Minder

Minder was a British television comedy-drama (1979-1994) starring George Cole as Arthur Daley, a shady London businessman and Con Man, and Dennis Waterman as his "minder" (bodyguard/strong-arm man) Terry.

As the title suggests, the series was conceived as a star vehicle for Waterman, then recently of The Sweeney fame, with Arthur as only a supporting character. Cole's portrayal and his rapport with Waterman led to him getting a more even share of the limelight, and when Waterman decided to leave the series in 1989, the series continued without him, with Cole as the star and Arthur's nephew Ray (Gary Webster) becoming his new minder.

There was a short-lived revival in 2009, starring Shane Richie (as another of Arthur's nephews) with Lex Shrapnel as his minder.

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Tropes used in Minder include:

• Banana In the Tailpipe
• The Barnum
• Breakout Character: Arthur
• Delusions of Eloquence
• Do-It-Yourself Theme Tune
• Get Rich Quick Scheme
• The Ghost: Arthur's wife, "'Er Indoors".
• ~Honest John's Dealership~
• Jury Duty
• Just Got Out of Jail
• Lame Excuse
• Land Down Under
• Loveable Rogue
• Orient Express: "Minder on the Orient Express"
• Put on a Bus: When Waterman left the series, the on-screen explanation was that Terry had had enough of Arthur and moved to Australia.
• Welcome to the Liberator: Arthur discovers he's lost Terry and in the same episode, coincidentally, nephew Ray comes to visit.

The revival provides examples of:

• Generation Xerox
• Revival
• Spin Offspring