gave it a startling degree of realism), and had a heavy bias toward action sequences.

The writers were given strict guidelines to follow: "Each show will have an overall screen time (minus titles) of 48mins 40secs. Each film will open with a teaser of up to 3 minutes, which will be followed by the opening titles. The story will be played across three acts, each being no more than 19 minutes and no less than 8 minutes in length. Regan will appear in every episode, Carter in approximately 10 out of 13 episodes. In addition to these main characters, scripts should be based around three major speaking parts, with up to ten minor speaking parts."

''The Sweeney'' was the first really modern police-based series on British television. Previously, most dramas featuring the police had shied away from showing 'coppers' as fallible human beings. The police in ''The Sweeney'' were a million miles away from those of the BBC's cosy world of ''Dixon of Dock Green'', or even from the BBC's slightly more realistic ''Z-Cars''. They were brutal and violent in dealing with London's hardened criminals, and prone to cutting corners and bending laws. The series showed a somewhat more realistic side of the police, which often had a disregard for authority, rules and the 'system', as long it got the job done. Until ''The Sweeney'' this had been a subject largely whitewashed by British television.

It was a fast-paced edge-of-your-seat action series, depicting the Squad's relentless battle against armed robbery; but it nevertheless included a substantial degree of humour.

For the time, it had a high degree of graphic on-screen violence and the episodes had a high number of on-screen deaths.

Cast and characters

Main characters

The main two characters were Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Detective Sergeant George Carter. Their superior officer was DCI Frank Haskins.

Jack Regan

John Thaw as Detective Inspector John "Jack" Regan, the Flying Squad's chief 'thief-taker'. He's a tough police officer, often frustrated by Scotland Yard's red tape. Originally from Manchester (like Thaw himself), he has been in London for several years, so his accent has modified somewhat, but traces of his Northern origins are still evident. He also refers to his Northern roots every now and again (his poor upbringing, his father's work on the Manchester Ship Canal), which brings mild ridicule from George Carter, a Londoner. A heavy drinker and smoker (comically, he is sometimes seen stealing other people's cigarettes), Regan has some success with the ladies - although not as much as Carter. He can be seen as quick with his fists. He has an ex-wife, Kate, and a daughter, Susie; and in the last episode of the first series, ''Abduction'', Susie was kidnapped.

Regan helps out an ex-informer whose son is kidnapped in ''Feet of Clay'' (Series 4); and his sympathetic pushing enables his boss Haskins to ask for help when his wife goes missing after a breakdown, in ''Victims'' (Series 4): it's Regan who finds her. Regan repeatedly bends the rules in order to achieve the desired result: for example, fabricating evidence and arranging for a criminal to be kidnapped in "Queen's Pawn", and illegally entering private properties and threatening to lie about being attacked by a prisoner in order to get information in "Regan". Despite this, he's unwilling to cheat for purely personal gain: he delivers a sharp put-down to a corrupt copper in "Bad Apple", and refuses to take a bribe in "Golden Fleece".

In the Squad, informality was everything. Everyone called DCI Haskins simply "Haskins" (except to his face), though Regan would occasionally call him by his first name, Frank. No one ever called Regan "Mister" - except the villains, or sometimes Carter when talking to Haskins. To the Squad he was always simply "the Guv'nor", or just "Guv". In turn, he invariably called Carter and the other Squad members by their first name. But off-duty he and George Carter were friends and drinking buddies, so in private Carter called him Jack.

Regan was driven around in a Ford Consul GT, which was one of the most recognisable sights on television during the 1970s and still has cult status some 30 years later. Although he is seen driving various cars himself in the series, he always has a driver when using the Consul (and the similar Ford Granada models used in later stories), which served as a Squad car: when the Squad travelled they always went "mob handed". Regan did have his own car outside of the squad, in the series.

George Carter

Dennis Waterman plays Detective Sergeant George Carter who comes from South London; and Regan seeks him out in the pilot episode because of his knowledge of the South London area. His age is given in the episode "Hit and Run" as 26. In the series' timeline we learn that George had previously been in the Squad, but had quit for family reasons (cf. Regan and "Jigsaw"). George was married to Alison Carter, a schoolteacher, but is widowed in the episode "Hit And Run" when Alison is murdered by mistake by a gang of diamond smugglers. He's a former amateur boxer, as we see from the pilot "Regan", and is described as having professional boxing potential in the episode "Chalk and Cheese". Like his superior, he's fond of drinking, football, and - after the death of his wife - womanising. Carter isn't as violent or aggressive as Regan and usually plays the good cop. In the episode "Latin Lady" he introduces himself to Christobel Delgado (Meg Davies) as George Hamilton Carter.

Frank Haskins

Garfield Morgan plays Frank Haskins, married with three children at boarding schools and is Regan's immediate superior. Prior to the series timeline the character had done "National Service in the Signals Corps in a minor intelligence role" (as revealed in the episode "Stay Lucky, Eh?"). He is frequently seen at odds with Regan, preferring more conventional policing methods.

The main 'Haskins episodes' are "Golden Fleece", where he is set up to be the victim of a corruption enquiry, and "Victims", where his wife suffers a mental breakdown due to memories of a miscarriage. Although he appeared in the opening titles of every episode of the first three series, he did not appear in all of them.

The character was not present at the start of the fourth, final series, and his role was taken by other superiors such as Detective Chief Inspector Anderson, played by Richard Wilson and Detective Chief Superintendent Braithwaite played by Benjamin Whitrow. Haskins returned a few episodes into the fourth series. There are two versions of the fourth series opening credits - one without Haskins, and one with him.

Other characters

The Squad

In the early episodes the team has a variety of drivers including Len (Jack McKenzie) (the first 2 episodes) and Fred (in the episode "Jigsaw"). However, the episode "The Placer" in the first series introduces the character of Bill the driver (played by Tony Allen, who subsequently worked as wardrobe manager for many of John Thaw's later projects), and he remains a constant throughout the series, although he plays a peripheral, non-speaking role in most episodes.

Detective Sergeant Tom Daniels (John Alkin) is the most prominent member of the supporting Squad. Other members include Sergeant Kent, Detective Constable Thorpe, and DS Matthews in the first series, DC Jerry Burtonshaw (Nick Brimble) (Series 1-3), and DC Jellyneck (Series 4). Detective Chief Superintendent Maynon (Morris Perry) appears occasionally as a superior officer, and is seen as being more willing than Haskins to bend the rules in order to get a result in the episode "Queen's Pawn". With Haskins absent, a semi-regular superior officer named DCS Braithwaite (Benjamin Whitrow) appears in Series 4.

