Minder (TV series)

"Arthur Daley" redirects here. For the American journalist, see Arthur Daley (sportswriter).

Minder
File:Minder 1979 Titles.png Original title sequence featuring Dennis Waterman (1979–1989).
Genre	Comedy-drama
Created by	Leon Griffiths
Starring	Dennis Waterman (series 1-7) George Cole Glynn Edwards Patrick Malahide (series 1-6) Peter Childs (series 1-7) Gary Webster (series 8-10) Shane Richie (series 11) Lex Shrapnel (series 11)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	11
No. of episodes	114 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	60 minutes (including commercials)
Production companies	Euston Films (1979–1994) for Thames (1979–1991) for Central (1993–1994) Talkback Thames (2009)
Original release
Network	ITV (1979–1994) Channel 5 (2009)
Release	ITV series: 29 October 1979 (1979-10-29) – 10 March 1994 (1994-03-10) Channel 5 series: 4 February 2009 (2009-02-04) – 11 March 2009 (2009-03-11)

Minder is a British comedy-drama series about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV (originally by Thames, then Central Independent Television in 1993 and 1994 after Thames lost its franchise). The original show ran for ten series between 29 October 1979 and 10 March 1994. The series was notable for using a range of leading British actors, as well as many up-and-coming performers before they found their greatest success; at its peak it was one of ITV's most watched shows.

A new version of Minder was broadcast in 2009 on Channel 5, with none of the original cast. It focused on Arthur's nephew Archie, played by Shane Richie. It began broadcast on 4 February 2009, but lasted for only one series following lukewarm reception.

Plot

The original show starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, a Fulham FC fan, an honest and likeable bodyguard (minder in London slang) and George Cole as Arthur Daley, a socially ambitious, but highly unscrupulous importer-exporter, wholesaler, used-car salesman and purveyor of anything else from which there was money to be made, whether within the law or not.

The series is principally set in inner west London (Shepherd's Bush/Ladbroke Grove/Fulham/Acton), and was largely responsible for putting the word minder, meaning personal bodyguard, into the UK popular lexicon. The characters often drank at the local members-only Winchester Club, where owner and barman Dave Harris (Glynn Edwards) acted, often unwillingly, as a message service for Arthur, and turned a blind eye to his shady deals.

Like many British sitcoms, the show is set firmly within a certain social class, in this case working class west London. It shares strong similarities with Only Fools and Horses and Steptoe and Son in the sense that much of the storyline revolves around a dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship between the two protagonists. In the case of Minder, they are not family members but friends.

These relationships are marked by an older man (Arthur, Del Boy, Albert Steptoe) controlling the life and frustrating the ambitions of his younger, dimmer counterpart (Terry, Rodney, Harold Steptoe). In the case both of Only Fools and Horses and Minder, this older character is also the sharp, aspirant dreamer, whereas in Steptoe and Son, the opposite holds good, with Harold the aspirant dreamer whose ambitions are frustrated by having to take on the burden of his father's dead-end business.

Series 1-7

Although initially developed to focus on Terry's character, as the series progressed, the focus shifted to feature Terry and Arthur more evenly, with more screen time allotted to Arthur and his dealings. Barman Dave (whose last name was given on a couple of occasions as Harris) at first made only occasional appearances, but the rapport between Arthur, Terry and Dave also become popular and by the second series he too was given more screen time: In Series 7, the final series to feature Dennis Waterman as Terry and thus the last to feature the original opening credits, the sequence was modified very slightly to include shots of Terry, Arthur and Dave at the Winchester, giving Edwards his own billing (previously he had been credited amongst the guest cast).

Series 8-10

In 1989, after filming the seventh series, Waterman announced he had left the series, feeling that the character had run its course, and that it was becoming harder for the writers to come up with plots as sharp as had been customary in the series. This seemed to signify the end, but the series made another return in 1991, with another character replacing Terry. Waterman's final broadcast episode, Series 7's coincidentally titled "The Wrong Goodbye", had closed as a standard episode, filmed before Waterman's announcement that he was to leave and so with no clue as to Terry's forthcoming departure. In the opening episode of series 8, "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Entrepreneur", Arthur finds Terry (unseen in the episode) had married and emigrated to Australia (despite the character's criminal background making the likelihood of emigration almost impossible) to finally escape his influence. At the same time, he is stuck with looking after his nephew Ray Daley (Gary Webster), at the request of Arthur's brother to give him employment and keep him out of trouble.

