Minder (TV series)

Minder was a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by the prolific and effective Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, and was shown on ITV. The show ran in ten series from October 29 1979 to March 10 1994, and starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, an honest and likeable bodyguard (minder in London slang), and George Cole as Arthur Daley, a well dressed but unscrupulous importer-exporter, wholesaler and used-car salesman.

Terry is a former professional boxer who has served time in prison, having served a substantial term without acting as a "grass" against his co-accused. With few options for the future, Terry is employed as Arthur's minder on vague and ungenerous terms.

Arthur is a mid-level professional criminal of mature years, a minor confidence trickster who survives by his wiles and indomitable self-belief. He exploits everyone around him, especially Terry. He is always trying to make a buck and, as a consequence, often bites off much more than he can chew. Arthur thinks of himself as a "captain of industry", but his tailored three-piece suits, cashmere coat and Jaguar motor car do not disguise his working class accent and origins. Arthur frequently tests Terry's patience to its limits with his dishonest and doomed schemes to make money ("nice little earners"), but then uses his superior cunning to convince Terry to stay with him. In the same way, Arthur manipulates his friends, such as Dave (the manager of Arthur's private, if downmarket, "Winchester Club)". Arthur frequently refers to his wife, who never appeared, as "'Er indoors".

The tone of the program in series 1 and 2 was unusual in that it mixed poignant drama and action sequences with offbeat comic moments. As the series progressed over 15 years, much more emphasis was placed upon 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, which was firmly grounded in the cinematic and social ethos of the 1970s. In the earlier series Terry would often succeed in seducing a 'dolly bird', resulting in at least one scene of female semi-nudity per episode, though as the series became more popular these instances were reduced.

Other features of the series were Arthur's constant and ambitious use of obscure Cockney rhyming slang, the derelict sites used as locations, and the episode titles, which contained references to well-known phrases and names (e.g. "Guess Who's Coming to Pinner"). Another strong character was Arthur's failed nemesis, the hapless policeman Detective Sergeant Albert "Charlie" Chisholm (Patrick Malahide), who was always close to detecting Arthur's crimes but was not quite clever enough to catch him.

As the show's title suggests, Terry was originally intended to be the lead character, but Arthur eventually overtook him in popularity. The original theme tune, I Could Be So Good For You, was written in 1979 by Patricia Waterman and Gerard Kenny and was sung by Dennis Waterman himself. The record reached No.4 in the UK charts and provided the boost for Waterman to tour as a singer for a while.

Waterman left the show in 1989 after seven series, and his character was replaced in 1991 by Ray Daley, Arthur's nephew, played by Gary Webster. The theme tune was replaced by an instrumental version of Waterman's song, credited to "Kenny".

Despite its huge eventual success, Minder was a slow burner. The first series, although critically acclaimed, did not attract large audiences, mainly as a result of the 1979 ITV strike which interrupted transmission. 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 huge audiences and a TV legend was born.

However, Minder is a classic example of a show that over-stayed its welcome. By the late 1980s the show began to suffer from plots that were starting to run a bit thin. The character of Terry was still fighting like a 25-year old, although he must have been in his late 40s. The common belief was that Thames were using it as a cash-cow to great effect and although it was still attracting large audiences they were nothing like those at the show's prime.

A character called Dennis Waterman appears as a character in David Walliams' and Matt Lucas' Little Britain. Dennis Waterman is portrayed as an out of work actor obsessed with writing and singing the theme tune to whatever programme, film or play he is offered. The tune is often based on the Minder theme.

External links

References

I Could Be So Good For You/Nothing At All (single), Dennis Waterman & The Dennis Waterman Band (1979), EMI5009.

Arthur Daley's Guide to Doing It Right - Leon Griffiths ISBN 0002181762; Back to Basics: Arthur Daley's Anatomy of Britain Andrew Nickolds ISBN 0434000213; Straight Up: The Autobiography of Arthur Daley Paul Ableman, Leon Griffiths ISBN 0434000663; Minder Leon Griffiths ISBN 0450045684; Minder Anthony Masters ISBN 0722158246; Minder - Back Again Anthony Masters ISBN 0722158238; Minder - Yet Again Anthony Masters ISBN 0722158270; Leave It Out, Arthur: The Minder Series Anthony Masters ISBN 0747404828; The Phenomenon That Was Minder Brian Hawkins ISBN 9628681214; Reminder Dennis Waterman ISBN 0091801087;

ITV television programmes

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External links

References