Programme's title comes from the real-world Cockney rhyming slang nickname "The Sweeney Todd" used to refer to the Flying Squad by London's criminal fraternity in the mid 20th Century.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,377 |
13 Facts About The Sweeney
2.
The Sweeney was developed from a one-off TV drama entitled Regan which served as the pilot episode for the series.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,378 |
3.
Police officers in The Sweeney are ready and willing to meet violence with violence when dealing with London's hardened criminals, and are prone to cut corners and bend the law in pursuit of their prey, as long as it gets the right result.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,379 |
4.
The Sweeney occasionally refers to his northern roots, which prompts banter from George Carter, a Londoner, such as humming "The Red Flag".
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,380 |
5.
The Sweeney has an ex-wife, Kate, and daughter, Susie, who live in Ruislip.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,381 |
6.
The Sweeney is married to Alison Carter, a schoolteacher, but is widowed when she is murdered in episode 2.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,382 |
7.
The Sweeney is a former amateur boxer, as shown in the pilot Regan, and is described as having professional boxing potential in episode 2.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,383 |
8.
The Sweeney is married and has three children, all at boarding school, and is Regan's immediate superior.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,384 |
9.
The Sweeney is frequently seen at odds with Regan, preferring more conventional "by-the-book" policing methods.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,385 |
10.
The Sweeney invariably calls Carter and the other Squad members by their first names, or occasionally nicknames.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,386 |
11.
Cars used in The Sweeney became just as important to the series as any of the human characters.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,387 |
12.
The Sweeney was shot on 16mm film, allowing producers to use much smaller and more agile camera crews than shooting on videotape allowed at that time.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,388 |
13.
In 1977 and 1978, publishers Brown Watson published two editions of The Sweeney Annual featuring a mix of comic strips and illustrated text stories, interspersed with occasional features on the TV series, articles about policing, puzzles and an interview with John Thaw and Dennis Waterman.
| FactSnippet No. 2,158,389 |