Minder (1979–1994) User Reviews

Superb

[deathinleamington · 9/10 · 30 September 2010]

I was 8 years old when this started, and when I left home aged 18 it was still on. The theme tune followed me through the 80s - Bagpuss came and went, Dangermouse arrived, a raft of American programmes designed to sell toys (which was a brand new idea then) crashed onto UK shores, the Commodore 64 bleeped and caroused in the corner, acid house music chipped and blooped onto the radio..... and Arthur & Terry were still there. I saw a handful of episodes as child & teenager, and always found the on- screen chemistry pulled me in...... but I did feel that it had become a bit of a dinosaur by 1990. I left home and virtually forgot about it, until ITV4 started re-running it again.

The writing was, and is, simply superb. Secondary characters are strongly developed and given good lines, something non-existent nowadays (see Taggart, Waterloo Road, Monarch Of The Glen) and almost every episode hangs together as a complete thing, ends tied up, viewer satisfaction assured. That takes good writing and good acting. Another, unintentional but wonderful, boon for the programme was that due to 75% of each episode being filmed on location outdoors over 15 years, it captured London in a constant state of flux that is clear and visible, something no other show has. It's fascinating to see London in that era, changing from series to series. And there's that chemistry between Cole and Waterman, which really shines through. That was fairly rare in a TV series back then, but is now like hen's teeth.

Its success with 15-24 year olds today is surprising, yet gratifying. It says, perhaps, that things like story, good acting and love of craft do not age, or lose their brightness.

This is one of my favourite programmes and i wasn't even born when it started.

[LuckyGoldStar · 9/10 · 20 February 2008]

Minder is about Arthur Daley(George Cole)who is a second hand car salesman,but he also sells dodgy gear that falls off the back of lorries or things that are stolen.As you would think in a business like this he would need some protection from small time crooks or the owners of the merchandise,so he hires Terry Mccann(Dennis Waterman)as his Minder.Terry more often looks after Arthurs friends,which always results in something bad happening to someone. Minder is an excellent show.It has everything,its a good comedy and drama and there's the occasional car chase and there's a lot of good fight scenes from Dennis Waterman.Cole and Waterman are a brilliant duo,I would recommend this fantastic programme to everyone that enjoys good action and comedy.

Gets better with every watch

[colinprunty-1 · 9/10 · 4 October 2020]

Brilliant series spawned from the makers of 'the sweeney ' and featuring one of its stars Dennis Waterman in a role as a tough ex con/boxer earning his living as a minder. The man he is protecting is a complete sleaze bag called Arthur Daley who doesn't appear to have much respect with the local underworld. We are never told why he is held with such disdain throughout the series however his minded is very well respected in the local 'manor' . The episodes generally feature a scam or con by Arthur with Terry as the main fall guy and given the amount of interest in the pair by the local constabulary makes one wonder did they have a grass very close to them, maybe Dave or Des from the Winchester. Questions about grassing always would be raised about Daley given his lack of popularity throughout this series. Great scenes throughoutmixing gritty violence with slapstick comedy works a treat however I still maintain that series 1-4 were the best of the many that were shown and 'Monday night fever ' from series 1 my overall favourite . Loads of scenes of grimy rain sodden London streets and low level boozers full of spivs and strippers , scrapyards and council tower blocks . It really timelines late 70s early 80s London and never fails to entertain Even today. Truly great television

Quality

[dovestones · 10/10 · 9 April 2004]

Minder is without doubt one of the greatest TV shows produced in Britian with a topnotch double act providing its heartbeat. Cole and Waterman work so well off each other that only repeated viewing can allow you to fully appreciate their chemistry. Cole's Arthur Daley is easily the best "Wheeler Dealer" ever created, anywhere on television. Although Del Boy in "Only Fools..." is carved from the same mould he shows signs of weakness through family commitments and links to friendship, where as Daley is 100% in it for himself, drooling at the mouth at the merest sight of money or personal profit. Waterman as Terry is perfectly legit in the role as he sympathetic hardman and the fact that he doesn't get lost under the giant shadow of Cole's tour de force is a testiment to Watermans skills as an actor.

