Dennis Waterman stylish pop art graphic illustration, available in 3 sizes and 25 colour options.

Younger viewers watching repeats of “Minder” with George Cole or “The Sweeney” with John Thaw might find it hard to comprehend just how big a star Dennis Waterman was in the 1970s and into the 80s.

It’s a testament to the actor’s easy-going manner and charismatic on-screen persona that he was one of the most watched and liked actors of the time, despite a womble-ears hairstyle which may well have later inspired Linda La Hughes.

Starting his career as a child actor in 1960, Waterman had many roles before “The Sweeney” including working alongside Christopher Lee in the Hammer horror film “Scars of Dracula” in 1970, which also starred Jenny Hanley and Anouska Hempel.

Dennis’ credits include police dramas across the years including “New Scotland Yard” in 1973, “Special Branch” in 1974, and the former Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing in the long-running series “New Tricks”.

Dennis Waterman’s cult status was echoed by the surreal lampooning of the actor by David Walliams in “Little Britain”.

The comedy sketches highlighted the fact that Dennis did indeed write the theme tune and/or sing the theme tune, for several of the shows he appeared in, including “Minder”, “New Tricks”, “Stay Lucky”, and “On The Up”, the sitcom that co-starred Carry-On legend Joan Sims.

The Sweeney

“Get your trousers on, you’re nicked” became a famous phrase when Detective Inspector Regan surprised a villain in the 1974 “Armchair Cinema” episode “Regan”, the pilot and precursor of “The Sweeney” series which ran from 1975 to 1978.

“The Sweeney”, so called because of cockney rhyming slang (Sweeney Todd, Flying Squad), initially shocked some viewers with stronger language and violence that was on TV at the time, but presented a grittier view of policing on city streets.

In contrast to the cosier representation of amiable bobbies like Jack Warner in “Dixon of Dock Green” in 1950s and 60s serials, and a world away from the cutbacks and bureaucracy of today, the 1970s saw the rough & tumble of dealing with criminality which required proactive renegades who would sometimes cross the line to get the job done.

Criticised for a vigilantism that was deemed unrepresentative of the British force, viewers responded positively to skidding cars, free-flying punches, and cocky put-downs.

Art Prints

Please note the orange in the Purple & Orange option is a brighter, almost neon, shade than the softer orange of the Copper colour option.

Available in A4, A3, and A2 sizes to fit standard-size picture frames. Please note that black frame is not included – for a guide on choosing a frame size take a look here.

This illustrated print is part of the 1970s Cops collection of stylish pop art prints, exclusively by Art & Hue, inspired by 1970s police detectives and features Art & Hue’s signature halftone style (halftone is an age-old technique that uses dots to make up the printed image, similar to newspapers or comic books) along with graphic blocks of colour.

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