MINDER

This page has been a while in the making for a couple reasons. The first is that Clearvision have already brought out a number of series on DVD and video and I have a lot to catch up on. Secondly, I was surprised how well the first few episodes stood up to the test of time, and have spent more time watching the series than I have at the keyboard doing the write-ups. Lastly, on my trawl around the web for other information about the show I found a link to a website that was selling a book on the series.

Being a bibliophile, I just could not resist this, and The Phenomenom that was Minder (shown below) duly appeared in the post. I am sure that the author will forgive me for labelling him as a fan, as this does not do him justice, as the book is both well researched and well written, but you can see that Brian Hawkins has enjoyed every minute of this project. Covering the history of the series, some behind the scenes, an episode guide and a lot of peripheral information, I have to say that this is one the better books I have read that deals with one subject. The book is priced £15.99 and can be obtained by taking a trip to the website, or by visiting the Clearvision website.

Clearvision have certainly done a good job with these discs, providing little extras to a show that was done and dusted before distribution on home video or DVD was even thought of. Like many other shows of this period and earlier, filmed extras are very thin on the ground or non-existent, but Clearvision have taken the time to add details about the shows, including original transmission dates and times, and features on the writer, producer and director of the series, and the presentation is excellent. For those of you who haven't made the transition to DVD yet, then the series is available on video as well.

C A S T George Cole Arthur Daley Dennis Waterman Terry McCann Gary Webster Ray Daley Glynn Edwards Dave Harris Patrick Malahide Chisholm

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SERIES 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | TS

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Series One.

The first series has 11 episodes and comes split over 4 DVDs (or videos) and is wearing surprisingly well for its age. Too many shows of this period seem to date because of language, dress style, or just the writing style of the time, but Minder is up there with the best of them. I will always have a soft spot for Thames Television as I grew up in Essex and it was my ITV station, and was certainly saddened when Carlton took over the franchise (a situation that still saddens me, considering the rubbish that Carlton seem to want to inflict on the televisual public). Thames, and Euston films, undersood what made good television, and series like Minder, Fox, The Sweeney, and the early editions of The Bill have taken their place in the hall of fame. As I said above, DVDs were only a long distant dream to television companies, and when shows were released on video, it was a few choice episodes, and that was that. With the advent of DVD, the demands of the viewing public have increased, and a friend of a friend won't buy any DVD without a host of extras! These are just not available for many archive series, but Clearvision have done their best and have doen their research to add Episode information, details of the cast and writers, a still gallery, and even clips of the next few episodes. This series also comes complete with a set of specially commissioned postcards. All in all, these are well worth the money and can be ordered by following the link to the left directly to the Clearvision website.

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
Gunfight At the OK Launderette	29.10.79	Terry is held inside a launderette after a robbery goes wrong. Arthur sees this as an opportunity to make a few quid and sells Terry's life story to the press.	Leon Griffiths
Bury My Heart At Waltham Green	5.11.79	Arthur gets Terry to mind George, an ex-bank robber, until his stash is found.	Paul Wheeler
The Smaller They Are	12.11.79	When Arthur does Big Stan a favour by changing a $100 bill, he doesn't realise that this will lead him and Terry into great problems.	Leon Griffiths
A Tethered Goat	19.11.79	Terry has to mind an Arab banker who is worried that Terry hasn't got a gun. Does Terry get worried and how!	Murray Smith
The Bounty Hunter	26.11.79	Jo, a yougn widow, has had all her savings conned from her. Arthur sets Terry off on the trail to reclaim the money.	Bernie Cooper and Francis Megahy
Aces High-And Sometimes Very Low	3.12.79	The chips are down for Maurice, a professional gambler friend of Arthur's - barred from the casinos and mugged of all his winnings. Terry has to mind Maurice while he tries to recoup his losses.	Leon Griffiths
The Bengal Tiger	10.12.79	Terry is sent in to mind Arthur's loacl newsagent, Mr Mukerjee, who is being threatened. He has had bricks through his window and is having problems with his wayward and beautiful daughter.	Leon Griffiths
Come In T-46, Your Time Is Ticking Away	17.12.79	Arthur's interest in Candy Cabs, a minicab firm, is being threatended, so he sends in Terry to find out what is going on.	Tony Hoare
Monday Night Fever	7.1.80	Arthur falls for Sharon, a would-be singer, and promises to make her a star. Terry has his doubts.	Leon Griffiths
The Desert Song	14.1.80	Terry rescues Charlie, a young Greek Cypriot, from a street brawl and lands Arthur and himself in the midst of internecine restuearant rivalry.	Andrew Payne
You Gotta Have Friends	21.1.80	When Arthur does an old friend a favour, everything turns very nasty for both Terry and himself.	Leon Griffiths

Series Two.