I'd advise anyone who isn't familiar with the show to hunt for the early episodes and enjoy what was a very gritty and real drama, where Terry is clearly the main man whilst, at that point, Arthur is secondary in the writers minds (Not that it deminishes his screen presence, just leaves you wanting more). Another important component to its success was its grand array of support players, from Dave the barman at everyones favourite watering hole, the Winchester, to dodgy geezers like Des the mechanic and the hilarious, bumbling Police who could never catch Arthur in the act. The show did lose some of its hard edge as it veered off towards a comedic element but it always remained true to the characters, and as such the characters became the central theme. Instead of getting embroiled in incidents, they BECAME the incidents. I can't say enough good words about this programme. I have every episode on tape and watch them all the time. The only thing that you can say is that they DEFINITELY don't make 'em as good as this anymore.

George Cole and Dennis Waterman act superbly well as........

[walmington · 1 November 2000]

Probably the best comedy/drama to ever come from ITV. Arthur Daley is an entrepreneur. If he can make money, Arthur's interested. Except that he's also the king of dodgy deals, which calls for him to have a bodyguard or a minder. His minder is Terry McCann. He's just out of prison and needs the work. The relationship between Terry and Arthur is sometimes strained to its limit, but they're loyal to eachother. They're forever trying to dodge the law, and always succeed.

George Cole (Arthur) and Dennis Waterman (Terry) made the charcters and I can't imagine anyone else playing them so well. George Cole is an extremely experienced actor, as is Dennis Waterman and this shows throughout each episode. Just little things like raised eyebrows or a quick cheeky grin, give a whole new perspective to the programme. In all Arthur Daley is the man we love to distrust.

British humour never bettered.

[granty-95171 · 10/10 · 14 November 2019]

Hands down the best comedy drama series of them all, Minder still feels fresh and funny 25 years after it ended, unlike many of the sitcoms which appear like museum relics today. Minder had the advantage of being an hour in length, and i prefer its more leisurely pace and subtle humour over the sitcom's all out grab for laughs, and thankfully there's no laughter-track telling us what's "funny".

George Cole's Arthur Daley is up there with the very best comedy creations, a scoundrel so good he would have graced any Shakespeare play or Dickens novel; his hired muscle Terry McCann, although having done time is an innocent by comparison and Arthur is always dropping him in it.

The supporting cast is top draw especially Arthur's nemesis Inspector Chisholm and Dave the barman, and Minder's location work offers a fascinating glimpse of a London that no longer really exists.

Minder ran for 10 series (we can forget Channel 5's feeble reboot) but i think the show peaked in its earlier, grittier days and the later (series 7 onwards) episodes were nowhere near as good. At its best very few tv comedies could hold a candle to it.

'Minder' was the Dog's Jacksons

[winstonfg · 10/10 · 19 June 2008]

I recently watched an episode on one of the cable "repeats" channels, and there's no doubt that it's dated a bit in the 20-odd years since it came out; but there are still some priceless lines.

For those of us who saw him in 'The Sweeney', there was little doubt that affable Cockney schmuck Waterman would find another vehicle for his talents; but very few predicted that it would be paired with old George. However, the duo of Arfur and Terry became one of the enduring symbols of the hard days of the early 80's, and the unseen "'er indoors" a byword for the reason most blokes spend their time "down the pub".

Arguably, it was Cole who stole the thunder with his brilliant portrayal of overgrown wide-boy Daley, but it definitely wasn't the same after Waterman left. Truth be told, it was beginning to lose steam even before that, but for the first 6 years or so it was one of the best shows on TV. All the satellite characters, especially Dave and Chisolm, are well-drawn, and Euston Films provided the suitably gritty backdrops they'd already become known for with 'The Sweeney' and 'Special Branch'.

All in all, an 80's delight.

