The Terry McCann Years 1979-1989 The Terry McCann Years: 1979-1989 'The Minder' Click for details When the series began it focused on Arthur Daley's over worked and under paid Minder, Terry McCann played by Dennis Waterman. The idea for Minder came from writer Leon Griffiths, who had previously written many scripts for film & television. The inspiration for the show came from stories he had heard in North London drinking clubs. Leon's original title for the series was simply 'The Minder' and many of his original ideas on how he envisaged the series can be read in his novel 'Minder - A Novel By Leon Griffiths' published around three months before the first series started in July 1979. In this novel we learn a little more about how Arthur & Terry came to meet each other, Terry's involvement in boxing and his criminal record as well a little background on Arthur Daley and even his wife's first name (which the book tells us is Sarah). After writing scripts for the first series, Leon suffered a stroke and did not return to writing for the show until its third series in 1982.

Because of this, several regular script writers contributed to the series, including Tony Hoare and Andrew Payne. 'Minder how you go' - 1985 Interview with Leon Griffiths Leon Griffiths continued to write for the series until the end of its sixth series in 1985 and he sadly passed away in June 1992. After Minder had reached the end of its fifth series in 1985, most involved believed it would be the end of the show. Leon's final contribution to the series was the final episode of the sixth series 'Waiting For Goddard'. At this time Leon Griffiths was interviewed about Minder. To read this short interview, click on the image above. George Cole & Dennis Waterman ... 'Fright' & 'The Sweeney' Little did they know that at this time they were soon to become the duo that was Arthur Daley & Terry McCann - enjoyed by millions each week in the 1980s. The superb 1970s police series 'The Sweeney' is really where the Minder story begins, also made by Euston Films.

When 'The Sweeney' ended, Euston Films were looking for a new series for Dennis Waterman and the idea of Minder came along. Already an established actor, Dennis Waterman had become a familiar face on TV as a result of 'The Sweeney' and George Cole had appeared alongside him in this show in an episode called 'Tomorrow Man' in 1976. Click for details Interestingly, 'The Sweeney' was not the first time that George Cole and Dennis Waterman had been cast together. Even before 'Tomorrow Man', the pair had previously appeared in the 1971 thriller 'Fright' starring Susan George, Ian Banner, Honor Blackman and Roger Lloyd Pack. The film is about the story of a teenage babysitter Amanda (played Susan George) who arrives at the Lloyd home (Mr Lloyd played by George Cole) to babysit their young son for the evening. Mrs Lloyd (played by Honor Blackman) is hiding a shocking secret that could cost Amanda her life. Dennis Waterman plays the role of Amanda's boyfriend.

This is the first time the two actors had appeared together on screen though neither of them was aware that they had appeared in the film until several years later when they were discussing the film while sitting in a car. They were unware of this as they appear in different parts of the film. When 'The Sweeney' ended and with Dennis Waterman already in place, Euston Films needed an actor to play Arthur Daley. Several actors were considered, including Denholm Elliot but eventually it was decided that George Cole would play the part of Arthur Daley. At that time Dennis Waterman had reservations about casting George Cole as he believed he was 'too posh' for the role. However, in no time the pair hit it off and it is reported that the pair worked very well together and had a great relationship both on and off screen. Opening Titles The original series of Minder had a very memorable opening sequence, where Terry is considering whether or not to accept a white Ford Capri from Arthur's car lot. Although it is assumed that Terry does agree to take the car, the car itself is rarely seen in the series. Dennis Waterman stayed with the show for seven series, between 1979 and 1989.

During these series, we learn much about the characters of Arthur & Terry, although very little about their backgrounds. Series 7 showed slight changes in the opening titles with black and white shots of Terry, Arthur and Dave the barman (played by Glynn Edwards), socialising at their favourite hang out, the Winchester Club. The series was by no means an overnight success, and it wasn't until around 1982 when Minder was in its third series that the show became a real success. Keep an eye open during this opening sequence for the window of the Ford Escort in the car lot - notice anything strange happening? The final Dennis Waterman series kicked off with the 1988 90 minute Christmas special 'An Officer and A Car Salesman', with the show having been off the air for almost three years. It is been stated that each time a series of Minder was filmed, the cast and crew often thought it would be the last, with the series originally intended to finish with 'Waiting For Goddard' at the end of series six.

A seventh series reintroduced Terry with him having served '18 moons in the shovel' (a prison sentence) as a result of some dodgy videos that Arthur had left in his flat. This would be Dennis Waterman's final series. Throughout his time as Arthur's Minder, Terry got himself into all sorts of scrapes often being dumped on by Arthur at every opportunity. Where the earlier series featured far more grittier storylines than the later episodes, it is certainly true that on-screen violence in the later series was much less. This is one of the reasons why Dennis Waterman felt the character of Terry had run his course. He has stated publicly that the show no longer became about the Minder, rather about Arthur Daley. The end sequence of the Terry McCann Years were always the same, featuring specially shot photographs never actually seen in any episode. They showed Terry and Arthur at various locations throughout London and again feature in our Locations section. For detailed information of the 72 episodes in 'The Terry McCann Years', including facts, locations and bloopers - visit our episode guide here . Series One Filming of the first series took place between the end of April 1979 until October 1979.

The series opening titles were filmed one week before the the filming of the very first episode to be filmed #1.5 The Bounty Hunter which started (likely - but not confirmed) on or around the 23rd April 1979. Although the filming of a Minder episode generally took place over two full working weeks i.e. 10 working days but not at the weekend, with both pre- and post-production the total time to produce the finished product was usually about six weeks. A notable exception to this 10 day filming rule was the second episode to be filmed #1.1 Gunfight At the OK Laundrette which took three weeks to film and was rumoured to have a larger budget the other episodes in the very first series. The Theme Tune Each week the episode would start and end with the very notable theme tune: I Could Be So Good For You from The Terry McCann Years, sung by Dennis Waterman. This was originally released on EMI records and can be found on The Minder Songs page. If you are looking for the song on CD, find this in our shop! It's Plod!