Family

Other main characters include the close family of the three leads.

Regan's ex-wife Kate appears in the episode "Abduction", after previously featuring in the pilot; and his daughter Susie (Jennifer Thanisch) appears in several episodes, most notably "Abduction".

Carter's wife Alison (Stephanie Turner) is seen attempting to prise him away from the Squad in the episode "Jigsaw", while her hostility toward Regan is apparent in the episode "Abduction". She is murdered in a case of mistaken identity in the episode "Hit And Run". In the DVD commentary for "Abduction" it is mentioned that the reason for this was that the actress was asking for too much money to continue to appear in the series. Her death was convenient for the show, releasing Carter to play a more freewheeling role, 'on the pull' - and allowing his banter with Regan, which had become a very popular part of the show, to develop even further. Stephanie Turner went on to appear in Juliet Bravo, also devised and part-written by Ian Kennedy Martin.

Doreen Haskins plays a minor role in some episodes, although the penultimate episode "Victims" deals with her deteriorating mental health and returns to the theme of the job's impact on family life. One of Haskins' three children, Richard, also appears in that episode.

Guest stars

As well as making John Thaw and Dennis Waterman big names, ''The Sweeney'' also had an impressive list of guest stars, including Diana Dors, Brian Blessed, Ian Hendry, Alan Lake, Alfred Marks, Peter Jeffrey, Julian Glover, T. P. McKenna, Warren Clarke, Stuart Wilson, Lesley-Anne Down, Maurice Roëves, Patrick Troughton, Patrick Mower, Philip Madoc, Bill Maynard, James Booth, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey, Ronald Fraser, Hywel Bennett, John Hurt, Warren Mitchell, Roy Kinnear, George Sewell, Joss Ackland, Michael Elphick, Edward Hardwicke, Barrie Ingham, George Cole (whom Waterman went on to star alongside in hit follow-up vehicle ''Minder)'' and Maureen Lipman, as well as the writers Lynda La Plante and Colin Welland. Morecambe and Wise appeared late on, in return for Thaw and Waterman appearing on their show. Many up and coming actors such as Karl Howman, Ray Winstone, John Challis, Patrick Malahide, Richard Griffiths and Andrew Paul also appeared in the show during its run. Thaw later played Inspector Morse.

Production

The filming of each episode normally took ten working days, shooting about five minutes of edited screen time per day. Due to this the number of different filming locations had to be restricted to ten, i.e. one location per day. At the Euston Films production office in Colet Court, there was a standing set of the Flying Squad offices, which provided an alternative option should the weather restrict a day's filming. Two days would normally be spent filming on the set, equalling 10 mins of any episode being set in the offices. Shooting took place through the summer, so exterior night shooting was expensive and was limited to 3 minutes of external night material in any episode.

Each episode had an eight and a half week production schedule: two weeks pre-production (for casting, finding locations etc.), two weeks shooting, four weeks picture editing (the first two weeks of which overlapped with the shoot), two weeks sound editing, and two and a half days dubbing.

Filming locations

Most of the locations used for filming The Sweeney were around the west London area - in particular Chiswick, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith (where the Flying Squad's offices were based - referred-to as 'The Factory' by the characters), Fulham, Earl's Court, Kensington & Chelsea and Notting Hill districts, close to the Euston Films HQ at Colet Court in Hammersmith. However, other notable locations in London, the South East of England and further afield were also used for filming the show's episodes and included:

Chertsey/Penton Hook Lock, Surrey - "Thin Ice", "Bad Apple", "On The Run", "Feet Of Clay" & "Jack or Knave?"

Battersea - "Jigsaw", "Stoppo Driver", "Faces", "Trap", "Trojan Bus", "Country Boy", "Visiting Fireman", "Tomorrow Man", "May" & "Victims"

Bermondsey - "Regan"

Black Park Country Park, Wexham, Buckinghamshire - "Regan", "Pay Off", "On The Run" & "Hearts & Minds"

Dulwich - "Regan", "Ringer"

Dulwich Hamlet F.C. "Ringer"

Gozo/Maltese Archipelago - "Sweeney 2"

Earlsfield - Garratt Lane and Garratt Snooker Club "Supersnout"

Heathrow - "Golden Boy", "Stoppo Driver" & "Tomorrow Man"

Kingston upon Thames - "Hit And Run" & "Trojan Bus"

Maida Vale - "Night Out"

Peckham - "Ringer"

Potters Bar, Hertfordshire - "Big Spender"

Putney/Putney Bridge "Contact Breaker", "Abduction" "Taste Of Fear" & "Sweeney 2"

Queens Park Rangers F.C., Loftus Road - "I Want The Man"

Raynes Park - "Big Spender", "Golden Fleece" & "Victims"

Roehampton - "Queen's Pawn", "Golden Fleece" (Bank of England Sports Centre), "Victims" & "Sweeney 2" (Danebury Avenue/Alton Estate)

Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Surrey - "Big Spender"

Southall Gas Works - "Faces"

Southwark - "Ringer"

Staines, Middlesex - "The Placer"

Twickenham - "The Placer", "Golden Fleece" (Twickenham Stadium) & "Bad Apple"

Uxbridge - "Thou Shalt Not Kill" (Brunel University) & "Bad Apple"

Wandsworth - "Queens Pawn", "Jigsaw", "Abduction", "Country Boy", "Tomorrow Man", "May", "Drag Act" & "Sweeney 2"

Wimbledon - "Contact Breaker", "Stay Lucky Eh?" "May", "Lady Luck" & "Money Money Money"

Wokingham, Berkshire - "Thin Ice"

Episodes

A pilot episode, "Regan", was made as part of the "Armchair Cinema" series and shown in 1974. In all, four series were made with Series One being broadcast between January and March 1975 and Series Two following between September and December of the same year. Series Three was broadcast between September and December 1976, with the final series being shown two years later in 1978. Two 90-minute feature films, "Sweeney!" and "Sweeney 2", were made in 1977 and 1978 respectively, between the third and fourth series.

Series 1

The promotional episode shown to the press was "Thin Ice", which featured a relatively lightweight and somewhat humorous story, some comedy, and international locations.