The second series is like the first, and has been released over 4 DVDs, and with a total of 13 episodes this time, this is entirely acceptable. By this time the series was becoming more popular and a few more famous faces appear, so Clearvision have taken the opportunity of adding a Famour Faces Feature to the extras, along with the now standard coming next clips. For those of you have already gone out and got the first series, then this provides more of the same - excellent viewing. The only thing that I am still unsure about are the DVD/video covers. Each series have a similar style, but they do differ from series to series. With other series like Morse, and Sharpe having the same design throughout, or even The Tomorrow People keeping the same design but using different colours per series, you get a really nice set on the shelf. Whilst this doesn't put my off from the shows, I wonder if they could have spent a bit more time on the design and come up with soemthing a little more enticing - they certainly did for the Quatermass set!

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
National Pelmet	11.9.80	Minding a race horse was the last thing Terry expected to happen when he goes to the seaside for the day with Arthur.	Willis Hall
Whose Wife is it Anyway	18.9.80	Arthuer visits and old friend, Alex, in hospital who has been threastened and beaten up, and Terry moves in to mind Alex's antique shop while he is laid up.	Tony Hoare
You Lose Some, You Win Some	25.9.80	Having promised his wife that he won't gamble anymore, Maurice organises a gambling school if six punters who are being threatened bu the casino. Both Terry and Arthur look after them until Maurice has made his profit.	Jeremy Burnham
Don't Tell Them, Willie Boy was Here	2.10.80	Terry has to mind Willie Reynolds, champion boxer who is making a comeback after two years away from the ring.	Paul Wheeler
Not a Bad Lad, Dad	9.10.80	When Terry arrives home to find nine year old Peter sitting on his doorstep it's a minding job that he had not anticipated.	Tony Hoare
The Beer Hunter	16.10.80	Arthur goes out on the twon with 'Yorkie', an old mate from his army days, and manages to lose him. Terry and Arthur have to find him before his wife arrives down in London from Rotherham.	Willis Hall
A Nice Little Wine	23.10.80	Arthur;s bargain purchase of wine turns sour on him when is contact is mugged and Arthur is blamed for it.	Stanley Price
All Mod Cons	30.10.80	Arthur dreams of a future as a property developer when Terry is called in to remove some squatters.	Andrew Payne
Diamonds are a Girl's Worst Enemy	6.11.80	When Terry has to mind his old adversary's Merc. it seems a straight-forward job, but the car mysteriously disappears and Terry finds himself under a lot of pressure.	Paul Wheeler
The Old School Tie	13.11.80	An old school friedn of Terry's escapes from prison claiming he is innocent and wants Terry to help him prove it.	Jeremy Burnham
All About Scoring, Innit	20.11.80	Terry has to mind Danny Varrow, footballer, gambler, boozer, and womaniser extraordinaire when he leaves his club in the lurch.	Willis Hall
Caught in the Act, Fact	27.11.80	Arthur is up to something particulalry fishy. Terry helps his old friend Des and is in real danger of being run in by the law - twice	Tony Hoare
A Lot of Bull, and a Pat on the Back	4.12.80	Arthur's latest job for Terry means a day i the country and a repossession with a difference. Terry doesn't fancy his chances as a matador when he has to capture a bull.	Tony Hoare

Series Three.

Another 13 episodes and another 4 DVDs make up the third series set. With the usual top-quality TV, and extras including more Episode and cast information, a George Cole biography, and extracts from Dennis Waterman's autobiography, there is enough to keep anyone going for a while!