DC 'Taff' Jones & DS Chisholm DS Rycott & DC Melish DC MacDonald & DS 'Taff' Jones As the series progressed so did the relationship between Arthur, Terry and their local law, DS Chisholm and DS Rycott, played wonderfully by Patrick Malahide and Peter Childs. Both of the these actors have had very successful careers besides Minder. Patrick Malahide appeared in numerous TV and movie roles, including a notable appearance alongside Dennis Waterman in the action movie of the TV series 'Sweeney 2' from 1978. Sadly, Peter Childs passed away in 1989, just months after series 7 was broadcast. The character of Chisholm would appear in 24 episodes of first seven series and Rycott would appear in 15. Both of these officers had their sidekicks - Chisholm teamed up with DC Taff Jones, played by Michael 'Meic' Povey and Rycott alongside DC Tom Melish, played by Michael Troughton.

In the final series Dennis Waterman series, series 7, DC Jones was promoted to DS Jones - with Chisholm having moved on to become Chief Security officer for a security firm. In this final series Jones was accompanied by Scottish DC MacDonald for two episodes, played by Robin Cameron. Michael Troughton who played DC Melish has appeared in a number of UK TV shows which has included playing Alan B'Stard's assistant Piers Fletcher-Dervish in comedy series 'The New Statesman'. Michael has his own website here . In 2007, Meic Povey (DS and DC Jones) very kindly agreed to be interviewed for minder.org - read the whole interview here . Tube Mice In 1988, George Cole and Dennis Waterman provided the voices for a children's cartoon series called 'Tube Mice'. Created by TSW (Television South West), this was shown briefly between 1988 and 1990 on CITV (Children's ITV) and featured the adventures of mice who lived in Oxford Circus underground station. George Cole provided the voice of Vernon, while Dennis Waterman was his sidekick Toaster.

Vernon and Toaster were similar in many ways to Arthur and Terry, though whereas George Cole's voice of Vernon is clearly Arthur Daley-like, Toaster's voice is hardly recognisable as Dennis Waterman. Each episode was about five minutes long and although two videos were released at the time, they have long since been deleted. After Minder... Dennis Waterman left the series in 1989 after filming series 7. He was reported to be reluctant about leaving the series though felt the character of Terry McCann had done pretty much everything he could do and wanted more out of the character. Interviews at the time suggested he thought the show had become too focused on Arthur's character and that the show had become 'The Arthur Daley Comedy Hour'. Despite his departure, George Cole and Dennis Waterman remained good friends after Dennis's departure from the show. In 1989 Dennis set about producing the film 'Cold Justice' that starred himself and Roger Daltery, based in America. This film is one of the few times Dennis starred in anything produced stateside and unfortunately the film was not as successful as he would have hoped and Dennis suffered substantial financial problems as a result.

Since 1989 Dennis Waterman has appeared in a number of different roles both in films, TV and pantomime. On television, Dennis appeared alongside Jan Francis and Leslie Ash as the character Thomas Gynn (a character similar to parts of Terry McCann) in the series "Stay Lucky" and with the late Joan Sims as the character Tony Carpenter in the BBC1 sit-com 'On The Up'. During the 1990s Dennis played ex-SAS man John Neil in the excellent 'Circles of Deceit'. Since 2000, he has starred in the comedy Arthur's Dyke (2001), Murder In Mind (2002), Canterbury Tales (2003) and Back In Business (2007). New Tricks In 2004 Dennis Waterman was back a regular face on British TV in the police drama series 'New Tricks' as former Detective Inspector Gerry Standing. The series four episode "Powerhouse" filmed in 2007 saw Dennis starring alongside his former Minder co-star George Cole once again! Click here to see the IMDB entry for Dennis Waterman.

Last updated by : 18th February 2016 by jno DISCLAIMER : minder.org is in no way connected with Leon Griffiths, Thames Television, Euston Films or FremantleMedia. The views expressed here are in no way related to these or have they been endorsed as such. This is a non-profit making website and the views and opinions expressed here are only done so to compliment the work done in producing the British TV show Minder. Where as this site aims to ensure that information presented here is correct, we accept no responsibility for any mistakes made. Any audio or visual material downloaded as a result of visiting this site is done so under the strict agreement that this material is for sampling only and that it will be removed within a subsequent 24 hour period. Minder (TV Series 1979–1994) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends.

Error Arthur Daley, a small-time conman, hires former boxer Terry McCann to be his 'minder', so Terry can protect him (Arthur) from other, small-time, crooks. While Terry is trying his hardest to... See full summary » Creator: Three victims of Arthur's past cons conspire to trick him into buying an East German car, a retired greyhound and a piano. He strives to find buyers for them before business rival Ashley Brown ... 9.4 Terry's new girlfriend Sarah turns out to be the daughter of a possessive burger millionaire who is paranoid that all her boyfriends are after her money. Arthur, in the red after a deal involving ... 8.9 Terry's girlfriend Debbie is now working as a mobile hair-dresser but unfortunately the first house she visits gets robbed. Debbie is a witness to the robbery but the police suspect that she and ...

8.9 a list of 26 titles created 26 Dec 2011 a list of 42 titles created 25 Jan 2012 a list of 42 titles created 19 Feb 2012 a list of 30 titles created 20 May 2013 a list of 41 titles created 19 Oct 2014 Search for " Minder " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. British police TV series which revolutionized the genre on UK television in the mid-1970s starring John Thaw as a hard-edged detective in the Flying Squad of London's Metropolitan Police. Stars: John Thaw, Dennis Waterman, Garfield Morgan This series chronicled the lives of Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley. The mandate of CI5 was to fight terrorism ... See full summary » Stars: Gordon Jackson, Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins Cinematic spin-off from the popular TV series.

