Minder - Series 1 - Parts 1 To 4

Starring: Dennis Waterman, George Cole Director: Christopher King, Dennis Abey, Jim Hill, Mike Vardy, Tom Clegg Original UK Premiere: 1979 Dvd Release: 6th August, 2001 Number Of Discs: 4 Format: Box set, PAL, Region 2 Encoding

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Minder was a British comedy drama, made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television & shown on ITV, that ran in ten series from 1979 to 1994. It starred George Cole as Arthur Daley, an unscrupulous used-car salesman & Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, his honest & likeable bodyguard. As the title suggests, the handsome Terry was originally intended to be the lead character, but Arthur eventually overtook him in popularity. Arthur would frequently test Terrys patience to its limits with his dishonest & doomed schemes to make money, but would then use his superior cunning to convince Terry to stay with him. Arthur manipulated all his friends, such as Dave the long-suffering pub barman, in the same way. Arthur frequently referred to his wife, who never appeared, as er indoors. Other features of the series were Arthurs constant & ambitious use of obscure Cockney rhyming slang, the derelict sites used as locations & the episode titles, which contained references to well-known phrases & names. Posters Of Minder

First appearing on our screens in late 1979, Minder was a vehicle for ex-Sweeney sidekick Denis Waterman, but its lasting contribution to TV culture was rehabilitating George Cole, whose loveable but unscrupulous entrepreneur mockingly reflected the values of 1980s Thatcherite Britain. Set in the rough demimonde of London, against a backdrop of small-time gangsters, seedy pubs, dubious business dealings & ageing dollybirds, Waterman plays Terry McCann, ex-boxer & ex-con trying to stick to the straight & narrow but persuaded against his better judgement to become involved in murky capers set up by his employer Arfur who regularly sublets him to associates of his. Though aspects of these episodes are a little creaky & dated, Terrys flares especially, the interplay between the too soft-hearted hardman Waterman & his dapper but slippery boss is both priceless & timeless.

Dennis Waterman is an English actor & singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series such as The Sweeney & Minder. He became well-known & something of a pin-up as DC George Carter in The Sweeney, during the 1970s. As well as starring in Minder, he sang the theme tune, I Could Be So Good For You, which was a UK hit & had a brief singing career. He was married to the actress, Rula Lenska. the sitcom On the Up & crime drama New Tricks. He has been caricatured by David Walliams in the radio & TV comedy series Little Britain, in sketches where he visits his agent looking for parts, but is always rejected because of his insistence upon writing & singing the feem toon. In the television version oversized props are used to make the caricatured Waterman look just three feet tall. Dennis Waterman   at the Internet Movie Database. Posters Of Minder

Editors Choice: Minder, Churchills Bodyguard, The Sweeney, Scars Of Dracula, On The Up, Vol 4, View DVDology

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