Best of thee triumvirate

[steveandkaren-77517 · 10/10 · 14 May 2021]

The series 3 that aired early 1982 had in my opinion the 3 best minder episodes in a row namely 1-Poetic Justice innit ?2-Back in Good old England and this gem In featuring Brian Cox as hard man Frank fresh from his appearance as Tony Mcgrath in Out (I think Euston Films were tributing their great success here )This episode has it all, big laughs at German police and the Scots reputation for fighting and being tight with money -Arthur is going to be potentially fitted up as "The Fulham connection "drug baron and enlists Terry to help him -After a very funny episode in which Poiice Constable Ricott ends up being humiliated by Arthur again it ends with the best staged punch up on a London bus between Dennis and Brian,that I have ever seen on any TV show -all done with great humour and humility in the end.

Went on for far too long

[welshNick · 7/10 · 8 July 2011]

The excellently acted Minder was made by ITV and premiered throughout the 1980's in the UK. The two central characters were Arthur Daley, a used car salesman and dodgy businessman, and Terry McCann his bodyguard and 'Minder.' The two central characters were played by George Cole and Dennis Waterman, fresh from his success in The Sweeney. The episodes had some excellent secondary characters who were regulars: Dave, the owner of the Winchester Club, Chisholm and Ryecott, the police officers who were never quite able to put Arthur away and the dimwit mechanic Arnie, played by Ray Winstone.

Each week we had Arthur pulling one con or another and generally getting into trouble. Cue Terry to come in all fists flying to sort the problems out. There were some excellent episodes in each series but as time went on the mediocre episodes were far outweighing the good episodes and a general sameness started to creep in. It was being rushed out to cash in on the ratings and it really showed. Still as said there were some very good episodes. Personal favourites include Aces High and sometimes very low and Rocky 8 1/2 Once Dennis Waterman left it really went downhill. Less said on that the better.

Worth seeing again but pick which episodes you watch with care. The early ones were better.

Funny with authentic fight scenes

[Tthomaskyte · 10/10 · 20 December 2011]

In response to an earlier comment that Dennis Waterman was unconvincing as a former professional boxer, Waterman was picked partly for his boxing ability. He was an active schoolboy boxer who was forced to quit when acting took over his life. The directors he was working for didn't like him turning up with black eyes. Also he came from a boxing family. His brother Peter was a professional and held the European Welterweight Championship, once beating Cuban legend Kid Gavilan. Unlike say, Sylvester Stallone who had never boxed before Rocky, Waterman actually knew how to fight and it helped the series immeasurably. He was also brilliant at underplaying his role to add weight to George Cole's character, much in the same way as Richard Beckinsale did with Ronnie Barker in Porridge. The strength of Waterman's performance is demonstrated by the way the programme fell off sharply when he left. That was not entirely because of the Ray Daley character who replaced Terry McCann, but mainly because the script writers changed the character of Arthur to make him more sympathetic and less selfish in relation to the new Minder who was his nephew.

Was Dennis Waterman really Robert Redford?

[TheFearmakers · 7/10 · 7 March 2019]

Actually, Robert Redford had to actually DO something to get women in movies. Dennis Waterman, a very plain looking guy who is balding, on both The Sweeney and Minder, does nothing at all and not only "swims in women" but is "molded in models". And he does nothing at all.

That's England for ya. Ugly or average looking men with gorgeous dames. And MINDER is a good show, and started out with Waterman the star and then wound up being George Cole's thing: The latter plays a con artist while the title character protects people for money, and gets ripped off each time...

It's funny and yet the crime element overrides the quirky humor. Works well. That is, as long as Waterman was on the series. Waterman and all his birds.

A London loved and lost

[The_Invisible_Dog · 10/10 · 9 February 2012]

Anyone who had a TV set in England in the 1980s will know Minder. A beloved series to many, a guilty pleasure to many more and a load of old codswallop to a few others. But hey, that's just horses for courses. The show ran like a backbone through British TV in the 80's. To watch it now is nostalgic and in some ways quite cosy viewing, but there is so much more to it than that.

