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Post by steve74 on May 9, 2020 14:08:53 GMT
I like that this episode puts Terry in a dangerous situation and we get to see how handy he can really be. A more serious series 1 episode but lightened by a great turn by Kenneth Griffith. Loved it when Arthur smuggles in Frankie (the beautiful Jenny Lee Wright) for Sayin's pleasure. Michael Sheard plays a convincing villain. A well acted episode all round. I also thought it showed a warmer side to Arthur's character when he told Terry to get out of the house when things were becoming too serious, it's a pity then that he took Terry and Dai's money at the end (but we wouldn't have him any other way). 4 out of 5.
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Post by barrythebook on May 11, 2020 9:24:11 GMT
I like that this episode puts Terry in a dangerous situation and we get to see how handy he can really be. I also thought it showed a warmer side to Arthur's character when he told Terry to get out of the house when things were becoming too serious Arthur and Terry well out of their comfort zone dealing with gun wielding attackers and Arthur would never have taken the job on if he'd any idea what he was getting involved in. Terry acquitted himself very well though and foiled the plans. I've always assumed that Arthur and Terry were hired because they were seen as a walkover and easy pickings for Sayins would be killers.
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Post by mrstanford on May 20, 2020 19:01:18 GMT
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Post by harryshand on Jun 3, 2020 14:32:53 GMT
First of this afternoons 3 from Disc 2. Very good, got a touch of the Pros about it this one. Kenneth Griffith class as usual.
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Post by barrythebook on Jun 3, 2020 19:53:55 GMT
Very good, got a touch of the Pros about it this one. Kenneth Griffith class as usual. Good point, the plot could have been used in a Pros episode quite easily. Substitute Arthur, Terry and Dai for Cowley, Bodie and Doyle and there'd be nothing out of the ordinary to see CI5 collecting an influential foreign businessman from the airport, taking him to a safehouse and fending off an attack from his enemies.
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Post by chopper on Jun 4, 2020 21:24:35 GMT
Yes, where the 3 programmes sometimes can cross over. Like wise “Messenger Of The God’s “ could so easily have been an episode of Minder
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Post by jjmolloy on Jul 8, 2020 23:06:37 GMT
An nice article dated as shown: A pretty extraordinary man was Griffith, in addition to a highly prolific film and TV acting career, he was an extremely well regarded documentary film maker/presenter and political activist. Just caught a snippet of a film he made in 1971 on the life of Cecil Rhodes included in a programme on BBC documentaries on the Empire on BBC4. In 1965 he was asked to make a documentary on any subject he chose by BBC television heavyweights Sir Huw Wheldon and David Attenborough no less, making documentaries on Hitler, Churchill, David Ben Gurion, the Boer war and Napoleon among others. In 1973 he made a documentary on Irish political leader/revolutionary Michael Collins that must have been so controversial that ITV refused to show it and indeed it didn't get shown until 1993 and only then on the BBC. He was described as a ''world class documentary film maker'' by Screenonline a website funded by the British Film Institute showcasing ''significant film and television topics'' 1994 saw him given a Cymru lifetime achievement award by BAFTA. Phew!
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Post by barrythebook on Jul 9, 2020 13:17:02 GMT
An nice article dated as shown: A pretty extraordinary man was Griffith, in addition to a highly prolific film and TV acting career, he was an extremely well regarded documentary film maker/presenter and political activist. Just caught a snippet of a film he made in 1971 on the life of Cecil Rhodes included in a programme on BBC documentaries on the Empire on BBC4. In 1965 he was asked to make a documentary on any subject he chose by BBC television heavyweights Sir Huw Wheldon and David Attenborough no less, making documentaries on Hitler, Churchill, David Ben Gurion, the Boer war and Napoleon among others. In 1973 he made a documentary on Irish political leader/revolutionary Michael Collins that must have been so controversial that ITV refused to show it and indeed it didn't get shown until 1993 and only then on the BBC. He was described as a ''world class documentary film maker'' by Screenonline a website funded by the British Film Institute showcasing ''significant film and television topics'' 1994 saw him given a Cymru lifetime achievement award by BAFTA. Phew! Good post jj. I knew Griffith was a very knowledgeable military historian and very forthright with his political views but I didn't know that he was such an accomplished documentary maker. You can see in his acting roles that he was very passionate and determined in what he did, bringing the traits of his character to the fore, so I can well believe that this passion was included in his film making too.
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Post by jjmolloy on Jul 9, 2020 13:19:43 GMT
I like that this episode puts Terry in a dangerous situation and we get to see how handy he can really be. I also thought it showed a warmer side to Arthur's character when he told Terry to get out of the house when things were becoming too serious Arthur and Terry well out of their comfort zone dealing with gun wielding attackers and Arthur would never have taken the job on if he'd any idea what he was getting involved in. Terry acquitted himself very well though and foiled the plans. I've always assumed that Arthur and Terry were hired because they were seen as a walkover and easy pickings for Sayins would be killers. It's good that after this guns didn't feature much if at all with Minder, I can't recall any more times offhand, Arab terrorism was a hot subject at the time though.
