Character Relationship Map: The Sweeney

Characters

• Jack Regan (played by Ray Winstone) — protagonist

  Ruthless but intuitive Flying Squad detective inspector known for unorthodox methods.

• George Carter (played by Plan B) — protagonist

  Loyal and skilled Flying Squad detective sergeant, Regan's trusted partner.

• Nancy Lewis (played by Hayley Atwell) — supporting

  Flying Squad officer and Regan's secret lover, whose death triggers the climax.

• Frank Haskins (played by Damian Lewis) — supporting

  Experienced detective chief inspector managing the Flying Squad's operations.

• Harry (played by Alan Ford) — supporting

  Street informant who trades information for stolen gold bars.

• Francis Allen (played by Paul Anderson) — supporting

  Dangerous long-time criminal adversary manipulating events from afar.

• Makin Trebolt (played by Kevin Michaels) — minor

  Violent Serbian criminal responsible for the bank robbery and Nancy's death.

• Ivan Lewis (played by Steven Mackintosh) — supporting

  Metropolitan Professional Standards officer investigating Regan's methods.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Frank Haskins → George Carter (Power Senior Officer) — He uses his authority to protect Carter and restore the investigation.

  Haskins intervenes after Carter is arrested at gunpoint and later arranges Regan's release so the investigation can continue.

• Frank Haskins → Jack Regan (Power Superior Officer) — Haskins has formal authority over Regan's operational decisions.

  Haskins manages Flying Squad operations and initially orders the squad not to intervene in the private bank robbery.

• Nancy Lewis → Ivan Lewis (Romantic Estranged Spouses) — Their damaged marriage intensifies the conflict surrounding Regan's investigation.

  Nancy is identified as Ivan Lewis's estranged wife, while she is also involved in an affair with Regan.

• Jack Regan → Nancy Lewis (Romantic Secret Lover) — Their concealed affair creates personal and professional complications.

  The plot states that Regan is having an affair with Nancy Lewis, a fellow Flying Squad officer and Ivan Lewis's estranged wife.

• Ivan Lewis → Jack Regan (Professional Investigator) — Ivan acts as an institutional investigator of Regan.

  Ivan Lewis's Professional Standards Department scrutinises Regan's activities and investigates his unorthodox methods.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Francis Allen → Makin Trebolt (Alliance Criminal Associates) — The investigation reveals a shared criminal operation between Allen and Makin.

  The plot ultimately connects Allen with the crimes while Makin is the violent criminal carrying out the robbery and escape.

• Makin Trebolt → Nancy Lewis (Conflict Killer And Victim) — Makin's killing of Nancy transforms the robbery into a personal pursuit.

  During the bank-robbery shootout, Makin deliberately shoots Nancy dead in front of an incapacitated Regan.

• George Carter → Makin Trebolt (Conflict Combatant Opponents) — Their conflict culminates in Carter's near-fatal confrontation with Makin.

  Carter investigates a robber wounded in the shootout to locate Makin, then is struck by Makin's vehicle and threatened with a gun.

• Jack Regan → Makin Trebolt (Conflict Mortal Enemy) — Makin becomes Regan's immediate violent target during the final pursuit.

  Regan pursues Makin after evidence links him to the robbery, and finally shoots Makin when he points a weapon at the wounded Carter.

• Jack Regan → Francis Allen (Conflict Long-Term Adversaries) — Their adversarial history drives Regan's determination to expose Allen.

  Regan suspects Allen is responsible for the jewellers' robbery and later proves that Allen paid a thug to fake his alibi.

• Jack Regan → Harry (Narrative Informant Relationship) — Regan exchanges seized material for intelligence from a street source.

  After the warehouse robbery, Regan takes some stolen gold bars to give to Harry, who is described as his informant.

• Jack Regan → George Carter (Alliance Trusted Partner) — A loyal and highly effective investigative partnership.

  Regan and Carter work together as Flying Squad officers, confront armed robbers, investigate Allen and Makin, and pursue them to the caravan park.

Story Analysis

A determined Flying Squad detective pursues a criminal conspiracy while resisting institutional scrutiny and personal loss.

Plot Progression

1. Gold, Secrets, and Scrutiny — Regan and Carter establish their aggressive Flying Squad methods during the warehouse robbery. Regan's use of stolen gold and affair with Nancy become pressure points as Ivan begins investigating him.
2. The False Trail — A deadly jewellers' robbery pulls Regan away from surveillance of a private bank. His suspicion of Allen is weakened by a false alibi, while evidence points toward Makin.
3. Blood at the Bank — The private bank robbery erupts into a chase and shootout after the Flying Squad defies Haskins. Makin kills Nancy, and Ivan uses the disaster to suspend the squad.
4. Rogue Investigation — Regan continues outside official channels and obtains a confession implicating Allen, but his illegal methods lead to arrest. Carter independently follows a wounded robber's information.
5. The Pegasus Pursuit — Carter identifies Pegasus as Allen's boat, allowing Haskins to release Regan and organise the final operation. The pursuit ends with Makin dead and Allen arrested, followed by the squad's reinstatemen...