Highlights of the first series were "Ringer", where the team were attempting to prevent a criminal being sprung from prison, "Jackpot", "Stoppo Driver", and "Abduction" (in which Regan's daughter Susie was kidnapped), focussing on the strains which the job caused to family life. "Night Out" subtly illustrated the backgrounds and family lives of Regan and Carter; parallels are drawn between the unhappy situation of the main villain's family and Regan's own domestic situation.

The early episodes feature a great degree of hostility and mistrust between Regan and his superior, Haskins, who in one episode ("Ringer") attempts to separate Carter from Regan in order to help Carter's career.

The episode "Queen's Pawn" is a display of how Regan is willing to bend the rules in order to get a result, as he fabricates evidence, illegally opens private mail, and even arranges the kidnapping of one of the criminals in order to get the desired result.

;Series 1 Episodes ''All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Thursdays 9.00pm'' #Ringer ''broadcast 02/01/1975'' #Jackpot ''broadcast 09/01/1975'' #Thin Ice ''broadcast 16/01/1975'' #Queen's Pawn ''broadcast 23/01/1975'' #Jigsaw ''broadcast 30/01/1975'' #Night Out ''broadcast 06/02/1975'' #The Placer ''broadcast 13/02/1975'' #Cover Story ''broadcast 20/02/1975'' #Golden Boy ''broadcast 27/02/1975'' #Stoppo Driver ''broadcast 06/03/1975'' #Big Spender ''broadcast 13/03/1975'' #Contact Breaker ''broadcast 23/03/1975'' #Abduction ''broadcast 27/03/1975

All Series 1 episodes were shot in 1974.

Series 2

The episodes "Faces" and "Thou Shalt Not Kill" were among the highlights of the second series. In the former an anarchist group (which appears to be German-based, with echoes of the then contemporary Baader-Meinhof gang) is staging a number of robberies in order to raise funds for its cause. However, the group has been infiltrated by British intelligence, leading to complicated inter-departmental politics between the police and the security services. "Thou Shalt Not Kill" features a tense hostage situation inside a bank, with Haskins faced with the dilemma of whether to risk the hostages' lives by shooting the criminals.

Other highlights included a pair of tongue-in-cheek episodes, "Golden Fleece" and "Trojan Bus", featuring two cocky but likeable Australian villains, played by British actors Patrick Mower and George Layton; and the episode "Hit And Run", in which Carter's wife Alison is murdered.

;Series 2 Episodes ''All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Mondays 9.00pm'' #Chalk And Cheese ''broadcast 01/09/1975'' #Faces ''broadcast 08/09/1975'' #Supersnout ''broadcast 15/09/1975'' #Big Brother ''broadcast 22/09/1975'' #Hit And Run ''broadcast 29/09/1975'' #Trap ''broadcast 06/10/1975'' #Golden Fleece ''broadcast 13/10/1975'' #Poppy ''broadcast 20/10/1975'' #Stay Lucky Eh? ''broadcast 27/10/1975'' #Trojan Bus ''broadcast 03/11/1975'' #I Want The Man ''broadcast 10/11/1975'' #Country Boy ''broadcast 17/11/1975'' #Thou Shalt Not Kill ''broadcast 24/11/1975''

All Series 2 episodes were shot in 1975.

Series 3

The episode "Taste Of Fear" introduced violent psychopathic criminal Tim Cook (George Sweeney), an army deserter whose experiences in Northern Ireland had left him embittered. Cook also appeared in the later episode "On The Run".

Other episodes explored different themes: "Tomorrow Man" focussed on the clash between traditional policing methods and newer more technological ways of solving crime, methods which, in the real world, have made crimes such as those depicted in The Sweeney - of villains in stocking masks carrying out wages snatches - seem anachronistic. "Bad Apple" dealt with police corruption, and here Regan, despite being seen to bend the rules in other episodes in order to achieve convictions (i.e. for legitimate motives), will not bend them for his own profit, and is shown to hold the deepest contempt for the corrupt officers.

;Series 3 Episodes ''All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Mondays 9.00pm'' #Selected Target ''broadcast 06/09/1976'' #In From The Cold ''broadcast 13/09/1976'' #Visiting Fireman ''broadcast 20/09/1976'' #Tomorrow Man ''broadcast 27/09/1976'' #Taste Of Fear ''broadcast 04/10/1976'' #Bad Apple ''broadcast 11/10/1976'' #May ''broadcast 25/10/1976'' #Sweet Smell Of Succession ''broadcast 08/10/1976'' #Down To You Brother ''broadcast 22/11/1976'' #Payoff ''broadcast 29/11/1976'' #Loving Arms ''broadcast 06/12/1976'' #Lady Luck ''broadcast 13/12/1976'' #On The Run ''broadcast 20/12/1976''

The following episodes were shot in 1975: Tomorrow Man, Visiting Fireman, Taste Of Fear, Sweet Smell Of Succession, Loving Arms and Lady Luck. The following episodes were shot in 1976: Selected Target, In From The Cold, Taste Of Fear, Bad Apple, May, Down To You Brother, Payoff and On The Run.

Series 4

There was a two-year gap between the third and fourth series while the team made two feature films (''Sweeney!'' and ''Sweeney 2'') to cash-in on the show's popularity with audiences.

For the fourth series the title sequence was changed, and a number of other changes were also made, with Haskins absent from a number of episodes. The final series has been criticised as the weakest. This falling off in quality led John Thaw and Dennis Waterman to the realisation that the show was in danger of running out of steam, and to take the decision to end it while it was still at the peak of its popularity .

The opening episode of the series, "Messenger of the Gods", divides fans, with some seeing it as tongue in cheek and the show was beginning to run out of steam.

Other notable episodes include "Nightmare", which features a slightly experimental dream sequence as part of the plot. This is also the episode with the highest body count, and features another then-contemporary plot of two ex-IRA men committing a major crime in order to buy their way back into the organisation. "Bait" featured a performance by George Sewell, who had starred in ''The Sweeney'''s Euston Films forerunner series, ''Special Branch'', as well as in the film Get Carter, which was a major influence on ''The Sweeney'', and whose main character, Jack Carter, may have been the inspiration for the names of the two main ''Sweeney'' characters.

"Hearts And Minds", the last episode to be filmed, featured the popular comedians Morecambe and Wise, and was a quid pro quo for the appearance of Waterman and Thaw in a sketch in the 1976 Morecambe and Wise Christmas show on the BBC.