Hard-bitten Flying Squad officer Jack Regan gets embroiled in a deadly political plot when an old friend asks him to investigate the death of ... See full summary » Director: David Wickes Ken Boon and Harry Crawford are two middle-aged ex-firemen who start out in business together, initially in Birmingham and later in Nottingham. During the seven series (1986-1992), Ken ... See full summary » Stars: Michael Elphick, David Daker, Neil Morrissey A working-class Cockney bigot with a biased and expirienced opinion of everything shares them bluntly and almost carelessly. Stars: Warren Mitchell, Anthony Booth, Una Stubbs Second cinematic spin-off from the popular 70's police series. Regan & Carter head a Flying Squad investigation into a series of bank raids by a team of well-armed villains who are flying in from the continent. Director: Tom Clegg Popular sitcom set in a seedy bedsit lorded over by the mean, vain, boastful, cowardly landlord Rigsby. In each episode, his conceits are debunked by his long suffering tenants.

Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Don Warrington, Frances de la Tour Alcoholic and divorced father of a young daughter, DS Jim Bergerac is a true maverick who prefers doing things his own way, and consequently doesn't always carry out his investigations the way his boss would like. Stars: John Nettles, Terence Alexander, Sean Arnold The prison life of Fletcher, a criminal serving a five-year sentence, as he strives to bide his time, keep his record clean, and refuses to be ground down by the prison system. Stars: Ronnie Barker, Brian Wilde, Fulton Mackay Albert Steptoe and his son Harold are junk dealers, complete with horse and cart to tour the neighbourhood. They also live amicably together at the junk yard. But Harold, who likes the ... See full summary » Director: Cliff Owen Alf and Elsie are getting old, Rita's left home, Elsie's confined to a wheelchair. Alf must now do battle with the Social Security system. Stars: Warren Mitchell, Carmel McSharry, Arthur English Ria, a happily married suburban housewife, reaches the age where she feels as if life is passing her by. Being taken for granted by her butterfly collecting dentist husband doesn't help.

So... See full summary » Stars: Wendy Craig, Geoffrey Palmer, Bruce Montague Edit Storyline Arthur Daley, a small-time conman, hires former boxer Terry McCann to be his 'minder', so Terry can protect him (Arthur) from other, small-time, crooks. While Terry is trying his hardest to satisfy his employer's demands, and putting his own life at risk, Arthur is busy exploiting Terry for all he is worth. For, when other people hire Terry's services, through Arthur, Arthur usually keeps most of Terry's share of the money for himself, by misleading the hard-working Terry as to the amount of money, he (as Terry's agent) is receiving on Terry's behalf. Written by David McAnally <D.McAnally@uq.net.au> 29 October 1979 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia The series was originally conceived as a vehicle for Dennis Waterman , after The Sweeney (1975) - in which Waterman co-starred - had finished the previous year.

Initially, George Cole 's character, Arthur Daley, was more of a secondary character, finding situations for Terry (Waterman) to get involved in each episode. But the great chemistry between the two characters quickly made itself apparent, and as a result Arthur was brought to the fore of storylines much more. See more » Goofs In the opening titles for the Terry McCann episodes (Seasons 1-7) a sporty white Ford Escort with a blue stripe down the side is seen in the background. In a close-up shot of Terry looking at the Ford Capri he is about to buy, the Escort's window is up, but in a later shot where Arthur and Terry walk from the back of the Capri to admire it from a distance, the Escort's window is wound down. See more » Connections Sung by Dennis Waterman (as Waterman) Title song (1979-1988) Oh my good gawd its Chisolm 19 September 2005 | by RICHARDBLACK80 (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews Minder was quality, without doubt.

The quality dipped towards the end of the Dennis Waterman era but even those episodes when you watch them again now compared to a lot of current shows stand up really well. As mentioned in the trivia section this show started out as a post Sweeney vehicle for Dennis Waterman but soon the character of Arthur took over (maybe a little bit too much in the end). The series really hit its peak in the third and fourth series where it got slightly less violent and more inventive in its story lines. Episodes like 'What makes Shammy run' and 'You need hands' are fantastic. Like Fools and Horses it started to go grow as more characters where introduced. You could argue that with the exception of Chisolm, Rycott and Dave one of the reasons it started to dip was because the strenght of the supporting cast was not very good but its pointless to compare the two shows really. It must have been difficult for the script writers to find things for Waterman to do as he aged and he came more of an odd job man come friend to Arthur. The series finished in 1988 but returned in 1991 with a new minder (Arthurs cousin Ray).

A lot of criticism came in for this new Minder format but the majority of it was good, especially the first series. Towards the end of the second series it got a bit too much and the plots ranged from good to boring to the daft. One of my favourite scenes is the first episode of the new format where Arthur is at a family wedding and holding court in the bathroom in a scene that is borrowed from the first Godfather film. I would really love them to do one last episode while its possible with an older Terry again saving Arthur, maybe with a little help from Ray. But alas it probably wont happen. 3 of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes The world is your lobster: Arthur Daley's guide to life Comedians The world is your lobster: Arthur Daley's guide to life George Cole, who played Arthur Daley in Minder, died in August 2015 aged 90 Credit: Rex Features/ITV/REX Shutterstock Martin Chilton , Culture Editor 7 August 2015 • 8:24am The brilliant actor George Edward Cole, who has died aged 90, was the last surviving member of the cast of Laurence Olivier's 1944 film Henry V as 'The Boy'. Cole went on to play Flash Harry in the early St Trinian's films but he is best remembered as Arthur Daley, the roguish car deal and "entrepreneur" in Minder, a character he played in 107 episodes over 11 series from 1979 to 1994. His catchphrases, such as "'er indoors" and "nice little earner", became part of popular British culture. In tribute, here is the Arthur Daley guide to life, from the man who memorably said: "A friend in need . . .