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
Dead Men Tell No Tales	13.1.82	Terry and Arthur are lumbered with a dead-weight when Terry has to mind a coffin!	Tony Hoare
You Need Hands	20.1.82	"Thing is, by boy Terry got himself in a bit of a scrape. He's now what you might call horses des combat and just when I need some impressive muscle."	Andrew Payne
Rembrandt Doesn't Live Here Anymore	27.1.82	A chance meeting in a club Terry is minding sets Arthur off into the world of fine art.	Dave Humphries
Looking For Mickey	3.2.82	When 'Mad Micky' goes on the run, Terry has to look after him and Arthur sees his chance of a scoop.	Tony Hoare
Dreamhouse	10.2.82	When a super-star is away in Vegas, Terry has to mind his empty house. Can Arthur break into showbusiness?	Andrew Payne
Another Bride, Another Groom	17.2.82	The last thing Arthur wants to do on his neice's wedding day is to shift a load of porno magazines.	Willis Hall
The Birdman of Wormwood Scrubs	24.2.82	Terry and Arthur have to mind Ernie Dodds when he comes out of jail, but he has a few old scores that he wants to settle.	Leon Griffiths
The Son Also Rises	3.3.82	Reluctantly, Terry has to do the 'school run' when property developer Standen's son is threatened.	Paul Wheeler
Why Pay Tax	10.3.82	No job is routine and when Barry the Bookie loses his money, Terry loses his heart.	Leon Griffiths
Broken Arrow	17.3.82	One hundred and eighty! Arthur decides that a darts tournament is a natural way for making some money.	George Day
Poetic Justice, Innit	24.3.82	Terry is left minding the lock-up when Arthur has to do a stint of jury service.	Tony Hoare
Back in Good Old England	31.3.82	Terry's pleasure at seeing 'oily' Wragg on his return to England vanishes when he realises that there are others who want to settle old scores.	Andrew Payne
In	7.4.82	When Arthur's second hand car business leads to himbeing picked up by the police, Terry has to hunt down some tough Scots.	Leon Griffiths

Series Four.

You should know the drill by now, and we have another 11 episodes in this series, and these are over 4 DVDs. Although this is a couple of episodes down on the previous two series, the people at Clearvision and put the boat out and used the space on the DVDs for Cast and Crew commentaries, alongside the normal extras. I must admit that I never turn these on for the first viewing, but did drift in and out of them whilst seriously reviewing the discs -of course I don't have fun with this, I take my role far too seriously to enjoy myself :) - and found them fascinating in places, and they certainly add an extra dimension to the show.

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
Rocky Eight And A Half	11.1.84	Arthur persuades Terry to return to the boxing ring.	Leon Griffiths
Senior Citizen Caine	18.1.84	Arthur's ambitions to own a Rolls Royce are jeopardised when Terry has to protect a recently widowed, elderly garage own from his greedy family.	Andrew Payne
High Drains Pilferer	25.1.84	Terry has the misfortune to be driving for ex-villain, Micky the fish, when his mistress's jewellery is stolen.	Dave Humphries
Sorry Pal,Wrong Number	1.2.84	Terry's idea of minding never included inanimate objects but Arthur's race tipping scheme needs Terry to guard three public telephone boxes.	Leon Griffiths
Car Lot Baggers	8.2.84	Suspicion falls on some local gypsies when a second hand car dealer friend of Arthur's has the frighteners put on him.	Trevor Preston
If Money Be the Food of Love, Play On	15.2.84	Both Terry and Arthur are captivated by Dee, a beautiful Australian in search of her fiance.	Tony Hoare
A Star is Gorn	22.2.84	The world of the record business lures Arthur when he gets hold of a valuable missing pop master tape.	Tony Hoare
Willesden Suite	29.2.84	Arthur sees greater respectability at hand when asked to speak at the local Rotary club at the hotal where Terry acts as temporary house detective.	Andrew Payne
Windows	7.3.84	Arthur's plans for the Daley Health Club founder when Terry intercedes in a tug-of-love dilemma.	Geoff case
Get Daley	14.3.84	Arthur's stay in hospital is far from tranquil when a friend of Terry's is put in the frame for a job Arthur was a witness to.	Andrew Payne
A Well Fashioned Fit Up	21.3.84	Arthur's sortie into haute couture lacks the glamour he anticipated when he, not Terry, ends up minding the frocks.	Barry Purchese

Series Five.

This series was shorter than the previous three, at 8 episodes, and has been released by Clearvision over 3 volumes. As with any long running series, the list of available extras diminishes, but Clearvision have put some thought into this one and provide a section on Arthurs Cockney Rhyming Slang alongside the standard fare of episode guides and trailers.

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
Goodbye Sailor	5.9.84	The lure of cheap baccy results with Terry and Arthur being all at sea.	Andrew Payne
What Makes Shamy Run?	12.9.84	The appearance of bent twenty pound notes at the Winchester rekindles Chisholm's interest in Terry and Arthur.	Leon Griffiths
A Number of Wives' Tales	19.9.84	Clive loses his 'confidence' after Arthur and Terry attend his wedding celebrations.	Tony Hoare
The Second Time Around	26.9.84	Terry has a novel job minding a lady romantic writer with a penchant for the bottle.	Geoffrey Case
Second Hand Pose	3.10.84	Terry turns to alternative employment when Arthur leaves him in the cold.	Tony Hoare
The Long Ride Back to Scratchwood	10.10.84	Arthur scores a home goal when he buys some black market big match football tickets.	Leon Griffiths
Hypnotizing Rita	17.10.84	Whilst reclaiming his debts, Arthur takes over steam cleaning business with mesmeric results.	Alan Janes
The Balance of Power	31.10.84	Arthu's car lot comes under threat which leads him into the worl dof local politics.	David Yallop

Specials.

