Minder

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.

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 loved the original minder. I was expecting an upset but was pleasantly surprised. Shane Richie is ace He's probably the best Arthur possible (sorry Archie) he's got all his mannerism down to A tea. really plays the lovable rogue well.

Lex shrapnel is a little on the small size for a minder but so was Terrence if I recall but like terry his character should grow as the Show runs.

Excellent!

The fight choreography was iffy but I'll allow it !. Just improve that and I'm sold.

Only thing that could make it any better is a few cameo appearances' from the original show to show some continuality.

Welcome back to my heart MINDER my long lost friend.

As far as pilot episodes go, this wasn't bad and seeing as the pilot is usually the worst episode, i imagine that this can only get better. If you watch it as a standalone series and don't compare it to the original then its pretty good. Richie and Shrapnel don't try to copy Cole and Waterman and the characters aren't supposed to be Arthur and Terry which is a plus as no-one could do justice to those characters apart from George Cole and Dennis Waterman. The show is fast paced, mildly amusing and well filmed. Some of the supporting cast's acting leaves a lot to be desired (whoever played the Gold brothers were absolutely awful) but they're only in the pilot (i hope)but Richie and Shrapnel put in a decent enough performance. All in all, its pretty good, just don't compare it to the original.

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.