With Terry out of the scene, local undesirables start to muscle in on Arthur, but it soon emerges that Ray is able to handle himself in a fight, and indeed in a tight situation, and Arthur appoints him his new "minder". Ray was portrayed as smarter, having a well expressed intelligence and basic education ('O' Level French and woodwork) as well as being able to fight (instances of which, by this stage, were far less frequent and far less graphic than seen in the show's early episodes). He was also a snappy dresser, typically seen in designer suits, and not a heavy drinker, usually seen sipping mineral water or a soft drink. Ray did not have a regular car and was usually lumbered with the beaten up old blue Ford Transit van from Arthur's lock-up.

The original theme tune was replaced by a rock-style instrumental version, credited to "Kenny" (Gerard Kenny). By this stage, the rough and ready elements of the early series had been toned down, concentrating on the comedic aspects of Arthur's dodgy dealings. Waterman praised Gary Webster for fitting into the series, but was vocal in his comments that the series was no longer about a minder and that the revamped version should go under a different title, reflecting its orientation almost solidly around Arthur.

Other new characters in this revamped version were Sidney Livingstone (who had previously appeared as casino bouncer in the episode, "You Lose Some, You Win Some") as Bert Daley, Arthur's gullible, over-trusting brother (and Ray's father), who views Arthur as a successful businessman and not a con-man and entrusts Ray into his care; Bert's wife and Ray's mum, Doreen (Lill Roughley); and Ray's recurring girlfriend Gloria (Emma Cunningham), who is frustrated with Ray being torn between her and Arthur. The new police nemeses were Detective Sergeant Michael Morley (Nick Day), and D.C. Park (Stephen Tompkinson) in series 8, who in turn, was replaced by D.C. Field (Jonty Stephens) in series 9.

The end of the final episode of Series 10, "The Long Good Thursday", saw Arthur, along with Ray, Dave and crazy prisoner, Frankie (Matthew Scurfield), finally being caught and driven away in a police convoy. In a final monologue over closing credits, Arthur was bemused, citing himself as a hardworking, upstanding citizen. The following week, a repeat showing of the first episode, "Gunfight at the O.K. Laundrette" (slightly edited for its pre-watershed start) was broadcast. Cole made an opening introduction, saying he had been asked to choose his favourite episode, but all were of such quality that he couldn't. He closed with "Goodbye... for now", hinting that he or the show may return.

Series 11

File:Minder 2009 Titles.jpg

Final title sequence

In July 2008, it was announced Minder was to resume on Channel 5 after a 15-year break. The first episode of the six-part series was broadcast on 4 February 2009. The makers emphasised that it was a revival, rather than a remake.

The show focused on Arthur's nephew Archie, played by Shane Richie, and a new 'minder' character, Jamie Cartwright, played by Lex Shrapnel. Channel 5 stated in July 2008, that there were no plans for Cole, Waterman or Webster to reprise their roles in the relaunched series. The series was produced by Talkback Thames.

In the weeks leading up to the new series, Channel 5 launched a national advertising campaign to promote the show's return. These featured a series of adverts on television and billboards. Other promotions included advertisements on taxi receipts, a social networking campaign and branded beer mats, all designed to attract the young male audience Channel 5 was targeting. The Sun reported that Richie banned Waterman from appearing in the series remake, but Richie told fans to ignore this story, saying it would be an honour to be in the company of Waterman and Cole, let alone work with them on television. Although a Christmas episode was initially planned and announced ahead of the intended second series, on 31 May 2009, UK newspaper The Mirror reported that, due to alleged poor ratings, Channel 5 would not be commissioning a new series of Minder.