The final broadcast episode "Jack or Knave" (aired in late-December 1978) saw a slightly ambiguous ending, with the main character, Jack Regan, temporarily locked up after being implicated in a corruption scandal, of which he is finally exonerated. He then announces that he's had it with the Squad, and the series ends with him resigning in disgust.

The final scene left open the possibility of a further series in 1979, if the two stars could be talked into making it, but this was not to be. Both of them felt the high standards of the show could not be maintained over a fifth series.

;Series 4 Episodes ''All episodes were broadcast on ITV, Thursdays 9.00pm'' #Messenger Of The Gods ''broadcast 07/09/1978'' #Hard Men ''broadcast 14/09/1978'' #Drag Act ''broadcast 21/09/1978'' #Trust Red ''broadcast 28/09/1978'' #Nightmare ''broadcast 05/10/1978'' #Money, Money, Money ''broadcast 12/10/1978'' #Bait ''broadcast 19/10/1978'' #The Bigger They Are ''broadcast 26/10/1978'' #Feet Of Clay ''broadcast 02/11/1978'' #One Of Your Own ''broadcast 09/11/1978'' #Hearts And Minds ''broadcast 23/11/1978'' #Latin Lady ''broadcast 30/11/1978'' #Victims ''broadcast 14/12/1978'' #Jack Or Knave ''broadcast 28/12/1978''

The following episodes were shot in 1977: Messenger Of The Gods, Drag Act, Trust Red, Money Money Money, Feet Of Clay, One Of Your Own and Jack Or Knave. The following episodes were shot in 1978: Hard Men, Nightmare, Bait, The Bigger They Are, Hearts and Minds, Latin Lady and Victims.

Film adaptations

Like many successful British TV series of the time, such as ''Porridge'' and ''Rising Damp'', cinema versions of ''The Sweeney'' were made, featuring the same actors and characters. The two films were far more raw than the TV series, featuring levels of violence, sex and nudity that would not have been possible on television at the time.

In ''Sweeney!'' (1977), Regan and Carter get involved in a plot based on the Profumo Affair. British actor Barry Foster guest-stars as an Americanised, and more deadly, version of Stephen Ward. The film appears to be set in the then near-future, indicated by the line "He made the same speech in 1978", The film was mostly made in 1976, also noticed on the wall in the scene where the OPEC delegates meet, is a chart which says 1979, which would back this up.

In ''Sweeney 2'' (1978), Jack & George eventually find themselves going to the island of Malta in order to track down a group of particularly violent armed robbers who have been committing bank and payroll robberies all over London and kill anybody that gets in their way, even members of their own gang, Jack & George were assigned the case by their recently convicted Chief Inspector as his last order, as he is about to be charged with corruption.

2012 re-make

A remake was announced in 2008 to be produced by DNA Films and directed by Nick Love. Love was also to write the feature length episode alongside Ian Kennedy Martin, the original creator. Filming was originally planned for 2009 with Ray Winstone's name confirmed for the role of George Carter, and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars) and Daniel Craig (James Bond) being sourced as keen possibilities for the lead role of Jack Regan. Orlando Bloom and Tom Hardy were other names linked to the remake. It was not revealed whether the film would have been set in the 1970s or in the present day. However, Fox Searchlight withdrew support a few weeks before filming was due to start and the project looked to be on hold, until July 2010, when the budget on the project was confirmed at $US16m. In April 2011, the participation of Winstone was confirmed for the role of Jack Regan, with Ben Drew, alias rapper Plan B, taking the role of George Carter.

Books

A total of nine books were written and released in 1977 published by Futura Publications Ltd. The Sweeney

Regan and the Manhattan File

Regan and the Deal Of The Century

Regan and the Lebanese Shipment

Regan and the Human Pipeline

Regan and the Bent Stripper

Regan and the Snout Who Cried Wolf

Regan and the Venetian Virgin

Regan and the High Rollers

The first three books were authored by Ian Kennedy Martin, the rest by Joe Balham. The plots of the books are not taken from any of the television episodes; overall, the tone of the books differ somewhat from the television series in that Regan is usually depicted as working alone, and his relationship with Carter is distinctly unfriendly.

Popular culture

The repeat of the episode "Selected Target" on 21 December 1978 had the highest viewing figure of the series with 19.05 million people watching. This coincided with a 24-hour strike at the BBC.

In series 1 to 3 the main characters' cars were a Ford Consul GT 3.0 litre V6 (often mistaken for a Granada Mk1), Granada GXL Mk1 and a Cortina Mk3. In series 4 a late Mk1 Ford Granada Ghia is used as well as the updated Granada Mk2 and Cortina Mk4.

Dennis Waterman was cast after his performance in the ''Special Branch'' episode 'Stand and Deliver'. In the same episode Stephanie Turner (who played his wife in ''The Sweeney'') played his sister. She went on to have her own police series, ''Juliet Bravo''.

''The Sweeney'' is mentioned in the songs ''Wow'' by Kate Bush and ''Cool for Cats'' by Squeeze.

In the orange-tinted photographs that are shown in the closing credits for Series 1–3, an enlarged set of fingerprints is displayed on a board behind Detective Chief Inspector Haskins. These belong to actress and model Pamela Green, whose boyfriend Doug Webb took the stills photographs used in the titles and credits.

A red Fiat 850 Coupé makes a cameo appearance in a lot of the episodes: typically it's parked at the side of the road as the action takes place around it. One theory is that the car belonged to a crewmember who tried to include it as an in-joke in as many episodes as possible.

Heavy reference is made to ''The Sweeney'' in the ''Black Books'' episode "The Blackout".

Regan and Carter appear briefly as part of a stakeout operation in one of the novelizations of the TV series "The Professionals".

Scotland Yard's real Flying Squad lost an important surveillance technique when ''The Sweeney'' exposed their use of the roadside tents erected by telephone engineers, who would place them over open manholes in the street to protect them from the weather. These tents are frequently shown in the series as hideaways for keeping a covert eye on suspects.

A two-part 1998 instalment of ''Diagnosis: Murder'', "Obsession", features lead villains named Carter Sweeney and Regan Sweeney.

The creators of the hit show ''Life on Mars'' have often stated that ''The Sweeney'' was a big influence on the show.

