This date in 1979 saw the first broadcast of Minder. Used car dealer Arthur Daley and his bodyguard Terry were the principal characters. 10 things you might not know about Minder.
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld, devised by writer Leon Griffiths as a vehicle for Dennis Waterman after his success in The Sweeney.
The first seven series starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, a former boxer who has served time in prison and becomes a bodyguard for Arthur Daley, an ageing chancer. This is where the title of the show comes from, as “Minder” is London slang for a bodyguard.
It was nearly cancelled after the first series as viewing figures weren’t that great. However, the management director felt positive about it and pressured them to commission one more season and to repeat the first. This time, it was much better received and became a huge hit. It eventually attracted around 17.5 million viewers in the U.K.
Episode titles were plays on film titles, e.g. Gunfight at the O.K. Launderette, Monday Night Fever, The Beer Hunter, The Wrong Goodbye, Guess Who's Coming to Pinner? There were 106 regular episodes and two feature length specials Minder On The Orient Express in 1985 and An Officer & A Car Salesman in 1988.
The theme tune was I Could Be So Good for You, written in 1979 by Gerard Kenny and Patricia Waterman, sung by Dennis Waterman. It was released as a single in October 1979, credited to 'Dennis Waterman with the Dennis Waterman Band'. There was also a Christmas record in 1983 called What are We Gonna Get 'Er Indoors? By George Cole and Dennis Waterman.
‘Er indoors was one of a number of Arthur Daley’s expressions which passed into everyday language, meaning his wife. Others include "A nice little earner" (a profitable task), "give him a little slap" (beat him up), and Arthur Daley himself entered popular vocabulary to mean an unscrupulous wheeler-dealer.
Arthur’s misquotes and use of rhyming slang were features of the show. One example is "the world is your Lobster", which was used by George Cole, who played him, as the title of his autobiography, The World Was My Lobster.
Dennis Waterman met his wife, Rula Lenska, on set when she played a model in 1982.
The best known car from the series is a white 1976 Mark II Ford Capri 2.0S, reg number SLE 71R, which is driven by Terry in the opening titles. The car is often seen today at various motor enthusiast events in the UK. In July 2005, Terry's Capri was voted the 28th Greatest TV car ever by British Sky satellite TV viewers.
In 2009 the show was revived on Channel 5 after a 15 year break. This show focused on Arthur's nephew Archie, played by Shane Richie, and a new minder, Jamie Cartwright, played by Lex Shrapnel.
NEW!!
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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