Cast and characters

Terry McCann

Terry is a former professional boxer who has served time in Wormwood Scrubs prison ("two years for GBH and three for attempted robbery" according to a police sergeant in the first episode, "Gunfight at the OK Laundrette", although other episodes slightly contradict this and the overall charges are often quite vague), having served a substantial term because he would not become an informant against his co-accused. With few options, Terry is employed as Arthur's minder on vague and ungenerous terms, with it often being hinted that Arthur has manipulated him into this job, and indeed is seen to continue to manipulate Terry throughout the character's run in the series, despite his often attempting to find other means of employment and break free from Arthur's control. (The later feature-length special "An Officer and a Car Salesman", which leads into Series 7, Terry's last stint in the series, begins with Terry once again inside, this time after being caught with some of Arthur's hookey merchandise). In Terry and Arthur's final episode "The Wrong Goodbye", it is suggested that one of Terry's prison terms was taken in place of Arthur and explains why Arthur and Terry have a deep bond, though casts Arthur's treatment of Terry in far less flattering light.

In the title sequence, Arthur is shown meeting Terry at the prison gates following his release. He drives a white Ford Capri, although it is never made clear whether Terry had bought the vehicle from Arthur, hence their meeting, or if Arthur had given to Terry this car as part of their ensuing working deal, in the same manner as the flat that Arthur houses Terry in. (Terry drives a copper coloured Capri in some mid-run episodes, and a silver Capri in several others, and the exact model is seen to vary between different episodes). Terry enjoys a drink but usually responsibly, does not smoke and has an eye for the ladies. Despite his incarceration, he is honest, trustworthy and loyal, particularly to Arthur, although the scrapes that Arthur lands him in make him wonder why. He is intelligent and streetwise enough to disperse situations that his role as minder often lands himself, and Arthur or those around him, in, although at the same time is seen not to be strong willed enough to break free of Arthur's often devious ways of keeping their working relationship in place.

Indeed, it is Terry's romantic interests who are far less impressed with Arthur's hold on Terry and frequently suggest that he should break free from Arthur and start making his own path in life (often as a precursor to a deeper relationship). Arthur sees these women as a threat to his workforce and is not averse to breaking up any relationship which may interfere in Terry's availability. While Terry resents this, he is also commitment shy and resists attempts to settle down often, which Arthur exploits through a thinly veiled desire for him to be independent of women.

Arthur Daley

Arthur Edward Daley is a mid-level professional criminal of mature years, a minor con man eternally involved in dodgy dealings and usually seen puffing Castella Panatella cigars. In the series 3 episode "In", a German police officer reading Arthur's file reveals that Arthur served 18 months in prison during the 1950s, but does not reveal the reason. In early episodes he is depicted as more cunning and streetwise, as well as showing an interest in young women. Later his character is softened, more of a cowardly con man than an outright villain and almost prudish about young women. Arthur's exact age is never specified, however in SE02 E06 it is stated that he began his National Service in the British Army in 1949, placing his birthday between 1928 and 1931.

Arthur typically drives an upmarket car; the Jaguar XJ6 being the vehicle the character is most associated with. In the early episodes he drives a 4.2 Series II XJ6. In the latter part of Series 3, Arthur has changed over to a silver Mercedes 280E and in Series 4 he drives a Portland beige Daimler Sovereign 4.2 Series III. Series 7 again sees Arthur driving a silver Jaguar XJ6. As a used-car salesman, Arthur occasionally makes use of other cars. In the Series 3 episode "Broken Arrow", he uses a Ford Granada Mk.II. However, due to an accident, this car has to be repaired and Arthur is forced to borrow a friend's customised Chevrolet Corvette C3 Stingray that he is trying to sell. Also in Series 3, Arthur uses a brown Jaguar XJR in the episodes "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" and "Looking for Micky". In the Series 7 episode "It's a Sorry Lorry, Morrie!", Arthur is down on his luck and has to resort to driving a clapped-out mustard yellow Ford Granada Mk.II. In the episode "A Nice Little Wine" Daley drives, in order to test, a pale blue Rover SD1. In the special episode "An Officer and a Car Salesman", Arthur has moved up in the world and drives a yellow Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. In the later Ray Webster era, he then has a silver Jaguar XJ40.

