Der Aufpasser

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.