Best Drama Series Ever Made By British Television

[DB7]

Originally posted by Tony Pendrey@Sep 6 2005, 10:27 PM That middle-aged men look silly in flares

I was going to blame it for the 90s fad of talking Mockney

I'd put Dr Who top of the tree.

Then When the Boat Comes In, Boys from the Blackstuff, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Edge of Darkness... and The Professionals for driving an RS2000 rather than fleet Ford Gr anada's

[samkydd]

Originally posted by Tony Pendrey@Sep 6 2005, 09:27 PM That middle-aged men look silly in flares

I think that the programme was groundbreaking because it got rid of the myth of the kindly silly old sod PC like George Dixon pounding the beat and giving kids a clip round the lug. Z Cars was also a bit parochial, and Softly Softly and Special Branch were probably the first to emerge from the 1950s style of TV and film copper.

The Sweeney portrayed 70s coppers that we'd never seen before on the box, and their brash approach to nickin' villains was quite fresh, and to some, very shocking. Policemen didn't drink, gamble, beat people up and womanise, no, they told people the time and blew whistles and said "Are you going to come quietly son!"

We had a few "different angle" series which followed Mrs T into office. Juliet Bravo "A woman inspector in charge, whatever next?" which was like Heartbeat without the decent pop music, and went back in time although it was set in the present. The Gentle Touch had Jill Gascoigne as a "senior policewoman detective, whatever next?" with William Marlowe as her boss.

The Bill was possibly a Z Cars for the 1980s, and having recently seen the first episode about Jim Carver's first day on the job it was a bit cardboard set and wooden acting (Peter "Pete Beale" Dean was the station sergeant, stweuth!) . It's now just another soap full of policemen characters that are so stupid even the real police have noticed! I don't bother with it any more.

We've also had crap like Thieftakers, Waking the Dead, Burnside and a ruck of "crack team" coppers, but they were never as good as The Sweeney. I still reckon Morse and Frost take some beating, but again, not exactly groundbreaking police TV just better written and acted than most of the other stuff I've mentioned, plus the two hour format is better for cop shows.

I didn't like Prime Suspect at all. It was full of predictable anti-female in charge dialogue that was really out of date in the 90s, and the story dragged on and on and was padded out quite a bit "How many pages?"!

So when you look back over the past 30 years I suppose The Sweeney is pretty good, and as we were all a lot younger then, it sticks in your mind more! But having said that, it wasn't always memorable for the right reasons. I would have thought a prerequisite for getting an acting job as a Cockney, Russian, German, South African or Australian would be the ability to speak in the correct accent! Some of the ones employed on The Sweeney couldn't do accents for toffee!; Paul Henry, Patrick Mower and George Layton to name but three!

[DB7]

Sound defence their Sam, could only be improved had Dennis Waterman wrote the theme toon... sang the theme toon...

[Shadwell]

Originally posted by DB7@Sep 7 2005, 07:48 PM Sound defence their Sam, could only be improved had Dennis Waterman wrote the theme toon... sang the theme toon... [

Please DB7 move along, there's nothing to see here. I doubt if Dennis Waterman could improve upon Harry South's memorable theme tune. However I think Samkydd summed it up nicely. The Sweeney is not prefect, of course not - but it is hard to think of a series which is a fondly remembered by the public as a whole and for all the right reasons....

[A Pemberton]

Get yer trousers on son,your nicked! Brilliant

not quite my favourite, that lies with Tony Garnetts "Between The Lines" with Insp Tony Clark et al and if anyone remembers it "Cardiac Arrest" crackingly cynical and an painfully indicative of the political state of the country at the time ,Oh, and Helen Baxendale in a doctors white coat and tweed skirt

[sanndevil]

THE SWEENEY was indeed the top of the tree as far as policiers in this country were concerned. However, if you are talking about dramas, then there were many much more accomplished. For starters, lets go for
THE SINGING DETECTIVE and
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED
Both by an order of magnitude better than Carter and Regan.

[Shadwell]

Originally posted by sanndevil@Sep 7 2005, 10:17 PM THE SWEENEY was indeed the top of the tree as far as policiers in this country were concerned. However, if you are talking about dramas, then there were many much more accomplished. For starters, lets go for THE SINGING DETECTIVE and BRIDESHEAD REVISITED* Both by an order of magnitude better than Carter and Regan.*

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, this looks a bit naughty guv.... Don't get me wrong, I like "The Singing Detective" and "Brideshead Revisited" the latter I think, is about to be shown on ITV3 and I'll look forward to watching it again. However there is no denying "The Sweeney" is an involving series and runs rings around both of them and is more fondly remembered by the general public after being made some 30 years ago than either of those two series. Not every episode was a classic of course not. However in my opinion, there were at least 6 or 7 episodes with a real social message which stand up as being the finest drama this country as ever produced. It wasn't all about fags, slags, blags and jags! The point I'm making is the technical aspects of Euston Studios and the way that British Film drama made in this country was never the same after "The Sweeney." The Euston young guns pushed the envelope in the way that film drama was handled in this country and proved that the 16mm format with some know how was a viable alternative to 35mm. And let's not forget the wonderful and sadly missed John Thaw. All in my humble opinion of course....