He survives by his wiles and self-belief, and exploits everyone, especially Terry. He is always trying to make extra money, which he often describes as a "nice little earner", and his schemes usually backfire and leave him either in debt to local underworld figures, or with his activities coming under the scrutiny of the police (or often a combination of both) - with Terry ultimately being left to sort out the mess and get him out of trouble. Arthur thinks of himself as an "entrepreneur", but his tailored three-piece suits, Jaguar and social affectations do not disguise his working class origins. Arthur tests Terry's patience with dishonest and doomed schemes to make money, then uses his cunning to persuade Terry to stay with him. In the same way, Arthur manipulates friends such as Dave, the barman (and part owner with Arthur) of the private, downmarket, Winchester Club. Most episodes depict Arthur losing or only just breaking even as the result of some scheme going wrong. However Arthur owns various businesses outright or is a part-owner as well as partner with Dave in the Winchester, he also seems to own various rental properties. The viewer may assume that it's his failures, rather his successes, that are televised.

Arthur refers to his wife, who never appeared, as "'er indoors", the implication being that she is a fierce and formidable woman. Arthur is not above bending the law and sometimes attracts the keen attention of the local police. Despite Terry's own prison sentence, with an additional oblique reference to "minor misdemeanours in the dim and distant past", he serves as the show's moral conscience, keeping Arthur from straying too far outside the law and persuading him to do the right thing whether Arthur likes it or not. The name Arthur Daley has become synonymous with a dishonest salesman or small-time crook.

With Arthur's dodgy schemes, the duo encounter undesirable underworld figures, many of whom Arthur deals with and many of whom turn nasty, leaving Terry to fight and outwit their way out of trouble. But for all Arthur's obsession with get-rich-quick schemes, he is never malicious, usually simply being blinded by greed, and the pair often end up putting some other wrong right or helping others in need or who have been done wrong by, even if it proves to be Arthurs's Achilles' heel to his latest scheme fully succeeding. Most of Arthur's schemes fail in the end, owing to his greed, but he does occasionally have minor victories and puts one over on the law or more serious criminals.

Arthur's favourite drink was a large vodka and tonic, which was referred to as a "large V.A.T", a wordplay on Value Added Tax (the UK tax on sales).

Ray Daley

After Terry leaves, Arthur is persuaded by his brother Bert to give his son Ray a job. Ray is only a few years out of school, reasonably well educated, but directionless and on the fringes of dodgy company (mostly those he went to school with). He is appointed Arthur's 'minder' and proves well able to handle the job, although he is also keen to 'get into tie-wearing activities'. To this end, he finds himself carrying out a wide range of jobs, from car mechanic ('The Immaculate Contraption') to barge navigation ('The Cruel Canal') and satellite dish installation ('The Roof of all Evil'). Unlike Terry before him, Ray has no police record but that doesn't stop him being pulled in by police, and Arthur has to talk them into letting him go ('Cars and Pints and Pains'). Ray is a snappy dresser, typically seen in designer suits, and not a heavy drinker, usually seen sipping mineral water or a 'saint clements' (orange and lemon). Ray doesn't initially have a drivers licence but can handle most vehicles, including the beaten up old blue Ford Transit van from Arthur's lock-up. Like Terry, he has an eye for the ladies but the affairs are usually short. He eventually moves in with Gloria, a professional photographer, but she is frustrated to be playing second fiddle to Ray's sense of duty to Arthur's welfare.

Dave Harris

Dave is a childhood friend, part owner (with Arthur) and barman of the local members-only, the Winchester Club. Arthur and Terry regularly drink there and Dave acts, often unwillingly, as a message service for Arthur, and turns a blind eye to the shady deals being arranged by the patrons. As a counsel and resource of last resort, he on occasion helps Arthur and Terry get out of tight spots through offering advice, money, space at the Winchester to store items or people and reluctantly, personal information through a brother-in-law working in the police.

With a trading licence to maintain, he is a wise character keeping the delicate balance of a legitimate private members' drinking establishment and a safe space for the local villains to congregate. Frequently given first refusal on Arthur's dodgy merchandise, he has been offered cars, watches, toast, clothing and various consumer goods.

