RE: ST becomes the Focus of The Sweeney

[FourWheelDrift]

onyx39 said:

iain1970 said:

I wonder if Dennis Waterman has passed on the baton to Plan B and allowed him to write the theme tune and sing the theme tune.

I think he needs a cameo though... maybe a chase through London and the Focus is chasing an old car (Granada) pulls over and Waterman gets out?

I always thought of a new Sweeney as having new characters in the squad apart from Carter, who would now the promoted head of division. So Carter is now in the Haskins role, having to deal with the same type of rule bending cops that he once was and the dilemmas that gives him. A bit like Lewis being haunted by Morse (another Thaw character).

[jazzyjeff]

Hellbound said:

>shudder<

After his appearance on Top Gear, Ray Winstone (as Jack Regan) giving any car the beans just won't be believable.

That's not Ray Winstone?

[Froomee]

Chapppers said:

Goa'uld said:

It looks a little better in black hiding angles and with a number plate taking up the mahoosive gob;

I think it's the addition of a number plate that does it. Looks a hell of a lot better.

This is the exact car i have seen around central london for the past couple of weeks, first on City Road and on Old Street but haven't been able to get a picture.............. it doesn't look too bad in the flesh but not that great either.

[marcosgt]

jazzyjeff said:

That's not Ray Winstone?

No - it's not....

Lost me a bit there.

I have to say the idea of Ray Winstone and a rapper as Reagan and Carter fills me with dread...

M.

[FourWheelDrift]

What about Don "Ben Kingsley" Logan as Regan and the token ginge Carter has to be Rupert Grint.

Imagine the character dynamics there

[onyx39]

FourWheelDrift said:

What about Don "Ben Kingsley" Logan as Regan and the token ginge Carter has to be Rupert Grint.

Imagine the character dynamics there

Don Logan is quite possibly one of my favourite characters... ever.

[adambcvg]

You just know it'll have a v6/8/12 soundtrack when you watch the film.

Not a looker either.

[Liquid Knight]

Could be worse...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Starsky-And-Hutch-DVD-20...

At least Planb and Ray can almost act their way out of paper bags. Planb is such a good actor there are people out there who think he's a musician.

[dadofbud]

wildcat45 said:

I guess the Sweeney of the 70s was accurate. So what cars do the real Met guys of today run round in?

West end Central Plain clothes use old SaaB aero's front wheel drive but they have 210 bhp turbo engines, plus a reasonable size for four adults and they can still zip around the west end without standing out as police car.

I don't know what's used by the "Squad" now but the Jaguar choice sounds logical, although for the this new film and black VXR8 would make far more sense than that ST, which is far too small for at least three big blokes who might have to live in that car for several hours at a time.

When Ford supplied the real "Sweeny" with cars they were Consul and Granada and the only change that Ford made by request was reinforced front seats. Sweeny officers were selected for their record as thief takers and that they would get stuck in regardless, plus they were usually big blokes hence the seat modifications for long surveillance periods and getting chucked about within the car when in pursuit, very few bucket seats available then.

Engine and suspension mods wre carried out a Hendon for a period as the the Flying squad have a lot of history assocaited with Hendon, plus it was only twenty minutes drive to / from Victoria, but this is all in the past I don't know what they get upto now.

Father in law was a DCI in the Squad, passed away now.


Stange that Ray Winstone has made a career of playing the baddy now he's going to play the working class hero, and what is a "Plan B" when it's grabbing it's nuts ?

[billzeebub]

looking forward to the film..it would be even better to see Bodie and Doyle back in action..

[Mavican]

If Ford still had Jaguar under their collective arm, you know they'd provide them like a shot. Same with the more recent James Bond films.

And to be honest, some County Police units are using Diesel XF's as marked cars....or they were planning on it.

[Dr Interceptor]

MG ZT-T 260 with the Mustang V8 in would be my casting choice for the good guys.

Stick the bad guys in a late nineties XJ8

[Dr Interceptor]

To append the above, if it had to be new cars...

Jaguar XFR's for the good guys

Stick the bad guys in Audis/Mercs/Beemers

Nothing like involving a bit of British vs Ze Germans!

[FourWheelDrift]

The Germans were always the international terrorists in The Professionals, The Sweeney were always home grown nasty blaggers usually all found driving the same grey Jaguar S-Type.

The Sweeney - 2010 Vauxhall VXR8.
The Bad Guys - 2003 Jaguar S-Type R, in grey.

[dadofbud]

billzeebub said:

looking forward to the film..it would be even better to see Bodie and Doyle back in action..

Really, being old I'm of the opinion that the "Sweeny" programme was reasonablly accurate, but the other two whislt entertaining was pure script writers imagination.

There's an interview with Dennis Waterman just after John Thaw died I think it was Parkinson and Waterman recalls the programme and working with Thaw ( that's why he was there really) and said that within the whole series run they both took the odd right hander in the heat of the moment by accident as did a lot of the actors and stuntmen.

[lee_erm]

The amount of Ford hating on this forum is crazy. So many making people making a real effort to come across as pretentious becuase it makes them appear well to do. People that hate an untrendy working class brand like Ford becuase they drive a VW Golf.

Edited by lee_erm on Wednesday 23 November 17:47

[Fire99]

Chapppers said:

Goa'uld said:

It looks a little better in black hiding angles and with a number plate taking up the mahoosive gob;

I think it's the addition of a number plate that does it. Looks a hell of a lot better.

Just a quick question. Since the numberplate covers up a large part of the 'monsterous' grill, does that mean the grill isn't entirely functional? Lobbing a numberplate in the way won't aid airflow.

[rb5er]

Escort Si-130 said:

I agree

Grovsie26 said:

Thats gotta be the worst looking Ford front end since the frog scorpio.

+2

First time I have agreed with Grovsie ever.

It looks shockingly hideous and I can only think of the Scorpio as the last really ugly looking car Ford made.

[dadofbud]

lee_erm said:

The amount of Ford hating on this forum is crazy. So many making people making a real effort to come across as pretentious becuase it makes them appear well to do. People that hate an untrendy working class brand like Ford becuase they drive a VW Golf.

Edited by lee_erm on Wednesday 23 November 17:47

Must say I did not detect that, all seems quite playful banter, the usual PistonHeads stuff

[HDM]

jazzyjeff said:

Never mind the car...should they really be re-making this series?

The original was an undoubted classic...and a product of its time. Its success was not only due to the car chases but the rampant misogynism (ouch..heavy word for this time of the morning!), lots of guns , police brutality and generally un-PC behaviour.

The new version will surely have to include a (dominant, but feminine) female boss; careful reading of rights to crims; no smoking in the car (new regulations!); observance of speed limits and lengthy case referrals to the IPCC

It just won't be the same...

"Get your trousers on - you're nicked"

"We're The Sweeney, son, and we haven't had our dinner yet"

"Shut it, you slag!"

somehow I can't see how they are going to tone down these classic lines without neutering the 'feel' of the film