Stick the Kettle On, Darling!

Right you slags: the movie version of The Sweeney – a 21st century remake of the quintessential gritty 1970s cop drama – is in production at last, with Ray Winstone and Ben “Plan B” Drew in the starring roles.

Let’s just re-read that: Ray Winstone IS Jack Regan. Ben Drew IS George Carter.

And I haven’t had any breakfast!

This is likely to be a massive hit in the UK or a disappointment, but one thing is for sure: as cast member Steven Macintosh (soon to be seen in BBC One’s Inside Men) points out, there will be an audience who will watch it regardless.

“I loved it back then. It’s got a big place in people’s hearts, and obviously that brings with it a certain amount of expectation, in terms of the film,” he said.

“There’ll be people saying, ‘Come on then, what are you going to do with this? What are you going to do with our beloved Sweeney?!’”

While the obvious comparisons will be drawn between Winstone and the fondly remembered John Thaw, let’s remember that despite being typecast as a cockney bruiser, Ray Winstone has done plenty of work in Hollywood, notably Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Beowulf and Cold Mountain. And of course he’s much loved in the UK for his 1970s appearances in Quadraphenia and Scum as well as his Cult Britannia-winning credentials as Will Scarlet in the unsurpassed 1980s Robin of Sherwood series.

If we stick our necks out, based on the casting alone, this is going to be a cracking movie!