Various episodes give snippets of his home life, where we learn he has a wife (Lucy, whose only appearance is in Series 7, episode 2, "Days of Fines and Closures"), a daughter (Naomi, mentioned in Series 2, episode 10 "The Old School Tie" ) and a dead cat.

Police adversaries

Given the nature of Arthur's activities and Terry's criminal past, they were always in the spotlight of the local police and crossed paths with several regular and occasional characters:

DS Albert Chisholm; Detective Sergeant Albert "Cheerful Charlie" Chisholm (played by Patrick Malahide) made a brief appearance in the first episode and appeared in another 23 episodes in the first six series. Chisholm frequently arrested Arthur, but was not clever enough to make charges stick. Beginning in Series 3 he was accompanied by:

DC/DS 'Taff' Jones; (played by Meic Povey), a Welshman. Although not seeming particularly bright on first sight, Jones often proved sharper (though only mildly) than his superior, and was quietly amused by Arthur's frequent humiliation of Chisholm, even occasionally going into the Winchester for a social drink, away from Chisholm's domination. He tolerated the put-downs of his senior officer with 'Celtic willpower and a morbid fear of unemployment'. Jones was promoted to Detective Sergeant in Series 7, with DC MacDonald (Robin Cameron) as his assistant.

DC/DS Ronald Rycott; Detective Constable Ronald "Kenny" Rycott (played by Peter Childs) made his first appearance in Episode 3, "The Smaller They Are". Rycott previously had a 'spot of bother', which prevented him from rising through the ranks, although he later became a detective sergeant. A lone figure, not afraid of violent situations and more than willing to do a bit of "freelance" work, he was frequently on the edge of a nervous attack as Arthur slipped through his fingers. Rycott appeared in another 14 episodes up to the end of Series 7. His regular assistant was:

DC Melish; (Michael Troughton). DC Melish was, like DC Jones, mainly amused at Arthur's activities.

Many episodes in the first seven series featured either Chisholm and Jones or Rycott and Mellish, and the two pairs sometimes appeared together, emphasising the professional rivalry between them, much to the annoyance of their superior officer, Detective (Chief) Inspector Norton (Tony Caunter). This rivalry reached fever pitch in the episode "Around the Corner" (which closed Series 5) when all four officers, in two cars, crashed head-on while attempting to arrest Arthur and Terry. DI Norton's subsequent comments were scathing. Although Norton's appearances were always brief, they demonstrated the personal nature of Chisholm's and Rycott's campaigns. In the Series 6 episode "From Fulham with Love" Norton appears for less than a minute, but spends that entire appearance denouncing Chisholm for his "personal vendetta against Arthur Daley".

In the feature-length episode "An Officer and a Car Salesman" that preceded series 7, Chisholm was written out (he was seen to have taken a job as a security officer), and Jones was promoted to DS. Although he took over the probing of Arthur's plots, he was less hell-bent on nabbing him, finding most of Arthur's schemes humorous.

New police officers appeared from Series 8:

DS Michael Morley; (Nicholas Day). DS Michael Morley was also a highly driven officer, but tempered with a sense of humour that Chisholm lacked. He also failed to make charges against Arthur stand up in court. His assistants were:

DC Park; (Stephen Tompkinson). DC Johnny Park was openly amused at Arthur and Ray's activities, but knew his duty; as did

DC Field; (Jonty Stephens). DC Field was a conscientious officer but he occasionally did Arthur a good turn when he deserved it (which was rare);

DS Rogerson; (James Warrior). DS Richard Rogerson was a loyal and tenacious 'old school' officer. On occasion he even assisted Ray to prove that Arthur was innocent of police charges.

Other characters

Arthur's world was mainly populated by petty crooks, fellow minders, dropouts, 'tea leaves', 'fences' and those happy to quickly turn over dodgy goods, usually (but not always) without violence. Characters that Arthur would interact with regarding his various dodgy dealings included such characters, often memorably named, as fellow car dealer Wally West, Jewish travel agent-cum undertaker Monty Wiseman, 'Dirty 'arry', eternally glum 'Mournful Morris', 'Incapable' (a drunk former surgeon), 'Self Inflicted Sid', 'Freddy, the Fly', 'Scotch Harry', 'Maltese Tony', 'Smudger Harris', a forger of variable talent, unrelated man-with-a-van 'Pongo Harris', 'Dipso Pete' and 'Oily Wragg' (played by Pete Postlethwaite).

