Trivia / Minder

• Actor-Inspired Element: George Cole came up with some of Arthur's sayings, his favourite being "The world's your lobster".
• Actor-Shared Background: Terry is a former professional boxer. Boxing was a big part of Dennis Waterman's childhood. His father had been an amateur boxer and made all of his sons box. His older brother Ken first took Dennis boxing when he was three years old, and when he was ten Dennis joined Caius Boxing Club. Another older brother, Peter, was a welterweight boxing champion.
• Breakaway Pop Hit: The series spawned two UK hit singles for Dennis Waterman on the EMI label. The theme song "I Could Be So Good For You" became a number three hit when it was released in October 1980 and stayed on the chart for 12 weeks. In December 1983, Waterman and George Cole released the novelty single "What Are We Gonna Get 'Er Indoors", which reached 21 and stayed on the chart for five weeks.
• Channel Hop: The original series aired on ITV, while the revival aired on Channel 5.
• Creator's Favorite Episode: Both George Cole and Johnny Goodman (Executive in Charge of Production) have stated that the 1985 Christmas Special "Minder on the Orient Express" was "probably" their favourite episode of the whole series, and certainly the most fun to make as it had such a diverse supporting cast.
  • However, when asked to choose his favorite episode when the series ended, Cole admitted on air he couldn't choose one. So, he let ITV decide, and they chose the first episode.
• Inspiration for the Work: The inspiration for the show came from stories creator Leon Griffiths had heard in North London drinking clubs.
• Missing Episode: Though all episodes exist, ITV omits two from its repeat broadcasts: "Minder's Christmas Bonus", preceding series 4, and series 7 opener "An Officer and a Car Salesman", as they are longer specials that would not fit into the standard broadcast slot. Both are missing from BritBox and ITVX as well. They are included on some video and DVD releases, and can be found on the internet as well.
• Only Barely Renewed: Despite its eventual success, the series was a slow burner, not helped by being delayed by a nine-week technicians' strike which effectively blacked out the ITV network. In the light of initially poor viewing figures, management at Thames were intent on scrapping the show but managing director Bryan Cowgill persuaded them to commission one further series and repeat the first. Both attracted much larger audiences and by series 3, the show had become a major hit, and at its peak was often cited as the jewel in ITV's Drama crown.
• Out of Order:
  • Despite "Gunfight at the O.K Laundromat" being broadcast as the first episode, it was the second episode to be filmed, the first being the fifth episode "The Bounty Hunter".
  • The season two finale "A Lot of Bull and a Pat on the Back" was actually the fourth episode of the season, but in London it aired last thanks to a Children in Need broadcast. This has led to many reruns and DVD sets listing it as the final episode of the series.
  • The feature-length special preceding series 7 "An Officer and a Car Salesman" was filmed after it.
• Post-Script Season: The show was a number of times said to have come to its end, only to reappear. For example, in 1984, TV Times reported that series 5 would be the last. In 1985, it again seemed as if that the current series was the last one, and it was off-air (bar repeats) for three years, to reappear in 1988. This series appeared to be the last as Dennis Waterman announced his departure at the end of its run. However, after a two-and-a-half-year break, the show was back again for a further two-and-a-half-year run, which ended with the tenth series in 1994.
• Romance on the Set: Dennis Waterman fell in love with Rula Lenska when she played a model in the show in 1982. They later got married in 1987 and divorced in 1998.
• Uncredited Role:
  • Pamela Cundell as Marge in "Gone with the Winchester".
  • John Louis Mansi as a chef in "All Mod Cons".
• What Could Have Been: Dennis Waterman originally wanted Denholm Elliott to play Arthur Daley. Verity Lambert disagreed.
• Working Title: The Minder.
• You Look Familiar: Roy Kinnear played both Whaley and Fat Charlie, several seasons apart.

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