First and foremost it is gloriously entertaining. Especially the first few series - hardly a duff episode, if any. The humour and delivery are consistent throughout, always with a variety of interesting characters who are all a bit like someone you know or knew.

The plots in general are reliably similar - i.e. Arthur (the wheeler/dealer businessman) ropes in Terry (the good hearted, odd job man/minder) to help out in his latest scheme, masquerading the job to Terry as something far less dodgy than it actually is. Thus, Terry lands unknowingly in hot water, fisticuffs ensue (as does the occasional bunk up with some dolly bird) but Terry usually comes up trumps and ends up saving both the day and Arthur - who more often than not ends up with egg on his face. A classic sit-com set up - but always so very enjoyable.

George Cole is a comic master. He cut his teeth in Ealing Comedy films, appearing in them since he was a youngster with the legendary Alistair Sim as his mentor of sorts. He even played the young Ebenezer in the classic 1951 'Scrooge'. In Minder, his Arthur Daley is one of the most memorable UK TV characters of all time.

Dennis Waterman is more the straight man if you like and brings with him all the rough diamond charm established in previous programs such as the brilliant 'The Sweeney'. Minder allows him far more room and air time to show warmth and stretch his comedy legs while losing none of the 'ard man who can be a bit tasty with his fists as and when required.

The show also features a whole host of UK classic and character actors, too numerous to mention. It's a real treat watching Minder, not knowing who will turn up, how or when. In fact that is one of the great things about Minder, it feels like a huge family of UK TV greats portraying with solidity, quality and often a tongue in cheek, a whole world of London that is sadly pretty much now gone.

Decades since it first aired, it is amazing already as a time capsule. For eg - in one episode i saw recently, Arthur drove his mustard XJ6 jaguar into a posh, residential square in Chelsea and swept straight into a parking space! There were no other cars parked, no yellow lines, no parking restriction signs, no speed bumps, no cctv etc. Oh how things have changed!

Not only that but he then offered to buy a bloke's Chelsea flat for £10,000! You couldn't buy a garage for that now, i kid you not.

So it serves now as a caper through a very real London of the time. Warm and light of heart, tough, gritty and almost bleak in places but always funny.

To anyone who wants to know what it was like in London in the 1980s, this would be an essential piece of your TV jigsaw. A comfortable addition to 'Only Fools and Horses'. In fact, put 'The Sweeney' and films such as 'The Long, Good Friday' and 'Babylon' into the pot and you are getting there nicely, my son.

Mindless

[donaldgordon797 · 1/10 · 16 February 2020]

Absolute tosh. Please don't waste your time. How this got made is beyond belief. How do you give them no stars as that is what I wanted to do

A reminder of how good ITV once was

[Corky1984 · 28 April 2005]

George Cole and Dennis Waterman team up in an ITV classic. The show combines subtle humour with genuinely entertaining scripts and a whole host of brilliant supporting characters. The show lets stories develop over an hour rather than rushing through them and puts today's so-called comedy dramas in the shade. The early episodes were more serious and hard-edged, but the comedy was apparent even then. As the show progressed Cole took over as the centre of attention, playing cockney geezer Arthur Daley, a TV masterpiece. Waterman's easy going style made for a great double act. Barman Dave is another great character, his members only Winchester pub being the local haunt of all the low level crooks on the manor! The language used in Minder is very funny at times, I love the Cockney slang they use, like 'er indoors' for wife, and 'sobs' for pounds! Of course Cole is the star of Minder, his trademark brown overcoat and trilby hat always raising a smile even before he's made one of his dodgy promises! The show coped very well with Waterman's departure at the end of the 80s, the new chap brought in to replace him fitting in well. ITV nowadays consists mainly of cheap and tacky gameshows and reality programmes, all of them terrible. Minder was an original and in many ways unique show. It should appeal to fans of the Sweeney and those who enjoyed Only Fools and Horses. Minder is actually better than Only Fools, not getting mired down in sentimentality. It's a shame no terrestrial station will repeat it, it'd thrash most of today's programmes.

