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Post by gra966 on Jul 25, 2017 4:55:05 GMT
A pretty good episode , still , even if it steers away from the norm a little We can see that Terry would have made a good father , despite what Arthur thinks Although there is no "dodgy deal " story , we do get a couple of decent punch ups The last episode featuring Penny , but we don't really get an explanation why Good scenes on the river in London , with a lot of the old warehouses still in existence I would guess this was filmed around July / August time , as it looks pretty hot in some scenes A line that makes you chuckle , is when Arthur refers to the North of England as "Black Pudden Country" Yes , I'm not too sure about the emotional ending either , it just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of Minder Surprisingly , the truck that joins in the punch up at the end isn't a Ford Transcontinental , but a Volvo F88 another favourite on the classic truck scene today
6/10
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Post by gra966 on Jul 15, 2017 5:12:01 GMT
A good comedy episode , with some great scenes Both George Cole & Brian Glover do "acting drunk " very well here A brilliant line , but would probably be edited out today , is when Arthur asks Terry , if he was sure the night porter was a different bloke & he replied "What do you think I am , colour blind ? the second one was West Indian ! " When the Spanish guy on the hotel reception , describes Yorkie as looking like a large monkey , I couldn't help thinking this was based on Manuel s "hideous orang-utan " routine with "Bullit Baxter" Talking of which , where was he on the rugby field ? A brilliant scene here , with Arthur coming into contact with the mud again ! A vehicle we see in this episode , I think still holds the land speed record , a National Express Leyland Leopard coach These things virtually attached themselves to your rear bumper , if you were doing less than 80mph in the outside lane ! The infamous blue MK3 Cortina , MLD803P , puts in another appearance , this time as a wedding car It was also a regular , in Butterflies , belonging to Wendy Craig s long suffering neighbour , played by Milton Johns , who was always being hit by the sons frisby when it flew in through the sunroof The guy on the coach , that Yorkie s wife tells to turn his radio down , looks a bit like a young Adam Ant
8/10
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Post by gra966 on Jul 14, 2017 17:29:22 GMT
I always remember this one , as a fun episode to watch . Any one with Arthur falling in the mud , gets high marks Yes , I can never recall the strip club scenes being as long , as they are on the box set editions . Even ITV in the 1980s had the hacksaw out on this one - Its amazing how many early editions , featured strip clubs , ! - I always think the flashing sign , outside the The Winchester , in this series , makes it look a bit seedy I would guess the scenes of Arthur & Terry in the countryside , were filmed around January / February time , as it certainly looks very wintry It looks like they sourced the Bedford TK cattle truck , locally , as it carries a KJ Kent/Maidstone registration mark & a company name has been blanked out on the cab doors The Rolls Royce belonging to the farmers , is the same one from "All Mod Cons" A definite 8/10 for this one
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Post by gra966 on Jul 11, 2017 5:22:17 GMT
This one must have been rarely repeated by ITV in the late 80s , as I don't remember much about it at all A very "of its time" episode , with a few scenes appearing a bit tacky by todays standards , especially the opening chat show & the "Benny Hill" style "birds" that accompanied Willie - An amusing scene in the club , looking very much like a 1980 Top of the Pops !! I thought the pre Denzil , Paul Barber played the part very well An unusual use of the theme tune , as incidental music , when Terry & Willie are training Not really a great episode for car spotting , apart from that pimped up Volkswagen LT , that Terry gets to drive Willie around in Compared to other 2nd season episodes , this is one of the weaker ones
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Post by gra966 on Jun 30, 2017 5:56:18 GMT
A great episode & I have to agree , two of the greatest punch ups , both with the "hooray Henrys " in the kitchen & the heavies at the squat Another point I firmly agree on , space invaders & hideously coloured bathroom suites , plant us firmly in the early 80s Michael Robbins "medallion man" image when he arrived with his "niece" was hilarious - Olive wouldn't have approved !! I think his builders truck , was the same one driven by "Bill the driver" in The Professionals episode , Weekend in the Country You couldn't help imagining seeing Ruth Madoc staring lovingly at Simon Cadell , everytime he appeared The tension , background music , when Terry is searching the squat , is fairly unusual for Minder , it could almost have been a Sweeney moment Arthur s tie becomes untrapped from the window of the Rolls , far too easily !!!
