The BEST episodes of The Sweeney

Every episode of The Sweeney ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Sweeney!

The Sweeney was one of the finest British police series of the mid 1970s. Jack Regan is a hard edged detective in the Flying Squad of London's Metropolitan police (called 'the Sweeney' from the Cockney rhyming slang 'Sweeney Todd' = 'Flying Squad'). He pursues villains by methods which are underhand, often illegal, frequently violent, and more often than not, successful.

Last Updated: 2/27/2024Network: ITV1Status: Ended
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Thou Shalt Not Kill
star
8.88
8 votes

#1 - Thou Shalt Not Kill

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 11/24/1975

The day before the start of a new term, the university branch of the National Mercian bank is robbed. Regan and his squad arrive and catch or shoot most of the gang but known killer Hands and simple side-kick Monks are still inside with the manager and two women hostages. Haskins' hesitancy in ordering the police marksmen to fire on the robbers leads to a car chase and fatalities, causing Regan to round on his boss.

Directors: Douglas Camfield
Watch Now:Amazon
Trojan Bus
star
8.82
11 votes

#2 - Trojan Bus

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/3/1975

Australian villains Colin MacGruder and Ray Stackpole return to London and steal a bus, posing as its crew. They rob an art dealer travelling on the bus of a Goya painting, which they plan to sell to a buyer in Amsterdam. Regan tracks them down by leaning on their accomplice, the dealer's female assistant, leading to a river chase and a shoot-out, making it the end of the line for the boys from Down Under.

Directors: Ted Childs
Watch Now:Amazon
Taste Of Fear
star
8.77
13 votes

#3 - Taste Of Fear

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/4/1976

A detective with a very good past joins the Sweeney, in time to investigate a violent burglary by a group of ex soldiers. But is the new recruit up to it? Jack Regan thinks not but nobody seems to share his view, believing he has a vendetta.

Directors: David Wickes
Watch Now:Amazon
Country Boy
star
8.73
11 votes

#4 - Country Boy

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/17/1975

A London gang have got the Metropolitan police and Sweeney running in all directions to answer alarm bells ringing at banks and shops all over London, whilst the gang are using this distraction for robbing a location with no alarms. The Sweeney have no clues, so Haskins brings in a telecommunications expert from Bristol CID to assist Regan & Carter. Jack is against it but soon discovers that DS Keel is the help he needs when the gang are rumbled and finally caught.

Directors: Jim Goddard
Watch Now:Amazon
Pay Off
star
8.70
10 votes

#5 - Pay Off

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/29/1976

Carter's girlfriend asks him to find a missing villain, who turns up dead.

Directors: Douglas Camfield
Writer: P.J. Hammond
Watch Now:Amazon
Bad Apple
star
8.62
13 votes

#6 - Bad Apple

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/11/1976

A group of CID detectives are accepting bribes from criminals but when one is sent down, he soon grasses up the police officers involved. Regan & Carter go undercover to investigate the operation and to stop the officers involved.

Directors: Douglas Camfield
Watch Now:Amazon
Tomorrow Man
star
8.60
15 votes

#7 - Tomorrow Man

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/27/1976

Regan has to do battle with a brilliant computer expert bent on revenge to ensure the safe shipment of a consignment of gold bullion.

Directors: David Wickes
Watch Now:Amazon
Queen's Pawn
star
8.56
18 votes

#8 - Queen's Pawn

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/23/1975

After a high-powered lawyer gets three petty thugs off on a murder charge, Regan is authorized to use whatever means necessary to bring the hoodlums in.

Directors: Viktors Ritelis
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
One Of Your Own
star
8.50
12 votes

#9 - One Of Your Own

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/9/1978

Jimmy Fleet and a friend con two businessmen into handing over some valuable diamonds. They are caught, but only after Jimmy managed to hide the diamonds. Patsy Kearney, a criminal who specialises in thieving off thieves, becomes interested, as do the Sweeney. Sergeant Carter gets to do some time in prison in an attempt to gain Jimmy's confidence. There is an interesting addition of extra humour in this episode provided by Jenny, a barmaid who is especially attracted to policemen, particularly when they are in uniform!

Directors: Chris Menaul
Writer: Tony Hoare
Watch Now:Amazon
Sweet Smell Of Succession
star
8.45
11 votes

#10 - Sweet Smell Of Succession

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/8/1976

Regan gets involved in gangland warfare following the death of one of London's leading villains.

Directors: William Brayne
Writer: Peter Hill
Watch Now:Amazon
Bait
star
8.42
12 votes

#11 - Bait

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/19/1978

Lyn Hurst is injured in a road accident but, in the ambulance, she produces a gun, forces the vehicle to stop and escapes. Regan and Carter discover she was part of a gang behind the wages theft at the Local Education Authority.

