Thomas 'Sinbad' Sweeney

Thomas Henry Edward Sweeney, commonly known as Sinbad is a character in Brookside from 1984 to 2000 played by Michael Starke.

Character

Sinbad was first introduced into the soap in September 1984, two years after the programme began. The character was introduced as a window cleaner, however he also took a sideline in many illegitimate deals. Over Christmas 1984 he was seen with 'Trevor the turkey', selling it for £10, and then on delivery producing a live turkey knowing that residents including Sheila Grant and Paul Collins would be too sensitive to kill it, thus keeping the deposit for himself. He later quipped that this was Trevor's third year of doing it. The character was a long time friend and associate of Jimmy Corkhill.

His nickname derived from his window-cleaning days and his reluctance to clean into the corners of the windows, instead cleaning a porthole-shape in the centre of the glass. For several years the character was billed simply as 'Sinbad'.

Character development

While the character of Sinbad was introduced as a light-hearted character with few serious stories, in the 1990s, his character was developed. In 1993, feeling guilty he had kept quiet when he knew Trevor Jordache had beaten Mandy, he helped Beth and Mandy dispose of the body after his murder. After the body was discovered and Mandy and Beth were arrested, Mandy was released, however she and Sinbad drifted apart. In 2000 the character of Sinbad was written out after he became involved in a child abuse scandal. This story line received mixed reviews, as the character had been largely a light-hearted one.^[2]

Business

Although originally a window cleaner, after the selling No 10 Sinbad invested the money into a shop on Brookside Parade selling used kitchen appliances. While working he met Carmel O’Leary. Carmel's youngest son, Timothy (Tinhead) resented the pair of them becoming so close and tried to upset their relationship the best he could. While running his shop, Sinbad sold a gas cooker to Ron Dixon, who ever the thrifty man installed it himself, despite having little aptitude towards gas installation, the resulting explosion caused great damage to Brookside Parade. Carmel's eldest son Ben was paralysed in the accident, unable to forgive Sinbad for turning a blind eye to Ron's unqualified installation, the two split up.

Work in the Fish and Chip shop

After the demise of Sinbad's business, his friend Mick Johnson gave him a job at the fish and chip shop, 'Chips with Everything. This job came to an end shortly after Sinbad sold a stale pie to Ron Dixon. After Ron made a complaint a health inspector began investigating a local outbreak of food poisoning. Mick confessed that his shop had sold stale food, however it was discovered the shop was not the source of the outbreak, Mick was reported regardless. After the report, Mick was fined and he closed the shop.

Racist attack

Later on a gang of racists visited the area and attacked Mick, Sinbad was also attacked after intervening. The attack left Sinbad partially deaf. Sinbad struggled to cope with losing some of his hearing and left an interview after his prospective employer treated him in a condecending manner.

He left Brookside in October 2000 after 16 years.

References