is a pest." Be an entrepreneur Arthur Daley was a dodgy wheeler-dealer car salesman and an "entrepreneur" with a garage lock-up full of garden gnomes, goldfish and fake watches. But he always had an eye for the main chance. "You make contact with your customer. Understand their needs. And then flog them something they could well do without," Arthur advised. This is the businessman, remember, who tried to sell water-damaged umbrellas. Always take cash Arthur spent his life chasing "nice little earners". In one episode he berated his nephew Ray for taking a cheque after delivering some dresses to a shady character called Morry. "You took a cheque? A bloody Gregory? Don't you realise why he's called Bouncing Morry?" (Younger online-banking readers may care to know that a cheque is a paper form of money; and Gregory Peck is Cockney rhyming slang for cheque.) English code of fair play "Get your retaliation in first – basic rule of English fair play," Arthur tells his old school pal Dave 'the barman' Harris (who was played by Glynn Edwards).

"Dave and I will do what any Englishman would do in our position – cheat." Minder was set in the Eighties and Nineties, a time when Arthur said the problem with England was that "you can't find a good honest-to-God decent professional thief anymore, they've all gone to live in bloody Spain." Arthur Daley Credit: Rex Feature The world is your lobster "He's an inverterbrate liar"; "He must be on them stair rods" (steroids); "What's French for en-suite facilities?"; "Stand on me"; All were memorable Arthur Daleyisms. But the best was "the world is your lobster", which Arthur says to his minder, Terry McCann, played by Dennis Waterman. Cole has regularly paid tribute to the Minder scriptwriters, especially the late Leon Griffiths (who was named after Leon Trotsky by his staunchly communist mother). But the lobster remark was coined by Cole, as he recalled: "My son heard someone say it in a pub and he told me – I took out my wallet and gave him £25 and bought the line off him. I sat on it for about two years and suddenly we had a boxing episode.

I went round to see Terry after the fight and he was covered in blood and moaning. And I said, ad libbing, "Don't you worry my son, from now on the world is your lobster." Keep 'er indoors sweet Arthur Edward Daley occasionally mentions his wife (when he thinks of something to buy her to butter her up) but like Captain Mainwaring's wife Elizabeth in Dad's Army, or Niles's Maris in Frasier, she is never actually seen. The implication that 'Er Indoors is a tyrant is reinforced by the appearance of the actress Claire Davenport (famous for such roles) as her sister. The phrase became so widespread that it was introduced into the Oxford English Dictionary in 1992. "Her Indoors, or 'Er Indoors. Brit colloq; one's wife or girlfriend; in extended use applied to any woman who occupies a position of authority who is regarded as domineering. The phrase was popularised by the Thames Television series Minder; in which the leading character Arthur Daley habitually referred to his wife as 'her indoors'. The series original writer Leon Griffiths app.

first heard it used by a 'taxi-driver drinking companion of his'" George Cole starred as Arthur Daley in Minder for 15 years Credit: ITV In 1983, Waterman and Cole collaborated on the Christmas single What Are We Gonna Get 'Er Indoors?, which spent five weeks in the UK charts reaching No 21. Always stick it on the slate Arthur's favourite drink was a large vodka and tonic, which he referred to as a "large V.A.T", a wordplay on Value Added Tax. Arthur almost always drank at the Winchester Club (which was based in Chalk Farm, north London) and he never paid for the drinks, always saying: "stick it on the slate, Dave". The Winchester was where Arthur had one of his barmiest ideas, once saying: "Dave, allow me one second to explain the nub of my proposal... now your average punter comes in here, buys a drink and sits down at the table. What has he got to distract him? A fruit machine. He's left his newspaper at the office, he's read all the beer mats. And then suddenly he sees a sign . . .

Winchester Waxworks this way." The Winchester was where Billy Connolly had a cameo role as a criminal called Tick Tack. "Hello Arthur, how's tricks?" asked Connolly. "No idea, I'm an entrepreneur not a member of the Magic Circle," Arthur replied. Griffiths said of the Winchester: "I went to a drinking club that was the forerunner of the Winchester. The club was in Chalk Farm. It was full of... well, I'm not sure if they were villains or not but they certainly behaved like villains. I said to one, 'What do you do?' and he said, rather heavily in a gruff voice, 'Removals'. And I thought, 'I'd better go now..." Have a good slogan Arthur had a car sale using the slogan "Every one a go-er". Arthur's brand of slippery salesmanship: "You only get out of life what you put in and a bit more if you can find a couple of mugs" became famous.

Labour Minister Dennis Healey once claimed that Margaret Thatcher mixed "the diplomacy of Alf Garnett with the economics of Arthur Daley." Minder started in 1979, the year Thatcher was elected Prime Minister and Cole liked to joke that Arthur "came in in the same year as Mrs Thatcher, but he lasted even longer." Always be prepared Arthur carried A DOCTOR ON CALL sign in his car, which he would put on his windscreen if parking spaces proved tricky to find. How to spot a gentleman Arthur was known for his camel-hair coat but he prided himself on his elegant and expensive Jermyn Street suits. He was fond of the class hierarchy and once told off Terry with the words: "Remember where you are, good God, Harrods is only just round the corner".