Although George Orwell may have thought along different lines, 1984 was certainly a good year for Minder as not only was there a series, but two, count 'em both, Christmas specials. This goes to show just how popular the series was and how much Thames held it in regard to smash the ratings over Christmas. This single DVD release comes with both the specials on, along with a series guide, and series clips. The DVD is shown here alongside the single volume releases of series 6 and 7. As ever, all can be purchased from Clearvision directly using the link to the right. Episode Tx. Date Synopsis Writer Around the Corner 25.12.84 This special edition consists of compiled material from the first three series with about 15 minutes of new material of Terry and Arthur reminiscing over good times. Tony Hoare Minder's Christmas Cracker 26.12.84 Arthur finds himself cornered and Terry has to rescue him.

Series Six.

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
Give Us This Day, Arthur Daley's Bread	4.9.85	Arthur uses ex-prisoners as cheap labour on his landscape enterprise.	Andrew Payne
Life in the Fast Food Lane	11.9.85	Arthur gets an illegal car phone and Terry is picked up by the rich daughter of a Hamburger King.	Alistair Beaton
Return of the Invisable Man	18.9.85	A strike, bespoke suits and robbing a friend’s safe mean trouble for Arthur and Terry.	Leon Griffiths
Arthur is Dead, Long Live Arthur	25.9.85	Arthur fakes suicide when he can’t bring himself to pay a £20,000 tax bill.	Tony Hoare
From Fulham with Love	2.10.85	Arthur and Nigel sell tracksuits and Walkmans a Russian ship's crew. Terry helps ship member Natasha to find a missing crewman.	Tony Hoare
Waiting for Goddard	9.10.85	Arthur is offered a finder’s fee by solicitors to locate recluse Albert Goddard. Chisholm gets in on the act	Leon Griffiths

Special

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
Minder on the Orient Express	25.12.85	Terry's kindness in helping a girl who was mugged is repaid in the form of two tickets for the Orient Express. When Arthur learns that she is the daughter of a big time crook who has died and left money in a Swiss bank account, he cons the other ticket off Terry and they both head off in search of the money.	Andrew Payne

Special This special has just been released by Clearvision with the Gary Webster episode The Cruel Canal. As ever from Clearvision, Minder fans will not be disappointed, and there are the standard features of the menus, information, guide and clips of the series. It is, perhaps, a little strange to have the last shows of each of the minders on one DVD though, and as we haven't got the rest of the Webster series yet, it is a little premature to end it all, but I am sure the rest will follow shortly. An Officer and a Car Salesman 26.12.88 On leaving jail, Terry gets a sjob with an ex-army officer who runs survival school for executives, along military lines, but he is also buying some equipment from Arthur so that he can rob a security van. Tony Hoare

Series Seven.

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
It's A Sorry Lorry, Morrie	2.1.89	Picking up some new stock for Arthur, Terry leaves his fingerprints on a stolen lorry.
Days of Fines and Closures	9.1.89	When Dave goes missing, Terry and Arthur are left in charge of the Winchester club.
Fatal Impression	16.1.89	"You can't have a miracle in Hounslow, Arthur". A reformed gambler dies owing Arthur money.
The Last Video Show	23.1.89	A video implicating two senior police officers is mistakenly returned to Daley videos.
Fiddler on the Hoof	30.1.89	Terry and Arthur bump into Maltese Tony, who's back in Englad to hand over some money.
The Wrong Goodbye	6.2.89	A property developer makes and offer for Arthur's business...an offer which Arthur can't refuse.

Series Eight.

This series is the latest to be released by Clearvision, complete with a re-vamped logo on the spine, and a Nephew in tow instead of Terry McCann, a new title sequence and instrumental version of the theme tune "I Could Be So Good For You". Gary Webster,already well-known from Eastenders and was a true man of the nineties, and injected new life into the comic partnership. Of course when there is any change of cast a series can be broken, but the excellent scripts meant the stories were able to sustain themselves without the need to bring in familiar guest artists, and the formula of storylines revolving around the Daley family and their new nemesis in the police force, DS Morley (Nicholas Day), was so successful that the new 'Minder' ran for a further series in total, achieving viewing figures of over thirteen million. This was a resounding success for a series that had kept a distinctive cast for such a long run. Clearvision have pulled out the stops with this release and the Special Features on the DVD include an exclusive interview with George Cole covering the early years of Minder, a Series 8 guide, extracted from the book 'The Phenomenon That Was Minder', plus trailers for the forthcoming Series 9. Clearvision are committed to releasing the entire series and I for one can't wait!

