David Wickes made forceful crime television before turning to gothic drama. The Sweeney remains our reason to seek him out, though its affection for violent policemen sometimes gets in the way of examining them.
Fi1m perspective
The London locations in The Sweeney (1975) are drab, and John Thaw and Dennis Waterman make good company in them. There is force and humour here, with violence that has weight. David Wickes directed six episodes and helped establish the programme's hard-hitting style. We rate that contribution highly, while keeping the credit shared: the actors and the locations matter too.
We were unsettled by the violence in The Sweeney, because it hurts even when the programme seems fond of the men inflicting it. That fondness is the reservation: the humour makes these policemen appealing, sometimes more appealing than their conduct warrants. Wickes's strength in fast-paced action serves the programme well, but excitement can make it easier to overlook what is being excused. His work on The Professionals (1977) continued the association with action television; this was a director practised at keeping such programmes moving.
The later turn towards period and gothic television was a substantial change of setting and scale. After feature work including Silver Dream Racer (1980), Wickes moved into international co-productions for US networks, directing Jack the Ripper (1988), Jekyll & Hyde (1990) and Frankenstein (1992). Michael Caine starred in the first two, which Wickes also wrote. Wickes could handle those larger co-productions, but the earlier crime television gives us the firmer recommendation.
His later return as producer of CI5: The New Professionals (1998) underlines how firmly police drama remained part of his work. We would be cautious about treating him as the sole author of a style developed across shared television series, or finding a personal signature in every change of setting. His direction of action is reason enough to take those early credits seriously. Start with The Sweeney, but keep some distance from the policemen it would like us to enjoy.
Biography
David Wickes is a British television and film director, producer and writer. He directed episodes of the ITV series The Sweeney (1975) and Public Eye (1965), as well as other episodic dramas including The Professionals (1977), Van der Valk (1972) and Special Branch (1969).
Wickes directed the theatrical spin-off Sweeney! (1977) and the feature film Silver Dream Racer (1980). He is also known for the television films and series Jack the Ripper (1988), Jekyll & Hyde (1990) and Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (1983). Before establishing his own production company in 1983, he worked extensively on ITV and BBC productions.
