TV writer Ian Kennedy Martin has sadly died after battling pancreatic cancer. The 90-year-old was most famous for creating 1970s police drama The Sweeney, but also worked on everything from Bergerac to Juliet Bravo. The Sweeney ran for four series between 1975 and 1978, though the writer quit after just the pilot episode due to a disagreement with ITV and the show producer. Ian’s brother Troy Kennedy Martin was also in the industry, creating the police programme Z-Cars.

Ian worked closely with his brother, who died of lung cancer at the age of 77 in 2009, admitting in 2012: “We accumulated some police contacts. Through the years he and I had written things about the police and finally I had this contact who was working with the Flying Squad called Dave Wilson – he was an Inspector there.”

Ian is survived by his wife Barbara Ohrbach, who he married in 1970, and their two children, Lucy and Daniel. He also leaves behind two grandsons and his sister Mo.

Tributes have flooded in for the star after his death, with one fan writing: “Ian Kennedy Martin - the creator of The Sweeney has died at the age of 90. I had the pleasure of interviewing him way back in 2012. He was fascinating and incredibly gracious.”

Someone else hailed him “brilliant”, writing: “The Sweeney featured screeching tyres, punch-ups, officers who could be as violent as the criminals, and lines such as: ‘Get yer trousers on – you’re nicked!’”

Ian wrote several novels over the course of his career, and also worked on programmes like The Chinese Detective, The Fourth Floor and King & Castle.