Directors: Sid Robertson
Watch Now:Amazon
Golden Boy
star
8.37
16 votes

#12 - Golden Boy

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/27/1975

A gang of thieves lead by Max Deller (Dudley Sutton) need a way of shipping stolen gold out of the country for resale. Deller leans on a former prison cell mate who is now using another identity to go straight as the managing director of a very successful sporting equipment company, who to protect his safe future has to assist with the plan to ship the gold out as exercise weights.

Directors: Tom Clegg
Writer: Martin Hall
Watch Now:Amazon
Feet Of Clay
star
8.36
11 votes

#13 - Feet Of Clay

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/2/1978

Regan is asked to help a criminal from his past who's son has been kidnapped.

Directors: Chris Burt
Watch Now:Amazon
The Bigger They Are
star
8.33
12 votes

#14 - The Bigger They Are

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/26/1978

A wealthy entrepreneur is being blackmailed over activities he performed whilst stationed as a soldier in Malaya. He seeks assistance from two other former soldiers who had been involved, one of whom is now a senior police officer, the other now a security company owner/manager. The policeman attempts to stop Inspector Regan from investigating. The security company man hires mercenaries to persuade the blackmailers to desist.

Directors: Mike Vardy
Writer: Tony Hoare
Watch Now:Amazon
Poppy
star
8.31
13 votes

#15 - Poppy

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/20/1975

Violent criminal Vic Labbett returns to England to recover the proceeds of an earlier robbery. He intends to exchange the cash for diamonds, and return to exile abroad.

Directors: Tom Clegg
Watch Now:Amazon
Nightmare
star
8.27
11 votes

#16 - Nightmare

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/5/1978

Regan's girlfriend's nightmare has come true when he becomes a target.

Directors: David Wickes
Watch Now:Amazon
Stay Lucky, Eh?
star
8.09
11 votes

#17 - Stay Lucky, Eh?

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/27/1975

Two young villains, Tyson and Jenner, working for gang boss Tony Kirby, are relieved of the spoils of their robbery by a mysterious gun-man, who shoots Jenner in the leg. Nobody knows who he is until Regan has a word with Jenner's disgruntled father-in-law, which leads to a shoot-out in a theatre. At the same time Regan is made a tempting offer to go into private security work.

Directors: Douglas Camfield
Thin Ice
star
8.00
19 votes

#18 - Thin Ice

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/16/1975

Regan lures Bishop, a prize crook, back into the country using the villain's favourite dog as bait.

Directors: Tom Clegg
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Night Out
star
8.00
19 votes

#19 - Night Out

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/6/1975

The squad tries to pinpoint a radio transmitter which is being used to coordinate the movements of bank robbers.

Directors: David Wickes
Watch Now:Amazon
Big Spender
star
7.94
16 votes

#20 - Big Spender

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/13/1975

The Smith brothers are a notorious gang of gangsters who carry out violent hijack's and robberies but always seem to keep themselves clear when the Sweeney come investigating, so Regan & Carter are set about the finally break them. The investigation reveals they are bribing the manager of a busy central London car park who is defrauding his firm by issuing fake parking tickets. The Smiths decide to move in and take their cut of his greed, but it doesnt take The Sweeney long to move in.

Directors: Terry Green
Writer: Allan Prior
Watch Now:Amazon
Messenger Of The Gods
star
7.93
15 votes

#21 - Messenger Of The Gods

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/7/1978

Regan and Carter have a suspect in mind for the theft of a consignment of mercury, but he has an alibi.

Directors: Terry Green
Watch Now:Amazon
The Placer
star
7.93
15 votes

#22 - The Placer

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/13/1975

Jack Regan goes undercover as a lorry driver to trap a ring of hijackers.

Directors: Ted Childs
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Lady Luck
star
7.92
12 votes

#23 - Lady Luck

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/13/1976

Regan knows the identity of a robber, but has a difficult time proving his guilt.

Directors: Mike Vardy
Watch Now:Amazon
In From The Cold
star
7.90
10 votes

#24 - In From The Cold

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/13/1976

Regan whilst on a routine operation spots Billy Medhurst, who had been part of a gang that carried out a robbery in which a former Sweeney officer, Eddie Jackson was shot and left permantly disabled. Regan blames himself for the accident and decided to get Medhurst put away, but is the past clouding his judgement and destroying the case?

Directors: Terry Green
Writer: Tony Hoare
Watch Now:Amazon
Faces
star
7.88
17 votes

#25 - Faces

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/8/1975

When a gang hijack an armoured security truck and steal the money, Regan, Carter and the Flying Squad set up an ambush to catch the crooks. But who's the informer?

Directors: William Brayne
Writer: Murray Smith
Watch Now:Amazon