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Post by gra966 on Jun 30, 2017 5:34:06 GMT
Thanks , I thought it was him , only, a few years older
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Post by gra966 on Jun 29, 2017 17:49:05 GMT
I don't think Id seen this one , since late 80s ITV repeats A good episode with some great one liners & Terry s fallout with Des over the getaway Cortina was very amusing Margaret describing Arthur as "something out of the 50s " was also a good line Chisholm always addresses Terry by his first name , in this one , where as in later series , he always refers to him as Mcann just like he uses Daley when referring to Arthur I'm sure the guy selling the fish was in the first Sweeney episode , Ringer , where Regan rants "we re The Sweeney son , & we haven't had any dinner" When Arthur & Terry first arrive at Margaret s house , we see parked outside , a bright green Matra Rancho , which is what you arrived at , if you crossed a Simca van with the Popemobile , mind you in today s world of ugly people carriers & 4x4 s , it probably would have been a better seller Also worth a mention , is Arthur s golf clobber , hilarious , even Simon Bates wouldn't wear that on TOTP !!!
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Post by gra966 on Jun 27, 2017 17:30:52 GMT
This episode must have been repeated in the late 80s , on ITV , as I always remember seeing one around this time where Arthur drove a grey Rover SD1 , instead of his usual Jag My box set is quite a recent one , but the quality of this particular episode , as you have mentioned above is still very poor , especially the title sequence & theme tune sounding very distorted Despite this , it is still a good one , with my favourite scene being the punch up in the sex shop , carrying on behind Arthur s conversation with the copper Note how Chisholm still refers to Arthur , by his first name at this point , by the later series , as he becomes more intolerant he just calls him Daley , usually prefixed with some derogatory remark A minor role only here , for Burt Kwouk - During this period he spent most of his time , avoiding being hit by VW Golfs that suddenly dropped out of the sky !
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Post by gra966 on Jun 25, 2017 11:12:07 GMT
A good amusing episode , but not quite as action packed as others from season 2 It is great to see Maurice as a re occurring character , but as several have mentioned above , probably a bit more frequently A couple of minor roles , for both Lesley Joseph & Lynda Baron ,before getting used to them in their major characters , Dorian & Nurse G-G-G Gladys Maurice continues with his yellow Lotus & there is a nice yellow Triumph Stag in the car park at Brent Cross I just loved the choice of motor , for Parsons heavies to take Maurice for a ride in - a gold Jaguar S Type , one that had managed to survive until 1980 , without ploughing into a stack of oil drums , with a Consul GT in hot pursuit !!!! At the very end , when Terry drives off to follow the "Welsh bird" , note the strange position of his Capri s tax disc , the top of the windscreen on the drivers side , mind you this was his dodgiest Capri of them all !
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Post by gra966 on May 18, 2017 5:01:54 GMT
Watched this one again , having not seen it for ages & have to agree with most of the above comments This was Minder at its best , a good story , plenty of humour & one liners , with a brilliant chase & fight scene at the end Another convincing villainous performance from Nick Stringer , almost identical to his Kearney character in The Sweeney , One of Your Own Plenty of cars to spot in the scrapyard , shame about that nice white , series 1 Jag XJ6 though Definitely a 5/5 episode
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Post by gra966 on May 12, 2017 5:48:57 GMT
A great comedy episode with some good characters & loads of funny scenes - especially Chisholm after a few sherbets Solly tells Arthur , at the beginning , he has had trouble with flying pickets , so will we in a couple of weeks time on BBC4 !!! Did anyone manage to spot the large silver saloon parked behind Arthur s Daimler , in the scene with "Bomber" & the ladder , it looked like an Australian Leyland P76 , which was a very rare sight in Britain Perhaps Colin & Ray were back !
