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.

A plagiarised version of this book appeared in America c. 1852 – 53 as Sweeney Todd: or the Ruffian Barber.

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.

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 Barber ", a song which assumes its audience knows the stage version and claims that such a character existed in real life.

* 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 ".

*" The Strange Case of the Demon Barber " ( 8 January 1946 ), an adaptation of the Sweeney Todd story featured in an episode of the radio drama The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

* Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 1973 ), a play by the British playwright Christopher Bond.

* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert ( 2001 ), a filmed concert version of Sondheim's musical, stars George Hearn as Sweeney Todd / Benjamin Barker, Patti LuPone as Mrs. Lovett, Timothy Nolen as Judge Turpin and Neil Patrick Harris as Tobias.

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

* " Andy's Play ", the third episode in the 7th season of The Office, centers around Andy Bernard's role in a local musical production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Classical Comics, a UK publisher creating graphic novel adaptations of classical literature, has produced a full colour paperback Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Sweeney Todd ( 176 pages, November 2010, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-79-2, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-80-8, forthcoming ) with script adaptation by Sean M. Wilson, linework by Declan Shalvey ; colouring by Jason Cardy & Kat Nicholson and lettering by Jim Campbell.

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

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.

Following this collaboration with Burton, Depp starred in Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland, and Dark Shadows.

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

* 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.

He has been nominated for top awards many times, winning the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards, in 2004 for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, in 2005 for Finding Neverland, and in 2008 for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

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