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Sweeney!: The Official Companion
In this, the definitive account of The Sweeney and its feature film spin-offs, Robert Fairclough and Mike Kenwood unravel the complex story behind the making of the four series, including full cast and crew details, and plot summaries of every Sweeney episode. The book is based on interviews with many of the cast and crew, including creator Ian Kennedy Martin and star Dennis Waterman, and also includes details of never-before-seen scripts for several unmade episodes.
192 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 12, 2015
The Sweeney Official Companion does exactly what it says on the cover - it makes for an excellent reference to the entire series, with backgrounds, biographies, & a full chronological write-up of each of the 4 series & 2 feature films.
Each episode is listed with its individual cast list, story synopsis, on-screen quotes & any unusual info, plus the original ITV network screen dates.
We find out exactly how this classic series evolved, & those who paved the way to bring it to the screen. It makes for a fascinating insight into what became an instantly classic series which raised the bar for quality drama, production, directing, writing & realism. We also get to look at what Euston films did next, & how The Sweeney set the standards for TV as we know it today.
There are some rare photos included too, & a glossary of the various spin-offs & merchandise.
If the book had also included some of the locations used to film each episode (as in other similar books from filmed series), then it would be perfect! But this is only a minor gripe (& maybe something that could be considered at a later date).
It also affords perhaps too much respect for the disastrous 2012 feature film, which was in post-production when the revised edition I read was printed, but I guess we can forgive the authors & give them the benefit of the doubt on that!
All in all though, an excellent companion to a very special show - & a very useful book to delve into (as I've been doing each week) when viewing this wonderful series again.
Each episode is listed with its individual cast list, story synopsis, on-screen quotes & any unusual info, plus the original ITV network screen dates.
We find out exactly how this classic series evolved, & those who paved the way to bring it to the screen. It makes for a fascinating insight into what became an instantly classic series which raised the bar for quality drama, production, directing, writing & realism. We also get to look at what Euston films did next, & how The Sweeney set the standards for TV as we know it today.
There are some rare photos included too, & a glossary of the various spin-offs & merchandise.
If the book had also included some of the locations used to film each episode (as in other similar books from filmed series), then it would be perfect! But this is only a minor gripe (& maybe something that could be considered at a later date).
It also affords perhaps too much respect for the disastrous 2012 feature film, which was in post-production when the revised edition I read was printed, but I guess we can forgive the authors & give them the benefit of the doubt on that!
All in all though, an excellent companion to a very special show - & a very useful book to delve into (as I've been doing each week) when viewing this wonderful series again.
February 10, 2015
Totslly enthralling, and utterly engaging from start to finish. It may sound cliche; but I could not put this book down. Highly recommended for aficianado and novice alike.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews