After appearing in the 1978 film The Sailor's Return, Ford's best known role came in the 1979 film Scum. Set in a borstal, Ford plays the inmate Archer, an intelligent vegetarian trouble-maker who just wants to serve his time "In (his) own little way". Ford also had a role that year in the television film The Knowledge (for which he also performed the title song) in which he stars as an unemployed man who is encouraged by his girlfriend (Kim Taylforth) to apply to the Metropolitan Police Public Carriage Office to become a black cab driver.
After appearing in 1978's The Sailor's Return, Ford's most recognized role was in Scum from 1979. Set in a borstal, Ford portrays the inmate Archer, an intelligent vegetarian trouble-maker who just wants to serve his time "In (his) own little way". In the same year, Ford had another role in The Knowledge, where he stars as an unemployed man encouraged by his girlfriend (Kim Taylforth) to apply for a black cab driver position with the Metropolitan Police Public Carriage Office.