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BMW
One Of Your Own
Knocking out see through yashmaks to liberated Muslim ladies
Posts: 206
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Post by BMW on Jul 9, 2020 14:05:03 GMT
There's a magic moment when A & T go to the airport to collect Sayin. Arthur isn't really supposed to be there but is intent on getting on to Sayin for an earner. Posing as the MD of Lockfast Securities, Arthur says he will 'walk by all casual like, probably smoking a proper cigar' so that Terry can make the introductions. Arthur then completely overdoes it 'Bless my soul, is that you Terence', but Tel's trying hard to ignore him and Sayin gives him a total blank. That little scene is a gem, classic Arthur chancing his arm and then back sliding out of the situation when he realises he's getting nowhere.
Things follow a similar course a bit later on when Arthur drops in uninvited at the house for another go at Sayin. His remark about the painting 'on the whole I prefer Cannelloni' is a cracker.
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Post by barrythebook on Jul 9, 2020 14:43:12 GMT
There's a magic moment when A & T go to the airport to collect Sayin. Arthur isn't really supposed to be there but is intent on getting on to Sayin for an earner. Posing as the MD of Lockfast Securities, Arthur says he will 'walk by all casual like, probably smoking a proper cigar' so that Terry can make the introductions. Arthur then completely overdoes it 'Bless my soul, is that you Terence', but Tel's trying hard to ignore him and Sayin gives him a total blank. That little scene is a gem, classic Arthur chancing his arm and then back sliding out of the situation when he realises he's getting nowhere. Things follow a similar course a bit later on when Arthur drops in uninvited at the house for another go at Sayin. His remark about the painting 'on the whole I prefer Cannelloni' is a cracker. Lovely scenes to watch. That Arthur actually thought these actions would be enough to convince a wealthy, middle eastern, upper class businessman to part with copious amounts of his cash is very funny. I've no doubt that this sort of 'chancing' actually went on in real life but it's really quite cringeworthy to watch. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
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Post by chopper on Jul 9, 2020 20:24:32 GMT
Great episode, I gave it a 4 many years ago, but this worth a 5/5.
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Post by jjmolloy on Jul 9, 2020 20:54:08 GMT
Great episode, I gave it a 4 many years ago, but this worth a 5/5. Agreed, gets better each time.
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Post by coyote on Jul 9, 2020 21:39:38 GMT
It struck me that as an early episode it tells you everything you need to know about Terry - he's much better than his "division", street smart and can't allow someone defenceless to get hit even if it means putting his own life in danger. And he can think on his feet.
I thought 'The Crown' looked like the same place Chisholm and Rycott (or rather Jones and Melish) crash several years later and jno's excellent episode guide confirms it. Guess that might have been an in-joke about crashing into plod??
Really good episode - 5/5 for me.
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Post by jjmolloy on Jul 9, 2020 23:40:32 GMT
Bit of a blooper here, when Elliott and his henchmen come round to the car lot after Arthur he mentions ''the small war yesterday at No.16 Billingham Gardens'' but the house that Sayin and Terry were staying in is clearly marked as being No.7!
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Post by joshmel on Oct 28, 2020 17:16:27 GMT
Good solid episode. It’s interesting to see in the early episodes Arthur’s ambitions are set considerably higher but with every failed business venture it’s curtailed slightly in later series. Arthur has a distinctively more sharper businessman like attitude early on to what we see latterly portrayed as softer ever more increasingly reliant on Terry. Definitely a more serious tone here. Thought Lee montague was brilliant you always sense he has a touch of class as an actor.
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Post by westminster on Oct 28, 2020 18:43:07 GMT
Just watched this episode again today. Again, lots to like about it. Very much a series one episode though: lots of late 70s scenes and a bit of a 'heavier' storyline with the guns and middle-east connection. Some great one liners again too.
I agree about Lee Montague, very classy. A lot of presence. A great TV resume as well, he was in everything that mattered from Dixon of Dock Green onwards.
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Post by jno on Oct 29, 2020 3:48:18 GMT
I agree about Lee Montague, very classy. A lot of presence. A great TV resume as well, he was in everything that mattered from Dixon of Dock Green onwards. ...and a candidate for Arthur Daley himself at one point.
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Post by westminster on Oct 29, 2020 9:02:49 GMT
I agree about Lee Montague, very classy. A lot of presence. A great TV resume as well, he was in everything that mattered from Dixon of Dock Green onwards. ...and a candidate for Arthur Daley himself at one point. Oh, right, I didn't know that. I knew Denholm Elliott was in the running, but not Montague. I can see how Lee Montague might have fitted in with Leon Griffiths original conception of Minder but I'm not sure he could have developed Arthur in the same way as George Cole did. Denholm Elliott is an interesting one though, because I think he'd have been able to do a comedy Arthur, although maybe not in the same almost slapstick way as George Cole. Either way, I think they made completely the right decision with George Cole. He was truly brilliant as Arthur Daley.