Parodies

Comics

In the early 1980s the British comic ''Jackpot'' featured a strip called "The Teeny Sweeney" which was originally drawn by J Edward Oliver. A trio of schoolboys played at being plain-clothes policemen, with two of them looking like little versions of Regan and Carter. They even had "Flying Squad" written on the side of their cartie. Their attempts at being helpful however almost always ended in disaster.

Detectives on the edge of a nervous breakdown

The 1993 Comic Strip film ''Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown'' features a character introduced as "Shouting George from ''The Weeny''" (played by Jim Broadbent). Despite the character's name, he is in fact a direct yet affectionate parody of Jack Regan.

TV ad

A TV ad for the Nissan Almera car in the late 1990s had two characters similar to Carter and Regan racing through London to deal with a "bank job". A suspicious group of men have entered a bank dressed as painters. As 'Carter' races the car through the streets, 'Regan' keeps bellowing at him and others to "Shut it!"

At one stage 'Regan' shouts "Mark it!", which is slang for following a suspect, but in this case means "market" as 'Carter' drives erratically through a market place. 'Carter' tells 'Regan' to stop shouting — to which 'Regan' barks the reply "I can't!".

When they burst into the bank it turns out that the men are genuine painters and that 'Regan', their guv (or boss), is there to tell them that they have the wrong sort of white paint(!) 'Carter' says, "Think we'd better go back to the yard, guv, and get some more." "Shut up!"

One of the painters talks in a squeaky-like voice and is called "Squealer", which is slang for informant.

(This ad was the follow-up to a hugely popular one spoofing ''The Professionals'' a year or so previously.)

DVD and CD releases

The complete series of ''The Sweeney'' was released by Network on 16 discs in 2005. The pilot episode "Regan" was also released on DVD in November 2005. Both films, ''Sweeney!'' and ''Sweeney 2'' have also been released on DVD.

The 2007 18 Disc Network release contains all four series, the pilot and both of the spin-off films. Along with all this, the boxset contains exclusive extras.

Below is a list of all the extras of the boxset:

Regan:

Introduction by Ian Kennedy-Martin

Commentary with Dennis Waterman, producer Ted Childs and director Tom Clegg

Series One:

Interview with creator Ian Kennedy-Martin

Commentaries with Dennis Waterman, Garfield Morgan, producer Ted Childs, writers Trevor Preston and Troy Kennedy-Martin, directors Tom Clegg and David Wickes and editor Chris Burt

'Thick as Thieves' episode and 'Special Branch' episode

Episode introductions by guest stars Warren Mitchell, Wanda Ventham, Prunella Gee, John Forgeham, Billy Murray, Tony Selby and Dudley Sutton

Restoring "The Sweeney"

Series Two:

Interview with stunt arranger Peter Brayham

'Wild Boys' featurette

'The Sweeney' annual PDF

Interview with writer Roger Marshall

'Golden Fleece' episode script PDF

Episode introductions by guest stars Bill Maynard, Gwen Taylor, James Booth, Ken Hutchison and Lynda Bellingham

'Sweeney' film trailer with introduction by Lynda Bellingham

'Sweeney' film promotional gallery

Series Three:

'Redcap' episode

'Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show' 1976 sketch

'Strange Report' episode

Episode introductions by guest stars Geraldine James, Steven Pacey, George Sweeney, Nadim Sawalha, Tina Heath and John Lyons

'ITV - This Is Your Life' clip from 1976 Thames trailer

'Evening News Film Awards' clip

'The Sweeney' 1977 Annual PDF

Series Four:

'The Electric Theatre Show' interviews with John Thaw, Dennis Waterman and Ted Childs

'This Is Your Life - John Thaw' extract

'This Is Your Life - Dennis Waterman' extract

Series 4 textless titles with dual sound

Episode introductions by guest stars James Warrior, George Sewell, Jenny Runacre, Nick Stringer, Gary Morecambe and Peter Wight

'Sweeney 2' film trailer with introduction by Ken Hutchison and James Warrior

'Sweeney 2' promotional gallery PDF

Out-takes

'The Sweeney' 1978 Annual PDF

Stills gallery Extract from 'Behind the Sunshine' PDF, recounting the making of 'Hearts and Minds'

'Sweeney!' and 'Sweeney 2':

Commentary on Sweeney! with Ted Childs, Ranald Graham and David Wickes

Commentary on Sweeney 2 with Ted Childs and Tom Clegg

Textless material

These extras are exclusive to the boxset.

All four series one are now available as Region 1 (North America) DVDs.

Soundtrack album

A soundtrack album ''Shut it! The Music of The Sweeney'' was released in 2001 and features much of the incidental music used in the programme as well as many classic pieces of dialogue.

See also

Get Carter

The Long Good Friday

The Professionals

Minder

NYPD Blue

Law & Order

Life on Mars

Homicide: Life on the Street

Thief Takers

Starsky and Hutch

Diagnosis: Murder

References

Further reading

Manuel Alvarado and John Stewart, ''Made for Television: Euston Films Limited''. London: Methuen/BFI, 1985. ISBN 0-423-01310-6

Robert Fairclough and Mike Kenwood, ''Sweeney! The Official Companion''. London: Reynolds & Hearn Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-903111-43-9 (review)

Dennis Waterman, ''Reminder''. Hutchinson, 2000. ISBN 0-09-180108-7

Martin Day and Keith Topping, ''Shut It!'' Virgin Books, 1999. ISBN 0-7535-0355-7

Mike Kenwood and George Williams, ''Fags, Blags, Slags & Jags: the Sweeney. The Unofficial Companion to the TV Series'', 1998. No ISBN.

Troy Kennedy Martin, "Four of a Kind", in: H.R.F. Keating, ed., ''Crime Writers''. London: BBC, 1978. ISBN 0-563-16287-2

Andrew Pixley, "The Sweeney: Compulsive Viewing", in: ''Prime Time'' Magazine, issue 13. London: WTVA ("Wider Television Access"), circa 1984. ISSN 0266-0083

External links

The Sweeney discussion forum

The Sweeney - Unofficial website

NostalgiaCentral

Encyclopedia of Television

Ian Kennedy-Martin, The Sweeney: a preamble

Category:1970s British television series Category:1975 in British television Category:1975 British television programme debuts Category:1978 television series endings Category:Crime television series Category:ITV television programmes Category:Television shows set in London

de:Die Füchse fr:Regan (série télévisée) nl:The Sweeney ja:ロンドン特捜隊スウィーニー

name	Lesley-Anne Down
birth date	March 17, 1954
birth place	Wandsworth, London, England
domesticpartner	Bruce Robinson (1969-1979)
spouse	Enrique Gabriel (1980-1981)William Friedkin (1982-1985) 1 sonDon E. FauntLeRoy (1985-present) 1 son
yearsactive	1969–present
occupation	Actress, singer
website	}}

Lesley-Anne Down (born March 17, 1954) is an English film and television actress former model and singer.

