Minder

Probably the best comedy/drama to ever come from ITV. Arthur Daley is an entrepreneur. If he can make money, Arthur's interested. Except that he's also the king of dodgy deals, which calls for him to have a bodyguard or a minder. His minder is Terry McCann. He's just out of prison and needs the work. The relationship between Terry and Arthur is sometimes strained to its limit, but they're loyal to eachother. They're forever trying to dodge the law, and always succeed.

George Cole (Arthur) and Dennis Waterman (Terry) made the charcters and I can't imagine anyone else playing them so well. George Cole is an extremely experienced actor, as is Dennis Waterman and this shows throughout each episode. Just little things like raised eyebrows or a quick cheeky grin, give a whole new perspective to the programme. In all Arthur Daley is the man we love to distrust.

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 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).

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.