[samkydd]

Originally posted by Shadwell@Sep 5 2005, 10:24 PM I openly challenge any member of this community to name me a better drama series than "The Sweeney"

Regan (The Sweeney Pilot Movie) is due for DVD release on 12th September and Play.com's price is £11.99 delivered free!

I can't remember if I've seen it before or not, but I read the novel when I was a boy. Old school copper trying to fight not only crime but also the police establishment. Regan has trouble in conforming to the modern police culture of the 1970s, and his maverick ways will no longer be tolerated!

The Sweeney's doin' ninety 'cause they've got the word to go
They get a gang of villains in a shed up at Heathrow
They're countin' out the fivers when the 'ancuffs lock again
In an ' out of Wandsworth with their numbers on their names
It's funny 'ow their missus always looks the bleedin' same
And meanwhile at the station there's a couple of likely lads
Who swear like 'ow's your father and they're very cool for cats, they're cool for cats..............

[Shadwell]

"I'm gonna be calling you guv all day long, it's all I know and it's all you need to know!!!"
Shouting George of the Weeney in the Comic Strip - "Detectives on the edge of a nervous breakdown."

For anyone who hasn't seen that, it's one of the best episodes going of the Comic Strip where a celebrity detective chef is murdered and 70s coppers are called in to investigate. It's a piss-take of the Sweeney, the Professionals and Jason King. I love the scene with Jim Broadbent as the guvnor driving around in circles in his Granada screaming at the top of his lungs, "Guv, guv, guv...." Classic stuff

[mysteriesofedgarwallace]

Agreed, Euston Films were groundbreaking when it came to production: mainly due to the use of film; rather than VT with filmed inserts, like shows such as 'Callan' and 'Public Eye'; and using locations where possible rather than sets, which greatly adds to the realism. It did suit the 'action' style of The Sweeney very well.

But Euston did it on 'Special Branch' before 'The Sweeney'
Yes, I know that, by ser4 of SB the show didn't have many fans within Euston or Thames; but I think ser4 of SB is a weaker series than ser3; despite Pat Mower being 'bolted on' as it were. In a way Euston didn't do the show justice.

Mind you, the two 'extra eps.' of SB which appear on the boxed sets; ser1ep1 'Troika' and ser2ep1 'Inside' are two of the finest tv drama eps. I have ever seen.

Plus I find both 'Callan' and 'Public Eye' more engrossing than 'The Sweeney' and both of these shows have more traditional production values.

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by mysteriesofedgarwallace@Sep 6 2005, 05:55 PM but 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' is the finest British television series ever made no contest.

Agreed, I think the Tinker Tailor / Smiley's People combination was the strongest.

I was mystified by Morse when it came out, but now it mostly depresses me. The mysteries were pretty strong still.

Also back in 80s 90s I think the Holmes series with Brett was pretty strong fiction and acting.

Some of the TV movies from the late 60s early 70s that played on Public TV in the States were very strong - Elizabeth R, Tom Brown's School Days, etc. were very well done dramas.

Danger Man was great drama in the 60s.

The Prisoner was unique.

I think The Avengers with Emma Peel was the funnest!

[Shadwell]

Originally posted by mysteriesofedgarwallace@Sep 9 2005, 10:07 PM But Euston did it on 'Special Branch' before 'The Sweeney' Yes, I know that, by ser4 of SB the show didn't have many fans within Euston or Thames; but I think ser4 of SB is a weaker series than ser3; despite Pat Mower being 'bolted on' as it were. In a way Euston didn't do the show justice. Mind you, the two 'extra eps.' of SB which appear on the boxed sets; ser1ep1 'Troika' and ser2ep1 'Inside' are two of the finest tv drama eps. I have ever seen.

Damn! Did they? I always thought "The Sweeney" was the first to get the Euston technical treatment. As to "Callan" from what I can recall, excellent series and I am looking forward to seeing it again when the DVD boxset arrives. But on to "Special Branch." For some reason or other, this series never appeared on my radar screen as it were. I've looked it up on IMDB and it seems my kind of show, being a fan of seventies drama. I take it you recommend it then Edgar, old boy? So many DVD boxsets and not enough time....

[The_Late_Peter_Cook]

Originally posted by mysteriesofedgarwallace@Sep 6 2005, 05:55 PM but 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' is the finest British television series ever made

Nah, 'The Sweeney' takes that show outside and gives it a good kicking!
The best tv shows ever are:

INSPECTOR MORSE (the best tv show in in the world!)
THE SWEENEY
I, CLAUDUS
THE AVENGERS

I haven't seen any show as good as those four, though there are a lot of other shows I like, these are the ones I love the most and nothing else can match them.

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by The_Late_Peter_Cook@Sep 10 2005, 05:19 PM Nah, 'The Sweeney' takes that show outside and gives it a good kicking! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img] The best tv shows ever are: INSPECTOR MORSE (the best tv show in in the world!) THE SWEENEY I, CLAUDUS THE AVENGERS I haven't seen any show as good as those four, though there are a lot of other shows I like, these are the ones I love the most and nothing else can match them.

LPC, honestly, I haven't seen the Sweeney, so it is from my experience.

Also, you remind me of I, Claudius - I would mention it with Jacoby and co from the 70s production.

[Fellwanderer]

Originally posted by mysteriesofedgarwallace@Sep 6 2005, 06:55 PM but 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' is the finest British television series ever made no contest.

Agreed

Was it ever repeated?

FELL