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.

In 1875, Frederick Hazleton's c. 1865 dramatic adaptation Sweeney Todd, the Barber of Fleet Street: or the String of Pearls ( see below ) was published as Vol 102 of Lacy's Acting Edition of Plays.

" Dickens then developed this in Martin Chuzzlewit ( 1843-4 ) published two years before the appearance of Sweeney Todd in The String of Pearls ( 1846-7 ), with a character called Tom Pinch, who is grateful that his own " evil genius did not lead him into the dens of any of those preparers of cannibalic pastry, who are represented in many country legends as doing a lively retail business in the metropolis ".

Claims that Sweeney Todd was a real person were first made in the introduction to the 1850 ( expanded ) edition of The String of Pearls and have persisted to the present day.

* Sweeney Todd, the Barber of Fleet Street: or the String of Pearls ( c. 1865 ), a dramatic adaption written by Frederick Hazleton which premiered at the Old Bower Saloon, Stangate Street, Lambeth.

* The String of Pearls etext of the 1846 / 47 penny dreadful that first featured Sweeney Todd

This included dramatisations of the murderous careers of Burke and Hare, Sweeney Todd ( first featured in The String of Pearls ( 1847 ) by George Dibdin Pitt ), the murder of Maria Marten in the Red Barn and the bizarre exploits of Spring Heeled Jack.

Some of the most famous of these penny part-stories were The String of Pearls: A Romance ( introducing Sweeney Todd ), The Mysteries of London ( inspired by French serial The Mysteries of Paris ) and Varney the Vampire.

James Malcolm Rymer ( 1814 – 1884 ) was a British nineteenth century writer of penny dreadfuls, and is the probable author of Varney the Vampire ( 1847 ) ( often attributed to fellow writer Thomas Peckett Prest ) and co-author ( with Prest ) of The String of Pearls ( 1847 ), in which the notorious villain Sweeney Todd makes his literary debut.

He is now remembered as the co-creator ( with James Malcolm Rymer ) of the fictional Sweeney Todd, the ' demon barber ' immortalized in his The String of Pearls.

* Three productions, all musicals, have won all " big six " awards for their category: South Pacific ( 1950 awards ), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 1979 awards ) and Hairspray ( 2003 awards ); each won the Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best Performance by a Leading Actor, Best Performance by a Leading Actress and Best Direction awards.

Three months after taking office, Sweeney led the 45, 000 members of SEIU out on a surprise strike against the New York Realty Advisory Board a day before the union's contract was due to expire.

Although Gray is no longer performing on a regular basis, he occasionally makes appearances on the independent wrestling circuit, including an appearance at Chikara's King Of Trios 2008, teaming with Demolition, where they lost to the Fabulous Three of Larry Sweeney, Mitch Ryder, and Shayne Hawke On March 28, 2009.

Alongside One Man Gang, Demolition competed in the Chikara King of the Trios Tournament in 2008, but were eliminated in the second round by " The Fabulous Three " ( Larry Sweeney, Mitch Ryder and Shayne Hawke ).

Three weeks after the change, music director and midday personality Schelby Sweeney quit the station, and was replaced by Marci Wiser, formerly of New York City sister station WXRK.

Most recently Sweeney has appeared on the BBC Three 2007 sketch show " Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor " playing school boy Kevin, the target of his teacher's flirtatious advances.

On August 9, 2007, Mark Sweeney was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for AA second baseman Travis Denker.

A scholarly, annotated edition of the original 1846 – 47 serial was published in volume form in 2007 by the Oxford University Press under the title of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, edited by Robert Mack.

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

* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street edited by Robert Mack ( 2007 ).

* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 )

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.

* George King: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 1936 film ) and the Tim Burton adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 film ).

In 2007 a BBC documentary on Scientology by reporter John Sweeney came under scrutiny by Scientologists.

Upon his death in 2010, UNESCO-IHE described him as a " towering figure and pioneer in hydrology " whilst the Chancellor of the NUI, Dr. Maurice Manning, described him as " that rare phenomenon in Irish life, a public intellectual whose life was devoted, without posture, to the public service .” Professor John Sweeney who was one of the scientists as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 described him as " perhaps one of the most important, prolific and distinguished scientists of the past generation.

On February 8, 2007 at the Disney Investor Conference, Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney, announced that they would rebrand Touchstone Television to ABC Television Studio in order to tie its successful productions more closely with the ABC brand.

* 2007: " Letting Go of God " ( from the Julia Sweeney stage show Letting Go of God )

In a 2007 poll of 464 Major League Baseball players, he was voted the second friendliest player in a tie with Mike Sweeney.

Sweeney had a relationship with businessman Tony Hibbard for six years, until late 2007.

* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 )

* Nominated: Best Costume Design, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 )

* Nominated: Best Costume Design, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 )

He worked with Tim Burton six times, producing Planet of the Apes ( 2001 ), Big Fish ( 2003 ), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ( 2005 ), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 ), Alice in Wonderland ( 2010 ), and Dark Shadows ( 2012 ).

* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 )

In 2007, the first major musical to be produced by the Gate was Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, with David Shannon playing the title role.

The BBC Radio 4 series The Lawrence Sweeney Mix aired from 27 February to 20 March 2007 and was described as " Josie Lawrence and Jim Sweeney create improvised sketches from audience suggestions ".