Down achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1973–75). She received further recognition for her performances in the films ''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' (1976), ''A Little Night Music'' (1977) , ''The First Great Train Robbery'' (1979), ''Hanover Street'' (1979), ''Sphinx'' (1981) and ''Nomads'' (1986). She is also known as Madeline Fabray LaMotte Main in miniseries ''North and South'' (1985-86), for which she was nominated for Golden Globe Awards in 1986.

In 1990, Down played the role Stephanie Rogers in the CBS drama series ''Dallas''. During 1997-99 she played Olivia Blake in the NBC series ''Sunset Beach''. Since March 2003, she has portrayed Jacqueline Payne Marone in the CBS soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful''.

Biography

Early life

Down was born in Wandsworth, London, England. She began acting and modeling, and in her teenage years had won several beauty pageants. She was voted Britain's most beautiful teenager at the age of fifteen.

Career

Down portrayed Georgina Worsley on the popular British series, ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' from 1973 to 1975. She then went on to act in films such as ''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' (1976), ''A Little Night Music'' (1977) , ''The First Great Train Robbery'' (1979), ''Hanover Street'' (1979), ''Sphinx'' (1981) and ''Nomads'' (1986).

In 1982, she played the leading role of Esméralda in a British-American TV movie ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame''. In 1985, she starred in ''Arch of Triumph'' with Anthony Hopkins and Donald Pleasance.

She starred in the miniseries ''North and South'', for which she was nominated for Golden Globe Awards in 1986. She also played in the third part in 1993.

She has played opposite leading men Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins and Donald Sutherland in various films. She has played leading roles in TV movies, such as ''The One and Only Phyllis Dixey'' in 1978 as Phyllis Dixey, ''Murder Is Easy'' in 1982, ''Indiscreet'' and ''Ladykillers'' in 1988.

In 1990, Down had a starring role in the CBS drama series ''Dallas'', playing Stephanie Rogers. From 1994 to 1996, Down played guest roles on TV shows, such as ''The Nanny'' and ''Diagnosis: Murder''.

In 1994, she starred in the film ''Death Wish V: The Face of Death'', along with Charles Bronson, with whom she starred in the 1995 TV movie ''Family of Cops''. She portrayed Olivia Blake on the NBC soap opera ''Sunset Beach'' from January 1997 until December 1999. In 2001, she played a leading role in TV movie ''The Perfect Wife'' and in 2002, in the ''You Belong to Me''.

Down has been playing the role of Jacqueline Payne Marone on CBS's ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' since March 2003.

From 2000 to 2006, Down appeared in the films ''The King's Guard'' with Eric Roberts and Ron Perlman, ''The Meeksville Ghost'', ''13th Child'', ''Today You Die'' and ''Seven Days of Grace'', where she also was a writer. In 2011, Down filmed the thriller ''Rosewood Lane'' with director Victor Salva. The film also stars Rose McGowan, Ray Wise, and Lauren Vélez, and is set for a 2012 release.

Personal life

After ending a ten-year relationship with actor-writer Bruce Robinson, she married Enrique Gabriel in 1980, but ended their marriage after a year and a half.

Down's second marriage was to film director William Friedkin from 1982 to 1985, with whom she had one son, Jack (b. 1982).

She met her third husband, cinematographer Don E. Fauntleroy, during filming of the television miniseries ''North and South'' in 1985. They began an adulterous relationship, which ended Down's marriage to Friedkin and Fauntleroy's marriage to Susan Ducat. The resulting legal proceedings interrupted the careers of both Down and Fauntleroy for two years while legal custody proceedings ultimately cost Down and Friedkin apiece. Down and Fauntleroy have a son, George-Edward (b. 1998).