In Griffith's fictional book Arthur Daley's Guide to Doing It Right!, Arthur offers advice on "how to conduct yourself when being interviewed by the Old Bill; how to buy and sell a motor; how to cheer up your friends in the nick; the best places to shoplift; how to spot a gentleman." Dennis Waterman (Terry), Glynn Edwards (Dave) and George Cole (Arthur) filming Minder at The Winchester Club Credit: Rex Features/REX FEATURES Never be embarrassed Arthur was the man who sold a consignment of one-legged chickens ("they're easier to catch") and was never shamed being caught out fibbing. In one episode he promised something to Terry with the words: "I swear on my sainted mother's grave." Terry replied deadpan: "I happen to know your mother is alive and well and living in Frinton." Arthur shrugged and said: "Well never mind that." George Cole as Flash Harry in Pure Hell of St Trinian's Credit: Television Stills Beware "saffragetting women's libbers" George Cole had a great forerunner role to Arthur Davey when he played Flash Harry in the St Trinian's film series.

During this period, in the Forties and Fifties, he met and worked with his mentor Alistair Sim, who taught him acting techniques in a subtle way. "When you're not being preached at, you don't realise you're learning," Cole recalled. "Only later do you realise what you've assimilated." As Flash Harry, Cole was a friend of young women (selling the schoolgirls gin and placing their racing bets) but as Arthur he was unreconstructed about women's rights, as in this rant against Emmeline Pankhurst. "I blame that Emily Parkhurst (sic)," said Arthur, "she started all this chaining herself to the rails suffragetting women's lib all over the place. It would have been better if she had bolted herself to the train rails." Never knowingly undersell yourself Cole enjoyed a happy 90th birthday in April (he was born, like Paul Newman, in 1925). As Arthur said in Minder: "I have connections in showbusiness . . . me and Paul Newman are the same age." Cole said of Arthur: "He wasn't the nicest of men. But he was a very enjoyable character and I loved playing him." RIP, the great George Cole.

George Cole's career: a timeline April 22, 1925 Minder - watch tv series streaming online Synopsis Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV. The show ran for ten series between 29 October 1979 and 10 March 1994, and starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, an honest and likable bodyguard and George Cole as Arthur Daley, a socially ambitious, but highly unscrupulous importer-exporter, wholesaler, used-car salesman, and anything else from which there was money to be made whether inside the law or not. The show was largely responsible for putting the word minder, meaning personal bodyguard, into the UK and Australian popular lexicon. The characters often drank at the local members-only Winchester Club, where owner and barman Dave acted, often unwillingly, as a message machine for Arthur, and turned a blind eye to his shady deals.

The series was notable for using a range of leading British actors, as well as many up-and-coming performers before they hit the big time; at its peak was one of ITV's biggest ratings winners. In 2008, it was announced that Minder would go into production for broadcast in 2009 for a new version, although none of the original cast would appear in the new episodes. The new show focused on Arthur's nephew, Archie, played by Shane Richie. The series began broadcast on 4 February 2009. In 2010, it was announced that no further episodes would be made following lukewarm reception to the first series. Minder - watch online: stream, buy or rent Currently you are able to watch "Minder" streaming on ITV Player. The Sweeney (TV Series 1975–1978) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends.

Error British police TV series which revolutionized the genre on UK television in the mid-1970s starring John Thaw as a hard-edged detective in the Flying Squad of London's Metropolitan Police. Creator: Robert Hargreaves, who has an apparently distinguished military background, joins Regan's team. However, at a raid on a caravan site to capture a gang of ex-soldiers who have carried out a violent ... 8.6 After Regan gets a tip about an upcoming robbery from a trusted informant, the gang kidnaps his daughter to blackmail him into inaction. 8.4 Regan is staking out vicious robber Vic Tolman and his girl-friend Lyn Hurst, who have stolen the wages from the firm where Lyn worked. A surveillance is in progress on the flat belonging to Lyn's ...

8.4 a list of 42 titles created 25 Jan 2012 a list of 45 titles created 21 Sep 2012 a list of 21 titles created 11 Aug 2013 a list of 43 titles created 07 Sep 2014 a list of 21 titles created 30 Nov 2014 Search for " The Sweeney " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Title: The Sweeney (1975–1978) 8.1/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Arthur Daley, a small-time conman, hires former boxer Terry McCann to be his 'minder', so Terry can protect him (Arthur) from other, small-time, crooks. While Terry is trying his hardest to... See full summary » Stars: George Cole, Glynn Edwards, Dennis Waterman Cinematic spin-off from the popular TV series.

Hard-bitten Flying Squad officer Jack Regan gets embroiled in a deadly political plot when an old friend asks him to investigate the death of ... See full summary » Director: David Wickes This series chronicled the lives of Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley. The mandate of CI5 was to fight terrorism ... See full summary » Stars: Gordon Jackson, Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins Second cinematic spin-off from the popular 70's police series. Regan & Carter head a Flying Squad investigation into a series of bank raids by a team of well-armed villains who are flying in from the continent. Director: Tom Clegg Finally the house that Robin, Chris and Jo share a flat in is demolished an two spin offs are made - Robin's Nest and George & Minded (Mr & Mrs Roper). Stars: Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett Ken Boon and Harry Crawford are two middle-aged ex-firemen who start out in business together, initially in Birmingham and later in Nottingham. During the seven series (1986-1992), Ken ...