Arthur Daley, E's Alright

[By-TorX-1 · 8/10 · 29 July 2020]

Minder is an 80s classic that follows the adventures of the wiley businessman Arthur Daley, always on the lookout for a nice little earner, and ably assisted by Terry McCann, his trusty (although sometimes reluctant) minder. George Cole and Dennis Waterman make for a great team with chemistry to spare, with support by Dave, proprietor of the Winchester Club (who has to endure Arthur clocking up those VATs on the slate). Arthur's dodgy dealing often brings him to the attention of the law or other less than salubrious characters, which usually means that Terry has to sort things out with his fists, and so invariably ends up with his boat race in a right two and eight. Minder is a very entertaining show and always worth a revisit, although the sparkle is tarnished somewhat when Terry leaves to be replaced by Arthur's nephew, Ray (and the least said about the 2000s Shane Ritchie-fronted reboot, the better).

Finest comedy-drama of its time still hits the mark now!

[naseby · 10/10 · 3 July 2008]

I'm trying to think offhand of a dreadful episode of this series - it should be said though, through no fault of his own, Gary Webster who played Ray after Terry left didn't quite cut the mustard as well as 'Tel'. Dennis Waterman (Terry McCann in Minder) was a popular actor at the time, following up from his success as Sergeant George Carter, tough but respected copper in police drama 'The Sweeney' with John Thaw. Obviously, in 'Minder' his associate, the spiv-like conman, 'Arfur' Daley,(George Cole) stole the show, scheming, ducking, diving and wheeler-dealing. Being able in talking his way in, let alone out, of tricky situations, with his 'spiel' (a term not used now, meaning fast-talking and lies, basically!). We're offered the reason in the opening credits if missed, that Arthur has taken Terry on to be his 'minder' - all things tough, hard, to be minded including Arthur's dodgy goods in his lock up the 'export and import' empire - (Fire damaged smoke alarms, need I say more!) he also had a car lot, with of course dodgy motors. Arthur has plenty of sidelines going involving his low-life connections and his intent to aspire to being a respected businessman means he tries also to con his way in to respectable people's lives in offering 'his services' and proclaiming he is 'one of them'. These are his 'earners', that inevitably go awry at some point leaving Terry to pick up the pieces. Terry is the lovable-rogue type, ex-con trying to go straight - but remember he works for Arthur Daley of all people - that's going to be a contradiction in itself! Terry, although working for Arthur still retains dignity and honesty, pulls the birds, is hard where it's needed only, but is constantly at Arthur's beck and call, but sometimes puts the spiv in his place! George Cole played his role like a true master - even getting himself an 'earner' by ending up portraying the same-like character in a series of commercials for a building society. He actually reprises a role from 'The St. Trinian's' films of the 1950's, as a character called 'Flash Harry' - obviously this has taken fruition even more here!Arthur often referred to the missus as " 'er indoors", who we never actually see! The duo were ably served by some great support from Glynn Edwards as 'Dave' the barman, with his sardonic comments (Arfur: "...that suit I got you was a 'steal' Dave." "Yeah," replies Dave, "And I know the bloke that stole it!"). And of course, the police were sniffing around on the duo with slimy 'Charlie' (Albert) Chisholm, brilliantly played by Patrick Malahide, ("It's you, Daley, the plot sickens.") as was Mr Rycott (Peter Childs)and their respective partners, 'Taff' Jones and 'Mellish'. They were always ahead of these four, when they thought they'd get them. Even though you knew they were crooks, you couldn't help but laugh when they got away with it. Some fine established British actors appeared in it as did ones who were going to go on to other things. Good support also from a young Ray Winstone and George Layton as very dodgy motor mechanics-cum car thieves! You always got your money's worth with this series, at least up until Terry's departure (As I've said, no fault of Gary Webster, perhaps if the roles were reversed I'd be saying it was better with him in it).

Minder.