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Post by gra966 on Apr 6, 2017 17:42:25 GMT
Quite an amusing episode I just love the moment where Arthur is explaining to Dave , the advantages of having a car phone , as though it was some novel idea that would never catch on - little did he know ! He also proves , that even when car phones were in their infancy , using one while driving causes accidents , even if it does only involve a model aeroplane !! The scene where the heavies turn up at Terry s flat & beat him up , almost looked as though it had been lifted from a much earlier episode I have to agree , when Chisholm sprints out of the phone shop on hearing of Arthur s involvement , it is a laugh out loud moment ! I m sure "Spotters Syndrome" is something you would suffer from , if you spent a lot of time watching old tv shows & then writing about them !! The characters played by both Jan Francis & David Daker are very similar to more regular characters they have played in other shows (i.e - Penny Warrender in Just Good Friends & Harry Crawford in Boon) In Arthur s car lot , we see a two tone grey Citroen 2cv , which became briefly very fashionable in the mid eighties - Despite being a big fan of classic cars , these tin baths on wheels do nothing for me - give me on old Ford any day !
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Post by gra966 on Feb 15, 2017 18:58:56 GMT
I have to agree with statements in the main description of this episode , that this is the point where Minder becomes more of a comedy show - While we still have many good characters, they are much more light hearted now, gone are the days of Terry minding someone who is being threatened by menacing heavies.
Godfrey was a funny character, but his over use of his catchphrases, "bla,bla,bla" & "the wossname" became a little irritating by the end of the episode.
Chisholm's obsession with nicking Arthur is becoming more frequent. The "obbo" in the back garden was hilarious. He also gets more wound up at Jones' attempts at humour.
We see some typical British Leyland build quality with that Metro that Arthur sells Fiona (the mirror falls off & it is supposedly making a horrendous noise)- no wonder she wanted a Golf Convertible!
The quarry where the boys go, to pick up the rocks, looks a bit like a location setting from an early 70s Doctor Who - I half expected to see Jon Pertwee & half a dozen daleks in the background. Not a bad show, but we can certainly tell that the "Terry episodes" are now in their twilight years.
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Post by gra966 on Feb 10, 2017 6:43:40 GMT
Still a fairly reasonable episode , but not quite the quality of earlier series Although there was one occurance we did see , that was more a feature of earlier ones - Arthur turning up at Terry s flat & disturbing his fling with a young lady ! I also love the scene where the guy at the door gives Arthur an earful for damaging his hedge Great to see Lennard Pearce in another show , other than OFAH - I don't ever remember seeing him in much else Peter Woodthorpe playing Lent , was also a regular in Inspector Morse In the early 80s Michael Ripper was familiar as Leonard s chauffer in Butterflies A couple of great background cars to spot - a nice silver/blue BMW 3.0 CSL in Arthur s car lot at the beginning - and when Terry & Arthur park up in the Toyota Hi Ace for the first set of canvassing , we see a sporty MK1 Escort in a very early 70s colour scheme of orange with matt black bonnet , parked at the roadside - which would be worth a fortune today !