See full summary » Stars: Michael Elphick, David Daker, Neil Morrissey Wolfie Smith is an unemployed dreamer from Tooting London, a self proclaimed Urban Guerilla who aspires to be like his hero Che Guevara. Leading a small group called the Tooting Popular ... See full summary » Stars: Robert Lindsay, Mike Grady, Hilda Braid A working-class Cockney bigot with a biased and expirienced opinion of everything shares them bluntly and almost carelessly. Stars: Warren Mitchell, Anthony Booth, Una Stubbs Terry and Bob from The Likely Lads (1964) continue their life after Terry arrives home from serving in the Army to discover that Bob is about to marry his girlfriend Thelma. Can Thelma lead... See full summary » Stars: James Bolam, Rodney Bewes, Brigit Forsyth Popular sitcom set in a seedy bedsit lorded over by the mean, vain, boastful, cowardly landlord Rigsby. In each episode, his conceits are debunked by his long suffering tenants.

Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Don Warrington, Frances de la Tour George and Mildred Roper are forced to leave their home in South Kensington (as the landlords in Man About the House (1973)) when they receive a compulsory purchase order from the council. ... See full summary » Stars: Yootha Joyce, Brian Murphy, Norman Eshley Albert Steptoe and his son Harold are junk dealers, complete with horse and cart to tour the neighbourhood. They also live amicably together at the junk yard. But Harold, who likes the ... See full summary » Director: Cliff Owen Edit Storyline British police series which revolutionised the genre on UK television in the mid 1970s. Jack Regan (see also 'Regan' (1974)) played by John Thaw is a hard edged detective in the Flying Squad of London's Metropolitan Police (called 'the Sweeney' from the Cockney rhyming slang 'Sweeney Todd' = 'Flying Squad'). He pursues villains by methods which are underhand, often illegal themselves, frequently violent and more often than not successful.

The series was made on film a preserves a gritty realism inherited from such films as 'Get Carter' (1971) Written by D.Giddings <darren.giddings@newcastle.ac.uk> 2 January 1975 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia The popularity of the series on ITV prompted the BBC to make its first action series on film, Target (1977). See more » Connections Put Your Trousers On - You're Nicked 7 January 2003 | by tgtround (England) – See all my reviews Ian and Troy Kennedy-Martin were the brothers who revolutionised crime drama on British TV in the 1970s. While Troy was a far more political animal, Ian concentrated on commercial TV. However, that doesn't make The Sweeney any less authentic. In fact, many ex-Flying Squad officers have commented on its authenticity, helped by the fact that the producers used to pay real policeman in used fivers as 'technical advisors'. The Sweeney represents Scotland Yard's first proper attempt to stem the rise of violent robberies following the oil crisis and economic slump of the 1970s.

It represents the time before the Police And Criminal Evidence Acts changed the face of policing for ever in Britain - a far more free-wheeling, corruption laden time. Policing is shown as hard, tedious work where moral dilemmas must be confronted all the time and there are no sudden leaps in detection, just stress and danger. Particularly impressive in the Sweeney are the number of times that firearms are used - this was really true in the Flying Squad - even back in the good old days... 12 of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes George Cole obituary | Television & radio | The Guardian George Cole obituary Actor who entertained millions as the dodgy used-car dealer Arthur Daley in Minder George Cole as Arthur Daley with Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, in a 1988 scene from the ITV drama Minder.

Photograph: A Cook/Hulton Archive Thursday 6 August 2015 08.49 EDT Last modified on Friday 4 November 2016 07.46 EDT Share on Messenger Close The actor George Cole, who has died aged 90, was most effective in two sorts of role: the exploiter and the exploited. He is likely to be remembered chiefly as the dodgy used car dealer Arthur Daley in the popular television series Minder (1979-94), always on the lookout for a “nice little earner”. But at the beginning of his acting career he was most often seen as the reverse: a wide-eyed and wobbly-lipped boyish acolyte of sometimes sinister manipulators in plays such as Mr Bolfry, Dr Angelus and The Anatomist; or a doleful young serviceman trying to keep his courage up in war films that included Morning Departure (1950), the story of trapped submariners. Cole always protested that he had no ambition and would cheerfully have carried on playing for ever the first part he ever acted.

This was only half the story, for from his early years he showed a tenacious fascination with entertainment that lasted a lifetime. Born in Tooting, south-west London, the adopted son (who learned he was adopted when he was 13) of a Tooting council employee, George, and a cleaner, Florence, Cole went to secondary school in Morden, where he distinguished himself by entertaining his pals with bawdy songs he had heard on the radio and getting into the cheaper seats at Wimbledon theatre. He left school at 14 and was due to start work in a butcher’s shop. But in the meantime he worked as a paper boy, and in one of the London evening newspapers he was delivering he saw an advertisement offering an opening in a West End production of the Ralph Benatzky and Robert Stolz musical White Horse Inn. He pedalled straight to the theatre. No one at the stage door seemed disposed to take him seriously, but he hung around until he was taken inside. He got a job as an understudy at 28s 6d a week and went on tour. Cole did not tell his parents before setting off, but sent them a telegram from Blackpool.

The White Horse Inn tour was interrupted by the outbreak of the second world war. But in June 1940, still far too young to be called up, he got a part in the play Cottage to Let, as a truculent cockney wartime evacuee, and then appeared in the 1941 film version. Alastair Sim, the tall, plummy-voiced comic actor who had a genius for playing eccentrics, was also in the cast. Sim and his wife, Naomi, took Cole under their wing. He stayed at their Oxfordshire home during the blitz; years later, he built his first marital home nearby. Sim helped Cole lose his London accent and taught him comedy technique. After a spell in the RAF – during which he made one film for its film unit, Journey Together (1945) – he appeared with Sim in Scrooge (also known as A Christmas Carol, 1951) and in Laughter in Paradise (also 1951), in which a mischief-maker makes bequests to his stuffy family in his will, on condition that they carry out grotesque acts; Cole was a strait-laced bank clerk encouraged to commit robbery.

