--- title: "Minder" year: 1979 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/minder" fi1m_id: "minder" imdb_id: "tt0078657" tmdb_id: 3469 wikidata_id: "Q632653" fi1m_score: 78 critics_reviews: 1 published: "2026-10-07T10:42:21.286663+00:00" updated: "2026-10-07T10:42:22.192661+00:00" region: "PT" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Minder (1979) Created by Leon Griffiths, Verity Lambert · 1h 00m · Comedy, Drama, Action & Adventure, Crime ## Identity Minder - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/minder - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** minder - **IMDb ID:** tt0078657 - **TMDB ID:** 3469 - **Wikidata ID:** Q632653 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078657/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/3469, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q632653 **Fi1m score: 78** · Critics: 1 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Every deal goes wrong, every punch lands on Terry, and Arthur never once pays for a round > George Cole’s Arthur Daley is a great British comic creation, and Dennis Waterman gives him someone to take the punches for him. The scripts run to a formula and the later series without Waterman are thinner, but the years with him are a pleasure. ## Synopsis London, the end of the 1970s. Arthur Daley (George Cole) deals in whatever happens to be in the lock-up, from the boot of his Jaguar, in a sheepskin coat and a trilby, cigar in hand. Terry McCann (Dennis Waterman) wants a straight job and a quiet life, and takes the only one going: standing next to Arthur, as his minder, looking as though he might hit someone. Dave Harris (Glynn Edwards) pours the drinks in the bar where Arthur does his thinking. Chisholm (Patrick Malahide) knows exactly what Arthur is and cannot prove it. Somewhere there is a warehouse of goods that should not be there, and a bill Arthur would rather Terry paid. ## Review Leon Griffiths and Verity Lambert’s series is about a man who sells things and a man who gets hit for it. Arthur Daley (George Cole) deals in whatever happens to be in the lock-up; Terry McCann (Dennis Waterman) is the man he hires to stand beside him and look dangerous. That is the whole engine, and it ran for 108 episodes across ten series, from 29 October 1979 to the start of 1994. For the series with Waterman in the passenger seat, it is one of the most enjoyable things British television has made. After that it coasts. We recommend it, with that caveat attached. Cole is the reason. The coat, the hat, the cigar and the Jaguar are the costume, but the performance is in the certainty: Arthur believes every word he says at the precise moment he is saying it, and not a second longer. He calls a swindle a nice little earner and the world his lobster, and he is hurt, properly hurt, when a buyer walks away. We laughed more than once at nothing but Cole’s face as a deal fell through, and then felt a little sorry for him, because Arthur has no idea why people keep leaving. Cole never asks for the laugh. He waits, and it comes to him. Waterman has the harder, less showy job. Terry wants a girl, a flat and a job that does not involve a cold warehouse at two in the morning, and every episode he gets the warehouse. Waterman plays him with a short fuse and a long patience, a man who knows he is being used and goes along with it because the alternative is being alone. The series is fond of these two, and expects you to be. The fights are staged plainly, in car parks and back rooms, and they look as though they hurt. The camera crews, Chris Howard and Peter Bartlett among them, shoot it on real streets under a real grey sky: scrapyards, railway arches, pub car parks, a lot of wet tarmac. There is no studio gloss on any of it, and the series is better for looking cheap. Glynn Edwards’s Dave stands behind the bar and listens to Arthur’s plans with the face of a man who has heard them all before, and Patrick Malahide’s Chisholm turns up with a warrant and leaves without a result. Barry Peters and Nick McPhee, among the editors, let hour-long episodes breathe; a scene is allowed to end on Arthur’s expression rather than Arthur’s line. The list of directors reads like a roll call of British film and television of the period: Roy Ward Baker, Peter Sasdy, Tom Clegg, Martin Campbell. The writers, Griffiths first, then Tony Hoare, Andrew Payne, Paul Wheeler and others, keep the voice steady across all of them. The result is a run of small, scruffy films with the same two men at the centre, which is rarer than it sounds. The flaws are the ones you would expect of 108 episodes. The formula is visible by the fourth: scheme, complication, Terry gets hit, Arthur is out of pocket, back to the bar. The women are girlfriends and barmaids, which is an admission of what the writers were interested in. The villains are broad. And from Series 7, which began on 2 January 1989, Waterman is gone and Gary Webster’s Ray takes the job. Webster is likeable and the stories are the same, and that is the trouble. Arthur without Terry’s disapproval is only a man telling lies. Set against the police series of its decade, this is the gentler cousin: fewer guns, more receipts, and a view of London crime as a trade with its own etiquette. It has lasted because it is kind to its crooks without pretending they are anything else. Start at the beginning, stop when Waterman does, and do not lend Arthur money. *Fi1m score 78, published 7 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Minder worth watching?