Best of - The Sweeney

John Thaw and Dennis Waterman are Jack Reagan and George Carter of  the Flying Squad cracking on the crooks of  1970s London. Here are the 10 best episodes

1.Night Out

Reagan finds himself in place in a pub in which it's cellar a gang of crooks is trying to break into the bank next door. Peter Childs who plays the main robber would appear opposite Waterman in an number of episodes of Minder playing a police.

2. Stay Lucky Eh?

A pair of robber are then robbed leaving the crime boss behind the  heist hunting down those who ripped him off. Peter Vaughan plays the crime boss in the same manner hi which he played Harry Grout in Porridge and Waterman's future New Tricks co star Alun  Armstrong plays one of the robbed robbers.

3. The Placer

Reagan goes undercover in a gang of cargo robbers. He starts to sow discord among them by making moves on the ring leader's girl friend leading to a tense finale at a chemical plant.

4. Faces

Reagan and Carter look into a gang of robbers with ties to terrorists. Playing one of the robbers is Colin Weiland best known at the time for playing a policeman in Z-Cars but in the future would win an Oscar for writing the screenplay to Chariots of Fire.

5. Ringer

The show's first episode. Flying Squad observe a gang of crooks planning their next. Playing the gang leader id Brian Blessed.

6. Pay Off

Carter is asked by a casino croupier (played by Geraldine James) to look into the case of her vanished boyfriend. This leads to a stand off with a gang in a quarry.

7. Thin Ice

A comedic episode for a change. Reagan uses a crook's love for his pet dog to entc0e him back to the UK. Guest starring Brian Glover as a hapless right handman

8. Country Boy

A tech expert is brought in to help Flying Squad look into why alarms are being set off for no reason. What they find is a daring robbery.

9. Sweet Smell of Sucession

The son of a recently deceased crime boss finds himself at the centre of a gang land power but is he as innocent as seems? Guest starring Hywell Bennett as the son/

10. Bad Apples

Reagan and Carter are on the trail of a pair of cops may be corrupt. Interesting to see our heroes against those supposed to be on the same side.

The games are off

After much speculation this year's Olympic Games are off. Due to be held in Toyoko the Games have been moved back a year doe to the covid-19 crisis.

Are the Games off?

Concerns are mounting that this year's Olympics will be postponed due to the covid-19 crisis. Canada have pulled it's team out of the event due yo be held in Japan. Some have suggested the games to be held in a couple of years time. Though this will mean it will held in the same year as the Football World Cup. The situation keeps changing.

Zero

For obvious reasons the world has ground to a halt

Awful quiz show answer of the day 20-03-2020

On today's Tipping Point a contestant was asked which 1988 Bruce Willis film was based on the novel No One Lives forever. The answer given was 12 Monkeys. That was released in 1995, the correct answer is Die Hard

The contest is off

This year's Eurovison Song Contest is the latest event to be called off. Due to be held in Rotterdam, the Dutch Government has banned events of mass gatherings.

Production halted

Filming on the BBC continuing dramas EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City and Doctors has been halted due to the Covid-19 Virus crisis. EastEnders for example will now be shown 2 times a week as opposed to the 4 times as it is now.

TV ratings 15-03-2020

Belgravia the much hyped new series from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes drew 4 million viewers. It was beaten by the last episode BBC 1's Last Tango in Halifax which was seen by 5 million viewers. Belgravia ratings performance will be considered a disappointment given the track record of it's creators.

The World is closed

Due certain events a lot of things have been cancelled.

Matt goes baking

It has been announced that Matt Lucas will be taking over from Sand Toskvig as one of the presenters of Channel 4's Great British Bake Off. Matt is of course best known for his partnership with David Walliams on number of projects with the most famous being Little Britain. His new co-host Noel Fielding also had his own famous comic partnership, The Mighty Boosh with Julian Barrett. The new series of Great British Bake Off starts later this year.

We own the stairway

Led Zeppelin have won  a copyright battle over their most famous song Stairway to Heaven. US group Spirt said the rock legends lifted the opening riff to their song Tararus. The court found in favour of Zeppelin. This not the first band have been accused of lifting from other acts work though this time we have an answer.

Max von Sydow (1929-2020)

The death has been announced of actor Max von Sydow. He gained fame with a series he made with fellow Swede Ingamar Bergman. His first Hollywood role was as Christ in The Greatest Story Ever Told. Other famous roles include Father Merrin Lancaster in The Exorcist, Ming the Merciless in Flas Gordon and Ernst Stravo Blofled in Never Say Never Again. Max von  Sydow leaves behind an impressive body of work.

Bradly becomes Pa

Just days after quitting Doctor Who it has been announced that Bardly Walsh will take on the role Pa Larkin in an new version of the Darling Bud. There had been a previous series based on the stories of H E Bates which was a massive ratings hit. It starred David Jason as Pa and launched the career of Catherine Zeta Jones. No word as yet on who will be joining Bradly in the cast for this new version.

Voices of the Image

News of the return of Spitting Image brings to mind the long list of famous performers who provided voices for the show. Here are some of them.

Steve Coogan

Forever to be known as Alan Partridge Coogan has played an number real life figures most recently Stan Laurel.

Phil Cornwell

Played Alan's rival in I'm Alan Partridge, worked on both radio and TV versions of Dead Ringers and Stella Street in which celebs like Jack Nicholson live on an normal street.

Jan Ravens

Like Cornwell worked on both versions of Dead Ringers. Last seen delivering a highly toxic take on former Prime Minister Theresa May

John Thomson

Later to find fame on sketch show The Fast Show playing characters as the host Jazz Club with the catch phase of GREAT!!!!! Thomson would find a  popular hit in comedy drama Cold Feet.

Return of the image.

The streaming service Britbox has announced it's first commission of it's own and will delight those who wish some scathing satire in these troubled times. 24 years after it's ITV run ended Spitting Image is returning. Between 1984-96 the show skewered the powerful and the famous of the day including Margaret Thachter and Ronald Regan. Such was show's impact the band Genesis used puppets in their Land of Confusion video. Given that today we have such figure as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson in powerful roles this new version of Spitting Image will not lack for material.

No more adventures for Bradley

Bradley Walsh has announced that he is leaving the cast of Doctor Who. He has played the role of Graham since. His last appearance will in the end of year special titled which will feature the return of the Daleks. also leaving with Bradley is Bradley is Tosin Cole who played Graham's step son Ryan.

Awful quiz show answer of the day 02-03-2020

On today's Tipping Point a contestant was asked in which decade of the 20th century was the Oscars shown live on TV. The answer given was 1900s! The actual answer id the 1950s.

TV ratings 01-03-2020

Doctor Who saw just 3.78m viewers tune in to see the final episode of the current series. In am night of low ratings Antiques Roadshow posted the best figure with 4.41m viewers.

The return of Action

Coming out later this month is Action 2020, an one off remake of the old Action comics. The title caused a fuss with it's use of graphic images of violence. One issue had to be pulped after complaints from moral watch dog Mary Whitehouse. One creative people working on this new version of Action is famed writer Garth Ennis. What impact the one off makes has to be seen.