Kellie
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Minder to returnAnd what a hunk to be starring in it :oops:
Return of a nice little earner
After a break of 14 years, Minder is returning to our screens.
The comedy drama about a dodgy-dealing small time businessman and his long-suffering bodyguard was a massive hit for ITV when it was screened from 1979 until 1994.
The long-running show made massive stars out of its lead actors George Cole and Dennis Waterman, was responsible for a top-five hit record (the Waterman-sung I Could Be So Good For You went to No 3 in the charts) and spawned a number of catchphrases which are now considered part of everyday speech.
As the show is resurrected with former EastEnder Shane Richie as its star, we look at the original series, its characters and some of the famous faces who have popped up in its episodes.
The show centred around Arthur 'Arfur' Daley, played by George Cole, an unscrupulous used-car salesman with designs on making a fast buck.
His sidekick was Terry McCann, played by Dennis Waterman, a former boxer and ex-con who acted as his loyal minder, driver and general dogsbody. Ladies' man Terry spent most of his time trying to keep Arfur out of trouble as he came up with his next get-rich-quick scheme.
The show was created as a vehicle for Waterman after his success in The Sweeney, but when he decided his character had nowhere else to go in 1989, Gary Webster was drafted in to replace him as Arfur's nephew Ray Daley.
:: Dave and the regulars
The other regular character throughout the show's run was Dave, played by Glynn Edwards, who ran the private drinking establishment frequented by Arfur - the somewhat shabby Winchester Club.
Another ever-present figure was Arfur's mysterious missus, who was never seen, but constantly referred to as "'Er indoors".
Most of the storylines of the show revolved around Arfur getting Terry or Ray into scrapes with his latest dodgy dealings while always just evading the long arm of the law.
To this end, a number of hapless police officers featured in the show as Daley's nemesis, including DS 'Charlie' Chisholm, played by Patrick Malahide and DS 'Kenny' Rycott, played by Peter Childs.
The series also featured a number of famous faces. Ray Winstone played a mechanic called Arnie before Hollywood came calling and fellow big screen star Pete Postlethwaite can also be seen in a couple of episodes.
Familiar TV faces who also starred over the years included Wild At Heart star Stephen Tompkinson, Waterman's former wife Rula Lenska, and TV character-acting veterans Anthony Valentine and Tony Selby.
:: Quirky titles and catchphrases
Minder was created by Leon Griffiths, and was known for its quirky episode names, which played on popular titles or phrases.
The very first episode was called Gunfight At The OK Launderette, and other catchy titles were The Dessert Song, The Beer Hunter and National Pelmet.
The show was also famous for Arfur's special line in Cockney rhyming slang and catchphrases.
Even the title came from the London slang term for bodyguard, and the show helped it to become part of everyday language across Britain.
Arfur, meanwhile had his own line in patter, including his famous phrases "a nice little earner" and "the world is your lobster".
:: The end... and the beginning
George Cole finally hung up Arfur's camel-hair coat in March 1994, and always ruled out returning for a Minder revival.
But now trade magazine Broadcast has reported that Five will resurrect the series with Shane Richie playing Arfur.
"Scripts are in development with a view to a series being commissioned later in the year," a spokesman told the magazine.
Richie is already known to be a big fan of Minder and presented a documentary on the show in 2006.
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Julie C
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Sounds good 
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Della
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I loved watching Minder although I was very young at the time alot of it probably went over my head. 21.gif
I think Shane Ritchie would be good in a new version. 
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