In Britain rhyming slang had a resurgence of popular interest beginning in the 1970s resulting from its use in a number of London-based television programmes such as Steptoe and Son, Mind Your Language, The Sweeney ( the title of which is itself rhyming slang —" Sweeney Todd " for " Flying Squad ", a rapid response unit of London ’ s Metropolitan Police ), Minder, Citizen Smith, Only Fools and Horses, and EastEnders.

Elfman immediately developed a rapport with Burton and has gone on to score all but two of Burton's major studio releases: Ed Wood which was under production while Elfman and Burton were having a fight, and Sweeney Todd.

For this reason, the term is often applied to films and plays of a stylised nature with heightened acting, melodrama and theatrical effects such as Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, Quills, and the Hammer Horror films that went before them.

He continues to appear in live stage shows, including Barbra Streisand's memorable birthday party for Stephen Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl, in which he appeared with Angela Lansbury, performing selections from Sweeney Todd.

The Genetic Opera, Dreamgirls, Sweeney Todd, and Mamma Mia!

Show Boat, West Side Story, Brigadoon, Sweeney Todd, Evita, The Light in the Piazza, The Phantom of the Opera and others tell dramatic stories through complex music and are now sometimes seen in opera houses.

Passengers and crew who made calls include Sandra Bradshaw, Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett, Mark Bingham, Peter Hanson, Jeremy Glick, Barbara K. Olson, Renee May, Madeline Amy Sweeney, Betty Ong, Robert Fangman, Brian David Sweeney, and Ed Felt.

Described by Frank Rich of the New York Times as " now the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater ", his most famous works include ( as composer / lyricist ) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods.

Sweeney Todd ( 1979 ), Sondheim's most operatic score and libretto ( which, along with A Little Night Music, has been seen in opera houses ), once again explores an unlikely topic, this time murderous revenge and cannibalism.

* Sweeney Todd ( 1979 ) ( book by Hugh Wheeler ; directed by Hal Prince )

* Sweeney Todd, ( 2007 ) a movie adaptation of the stage work, made with Sondheim's participation and approval, was directed by Tim Burton, featuring a largely nonmusical cast led by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

* Sweeney Todd ( 1979, Best Cast Show Album )

* Sweeney Todd ( 1979, Best Score )

* Sweeney Todd ( 1978 – 79, Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Music, Outstanding Lyrics )

* Sweeney Todd ( 1980, Best New Musical )

Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the murderer of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls ( 1846 – 1847 ).

He was later introduced as an antihero of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation of the same name.

Claims that Sweeney Todd was a historical person are strongly disputed by scholars, although possible legendary prototypes exist.

Sweeney Todd has also been featured in several films, the most recent being 2007's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, based on the 1979 musical.

Sweeney Todd first appeared in a story titled The String of Pearls: A Romance.

They were later assisted by editors Elliot Paul ( April 1927-March 1928 ), Robert Sage ( October 1927-Fall 1928 ), and James Johnson Sweeney ( June 1936-May 1938 ).

* Sweeney Todd ( 1928 )

* Sweeney Todd ( 1926 ), the first silent film version of the story, starring G. A.

Burton was also reportedly influenced by silent films and German Expressionism for his film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, describing the musical as a " silent film with music.

* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 1936 ), a film version of the Victorian melodrama starring Tod Slaughter as Sweeney Todd and Stella Rho as Mrs. " Lovatt ".

* Bloodthirsty Butchers ( 1970 ), a horror film with John Miranda as Sweeney Todd and Jane Helay as Maggie Lovett, directed by Andy Milligan.

* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 ) a film directed by Tim Burton, adapted from Sondheim's musical.

The film was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and co-worker.

Unlike his prior films ( or any that would follow ), The Straight Story was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures after a successful debut at Cannes, was given a G rating by the MPAA and is the only Lynch film for which Lynch himself did not have a hand in the screenplay ( although it was co-written by his recurring associate, Mary Sweeney ).

He is famous for his dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, 9 and Dark Shadows, and for blockbusters such as Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Batman, Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland, which was the second highest-grossing film of 2010, and the twelfth highest-grossing film of all time.

