"The Sweeney" Stoppo Driver (1975)

Director:

Terry Green

Writers:

Ian Kennedy Martin (creator)
Allan Prior (written by)

TV Series:

"The Sweeney" (1975)

Original Air Date:

6 March 1975 (Season 1, Episode 10)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama

Plot:

In the absence of his regular driver, Regan is assigned Brian Cooney, whose flair for high speed driving leads Carter to compare him to Evel Knievel...

Cast

John Thaw	...	Det. Insp. Jack Regan
Dennis Waterman	...	Det. Sgt. George Carter
Garfield Morgan	...	Det. Chief Insp. Frank Haskins
Nicola Pagett	...	Sara Prince
Billy Murray	...	Brian Cooney
Wolfe Morris	...	Greg Prince
Aubrey Morris	...	The Card Player
Paul Angelis	...	Barney Prince
Paul Henry	...	Morris Brass
Carrie Lee Baker	...	Marie Cooney (as Carrie Lee-Baker)
Hugh Futcher	...	The Porter

Filming Locations:

Airport Bowl, Bath Road, Harlington, Middlesex, England, UK

Trivia:

Two cars were used for filming the chase sequence when Regan and Carter's brown Ford Consul pursues the robbers' grey Jaguar: the real NHK 285M and also a damaged stand-in double. Billy Murray (Brian Cooney) drove the real NHK 285M that is seen in other episodes - sometimes at speeds of up to 70 mph - but for sections of the chase where the Consul is very close behind robber's car and when they bounce over rough ground, a damaged replica was used, driven by a stunt driver. On close inspection, the difference between the cars is evident: the real car has an aerial on the front wing which the stand-in one does not, and the amount of damage to the offside indicator changes from shot to shot.

Quotes:

[to Brian Cooney after he has pursued a robber's Jag at high speed in a very hair-raising chase]
Det. Sgt. George Carter: [snarls] Who taught you to drive? Evel Knievel?