Recurring characters included Des (George Layton) (series 1–3), a back-street mechanic friend of Terry's who was friendly and likable, but not beyond car theft when called for; professional gambler Maurice Michaelson (Anthony Valentine) (series 1–2), kind-hearted stripper Debbie Mitchell (Diana Malin) and air stewardess Penny (Gennie Nevinson), both recurring girlfriends of Terry's; Ray Winstone as mechanic Arnie (series 4–7, conceived as a replacement for George Layton's Des, and as dim as Des was sharp); and wide boy Justin James (Mark Farmer) (series 5–7), who idolised Arthur and aspired to be like him, seeing him as a kind of godfather. Royce Mills also starred as Arthur's financial adviser, Andrew, whose character appeared in a number of episodes across several series.

As the series progressed, the guest stars became more prestigious, including Derek Jacobi as criminal Freddy Fenton, Brian Glover as Arthur's old army buddy Yorkie, Suzi Quatro as Terry's singer girlfriend Nancy, and Michael Kitchen as 'Maltese Tony'. Later series starring Cole and Waterman featured Billy Connolly playing Tick-tack, a bookie and grifter, Brian Blessed as bent copper DI Dyer, Ian McShane as gangster Jack Last, Roy Kinnear as Fat Charlie and Andrew Sachs as Sidney.

Indeed, the show gave roles to young actors who have since achieved considerable fame including Brian Cox, Steve McFadden, Peter Capaldi and Bill Nighy.

In a great many episodes, Arthur would refer to his wife as "'er indoors" (Ray would call her "Auntie" in the later series). This character was never named or appeared throughout the entire series, with it left to Arthur's occasional comments about her to give viewers a mental image as to the personality of his unseen wife. However, an out-of-focus photograph of bride and groom seen in the background of one early episode ('Bury my Half at Waltham Green') in Arthur's flat may be of Arthur and his Wife. Their children are mentioned in passing in a few episodes but no specifics are ever given.

Rula Lenska played a number of roles in the show and was married to Dennis Waterman.

2009 revival characters

Archibald "Archie" Daley is the main character in the 2009 revival. It is never specified whether Archie is related to Arthur or not. Like Arthur, he is a "wide" businessman, who likes expensive clothing and cars although his tastes are less traditional. Archie tries to get involved in many types of enterprises usually unsuccessfully. Archie is getting divorced from his wife Delilah at the start of the series, but appears to no children. He seems to have no qualms about having affairs.

Jamie Cartwright is a newly qualified black cab driver, who is good at defending himself. He is less of a womaniser than either Terry or Ray, but still fancies himself as a ladies' man. He is the "minder" in this version. His Hackney cab is a major feature in many of the plots.

Petra Bennett is a pub land lady. In the first episode of the revival, Archie calls on Jamie to try and get her to sell up for a development organised by an acquaintance of Archie's. However, they soon come over to her side after her pub is torched. The bar is refitted at Archie's expense and renamed the Winchester. Petra is perhaps the equivalent of Dave from the previous series, but is on better terms with Jamie than Archie.

Production

Development

Minder was devised by writer Leon Griffiths as a vehicle for Dennis Waterman after his success in The Sweeney. George Cole's wheeler-dealer character is almost secondary, with Arthur assigning Terry a new "minding" job in each episode. A number of early episodes focus on Terry in such assignments, with Arthur remaining in the background. However, as the comedy potential of Cole's dodgy-dealing character emerged, as well as the successful on-screen pairing of Waterman and Cole (which proved to be one of the series' most popular elements), the emphasis increasingly focused more on Arthur's exploits, and by a few series into the show's life, typical plots revolved more around Arthur's latest shady scams instead of some of the more "gritty" plots of Terry's minding jobs.

Despite its eventual success, Minder was a slow burner, not helped by being delayed by a nine-week technicians' strike which effectively blacked out the ITV network. In the light of initially poor viewing figures, management at Thames were intent on scrapping the show but managing director Bryan Cowgill persuaded them to commission one further series and repeat the first. Both attracted much larger audiences and by series 3, the show had become a major hit, and at its peak was often cited as the jewel in ITV's Drama crown.

