Flying Squad (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The opening sequence features a blue and black monochromatic animation of the wings of a bird of prey superimposed over real programme footage.
• Ronnie Easterbrook went on hunger strike in 1997 and 1999 over what he believed to be a miscarriage of justice.

Episodes

The eight-part series aired thirty-minute episodes from February to March 1989, except for one held back for legal reasons until January 1990. Each installment uses a fly-on-the-wall style to track a specific Flying Squad operation from planning through its conclusion. Most episodes show suspects under surveillance as they plot and commit armed robberies, ending with armed officers ambushing them on the pavement. Other episodes depict the squad's routine duties. The episodes are "Operation Boxer," "Operation Pelican," "Operation Jackdaw," "Operation Turkey," "Operation Night-Hawk," "Operation Admiral," "The Team at Tower Bridge," and "Operation Dachshund."

Production team

Narrated by Alexander John, the series was directed and produced by Robert Fleming, who was born in London. The same production team behind Murder Squad also created this series. Its archive footage is kept by FremantleMedia. Some of that footage, including a shooting during 1987's Operation Turkey, appeared in the 2010 National Geographic Channel series Flying Squad: The Real Sweeney.