Minder

There are some shows that people really want to return, but know that she probably shouldn't come back as they'll be pale imitations of the original version.

This remake (or continuation) of 'Minder' is a good example of this.

It's not bad actually, but it suffers hugely in comparison to the original show.

Shane Richie does well, but his character is basically just Alfie Moon (his Eastenders character) under another name.

Crucially the writing isn't great, and the plots aren't the best.

It's a noble effort, but it just didn't capture the public's imagination in the same way as the original.

One of the problems of remaking an old series, is that we often forget how awful the original series was at times. Even the classics took a while to get going, and the original Minder was no different. It took many years for George Cole and Dennis Waterman to get into our national blood.

The story lines where implausible, but it was sheer escapism into the lovable rogue world of wheeling and dealing. Recall this was the era that Arther Daley and Del Trotter where part of the staple diets of the UK.

So a remake of Minder was always going to be a daunting task that wasn't going to win the hearts of many straight out of the gate.

Shane Richie plays a very good Archie Daley and is more in the vein of the original George Cole's character than we probably care to remember.

This was an enjoyable romp and I look forward to see these characters get comfortable with their surroundings.

Don't be quick to judge, as nostalgic series are often best left to our memory.

While the 21st Century version of the classic 80s comedy-drama 'Minder' was always going to have a lot to live up to, the first episodes gives cause for optimism.

There was outcry amongst fans when TV personality and sometime TV presenter Shane Ritchie was cast as Archie Daley, nephew of the infamous Arthur, but while Ritchie is not much of an actor, he gets an 'A' for effort here. If anything, he should tone down his 'cheekie-chappie' enthusiasm, in favour of portraying a veneer of reputability, but, as the series will take time to hit its stride so will Ritchie.

The plot exists to be disregarded - an entirely nebulous storyline fulfilled its purposes of introducing us to the principals, via a series of non-descript villains. While Petra (who I take to be a relative of the gravel-voiced Dave, proprietor of the Winchester Club in the George Cole original) is a spirited character and looks set to be a series regular, it was Lex Shrapnel who gave the standout performance. Carrying the show with an understated hard edge and an air of seen-it-all-before weariness, he already seems as able a Minder as either Dennis Waterman or Gary Webster.

It was during the commercials that I stumbled across Waterman on the other side, and while I thought I would be pining for his gravelly tones and acknowledge considerable presence, I feel that the show, in its infancy, will survive without him.

This series is not drivel or awful as another poster has claimed (which are frankly lazy and rather predictable comments). Minder 2009 is a credible update of the original with some nice touches and some truly funny moments. Admittedly not all of the plots held my attention and some details didn't add up but it was better than most remakes of past classics (remember Ralph Fiennes in The Avengers, Reeves and Mortimer in Randall and Hopkirk, etc).

To be fair the second incarnation of Minder in the 1990s (with George Cole and Gary Webster) was not that good but it was liked because it had most of the elements of the original. Roll forward 15 years and it would be wrong to expect more of the same, especially without Cole and Waterman or indeed Webster. But Richie doing his Alfie Moon act and the likable Shrapnel have given life to new characters who are nod back to the past but with their feet planted firmly in the twenty-first century. With better plots and sharper dialog there is no reason why this shouldn't become a classic.

I guess if this is seen as a sequel then one would be in for a surprise. On it's own it has some good points, but the chemistry that was Minder is gone. It has good locations, some sequences are fun, and the acting varies from quite good to dreadful. After just a few mins I'm ready to reach for the off button, unlike original series that keeps you hooked into the storyline. They cast the wrong actors, and handed them a weak script. If anything it's the stories that makes it drag. Minder original had action scenes, and nobody can deny the initial sequence with taxi was fabulously put together, yet when this duo meet it is a bit of a let down.

It is more like a tourist information video for landmarks of London, padded out with action sequences, and incongruous storylines.

I think it's a shame as Minder could have been so much better, even in a more modern context.

George Cole though basically made the show, without him as a likeable rogue, it's not the same.

Actors are different today, that alone would make it hard to find someone with such charisma as George.

Maybe someone will try again, and another Minder appear, unlikely, but it would be possible even now, but the format would have to be a bit retro really, with modern bits integrated.