The WORST episodes of The Sweeney
Every episode of The Sweeney ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst 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.
#1 - Hearts and Minds
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/23/1978
Regan and Carter get caught up in a plot to prevent a foreign head of state from getting his hands on an experimental drug to treat his heart condition.
#2 - Trust Red
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/28/1978
Regan and Carter can find no leads after a criminal dies during a robbery.
#3 - Visiting Fireman
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/20/1976
Turkish policeman Captain Shebbeq arrives in England for his old friend Regan to help him track down a gold-smuggling ring, possibly connected to an insurance firm which is fire-bombed. Their joint investigation leads them to uncover another form of smuggling, in the process of which someone puts a bomb in Regan's car. However, he does have the last word on the zealous fellow cop who had him suspended.
#4 - Drag Act
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/21/1978
The Sweeney get incorrect information from informants, allowing a gang of villains to make off with some contraband alcohol.
#5 - Hard Men
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/14/1978
Regan and Carter pursue some Scottish villains around London, assisted by a Scots police officer.
#6 - Victims
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/14/1978
Regan and Carter are at the scene of a shooting where Sgt. Taylor has been badly injured. Carter discovers that Jimmy Park, one of Taylor's informants was involved. Regan finds himself distracted from by Doreen Haskins.
#7 - May
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/25/1976
Regan tries to help out the son of an old friend when the lad is implicated in a brutal assault.
#8 - Cover Story
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/20/1975
There's romance between Regan and a crime journalist, but when she is implicated in a major crime, her innocence comes into question.
#9 - Latin Lady
Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/30/1978
Regan and Carter go after a gang of villains who attacked a gynaecologist and robbed him of a large sum of money he was planning to smuggle out of the country.
#10 - Jack Or Knave
Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/28/1978
Regan finds himself in deep trouble when an allegation of corruption is made by the Police Complaints Department. A security van is robbed, and a guard identifies one of the robbers.
#11 - Supersnout
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/15/1975
An informant of Regan's tells him about a hijack involving a lorryload of cigarettes where he will be the look-out man. But can Regan trust his snout?
#12 - Stoppo Driver
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/6/1975
Bill, the regular Sweeney driver is off so Regan & Carter get recently transfered Sweeney driver Cooney (played by Billy Murray). His hot shot driving during a car chase leads to a key member of a gang being killed in a car crash. The gang need a new driver and decide that they can influence Cooney by snatching his newly married wife and holding her to ransome. Cooney decided to forget Police help and get his wife back by doing what he is told and driving as the group getaway driver, but Regan & Carter soon suspect that something is wrong.
#13 - Trap
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/6/1975
Regan and Carter are confronted by a newsman with information on the unsolved Golden Maid robbery. But does he still want that man? And why are Regan and Carter being photographed?
#14 - Hit and Run
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/29/1975
George Carter's wife Alison is killed by a hired assassin when she is mistaken for a fellow teacher with dubious connections.
#15 - Jackpot
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/9/1975
A robbery is foiled in a well planned swoop by the Flying Squad. The villains are arrested and most of the cash recovered, except for one bag containing £35,000. No one seems to be talking, so Regan must resort to old fashioned detective work to find the missing loot.
#16 - Chalk and Cheese
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/1/1975
When a wealthy couple are robbed of their possessions while driving down a country lane, Carter gets to meet up with an old friend, but not in the circumstances he would have wished.
#17 - I Want The Man
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/10/1975
Informant Popeye is abducted by villain Maynard whilst staking out small-time crook Frankie Little after a jewel theft. Regan pulls Little but agrees to drop charges if Little will go ahead as planned, acting as Maynard's driver on an upcoming robbery. However, all Little is able to phone in to Regan on the eve of the heist is "Old Readies". Regan must locate where the crime will take place before it is too late for Popeye.
#18 - Loving Arms
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/6/1976
Regan must find the source of dangerous illicit firearms that are flooding the market.
#19 - Contact Breaker
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/20/1975
Danny Keever is on weekend release from his prison sentence, at the same time a firm of robbers break into a bank vault, the hallmarks of the robbery and the statement of a witness seem to fit up Danny Keever but Regan & Carter believe is the victim of a set up, and set about to prove Keever's innocence against the wishes of Haskins, who has an old score to settle with Keever.
#20 - Jigsaw
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/30/1975
Regan knows that Eddie Boys is involved in a factory robbery, but he seems to have a cast-iron alibi. Worse still, Regan is accused of police harassment.
#21 - Money, Money, Money
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/12/1978
Regan and Carter try to catch a man trying to blackmail a pools winner about the part he played in a robbery.
#22 - On The Run
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/20/1976
An armed robber is sprung from jail and comes looking for Regan.
#23 - Selected Target
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/6/1976
Two prison cell mates plan a robbery together whilst inside and then stage a fight and kidnapping when they are released to keep the Sweeney off their trail. The Sweeney tail Kibber believing he has killed Oates but have no proof. Kibber gets away and The Sweeney release Oates has blackmailed a London bank when it is too late.
#24 - Golden Fleece
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/13/1975
Chief Inspector Haskins is framed for corruption while Regan and Carter investigate a spate of break-ins. Is there a connection?
#25 - Big Brother
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/22/1975
Regan loses his patience with a thug he is questioning about a wages snatch. Soon the press are sniffing round for a police brutality story and the suspect's gangster brother puts out a contract on Regan.