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Post by gra966 on Feb 9, 2017 6:10:32 GMT
I have to agree , probably not one of the best episodes, but still has plenty of amusement & good one liners as always It is a shame the carpet cleaning wasn't the main storyline , as it had plenty of comedy potential A great scene in the Winchester , when Arthur is trying to convince Dave that it needs sprucing up a bit , so he can make use of the tangerine paint Considering who delivered it , I'm surprised it wasn't OXO brown !!! Renu Setna seemed to be one of those stock Indian actors that appeared in just about everything at the time , similar to Ed Bishop as the stock American
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Post by gra966 on Feb 4, 2017 6:35:55 GMT
This was brilliant , as it was an episode I don't remember from original transmissions , it must have been rarely repeated on channels like ITV 4 Justin was a great character & typical of 80s youngsters , with his dress sense & gift of the gab , you can understand why they brought him back as a regular character I was sorry to read earlier on this page that Mark Farmer had passed away , I never realised that He had played a similar character in Grange Hill a few years earlier I recognized the football ground as Brentford s Griffin Park , as my late father was one of their biggest supporters I hope The A Team gave Arthur a used vehicle warranty with that van ! Even I had trouble identifying the American car driven by Cedric - It had a Chrysler pentagon on the boot lid , but what the model was , I hadn't a clue - The number plate had an X suffix but was probably imported before age related plates came in , it looked more mid 70s to me - from the Starsky & Hutch era ! The guy stood in the café at the beginning looked like actor John Forgeham , but I think had it been him , he would have had a much bigger part I agree that some of the motorway shots , look more like the M4 around Heathrow & Heston rather than the M1
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Post by gra966 on Feb 3, 2017 18:37:58 GMT
Another good amusing episode , with a major fall out between Arthur & Terry , mind you , you can t blame Terry for being angry at Arthur on this occasion Terry reckoned he would have joined the fish fingers on the shelf at Bejam s , had he been left in the cold store much longer - a name from the past there - I can recall these as large freezer centre/supermarket stores & most large towns had one Arthur sells Abigail an MG Metro - this was the quick one that was capable of more than 55mph down hill with a following wind behind & DIDN T come in beige ! - but did have RED seat belts !!! I don't think the engine in Charlie s Transit had much life left in it , judging by the tapping noise it was making when he pulled up outside the car lot , at the end Getting in some good practice for Don Beech , Charlie was another dodgy character , played brilliantly by Billy Murray Just prior to this Stacey Dorning had starred in ITV sitcom Keep it in the Family , with Robert Gillespie I can t quite recall where the girl playing the dippy receptionist in the estate agent , was familiar from - possibly Grange Hill , but not 100% sure
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Post by gra966 on Feb 1, 2017 6:11:58 GMT
A much slower paced episode , lacking in any real action , but well acted & some amusing moments Loved that wonderful old car radio in Ruby s Rolls , when Terry is listening to the football Nigel Le Vailant , playing "Humming Andy" was familiar as the lead in 90s vet drama , Dangerfield - his partner , Erika Hoffman , was the pregnant au pair in Only Fools & Horses
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Post by gra966 on Jan 27, 2017 6:43:44 GMT
Another brilliant comedy episode , with both stories , the wedding fiasco & Arnie s car collection I'm surprised we got as far as season 5 before we got an episode featuring Patrick Mower Perhaps he was busy with other commitments or keeping a low profile after Target ! Arnie collecting the old wrecks with that wonderful MK1 Transit recovery truck was great , in the days before it was down to the DVLA & wheel clamping You could tell this was the mid 80s by the vast amount of MK3 Cortina s in the scrapyard - all fallen victim of the mighty tin worm Yes , I also noticed it was the same swimming pool used in The Sweeney episode Golden Fleece , also starring Patrick Mower Chisholm is appearing more frequently now & as sarcastic as ever , even calling Jones a " Welsh Cretin" in this one As well as Bread , Kenneth Waller also appeared in later seasons of Are You Being Served ? as Old Mr Grace
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Post by gra966 on Jan 24, 2017 5:36:27 GMT
An absolutely brilliant comedy episode , with the change of scenery making it all the more fun Arthur s drunken routine on the boat was hilarious & also him falling in the mud at the end While Chisholm was on the trail of the dodgy trainers , he could also have found out who sold Arnie that awful flowery shirt he was wearing in The Winchester , near the beginning Terry & Arnie s competition to pull Penny was pretty amusing as well Seeing as The National Motor Museum , Beaulieu , was only round the corner Arnie could have donated his clapped out Bedford CF Reginald Marsh was familiar for playing "the boss" in numerous comedies , more often Terry & June and The Good Life A blink & you ll almost miss him moment for Bill Treacher aka Arthur Fowler , in The Winchester at the end
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Post by gra966 on Jan 19, 2017 6:09:41 GMT
A great episode with a good storyline & plenty of comedy scenes with Arthur in hospital When he is changing behind the screen & giving Terry his orders , then emerges in that red dressing gown , is hilarious - also his conversation with Chisholm while half sedated is very amusing Chisholm goes all Jack Regan in his first encounter with Dermot Wendel appears to have similar tastes in interior décor to Del Boy We have a good punch up between Terry & the two mystery goons at Dermot s garage A brilliant ending with Dave & Terry pushing Arthur out of hospital in the wheel chair , I half expected Barbara Windsor or Kenneth Williams to appear at any moment ! Look out for a blue Capri S parked in the hospital car park behind Arthur s Daimler & that red Granada Ghia was far too good for that mob - it would have been an ideal car for Cowley , had The Professionals continued a bit longer !!
