THE SWEENEY

After concluding a straightforward case, Inspector Jack Regan (John Thaw) whistled the Dixon of Dock Green theme tune as a nod to his predecessor and to highlight The Sweeney’s much grittier style. As well as its use of Cockney rhyming slang (Sweeney Todd = Flying Squad), it introduced many viewers to criminal jargon for the first time (‘ringer’ for car thief, ‘fence’ for seller of stolen goods). While it showed the darker side of policing, up against a darker sort of criminal, Regan and Carter ...