Minder was a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Produced by the prolific and effective Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, and was shown on ITV. The show ran in ten series from October 29, 1979 to March 10, 1994, and starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, an honest and likeable bodyguard (minder in London slang), and George Cole as Arthur Daley, a well dressed but unscrupulous importer-exporter, wholesaler and used-car salesman. Comedy-drama, sometimes colloquially called Dramedy, is a style of television and movies in which there is an equal balance of humor and serious content. ... The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ... Verity Lambert (born November 27, 1935 in London, England, UK) is a British television and film producer, best known for producing the science-fiction series Doctor Who for the BBC for its first two years, from 1963 to 1965. ... Euston Films was a British film and television production company. ... The classic Thames Television logo (1969 - 1989), featuring a geographically incorrect montage of London landmarks. ... Independent Television (ITV) is the name given to the original network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up to provide competition to the BBC. In England and Wales the channel was recently rebranded ITV1 by ITV plc who own the regional broadcasting licences for the regions. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 63 days remaining. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Dennis Waterman (born February 24, 1948) is an English actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series such as The Sweeney and Minder (in which he played the title role). ... London slang is slang that is used in London. ... George Cole (born April 22, 1925) is a British actor born in Tooting, London, best known for his roles as Flash Harry in the St Trinians films and as Arthur Daley in the TV series Minder. ... Arthur Daley was a character in the UK TV series Minder and the name has become synomynous in Britain with a wheeler dealer. ...

Terry is a former professional boxer who is released from gaol in the first episode of season 1, having served a substantial term of imprisonment without acting as a "grass" against his co-accused. With few options for the future, Terry is employed as Arthur's minder on vague and ungenerous terms. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A cell and galleries at Londons Newgate Prison in 1896. ... An Informant is someone who provides information to law enforcement agencies. ...

Arthur is a mid-level professional criminal of mature years, a minor confidence trickster who survives by his wile and indomitable self-belief. He exploits everyone around him, including (or especially) Terry. He is always trying to make a buck and, as a consequence, often bites off much more than he can chew. Arthur thinks of himself as a "captain of industry", but his tailored three-piece suits, cashmere coat and Jaguar motor car do not disguise his working class accent and origins. Arthur frequently tests Terry's patience to its limits with his dishonest and doomed schemes to make money ("nice little earners"), but then uses his superior cunning to convince Terry to stay with him. In the same way, Arthur manipulates his friends, such as Dave (the manager of Arthur's private - if downmarket - "Winchester Club". Arthur frequently refers to his wife, who never appeared, as "'er indoors". for other uses please see Crime (disambiguation) A crime is an act that violates a political or moral law. ... A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ... The term robber baron dates back to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and originally referred to feudal lords of land through which the Rhine River in Europe passed who abused their position to stop passing merchant ships and demand tolls without being authorized to do so. ... Jaguar Cars is a British automobile manufacturer famous for luxury saloon and sports cars. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Look up Accent in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Accent may refer to— in linguistics, a method of pronouncing words common to a certain region. ... Television shows and stage plays sometimes include continuing characters who are never seen or heard by the audience, but only described by other characters. ...

The tone of the program in seasons 1 and 2 was unusual in that it mixed poignant drama and action sequences with offbeat comic moments. As the series progressed over 15 years, much more emphasis was placed upon the comedic aspects of the minder-principal relationship, and the show became more a comedy driven by a dramatic plot. Social satire played a strong part throughout the series, which was firmly grounded in the cinematic and social ethos of the 1970s. Movie poster for Die Another Day, the 20th James Bond movie. ... Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... This article deals with the cultural and social aspects and trends of the 1970s. ...

Other features of the series were Arthur's constant and ambitious use of obscure Cockney rhyming slang, the derelict sites used as locations, and the episode titles, which contained references to well-known phrases and names (e.g. "Guess Who's Coming to Pinner"). Another strong character was Arthur's failed nemesis, the hapless policeman Detective Sergeant "Charlie" Chisholm (Patrick Malahide), who was always close to detecting Arthur's crimes but was not quite clever enough to catch him. Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London. ... Alternative meanings: A pinner is someone whose trade is making pins. ... Patrick Malahide (born March 24, 1945) is a British actor, who has played many major film and television roles. ...

As the show's title suggests, Terry was originally intended to be the lead character, but Arthur eventually overtook him in popularity. The original theme tune, I Could Be So Good For You, was written in 1979 by Patricia Waterman and Gerard Kenny and was sung by Dennis Waterman himself. The record reached No.4 in the UK charts and provided the boost for Waterman to tour as a singer for a while. Dennis Waterman (born February 24, 1948) is an English actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series such as The Sweeney and Minder (in which he played the title role). ...

Waterman left the show in 1989 after seven series, and his character was replaced in 1991 by Ray Daley, Arthur's nephew, played by Gary Webster. The theme tune was replaced by an instrumental version of Waterman's song, credited to "Kenny".

External link

• Unofficial fan club
• British Film Institute Screen Online

References

• I Could Be So Good For You/Nothing At All (single), Dennis Waterman & The Dennis Waterman Band (1979), EMI5009.

A minder is also someone who is assigned to watch over another person, usually to observe their actions and keep them in line. This typically happens to visitors in totalitarian countries (especially North Korea), or in political campaigns.

A minder might also be the personal staff of a politician, try to doctor the spin for best effect, hence Spin doctor. In public relations, spin is a usually pejorative term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in ones own favor of an event or situation that is designed to bring about the most positive result possible. ...