Minder

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.