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Entrepreneur	5.9.91	Arthur Daley is back - and he is doing a roaring trade in new cut-price cars, imported from Brussels. But he has to take on his nephew, Ray Daley, while he seeks staff replacements.	David Yallop
A Bouquet of Barbed Wire	12.9.91	Arthur ventures into the wine trade but when the supplier is taken in for questioning, Arthur's wine is locked up by the police and somehow they've got to get it out.	Kevin Sparring & Bernard Dempsey
Whatever Happened to Her Indoors	19.9.91	Her indoors has gone missing and Arthur is the police;s prime suspect. More importantnly, he's got a cash flow problem and his British care sales are being hampered bu the Council.	David Yallop
Three Cons Make a Mountain	26.9.91	Arthur keeps aquiring items that won't do his reputation any good. how is he going to off-load them without the rest of the manor finding out he's been conned.	David Yallop
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner	3.10.91	At Charlie Johnson;s funeral, a freid of Arthur's persuades him to help with the next 'big one'. But Charlie's widow has plans of a more romantic nature for Arthur.	David Yallop
The Last Temptation of Daley	10.10.91	Arthur is demanding police protection from a very angry customer. But since his doctor ordered him to stop smoking and drinking, Arthur's grasp of reality is brought into question.	William Ivory
A Bird in the Hand Is Worth Two In Sheperd's Bush	17.10.91	Ray Daley minds a valuable racing pigeon, 'Young Sam', who is to race from London to Bradford against 'Pride of Pudsey' with a £10,000 stake. But Ray has fallen in love so Arthur intervenes and almost forfeets the race.	David Yallop
Him Indoors	24.10.91	When Ron the Burglar opens Arthur's lock-up with a metal comb, he is emplyed to install the latest high-tech alarm systems. But Ron is more practised at picking locks than installing burglar deterrents.	Iain Roy & Chris Kelly
The Greatest Show in Willesden	30.10.91	Arthur plans Daley's Karaoke and Variety Nights with the landlord of the British Volunteer. He hires a Karaoke machine and books his favourite act Professor Pickford and Mystic Mickey.	Kevin Sparring & Bernard Dempsey
Too Many Crooks	7.11.91	In a further assault on Europe, Arthur ventures into cuisine. But when his French chef, Henri, goes missing, Arthur and Ray find themselves int he kitchen making vol-au-vents for a formidable gathering.	Tony Jordon
The Odds Couple	14.11.91	Arthur offers the services of his minder, Ray, to prevent a compulsive gambler from losing any more money. But when she introduces Arthur to her winning roulette system, temptation proves too great for him.	Tony Jordon & Liane Aukin
The Coach That Came in From the Cold	21.11.91	DS Morley offers Arthur a cheap police tranposrt coach. Arthur is uneasy about the deal until he has a Euro vision - Daley Tours - Arthur and Ray head to Heathrow for a trial run.	Kevin Clarke

Series Nine.

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
I'll Never Forget Whats'ername	7.1.93
No Way To Treat A Daley	14.1.93
Uneasy Rider	21.1.93
Looking For Mr Goodtime	28.1.93
Opportunity Knocks and Bruises	4.2.93
Gone with the Winchester	11.2.93
How to Succeed in Business	18.2.93
The Root of all Evil	25.2.93
Last Orders at the Winchester	4.3.93
Cars and Pints and Pains
The Great Trilby	18.3.93
A Taste of Money	25.3.93
For a Few Dollars More	1.4.93

Series Ten.

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
A Fridge Too Far	6.1.94
Another Case of Van Blank	13.1.94
All Things Brighton Beautiful	20.1.94
One Flew Over the Parents' Nest	27.1.94
The Immaculate Contraption	3.2.94
All Quiet on the West End Front	10.2.94
The Great Depression of 1994	17.2.94
On the Autofront	24.2.94
Bring me the Head of Arthur Daley	3.3.94
The Long Good Thursday	10.3.94

Special.

This episode is included on the specials volume 2 DVD alongside An Officer and a Car Salesman - the last show to be released by Clearvision with Dennis Waterman in.

Episode	Tx. Date	Synopsis	Writer
The Cruel Canal	25.12.91	Arthur needs to deliver a consignment of videos and borrows a barge, causing strains in the family.