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film/TV ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |rowspan=2| 1969 |''All the Right Noises'' | Laura | |- |''The Smashing Bird I Used to Know'' | Diana | |- |rowspan=5| 1971 |''Six Dates with Barker'' | Cheeky |1 episode, "2774 AD: All the World's a Stooge" |- |''Out of the Unknown'' | Diana Carver |1 episode, " To Lay a Ghost" |- | ''Public Eye'' | Anne Biddersloe |1 episode, "Shades of White" |- | ''Assault'' | Tessa Hurst | |- |''Countess Dracula'' | Ilona Nodosheen | |- | 1972 |''Pope Joan'' | Cecilia | |- |rowspan=2| 1973 |''From Beyond the Grave'' | Rosemary Seaton |segment "The Door" |- | ''Scalawag' | Lucy-Ann | |- | 1974 |''Bedtime Stories'' | Monica |1 episode, "The Snow Queen" |- |rowspan=2| 1975 | ''The Sweeney'' | Caroline Selhurst | 1 episode, "Chalk and Cheese" |- |''Brannigan'' | Luana | |- | 1973–1975 |''Upstairs, Downstairs'' | Georgina Worsley |22 episodes |- |rowspan=2| 1976 |''When the Boat Comes In'' | Jane Cromer |1 episode, "King for a Day" |- |''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' | Olga Bariosova | |- |rowspan=3| 1977 |''A Little Night Music'' | Anne Egerman | |- |''Play of the Month'' | Ellie Dunn |1 episode, " Heartbreak House" |- |''Supernatural'' | Felizitas |1 episode, "Mr. Nightingale" |- |rowspan=2| 1978 |''The One and Only Phyllis Dixey'' | Phyllis Dixey | |- |''The Betsy'' | Lady Bobby Ayres | |- |rowspan=2| 1979 |''The First Great Train Robbery'' | Miriam | |- | ''Hanover Street'' |Margaret Sellinger | |- | 1980 |''Rough Cut'' | Gillian Bromley | |- |rowspan=2| 1981 |''Sphinx'' | Erica Baron | |- | ''BBC2 Playhouse'' |Unity Mitford | 1 episode, "Unity" |- |rowspan=2| 1982 |''Murder Is Easy'' | Bridget Conway | |- | ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' |Esmeralda | |- | 1984 |''The Last Days of Pompeii'' | Chloe | TV mini-series |- |rowspan=2| 1985 |''Arch of Triumph'' | Joan Madou | |- | ''North and South'' |Madeline Fabray LaMotte |TV mini-series |- |rowspan=2| 1986 |''North and South, Book II'' | Madeline LaMotte Main | |- | ''Nomads'' | Flax | |- |rowspan=2| 1988 |''Indiscreet'' | Anne Kingston | |- |''Ladykillers'' | Morganna Ross | |- |rowspan=2| 1989 |''CBS Summer Playhouse'' | Cassandra |1 episode, "Shivers" |- | ''Night Walk'' |Geneva Miller | |- | 1990 |''Dallas'' | Stephanie Rogers |8 episodes |- |rowspan=2| 1992 |''1775'' | Annabelle Proctor |TV pilot |- |''Out of Control'' | Elaine Patterson | |- | 1993 | ''Night Trap'' | Christine Turner | |- |rowspan=5| 1994 |''The Nanny'' | Chloe Simpson |1 episode, "Maggie the Model" |- | ''Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III'' | Madeline Main |TV mini-series |- | ''Munchie Strikes Back'' | Linda McClelland | |- | ''Death Wish V: The Face of Death'' |Olivia Regent | |- | ''In the Heat of Passion II: Unfaithful'' |Jean Bradshaw | |- | 1995 |''Family of Cops'' | Anna Novacek | |- |rowspan=3| 1996 |''Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus'' | Morgana | |- |''The Secret Agent Club'' | Eve | |- | ''Diagnosis: Murder'' | Catherine Windsor | 1 episode, "A Model Murder" |- | 1997 |''Meet Wally Sparks'' | Hooker Nurse | |- | 1997–1999 |''Sunset Beach'' | Olivia Blake |Series regular |- | 1998 |''Young Hearts Unlimited'' | Barbara Young | |- | 2000 |''The King's Guard'' | Queen Beatrice | |- |rowspan=4| 2001 |''The Meeksville Ghost'' | Emily Meeks | |- |''You Belong to Me'' | Dr. Susan Chancellor | |- |''The Perfect Wife'' | Helen Coburn | |- | ''Days of our Lives'' |Lady Sheraton | 5 episodes |- | 2002 |''13th Child'' | District Attorney Murphy | |- | 2003–present |''The Bold and the Beautiful'' | Jacqueline Payne Marone |Series regular |- | 2005 |''Today You Die'' | Bank Manager | |- |rowspan=2| 2006 |''Seven Days of Grace'' | Lillian | Actress and writer |- | ''Mercenary for Justice'' | cameo | uncredited |- | 2011 |''My Dog's Christmas Miracle'' | Aunt Dora | |- | 2012 |''Rosewood Lane'' | Cloey | filming |}

Awards and nominations

! Year	! Result	! Award	! Category	! Film or series
1978	Won	Evening Standard British Film Awards	Most Promising Newcomer - Actress
1986	Nominated	Golden Globe Awards
2005	Won		Best Soap Female	''The Bold and the Beautiful''
2005	Nominated	Soap Opera Digest Awards	Favorite Return	''The Bold and the Beautiful''
2006	Won	''TV Soap Golden Boomerang Award''	Popular Supporting Female	''The Bold and the Beautiful''

References

External links

Category:1954 births Category:English film actors Category:English soap opera actors Category:English television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Wandsworth

an:Lesley-Anne Down cs:Lesley-Anne Downová de:Lesley-Anne Down es:Lesley-Anne Down fr:Lesley-Anne Down it:Lesley-Anne Down nl:Lesley-Anne Down no:Lesley-Anne Down pl:Lesley-Anne Down ro:Lesley-Anne Down ru:Даун, Лесли-Энн fi:Lesley-Anne Down sv:Lesley-Anne Down

name	John Thaw, CBE
birth name	John Edward Thaw
birth date	January 03, 1942
birth place	Gorton, Manchester, Lancashire, England
death date	February 21, 2002
death place	Luckington, Wiltshire, England
occupation	Actor
years active	1960–2002
spouse	(divorced); 1 child (his death); 1 child }}

John Edward Thaw, CBE (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as ''Redcap'', ''The Sweeney'', ''Inspector Morse'' and ''Kavanagh QC''.

Early life

Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton, Manchester, Lancashire, to parents John and Dorothy (née Ablott). His father was a long distance lorry driver. He had a difficult childhood as his mother left him when he was seven years old and he didn't see her again until twelve years later. He had a younger brother called Ray. He grew up in the Burnage area of the city and attended Ducie Technical High School for Boys in Manchester. He entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the age of 17, where he was a contemporary of Tom Courtenay.

Career

Soon after leaving RADA he made his stage début in ''A Shred of Evidence'' at the Liverpool Playhouse and was awarded a contract with the theatre. His first film role was a bit part in the 1962 adaptation of ''The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner'' starring Tom Courtenay and he also acted on-stage opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in ''Semi-Detached'' (1962) by David Turner. He appeared in several episodes of the BBC police series ''Z-Cars'' in 1963–64 as a detective constable with a drink problem. Between 1964 and 1966 he appeared as the central role of hard-nosed military policeman, Sgt John Mann, in two series of the ABC Weekend Television/ITV production ''Redcap''. He was also a guest star in an early episode of ''The Avengers''. In 1967 he appeared in the Granada TV/ITV series, ''Inheritance'', alongside James Bolam and Michael Goodliffe, as well as appearing in TV plays such as ''The Talking Head'' and episodes of series such as ''Budgie'', where he played against type (opposite Adam Faith) as an effeminate failed playwright with a full beard and a Welsh accent.

Thaw will perhaps be best remembered for two roles: the hard-bitten Flying Squad detective Jack Regan in the Thames Television/ITV series (and two films) ''The Sweeney'' (1974 – 1978), which established him as a major star in the United Kingdom, and as the quietly spoken, introspective, well-educated and bitter detective ''Inspector Morse'' (1987 – 1993, with specials from 1995 – 1998 and 2000). Starring alongside Kevin Whately as the put upon Detective Sergeant Lewis, Morse became a cult character - "a cognitive curmudgeon with his love of classical music, his vintage Jaguar and spates of melancholy". Morse became one of the UK's most loved TV series - the final three episodes, shown in 2000, were seen by 18 million people - about one third of the British population. He won "Most Popular Actor" at the 1999 National Television Awards and won two BAFTA awards for his role as Morse.