Storylines

The tone of the programme in series one and two, and much of series three, mixed poignant drama and action sequences with offbeat comic moments, and many of these tales had a grittier feel to them than the more light-hearted storylines that would go on to be more familiar. As the series progressed over 15 years, more emphasis was placed on the comedic aspects of the minder-principal relationship, and the show became more a comedy driven by a dramatic plot. Social satire played a strong part throughout the series, grounded in the cinematic and social ethos of the 1980s. In the earlier series, Terry would succeed in seducing a 'dolly bird', resulting in at least one scene of female semi-nudity per average episode, though as the series became more popular these instances were reduced (and some repeat viewings, even those post-watershed, toned such scenes down). Although always an element of the series, the fights - common and brutal in early episodes - were also toned down and became less frequent.

Another significant element of the series were the subplots typically found in a Minder episode. Although subplots weren't necessarily found in all of the episodes, they were found in most and usually consisted of one of Arthur's dodgy deals, Terry's minding jobs and/or favours done for friends and in a few instances involved the police tackling particular cases.

The series has a number of parallels with long-running BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses, with both being set in London and involving lovable dodgy dealers with endless get-rich-quick schemes that invariably backfire and get them into trouble (and both of whom tried to make out to be of a higher status than they really were), and both having a blend of comedy and drama. Indeed, Only Fools and Horses creator / writer John Sullivan claimed that one of the ways he persuaded the BBC to commission the series was by pointing to the success of ITV's Minder, which had begun the previous year. After both having lukewarm starts, both series went on to become huge hits, and share much of the same fan base. At Christmas 1985, specials of Only Fools and Horses and Minder were scheduled against each other, angering many viewers in the days before video recorders were commonplace in UK homes.

When the series was first broadcast, some viewers complained about the use of swearing and foul language in the episodes. Even though this gave the storylines a sense of gritty reality, it was noticed that as the series progressed from season to season, the amount of swearing steadily decreased up to the point that when the special episode TV feature film "Minder on the Orient Express" was broadcast, there was practically none at all.

Recurring features

As well as heavy use of leading British actors, other features were Arthur's constant rhyming slang and other misquoted sayings (one being "the world is your lobster" and "I had a dream"), the derelict sites used as locations, and the episode titles, which contained references to films (e.g. "Gunfight at the O.K. Launderette", "Monday Night Fever", "National Pelmet", "The Beer Hunter", "Days of Fines and Closures", "The Wrong Goodbye" and "Guess Who's Coming to Pinner?").

Opening and closing credits

The show's opening credit sequence shows the Arthur Daley and Terry McCann characters negotiating over the sale of the white Ford Capri interspersed with still photos of the two main characters, highlighting Terry's credentials as a retired boxer and ex-convict, this presumably symbolising the characters' first meeting and the terms of their partnership. During the Dennis Waterman era, the closing credits consisted of a number of black and white (with blue tint) still photographs of Arthur and Terry together outside famous London landmarks, and a few hinting of (unseen) previous escapades typical of a standard episode plot. In the later Gary Webster series, this changed to Arthur and Ray walking along Southend Pier, which is over a mile long: at the end Arthur realises he has left his lighter at the other end of the pier and they start to walk back to find it.

The 2009 revival features a very different opening sequence, with a reworked theme tune. Archie Daley is shown putting on his suit and opening a suitcase of money, while Jamie is out driving his Hackney cab.