[dbmufc-40789 · 9/10 · 13 February 2022]

Greatest comedy/drama series of all time, when Afthur, Terry and Justin are starring init, numo uno Mr Daley, not forgetting Dave and Arnie, in the Winchester or the Arches, also had great looking ladies appearing on it, don't like being sexiest, but was a real man's man show, above The Sweeney and Auf Wed pet, that dont't seem to be made anymore, unfortunately, because of the world we live in these days.

One liners !!

[totsjoy · 10/10 · 16 August 2023]

The one liners and hidden quips in this tv show are legendary ! It's a repeat watch for me that I can go back to again and again !! Every character has his or her unique personality.

The series took a while to decide what type of tv show it was but once it found it's feet as an action comedy there was no stopping it. Brilliant tv of which we will never see the likes again.

George cole is the absolute king pin of the show and is accompanied by some genuine stalwart actors that bring charm and presence in every scene.

Tv will never ever be the same but you can't halt progress. Pretty sure you can still watch all the episodes on itv x so don't spend any money on it unless you have to !

Pure gold, thanks to George Cole

[andrewjones888 · 8/10 · 30 October 2011]

I remember watching the last few series of Minder in the 90's as they came out. I really enjoyed them and so I've been stocking up on the early episodes that are repeated on a regular basis on sky.

Here we have wheeler dealer Arthur Daley played by the great Veteran actor George Cole and his diminutive Minder played Dennis Waterman. The show was started with the idea of it being more about Waterman's character and Arthur daley would be more secondary.... Yeah like that was ever going to happen! A bit like racing a bullet train on a bicycle and then being surprised with the outcome.

George Cole makes the show for me,his portrayal of Arthur is superb. The facial expressions the "Mockney" he uses and the spot on timing are brilliant. Waterman was good but he was never going to hold his ground or steal George Cole's thunder here, ironically Waterman was the one boxing out of his weight.

Arthur Daley is several rungs up the ladder from "Del boy" in only fools and horses. He owns properties, has a car lot, drives a nice Jag or Daimler and has a minder. This said, on his manner he was still only thought of as small time. He didn't discriminate at all,he was quite happy to do business with anyone just as long as there was a "nice little earner" in it.

I sometimes felt like the Terry McCann character was selectively stupid for the most part. He was clever enough to save the day or come to the rescue when one of Arthurs grubby deals back fired, but time and time again he was always stupid enough to get involved in the first place. It was clear that producers or writers still thought Waterman was the star because in a huge amount of episodes women just want to jump into bed with him at the drop of a hat! (yeah right) Also his hard man image strains the boundaries at times. Perhaps these plot holes were added to boost Waterman's inflated ego??? Also his appearance makes him the least convincing ex-boxer in the entire world.

Lots of great secondary characters make each episode worth watching even if your not keen on Arthurs latest deal. Notable performances from Glyn Edwards as long suffering Dave, owner or part owner of the Wincherster club. Not only does he have to put up with Arthurs bar bill slate being longer than the great wall of China,he is often sucked into his dodgy deals as well. Patrick Malahide as DS Chisholm who can never quite nail Daley for anything and has probably ruined his career trying.

The early episodes are the ones to go for but don't look to harshly on the later 90's episodes there are still some gems to be had,even if it was just more about comic situations,such as Arthur having to spend the night in a scruffy old canal boat or being trapped in his own lock-up. Enjoy!

Never seen the allure of this show

[michael_mulligan · 1/10 · 29 April 2020]

I remember when this show first aired in the UK, back then there was only 3-4 tv channels so a lack of choices meant the Arthur Daley hour got good ratings. What was intended as a post Sweeney vehicle for Dennis Waterman unintentionally made his co-star George Cole the scene stealing star. But it's depiction of London life in the 1980s was severely dated plus whenever episodes that featured other nationalities like Greeks, Irish, Italians and even Scots were played to clichéd stereotypes. However watching repeats it's a curious watching veteran actors like Lionel Jeffries, Beryl Reid and Max Wall making guest appearances plus aspiring ones like Paul Barber, June Brown and Ray Winstone.