Through the 1950s and 1960s he appeared in dozens of stage and film roles exploiting his little-boy-lost persona, departing from this by appearing in four of the popular St Trinian’s films as the spiv “Flash Harry” aiding and abetting the unruly schoolgirls (with the character’s appearance usually announced by his own theme music). During this lucrative period, he took a job with the Glasgow Citizens theatre at £10 a week to learn more about his craft. Success in the cinema was patchy. Rank gave him a five-film contract but dropped him after two. Associated British Pathé gave him a contract for seven but dropped him after three. When he made Top Secret (1952), especially written for him, about a naive sanitary engineer with a revolutionary new idea which the Russians think is an improved atom bomb, even the film fan magazine Picturegoer questioned whether he could carry a film as its star. It was not until he took to radio and television that his victimised and victimising personalities found their natural media.

His BBC radio series A Life of Bliss, in which he played David Bliss, a diffident young bachelor ruled by his mother and his dog, Psyche (“voiced” by Percy Edwards ), ran for many years from 1953 and also moved to television (1960-61). His choice of parts was often self-limiting – he once turned down Othello – but for ITV he was more adventurous in A Man of Our Times (1968), a series in which a middle-aged man is faced with a dilemma: accept redundancy or a lower status with his firm. It won him a wide audience, good notices and a great deal of personal satisfaction. But nothing bettered the wide popular appeal of the unscrupulous conman “Arfur” Daley in Minder, in which he was paired with Dennis Waterman (who also sang the show’s theme tune ) as his “minder”, Terry McCann. Here the two poles of his personality fused to create a character with both a rabbity caution and an agile exploitative brain.

Cole used to say that he might well have turned into “Arfur” but for Sim, pointing out that while in the RAF from 1943 to 1947 he had helped to run a mess bar and become familiar with all sorts of dodges. So closely did Cole become identified with the part that the first “autobiography” that appeared with Cole’s photograph on the cover was Straight Up (1991), in fact the fictional life story of Daley, an oblique comment on modern fame, about which Cole did not complain. He published his own autobiography, The World Was My Lobster, in 2014. Pinterest George Cole on location for the filming of The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery at Longmoor army camp, Hampshire (1965). Photograph: PA The success of Daley did not limit Cole’s future work when the Minder series – which at its peak attracted an audience of more than 16 million – ended after 15 years. In this respect he was more fortunate than many other actors who have become firmly associated with one television role.

In My Good Friend, launched in 1995, he played Peter Banks, who, he said, was very much like him – a proud pensioner suffering from an endearing irritability with life. Banks had been forcibly retired by the Post Office and responded by encouraging his friends to go on various anarchic escapades, such as getting drunk at midday, playing football in the park and trying to find a husband for his landlady. David Yallop, who had written 13 episodes of Minder, decided to expand one episode in which Daley stood for the local council but was disqualified for overspending. From this idea he created the series An Independent Man (1995-96), in which Cole is a slightly dodgy hairdresser who tries to reform his local authority and uncovers all kinds of abuses. Cole appeared with Julia Roberts in the film Mary Reilly (1996), his first Hollywood assignment since he had played a talking dog in The Blue Bird (1975), which starred Elizabeth Taylor . In 1997 he appeared as a 75-year-old Chelsea pensioner in Stephen Churchett’s play Heritage – the oldest character he had played.

He kept on working on TV and in 2008 told Mark Lawson in an interview for BBC TV: “I don’t want to stop. I am still enjoying every second of it.” In 2007 he played Sir Edward Chambers in New Tricks, opposite his old Minder partner Waterman, who he said was “a dream” to work with. Earlier this year, he was cast in a crime-horror film, Road Rage, which has yet to be released. Cole was appointed OBE in 1992. He is survived by his second wife, the actor Penny Morrell, whom he married in 1967, and their son, Toby, and daughter, Tara; by a son, Crispin, and daughter, Harriet, from his first marriage, to the actor Eileen Moore, which ended in divorce; and by three grandchildren, Harry, Amelia and Thomas.

• George Edward Cole, actor, born 22 April 1925; died 5 August 2015 • Dennis Barker died earlier this year The Museum of Broadcast Communications - Encyclopedia of Television - Minder MINDER British Crime Comedy/Drama A long-running and perennially popular comedy drama series focusing on the exploits of a wheeler-dealer and his long suffering bodyguard/right hand man, Minder was the brainchild of veteran TV scriptwriter Leon Griffiths. Griffiths, who had been active in television since the 1950s, also wrote for the cinema including the screenplays for the hard hitting crime dramas The Grissom Gang and The Squeeze. It was one of his film scripts, also called Minder, that gave rise to the series. Griffiths' screenplay was a humourless and tough gangland story which his agent felt would be difficult to sell in Britain, so Griffiths shelved the project. Later, however, that same agent suggested that two of the characters from the script; a wily, small time London crook and his uneducated but streetwise "minder" (East London slang for bodyguard), would work well for a television series.

Griffiths wrote a treatment for the series featuring the two characters, and took the idea to Euston Films (a division of Thames Television) a group he knew were looking for a follow-up to their successful, tough, London based police series The Sweeney (Sweeney was also London slang, actually cockney rhyming slang, "Sweeney Todd: Flying Squad," a special quick response unit of the Metropolitan Police). At Euston script consultant Linda Agran, and producers Verity Lambert, Lloyd Shirley and George Taylor quickly decided that the series had all the ingredients they were looking for--and there was a general consensus that Sweeney star Dennis Waterman would be right for the character of the minder, Terry McCann. Waterman, however, had his reservations and was worried about immediately going on to another London based crime series after The Sweeney, but after reading the treatment and the initial scripts he was persuaded by the "difference" and the humour of the piece. But the true potential of the project was only fully realised with the casting of George Cole as Terry McCann's employer Arthur Daley.

