The Sweeney - The Complete Third Series

The Extras are hit and miss, although the only misses are the absentees. As a prefix to two of the episodes, actors recall being a part of The Sweeney experience. The first is Nadim Sawalha, who appreciated the sense of fun on the set, and the second is Geraldine James, whose "first ever day on camera" this was, playing a croupier who has a fling with Carter. Not only was this her initiation to film acting, but "my very first scene was lying in bed with Dennis."

These are nice little touches - nostalgic reminiscences - and it would have been good to have had a couple more, from John Hurt and George Cole, perhaps.

For some obscure reason there is an episode of Strange Report, starring Anthony Quayle, in which John Thaw plays Inspector Jennings of the Yard. He is so serious that he refuses the offer of a Scotch because, "I am on duty." Jack Regan would have had a thing or two to say about that.

Next up is a snatch of The Evening News Film Awards of 1977, presented by a ridiculously young looking Michael Aspel. This is fascinating, compared with the showbiz hullabaloo surrounding award ceremonies today. Winners don't indulge "thank you" platitudes, or any of that rubbish. Dennis Waterman wins Most Promising Newcomer and makes a good joke about how long he has been hanging around being promising. John Thaw beats Laurence Olivier, Anthony Hopkins and Peter Finch for Best Actor and is genuinely surprised. He accepts the award from Joan Collins in a daze. He can't believe it. At least, he doesn't dissolve into tears.

The other Extra is an episode of The Morecombe & Wise Show, 1976, in which Thaw and Waterman play Germans in a wartime sketch. Much of this is funny enough to make you miss Eric and Ern all over again and The Sweeny mob enter into the spirit beautifully.

All you can say is, "Nice one, lads."