This one-off TV play (Armchair Cinema: Season 1, Episode 2) became the pilot episode of the British police series 'The Sweeney'. Sgt Alan Cowley of the Flying Squad is killed whilst on the trail of rival London gangs. It is discovered that he had not called in for several days, and had filed no paperwork detailing his progress. His guvnor, Jack Regan, is determined to find the killers despite being forbidden to interfere in the case, which has been assigned to the rival Serious Flying Squad.
Regan's girlfriend's motor is nicked. Unfortunately it contains most of the evidence from Regan's current surveillance of gangster Frankie Kemble, and it doesn't take long for the evidence to find its way into the hands of Kemble.
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.
Regan lures Bishop, a prize crook, back into the country using the villain's favourite dog as bait.
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.
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.
The squad tries to pinpoint a radio transmitter which is being used to coordinate the movements of bank robbers.
Jack Regan goes undercover as a lorry driver to trap a ring of hijackers.
There's romance between Regan and a crime journalist, but when she is implicated in a major crime, her innocence comes into question.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jack Regan's tip off of a robbery lead him to close to the action, so the gang planning the robbery kidnap Jack's daughter to use as a hostage, to keep Regan off the scent of the action until they make a getaway. Regan wants his daughter back so takes it in his own hands to track down his daughter and to prevent the robbery, going against his ex wife, the orders of his bosses and the detective investigating the kidnap.
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.
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?
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?
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.
George Carter's wife Alison is killed by a hired assassin when she is mistaken for a fellow teacher with dubious connections.
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?
Chief Inspector Haskins is framed for corruption while Regan and Carter investigate a spate of break-ins. Is there a connection?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Regan has to do battle with a brilliant computer expert bent on revenge to ensure the safe shipment of a consignment of gold bullion.
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.
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.
Regan tries to help out the son of an old friend when the lad is implicated in a brutal assault.
Regan gets involved in gangland warfare following the death of one of London's leading villains.
Regan is fitted up by an ex-con in an attempt to get his daughter's criminal boyfriend out of the picture.
Carter's girlfriend asks him to find a missing villain, who turns up dead.
Regan must find the source of dangerous illicit firearms that are flooding the market.
Regan knows the identity of a robber, but has a difficult time proving his guilt.
An armed robber is sprung from jail and comes looking for Regan.
Hard-bitten Flying Squad officer Jack Regan gets embroiled in a deadly political plot when an old friend asks him to investigate the death of his girlfriend. Framed on a drunk-drive charge and suspended from the force, with his partner and best mate George Carter unable to help, Jack must rely on his wits to evade deadly government hitmen and expose the real villain of the piece.
Second cinematic spin-off from the popular 70's police series. Regan & Carter head a Flying Squad investigation into a series of bank raids by a team of well-armed villains who are flying in from the continent.
Regan and Carter have a suspect in mind for the theft of a consignment of mercury, but he has an alibi.
Regan and Carter pursue some Scottish villains around London, assisted by a Scots police officer.
The Sweeney get incorrect information from informants, allowing a gang of villains to make off with some contraband alcohol.
Regan and Carter can find no leads after a criminal dies during a robbery.
Regan's girlfriend's nightmare has come true when he becomes a target.
Regan and Carter try to catch a man trying to blackmail a pools winner about the part he played in a robbery.
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.
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.
Regan is asked to help a criminal from his past who's son has been kidnapped.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
A Sweeney Documentary
Part of the 'Unforgettable' Series.