Theme tune

"I Could Be So Good for You"
Single by Dennis Waterman
from the album So Good for You
B-side	"Nothing at All"
Released	October 1979 (1979-10) 13 October 1980 (1980-10-13) (reissue)
Recorded	1979
Genre	Pop
Length	3:17
Label	EMI
Songwriter(s)	Gerard Kenny Patricia Waterman
Producer(s)	Christopher Neil
Dennis Waterman singles chronology
"Love's Left Me Bleeding" (1979) "I Could Be So Good for You" (1979) "Holding on to Love" (1980)

The theme tune, "I Could Be So Good for You", written in 1979 by Gerard Kenny and Patricia Waterman, was sung by Dennis Waterman. It was released as a single in October 1979, credited to 'Dennis Waterman with the Dennis Waterman Band', but failed to enter the charts. It was then re-released in October 1980, upon which it became more successful, peaking at No.3 in the UK Singles Chart in November. The writing credit of Kenny/Waterman often lead people to mis-credit Dennis as co-writer. Dennis Waterman also sang the theme songs to other programmes he starred in, including On the Up, Stay Lucky, and New Tricks, and this led to a parody in Little Britain where Dennis Waterman played by David Walliams is offered acting work; he always assumes he will also "write the theme tune, sing the theme tune...".

Glasgow band Attic Lights re-worked the theme for the 2009 series.

Writer Gerard Kenny has also released his own version of the song, appearing on his 1994 album Time Between the Time. A live version of the song sung in duet between Gerard Kenny and Dennis Waterman was released on 1997's The Best of Gerard Kenny – The Singles album. Also, in 2004, Kenny released yet another album Coming Home which featured a "chilled" (and slower) recording of the song as its opening track. Kenny spoke about the composition of the song and how he met Waterman in a 2021 interview.

Charts

Chart (1980–81)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	9
Ireland (IRMA)	5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	3

Episodes

Main article: List of Minder episodes

Series	No. of episodes	Series première	Series finale
1	11	29 October 1979	21 January 1980
2	13	11 September 1980	18 December 1980
3	13	13 January 1982	7 April 1982
4	12	26 December 1983	21 March 1984
5	9	5 September 1984	26 December 1984
6	6	4 September 1985	9 October 1985
7	6	2 January 1989	6 February 1989
8	13	5 September 1991	25 December 1991
9	13	7 January 1993	1 April 1993
10	10	6 January 1994	10 March 1994
11	6	4 February 2009	11 March 2009

Reception

At its peak, the show was one of ITV's most popular programmes, even repeats attracting over 10 million viewers. The highest rated episode was 1984's "Second Hand Pose", with 16.4 million viewers. In 2005, Arthur Daley came second in ITV's 50th anniversary poll to find its favourite TV characters.

The show was a number of times said to have come to its end, only to reappear. For example, in 1984, TV Times reported that series 5 would be the last. In 1985, it again seemed as if that the current series was the last one, and it was off-air (bar repeats) for three years, to reappear in 1988. This series appeared to be the last as Dennis Waterman announced his departure at the end of its run. However, after a two-and-a-half-year break, the show was back again for a further two-and-a-half-year run, which ended with the 10th series in 1994.

In other media

The series inspired a hit single, "Arthur Daley (E's Alright!)" by The Firm, which made the UK Top 20 in 1982. George Cole and Dennis Waterman released a Christmas record in 1983 called "What are We Gonna Get 'Er Indoors?" which reached No. 21 in the charts. The duo performed it on Top of the Pops on 22 December 1983.

In 1980, an annual based on the series was released by Grandreams. It was based upon the early concept of the series being based around Terry, and made no reference to Arthur. Two further annuals were released by World International Publishing for 1985 and 1986. These annuals featured both Terry and Arthur, with illustrations of both Dennis Waterman and George Cole.

A Leon Griffiths authored book - Arthur Daley's Guide To Doing It Right!, which included black & white stills from the series, along with caricatures by John Ireland - was published in 1985 by Willow Books, appearing in paperback in 1986 from Fontana.

In 1985, an officially licensed Minder computer game was published for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. The player's aim was to make money by buying and selling goods. The game was written by Don Priestley and published by DK'Tronics.

In 2021, Paul Stenning released a podcast interviewing people involved with the show. Episodes released include interviews with George Layton, Gerard Kenny, Suzi Quatro and Gennie Nevinson.

External links

• The Minder Podcast released in 2021
• The Complete Minder Book released in 2014
• Minder website
• Minder at the Internet Movie Database
• Minder at the BFI's Screenonline
• The British Drama website
• Minder at Nostalgia Central
• Encyclopedia of Television - Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Minder (2009) at the Internet Movie Database
• Minder at epguides.com
• Minder (2009) at epguides.com