He subsequently played liberal working class Lancastrian barrister James Kavanagh in ''Kavanagh QC'' (1995 – 1999, and a special in 2001). Thaw also tried his hand at comedy with two sitcoms — ''Thick as Thieves'' (London Weekend/ITV, 1974) with Bob Hoskins and ''Home to Roost'' (Yorkshire/ITV, 1985 – 1990). Thaw is best known in America for the Morse series, as well as the BBC series ''A Year in Provence'' with Lindsay Duncan.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Thaw frequently appeared in productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre. He appeared in a number of films, including ''Cry Freedom'', where he portrayed the conservative South African justice minister Jimmy Kruger, for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and ''Chaplin'' alongside Robert Downey Jr. for director Richard Attenborough.

Thaw also appeared in the TV adaptation of the Michelle Magorian book ''Goodnight Mister Tom'' (Carlton Television/ITV), which also starred Nick Robinson as William Beech. It won "Most Popular Drama" at the National Television Awards, 1999. In September 2006, Thaw was voted by the general public as number 3 in a poll of ''TV's Greatest Stars''.

Personal life

In 1964, Thaw married Sally Alexander (a theatre stage manager), but they divorced four years later.

He met actress Sheila Hancock in 1969 on the set of a London comedy ''So What About Love?''. She was married to fellow actor Alexander "Alec" Ross, and after Thaw professed his love to Hancock, she told him that she would not have an affair. After the death of her husband (from oesophageal cancer) in 1971, Thaw and Hancock married on 24 December 1973 in Cirencester, and he remained with her until his death in 2002 (also from oesophageal cancer).

Thaw had three daughters (all of whom are actors): Abigail "Abs" Thaw from his first marriage, Joanna "Jo" Thaw from his second, and he also adopted Sheila Hancock's daughter Melanie Jane "Ellie" from her first marriage. Melanie legally changed her name from Ross to Thaw.

Thaw was a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party.

Thaw was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in March 1993 by Queen Elizabeth II.

In September 2006, Thaw was voted by the general public as number 3, after David Jason and Morecambe and Wise, in a poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars for the past 50 years.

A heavy drinker, and a smoker from the age of twelve, Thaw was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in June 2001. He underwent chemotherapy in hope of overcoming the illness, and at first seemed to be responding well to the treatment, but in early January 2002 was told that the cancer had spread.

He died on 21 February 2002, seven weeks after his 60th birthday, the day after he signed a new contract with ITV, and the day before his wife's birthday. At the time of his death he was living at his country home, near the villages of Luckington and Sherston in Wiltshire, and was cremated at Westerleigh Crematorium in South Gloucestershire in a private service. A memorial service was held on 4 September 2002 at St Martin's in the Fields Church in Trafalgar Square, attended by 800 people including Prince Charles and Cherie Blair.

Honours and awards

1989 British Academy Award

1992 British Academy Award

1994 CBE

1999 "Most Popular Actor" - National TV Awards

2001 BAFTA fellowship

Performances

Television series

1961 ''The Younger Generation''

1965–66 ''Redcap''

1966–67 ''Inheritance''

1974 ''Thick As Thieves''

1975–78 ''The Sweeney''

1983 ''Mitch''

1985–89 ''Home to Roost''

1987–2000 ''Inspector Morse''

1991 ''Stanley and the Women''

1992 ''A Year in Provence''

1995–2001 ''Kavanagh QC''

1999 ''Plastic Man''

2000 ''Monsignor Renard''

2001 ''The Glass''

TV movies

1961 ''Serjeant Musgrave's Dance''

1963 ''The Lads''

1964 ''I Can Walk Where I Like, Can't I?''

1964 ''The Other Man''

1966 ''The Making of Jericho''

1974 ''Regan''

1978 ''Dinner at the Sporting Club''

1980 ''Drake's Venture''

1984 ''The Life and Death of King John''

1984 ''Killer Waiting''

1985 ''We'll Support You Ever More''

1987 ''The Sign of Four''

1992 ''Bomber Harris''

1993 ''The Mystery of Morse''

1994 ''The Absence of War''

1996 ''Into the Blue"

1998 ''Goodnight Mister Tom''

1999 ''The Waiting Time''

2000 ''Inspector Morse: Rest in Peace''

2001 ''Hidden Treasure'' / ''Buried Treasure''

Film

1962 ''Nil Carborundum''

1962 ''Smashing Day''

1962 ''The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner''

1963 ''Five to One''

1965 ''Dead Man's Chest''

1968 ''The Bofors Gun''

1970 ''Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition''

1970 ''The Last Grenade''

1972 ''Dr. Phibes Rises Again''

1976 ''The Sensible Action of Lieutenant Holst''

1977 ''Sweeney!''

1978 ''Sweeney 2''

1978 ''Dinner at the Sporting Club''

1981 ''The Grass is Singing''

1987 ''Asking for Trouble''

1987 ''Business As Usual''

1987 ''Cry Freedom''

1992 ''Chaplin''

1996 ''Masculine Mesculine''

Stage

1960 ''A Shred of Evidence''

1961 ''The Fire Raisers''

1962 ''Women Beware Women''

1962 ''Semi-Detached'' (with Sir Laurence Olivier)

1964 ''The Father''

1969 ''So What About Love?''

1970 ''Random Happenings in the Hebrides'' by John McGrath

1971 ''The Lady from the Sea''

1973 ''Collaborators''

1976 ''Absurd Person Singular''

1978 ''Night and Day''

1982 ''Serjeant Musgrave's Dance''

1983 ''Twelfth Night''

1983 ''The Time of Your Life''

1983 ''Henry VIII''

1984 ''Pygmalion''

1988 ''All My Sons''

1993 ''The Absence of War'' by David Hare

References

Bibliography

Hancock, Sheila (2004). ''The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw''. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-0-7475-7020-2

John Thaw.The Biography.Stafford Hildred and Tim Ewbank.London:Andre Deutsch.ISBN 0 233 99475 0

External links

Category:1942 births Category:2002 deaths Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:English television actors Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:Actors from Manchester Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Gorton Category:Deaths from esophageal cancer Category:Inspector Morse Category:Cancer deaths in England

bg:Джон Тоу fr:John Thaw nl:John Thaw no:John Thaw ru:Тоу, Джон fi:John Thaw sv:John Thaw