The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a British television police drama focusing on two crime-fighting members of the Flying Squad, an elite branch of the British police force specialising in armed robbery and violent crime. The fictional programme originally aired on ITV from 1975 until 1978 and starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman."Sweeney Todd", usually shortened to "The Sweeney", is Cockney rhyming slang for the Flying Squad, and accounts for how this programme received its title. The Sweeney is known for its its elaborate car chases and for its gritty and relatively realistic look at the criminal side of London as it existed in the 1970s. The catchphrase "Shut it!", still heard in the UK today, is from The Sweeney. The series was produced by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, for ITV.
References to The Sweeney are a central focus of the 1979 song "Cool for Cats" by the band Squeeze.