One of the all-time greats

[Mike-792 · 7 July 1999]

Brilliant British TV series starring George Cole as Arthur Daley, a shady businessman and used-car dealer on London's "alternate economy". Dennis Waterman is Terry McCann, Daley's business associate and bodyguard, or "minder", hence the title. The show ran for several years and usually centered on Arthur hatching some half-baked scheme, only to escape just a half-step ahead of the police or British mobsters. Patrick Malahide played Det. Sgt. Chisholm, a low-rent Javert who always seemed to let Arthur and Terry slip through his fingers.

Witty, recognisable but stereo typical with some real victims out of sight

[Andrew_S_Hatton · 5/10 · 19 March 2009]

I have just watched an episode "second time around" with two old stalwart character actors in support, Beryl Reid and Bill Maynard. I certainly laughed at the one liners and recognisable scenes from my early life, although more sixties than eighties.

However, my real live tells me that there are real victims left in the wake of the Arthur's and Terry's. Certainly the Alcoholics and also the runners and lackeys, many of whom are not as sharp as the Terry McGann character.

Then there are the real "'er indoors-es" - feeding the kids on baked beans again when the deal doesn't go through. The trail of broken relationships, that are usually just off camera, etc.,etc..

Then there is the colour blindness, of London being multi cultural but that not showing through.

But did I enjoy it, even whilst feeling sorry for all the mug punters who got ripped off? Yes, I am ashamed to say I did!

Everyone Loved Arthur Daley And Terry McCann

[Big Movie Fan · 16 December 2002]

This was a superb show which ran for fifteen years from 1979-1994, perhaps one of the best ITV shows ever.

George Cole played businessman Arthur Daley. Daley was an entrepreneur, of which Britain had many during the early 80's. Everything he got involved in was dodgy so he had to have a bodyguard with him-Terry McCann played by Dennis Waterman from The Sweeney. Each week, Daley would get involved in some dodgy scam and would usually require Terry to use his fists to get them out of a predicament. There was plenty of good old British humour throughout the series as McCann did whatever Arthur paid him to do. Arthur was a loveable old rogue who we all liked and we all loved seeing Terry knock out the bad guys.

In the early 90's Waterman left the show and was replaced by Gary Webster who played Ray Daley, nephew of Arthur Daley. Totally different to Terry McCann, Ray was less inclined to use his fists but one way in which he was similar was that he always ended up doing Arthur's dirty work. The show became more comedic as it neared it's end in 1994.

Minder provided 15 years of consistent entertainment, a spectacular feat when you consider the highs and lows some TV shows face throughout their runs. Minder is worth checking out and is available on video and DVD currently.

Oh my good gawd its Chisolm

[RICHARDBLACK80 · 19 September 2005]

Minder was quality, without doubt. The quality dipped towards the end of the Dennis Waterman era but even those episodes when you watch them again now compared to a lot of current shows stand up really well. As mentioned in the trivia section this show started out as a post Sweeney vehicle for Dennis Waterman but soon the character of Arthur took over (maybe a little bit too much in the end). The series really hit its peak in the third and fourth series where it got slightly less violent and more inventive in its story lines. Episodes like 'What makes Shammy run' and 'You need hands' are fantastic. Like Fools and Horses it started to go grow as more characters where introduced. You could argue that with the exception of Chisolm, Rycott and Dave one of the reasons it started to dip was because the strenght of the supporting cast was not very good but its pointless to compare the two shows really. It must have been difficult for the script writers to find things for Waterman to do as he aged and he came more of an odd job man come friend to Arthur. The series finished in 1988 but returned in 1991 with a new minder (Arthurs cousin Ray). A lot of criticism came in for this new Minder format but the majority of it was good, especially the first series. Towards the end of the second series it got a bit too much and the plots ranged from good to boring to the daft. One of my favourite scenes is the first episode of the new format where Arthur is at a family wedding and holding court in the bathroom in a scene that is borrowed from the first Godfather film. I would really love them to do one last episode while its possible with an older Terry again saving Arthur, maybe with a little help from Ray. But alas it probably wont happen.