Cole had been active in film and television for many years and in his early days had specialised in playing "spivs" (shady characters specialising in black marketeering, and other illegal activities). He had become a respected actor over the years with a wide repertoire but the character of Arthur Daley was like one of his earlier spiv incarnations grown up. Although the production may have initially been perceived as a vehicle for Dennis Waterman the casting of Cole and the rapport between them insured that the series became more balanced. Cole fitted the roguish persona perfectly and as the series progressed, with generous support from Waterman, he turned Arthur Daley into a TV icon. Originally the series was to have been located in the East End of London but it was found to be more convenient to shoot in South London so the location changed, but the patois remained that of the cockney influenced East End. Arthur was always known as "Arfur" due to the cockney habit of pronouncing "th" as "f" and much of the flavour of the series came from the colourful slang, some traditional and some invented specially.

Although some cockney rhyming slang was widely known throughout Britain, Minder (along with other shows set in the area, such as the BBC's Only Fools and Horses) introduced many lesser known examples to the population as a whole. Soon every Minder aficionado knew that "getting a Ruby down your Gregory" meant going out for an Indian meal (popular 1950s singing star Ruby Murray providing a rhyme for curry, Gregory Peck:Neck), and that "trouble on the dog" meant your spouse was calling (Trouble and Strife:Wife, Dog and Bone:Phone). As the series went from strength to strength and the character of Arthur Daley captured the imagination of a generation, East London slang became trendy and cod cockneys (or mockneys) could be found throughout the country. The early episodes of Minder have the emphasis firmly on drama although there is humour in the dialogue and from the character of Arthur Daley, who seems to haunt the fringes of the plot while Terry McCann gets involved at the sharp end. Daley is devious, cowardly and exploitative as opposed to McCann's straightforwardness, courage and loyalty.

Most plots hinge round a problems, created by Daley's greed, that are solved by McCann. But McCann almost always suffers in some way; losing a girlfriend, being involved in a fight, not getting paid. Daley on the other hand usually thrives, managing somehow to emerge from the scrape with body unscathed and bank account intact or, more often than not, somewhat inflated. Brushes with the law are commonplace as are confrontations with "nastier" villains. The local police are endlessly trying to "feel Arfur's collar" (arrest him) but Terry is the only one who actually goes to prison. Later in the show's run, reacting to the positive feedback from the public, the show shifted slightly but noticeably more towards humour. Scripts tapped the comedic potential of Arthur Daley and his schemes became wilder and more outrageous while at the same time the regular policemen who dogged him became more caricatured and less threatening. Recurring characters in the series included Patrick Malahide as the long suffering Detective Sergeant Chisholm and Glynn Edwards as Dave the barman at Arthur's private drinking club, the Winchester.

George Cole: Star of Minder dies at 90 - BBC News BBC News George Cole: Star of Minder dies at 90 6 August 2015 Close share panel Media captionDavid Sillito looks back at George Cole's life on screen Actor George Cole, best known for playing Arthur Daley in TV's Minder, has died aged 90. Cole played the Cockney wheeler dealer Daley for 16 years, between 1979 and 1994. He also starred in a number of St Trinian's films as shady businessman Flash Harry. Agent Derek Webster said Cole had died at the Royal Berkshire hospital following a short illness, surrounded by his family. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Dennis Waterman's Terry McCann was always exasperated with Arthur Daley's antics Cole played opposite Dennis Waterman's Terry McCann, an affable bodyguard, in ITV's Minder for more than a decade. Media captionActor Dennis Waterman described George Cole as "a dream to work with" Waterman said he had "the privilege of spending Tuesday afternoon with him and Penny and, although very frail, his wit was as evident as ever".

"I am so sad to hear of George's death. His family must be devastated, and I am absolutely certain that anybody who ever knew him, will feel the same. "I'm so grateful to have been a friend of this wonderful man. We worked together for many years and my boast is that we laughed all day every day. "He was an amazing man, a wonderful actor and besotted with his family. Farewell old friend." Waterman, who sang the Minder theme tune, left the show to be replaced by Gary Webster for the final two series. Talking to BBC News, Webster called Cole a "comic genius" who "made you realise there's an Arthur Daley in every family". "He was one of those characters you never thought you are going to be without, both as an actor and a character," he added. "He was a great guy to work with and a real genuine gentleman." Image copyright Rex Features Image caption Gary Webster appeared alongside Cole in two series of Minder Arthur Daley became a TV legend as a small-time crook who was always dreaming of bigger things, with the series regularly drawing in audiences of 17 million.

Cole also played Flash Harry, a remarkably similar character, in four St Trinian's films between 1954-66, starring alongside the likes of Terry Thomas, Joyce Grenfell and Sid James in the boarding school comedies. It also allowed him to work with Alistair Sim, who had become his mentor after taking him into his home at the age of 15 alongside his adoptive mother. They had such a close relationship that eventually Cole opted to build and live in a house next door to Sim and his wife, continuing to appear in a number of films together. Cole began acting in the early 1940s, appearing with Lawrence Olivier in The Demi-Paradise, and taking a small role in Olivier's star-studded Henry V. He joined the war effort in 1944, joining the Royal Air Force, before resuming his acting career when the conflict ended. He found himself consistently in work, on stage, television film and radio. As well as the St Trinian's films, he also starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra, and gothic horror The Vampire Lovers.

Image copyright PA Image caption Cole appeared in four St Trinian's films Cole was 70 when Minder finished but he still worked regularly, with guest roles in the likes of Midsomer Murders, Heartbeat and New Tricks, which also starred Waterman. Cole, who was made an OBE in 1992, married his second wife Penny in 1967. Image copyright Twitter

Question: Terry McCann and Arthur Daley are characters in which UK television series?
Answer: Minder