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Post by gra966 on Jan 5, 2017 6:20:53 GMT
A great episode & probably the most remembered of this season & most often repeated by ITV 4 The opening with Arthur demonstrating the answering machine & everyone waiting in anticipation for the phone to ring was hilarious Fitness studios were becoming all the rage at this time & Arthur was getting in on the act as usual , although I don't think the track suit & trilby hat image caught on ! some great sights here , especially the lovely Louise with her "naughty secretary" look - lucky Prince Andrew !!! At least Terry got the family feud sorted & his revenge on smarmy Petselli The grey Ford Orion used by Roddy would be one of the very first ones -it has an August 1983 registration date & Ford Motor Co plates -they were only launched in summer 1983 Petselli drives a nice white Porsche 928 which he claims he only borrowed , when Terry threatens to drench the interior with a hose pipe A wonderful piece of nostalgia , is the Capital Radio 194 sticker on the window of Laura s Mini Did Capital have any answer phones , though , that played Harry Secombe ? -Two years later Tony Anholt was seen in one of his best remembered roles - Charles Frere in Howard s Way - The elderly gent at the beginning , that reports Roddy breaking into the flat , was familiar as the grandfather from 70s sitcom The Liver Birds
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Post by gra966 on Jan 4, 2017 5:53:56 GMT
It was Minder s turn for the dodgy Australians this time - They must have had training from Colin & Ray ! Some brilliant characters & dialogue in this one & a rare occasion where Terry doesn't get lucky ! Mournful was another one of those shady characters you hoped to see again in another episode Rycott & Carp don't have a lot of luck with their motors , firstly their red Hillman Hunter fails to start on a number of occasions & Carp eventually T bones a Transit with it As a severe punishment they are driven around in an Allegro panda car which suffers a puncture - twice ! Just prior to this , Larry Lamb had starred in the dire short lived BBC 1 soap , aboard a ship - Triangle Howard Lew Lewis is best remembered for his role as dopey pub landlord Elmo in Brush Strokes - he almost appears to be playing the same character here
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Post by gra966 on Dec 20, 2016 5:58:31 GMT
An amusing episode , with the whole thing revolving round the tape & its value only for Arthur to store it in a place causing it to de magnatize ! Some early memories of night clubbing in the 80s came back with the disco scene in the bar at the beginning Arthur is trying to sell a pea green left hand drive Beetle convertible with a dodgy roof , a good scene with the punter driving back in with the roof stuck half open & a faulty brake light ! Tim Healy would have been virtually unknown when the episode was filmed Good performance from Mel Smith as menacing Cyril When Arthur drops Zac off at the hotel , towards the end , we get a reminder that owning a MK1 Escort in the mid 80s required a job lot of Isopon stored in your garage !!!