Since then, Elfman has scored every film that Tim Burton has directed except for Ed Wood ( because of a falling out that they had ) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street because the music was based on Stephen Sondheim's musical.

More recently, he played Judge Turpin in the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

In 1996, Anne Sweeney was appointed to oversee The Disney Channel, and the channel began offering a nightly primetime film.

The Alton Estate has featured as a film and television location, Fahrenheit 451 ( 1966 ) used some of the estate as its backdrop for a bleak dystopian society of the future, and Thames Television's film division Euston Films used the Danebury Avenue area of the estate to film the opening scene's of Sweeney 2 ( 1978 )-the sequel to the film Sweeney!

In the 2007 film adaption and many of the musicals of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd throws Mrs. Lovett into an oven and watches her burn briefly before closing the door, as revenge for leading him to believe that his wife was dead.

*" Sweeney Todd " ( 1970 ), an episode of the ITV series Mystery and Imagination starring Freddie Jones as Sweeney Todd and Heather Canning as Nellie Lovett.

A Musical Thriller ( 1979 ), the acclaimed musical adaptation of Bond's play by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler starring Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd ( here christened Benjamin Barker ) and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett.

* Sweeney Todd ( 2006 ), a BBC television drama version with a screenplay written by Joshua St Johnston and starring Ray Winstone in the title role and Essie Davis as Mrs Lovett.

* Sweeney Todd Musical, a 2009 musical rendition by the Repertory Philippines group, starring Audie Gemora in the title role, and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Mrs. Lovett.

Television roles included the recurring role of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk in five of the six episodes of The Six Wives of Henry VIII ( 1970 ), the villainous Nasca in Thames Television's Aztec-themed drama The Feathered Serpent ( 1976 – 78 ), a guest starring spot in the comedy series The Goodies in the episode " The Baddies ", as well as episodes of Paul Temple, Dr. Finlay's Casebook, Doomwatch, The Persuaders !, A Family at War, Coronation Street, Softly, Softly: Taskforce, Colditz, Play for Today, Z-Cars, Special Branch, Sutherland's Law, The Sweeney, Jason King, Survivors, Crown Court, Angels, Warship, Van der Valk, Space: 1999, The Onedin Line, All Creatures Great and Small, Only When I Laugh ( Series 2, Total Episode # 9 ), Nanny, Minder, and the first episode of Inspector Morse in January 1987.

A UK tour is currently playing, starring Claire Sweeney and Matthew Kelly as Rita and Frank, respectively.

Tell Me on a Sunday, in its one-act and " definitive " format, toured the United Kingdom, starring Claire Sweeney as ' the girl ' with direction by Tamara Harvey.

and Sweeney 2, starring John Thaw and Dennis Waterman.

A further film adaptation, The Sweeney ( starring Ray Winstone ), is to be released in 2012.

In 1993, Walton's book was adapted into a film, Fire in the Sky, directed by Robert Lieberman and starring D. B. Sweeney as Travis Walton, Robert Patrick as Mike Rogers and Scott MacDonald as Walton's brother Dan Walton.

* John Fielding is portrayed by David Warner in the 2006 British television film of Sweeney Todd, starring Ray Winstone.

Strange Luck is an American television series that aired on FOX, created by Karl Schaefer and starring D. B. Sweeney in the role of Chance Harper, a freelance photographer afflicted with a bizarre tendency to always be in the wrong place at the right time.

Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street began a limited season at the Adelphi from 10 March to 22 September 2012, transferring from the Chichester Festival Theatre, starring Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton.

Ball is now starring in a new production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End, alongside Imelda Staunton as Mrs. Lovett.

Blue Desert ( 1991 ) is a psychological thriller film starring Courteney Cox and D. B. Sweeney, directed by Bradley Battersby.

Productions in the first five years of Pappano's tenure ranged from Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk ( 2004 ) to Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd ( 2003 ) starring Thomas Allen and Felicity Palmer.

She went onto become an almost permanent fixture in British television, starring in The Sweeney and Return of the Saint, the first episode of ITV's Hammer House of Horror ( 1980 ) and she also had a regular role as the glamorous Miss Griffin in the sci-fi drama Kinvig ( 1981 ), written by Nigel Kneale.