** *Minder* is worth watching for anyone who likes British crime comedy, and we scored it 78. George Cole's Arthur Daley is a great comic creation and Dennis Waterman's Terry takes the punches for him; the formula shows by the fourth episode, and the later series without Waterman are thinner. Start at the beginning and stop when Waterman leaves. **How long is Minder, and what is it rated?** *Minder* has episodes of about 1h 00m. It is a comedy and drama series. **Where can I watch Minder in Portugal?** *Minder* is not on any streaming or rental service in Portugal at the moment. It is available in 1 other country; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Minder, and is it suitable for children?** *Minder* has no UK certificate, carries a US TV-14 rating, and is mildly violent rather than frightening. The fights are staged plainly in car parks and back rooms and look as though they hurt, but there are few guns and no gore, and the tone is comic throughout. It suits teenagers and most adults; younger children will find the deals and the receipts dull rather than upsetting. **How does Minder compare to The Sweeney?** *Minder* is the gentler cousin of [*The Sweeney*](https://film.one/tv/the-sweeney), with Dennis Waterman in both: a flying squad detective in the earlier programme, a hired minder in the later one. *The Sweeney* is harder and more forceful, and its violence has weight; *Minder* trades guns for receipts and is funnier, kinder to its crooks and more repetitive. Choose *The Sweeney* for crime drama and *Minder* for George Cole. **What should I watch after Minder?** After *Minder*, try [*The Sweeney*](https://film.one/tv/the-sweeney) (1975, Fi1m 84): Waterman in the harder version, with Thaw, a Ford Granada and no receipts. Then [*Only Fools and Horses*](https://film.one/tv/only-fools-and-horses) (1981, Fi1m 84): Peckham’s answer to Arthur: a trader, a brother, and a van that embarrasses everyone; and [*The Long Good Friday*](https://film.one/film/the-long-good-friday) (1980, Fi1m 88): Same London, same decade, the villains Arthur would cross the road to avoid. ### Reviews we read (1) - **The Guardian**, Nancy Banks-Smith (75/100, inferred): Banks-Smith’s framing is clearly positive, presenting the show as a lively alternative to formulaic Hollywood fare. She singles out its attempt to create a genuine banger. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/from-the-archive-blog/2015/aug/06/george-cole-minder-review-nancy-banks-smith-1979) ## Details - **Created by:** Leon Griffiths, Verity Lambert - **Creator:** Leon Griffiths, Verity Lambert - **Director:** Francis Megahy, Roy Ward Baker, Terry Green, Ian Toynton, Diarmuid Lawrence, Roger Bamford, Lawrence Gordon Clark, Gordon Flemyng, Robert Young, Tom Clegg, Mike Vardy, Peter Sasdy, James Gatward, Keith Washington, Christopher King, Ian Sharp, Martin Campbell, Richard Standeven, Alister Hallum, A.J. Quinn, Charles Beeson, Dennis Abey, Jim Hill, John Reardon, William Brayne, Ken Hannam, Christopher Menaul, John Stroud, Baz Taylor, Derek Banham - **Writer:** Tony Hoare, Leon Griffiths, Andrew Payne, David Yallop, Kevin McNally, Bernard Dempsey, William Ivory, Willis Hall, Paul Wheeler, Dave Humphries, Tony Jordan, Jeremy Burnham, Geoffrey Case, Iain Roy, Barry Purchese, Liane Aukin, Bernie Cooper, Stanley Price, Kevin Clarke, Anita Bronson, John Phelps, Gary Lawson, George Day, Francis Megahy, Geoff Rowley, Murray Smith, Tim Firth, Alan Janes, Arthur Ellis, Trevor Preston, Alistair Beaton - **Cinematography:** Roy Pointer, Dusty Miller, Ian Punter, Peter Bartlett, Michael J. Davis, Chris Howard, Colin Munn, Paul Bond, Ross Berryman - **Editor:** Roger Wilson, Maysoon Pachachi, Nick McPhee, Sue Collins, Andrew McClelland, Barry Peters, Andrew Nelson, Richard Hiscott, Brian Freemantle, Peter Delfgou - **Cast:** George Cole as Arthur Daley; Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann; Gary Webster as Ray; Glynn Edwards as Dave Harris; Patrick Malahide as Chisholm; Clive Hornby as Norman Gibbons; Leslie Schofield as Parsons; Tim Wylton as Smiler - **Runtime:** 1h 00m - **Release (Portugal):** 29 October 1979 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Action & Adventure, Crime ## Where to watch in Portugal Not streaming, renting or buying in Portugal at the last check. Also available in: GB. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Sweeney* (1975), Fi1m 84: Waterman in the harder version, with Thaw, a Ford Granada and no receipts — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-sweeney.md) - *Only Fools and Horses* (1981), Fi1m 84: Peckham’s answer to Arthur: a trader, a brother, and a van that embarrasses everyone — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/only-fools-and-horses.md) - *The Rockford Files* (1974): The American cousin: a tired man in a trailer who also never gets paid - *The Long Good Friday* (1980), Fi1m 88: Same London, same decade, the villains Arthur would cross the road to avoid — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-long-good-friday.md) - *Lovejoy* (1986): Antiques instead of motors, and a dealer who talks to the camera about his sins --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/minder