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Post by gra966 on Dec 19, 2016 6:09:02 GMT
An absolute cracker of an episode this one , with Chisholm at his best It had all the characteristics & feeling of some of the earlier season episodes , with Terry working for a local hardnut with a shady past & the massive scrap in the snooker hall at the end Chisholm was on top form here , especially his line to Arthur - " You haven't made an innocent statement since you were growing your back teeth , so you could lie through them !! Although we had to feel a bit sorry for him as his squad car in this episode was a Talbot Solara
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Post by gra966 on Dec 18, 2016 12:31:44 GMT
A good episode with all the usual dodgy deals Arthurs comments about the GPO , British Telecom or whatever they are called now would suggest this was filmed around the time of the changeover The scene with the discussion between Sprott & Chisholm was brilliant - some great dialogue The tall guy with the curly hair leading the BMX gang was I think the character in Grange Hill with the Greek name that fell from the multi storey car park Shaun Curry was familiar at the time playing the father of Vince (Paul Nicholas) in the brilliant comedy Just Good Friends The first car JJ flags down at the beginning is a nice white 6 series BMW with the plate TRX900Y - a BMW GB supplied car also keep a look out for a "boy racer" yellow MK3 Cortina parked behind where Sprott is talking to Arthur near the end - these were getting on a bit by then especially as we now see Chisholm in a Sierra !!
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Post by gra966 on Dec 9, 2016 6:48:06 GMT
A brilliant comedy episode with plenty of good one liners & the river scenes bringing back great memories of 1980s summers Although the garage shots were filmed in a British Leyland dealership watch out for a nice Aston Martin V8 & Lagonda in the background , when Arthur is discussing the deal with the Rolls If this was filmed in August 1983 , it was one busy period for the motor trade - as it was the 1st month of the A prefix registration plates We get to see Terry s white Capri EUC223V for the first time - The scene where Terry & Arthur are going to take the Rolls for a spin & Arthur gets in the back , much to Terry s disgust , is hilarious - Around this time Keith Barron was starring in weak ITV sitcom Duty Free - I can also recall a short lived ITV comedy from the early 80s that starred Lionel Jeffries , called Father Charlie
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Post by gra966 on Dec 8, 2016 6:23:39 GMT
The 4th season & we have moved on 2 years - reflected in Arthur s comment about breakfast tv while in the job centre - 1983 being the year it started - We see Arthur s yellow Daimler for the first time , after he collects it from being serviced - shame they didn't cure the creaking drivers door !!! A good season starter with a very realistic boxing match - Unusual to see Rycott in a Volvo - in the majority of later season episodes we normally see him in a Cavalier or Montego - Arthur s conversation with the guys when they turn up to decorate the flat would most certainly be edited out of any tv showing today !!!
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Post by gra966 on Dec 7, 2016 6:17:20 GMT
A brilliant episode to end the season with , especially ending up with the scrap on the bus - A big tell tale sign of the date of filming was The Royal Wedding poster on the wall of Arthur s office , so July 1981 -We briefly see the car cleaner fitting the number plates to the Porsche so this confirms it is the same one seen in The Birdman of Wormwood Scrubs - As well as numerous cars changing position in the scenes outside the car lot keep a close eye on the red Mercedes W123 as Terry is running to catch the bus - it all of a sudden has moved several parking spaces up the road , closer to the bus ! In those days recovery vehicles could run on trade plates - I think this changed with the introduction of the prefix year letter & age related plates , from August 1983
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Post by gra966 on Dec 6, 2016 6:44:59 GMT
A great early episode & one everyone seems to remember clearly with some good comedy moments & the twist of Kevin being behind all the "accidents" - It was also an episode most often repeated by ITV in the mid 80s The scene where Debbie walks up to Arthur totally starkers , his reaction when he turns round is hilarious - The deal with the number plate was a nice finishing touch , in an era prior to the major personalised number plate boom - Apart from the bright green one restored by Wheeler Dealers . I can t recall many other tv appearances of a Lamborghini Urraco Keep your eyes peeled in the first few scenes of Terry driving the Austin Cambridge - the passenger side front hub cap has a habit of disappearing & re appearing again - mind you that's the least of his worries - I would guess it was straight onto the banger track after filming had finished !
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