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Post by barrythebook on Oct 29, 2020 23:34:01 GMT
I agree about Lee Montague, very classy. A lot of presence. A great TV resume as well, he was in everything that mattered from Dixon of Dock Green onwards. ...and a candidate for Arthur Daley himself at one point. I didn't know that either and like Westminster I think LM would have portrayed Daley as a hardman/gangster character. I did know that Denholm Elliot was considered and again i'd agree with Westminster that he would have played Arthur in a more comedic role. I've always imagined that if DE did get the part, he'd have played it in the vein of his character ,'Seymour', from the 'Rising Damp' film.
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Post by nationalpelmet on Nov 21, 2020 17:58:27 GMT
Great episode, Arthur desperately trying to make a connection for an earner, Terry doing his absolute best when right up against it and some superb additional characters. Love that line, “Terry, get out - shooters” 😆
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Post by daz on Dec 30, 2020 17:19:59 GMT
Watched on Britbox this afternoon for the first time in years. A real bit of quality for me with this one.
Dai really was quality.
A cut in this one on BB, when he tells Dai he will will send for him once this is all over, it cuts straight to the next scene and we don't see/hear Dai's reply.
I would have liked to have seen Terry and Dai keep the cheques at the end though, as they really deserved them.
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Post by kelotoph on Mar 18, 2021 16:47:54 GMT
Watched this episode today, I think for the first time, and whilst entertaining, I only rated it as 'good'. Double-cross type plots usually serve to confuse me as to who's good and who's bad, and I think that this is a case in point. I found Dai to be rather too 'amusing' in such a gritty plot, but thought that Elliot was perfectly cast and acted. I was going to say that it seemed strange to have Lee Montague cast as different characters in consecutive episodes, but then realised that I'd just seen him in 'The Chinese Detective' and not 'Minder'! These days, of course, he'd probably be accused of cultural appropriation, as a Jew playing the part of an Arab...
The picture window in the West Kensington property obviously had rotten frames and thin glass, given how easily it gave way to the incoming terrorist, and for supposedly hardened terrorists the villains seemed to give up rather easily on their first assassination attempt. Later, above the pub when Terry et al are waiting for Arthur, Terry is very quick to spot him even though he is driving an unexpected vehicle (the van). Perhaps the van was a well-known vehicle of Arthur's. It was also fortuitous, to say the least, that a van load of coppers was driving down the road just when Arthur needed them. I thought that George Cole's portrayal as Arthur under duress in the van was top notch.
I appreciate that I'm in the minority here, but I can't seem to get as enthusiastic about this episode as some.
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Post by barrythebook on Mar 18, 2021 19:07:00 GMT
I do agree with you about the very lame, actually non existent determination from the would be assassins.
One was squirted with washing up liquid and pushed over. One had a smack in the mouth. One had a lightweight occasional table thrown in his direction - and then they all ran off!
In the words of Jack Regan - "You weren't exactly looking for a medal were ya?"
They didn't put up much resistance when the cops rushed them at the end either, especially seeing they were tooled up and old Bill weren't.
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Post by jno on Mar 29, 2021 4:04:34 GMT
Press photo of Jenny Lee-Wright with a mention of 'The Minder':
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Post by minderfan84 on May 29, 2022 21:51:10 GMT
Kenneth Griffith as Dai Llewellyn is brilliant in this hilarious in some scenes too shame he never came back in the show
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Post by jno on May 31, 2022 3:46:37 GMT
Kenneth Griffith as Dai Llewellyn is brilliant in this hilarious in some scenes too shame he never came back in the show Yes, a great character who definitely had another episode in him.
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Post by pr1 on Jun 1, 2022 1:39:18 GMT
“Shooters!!” What a great moment in the show.
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Post by dabizzo on Jul 9, 2022 23:09:26 GMT
Not surprisingly, it seems that the airport scenes were filmed in one session. Ergo, it appears that they were filmed about mid day. When Terry drives Arthur, Bassam and Dai to the airport, it appears to be evening. As they turn into the parking lot, it's noon again!
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geoffc
Car Lot Browser
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Post by geoffc on Jan 23, 2023 22:17:12 GMT
A bit of a change of tone from the first 3 episodes - less obvious humour and a much darker theme with hints of serious violence. In some respects this works better than a script full of gags and one -liners , the contrast sharpens the humour and vice versa . Kenneth Griffith as Dai Llewellyn certainly steals the show as a drink sodden gentleman's gentleman. I do like the bit were Bassam Sayin reels off a list of tasks for Dai - fetching the suitcase from the car , running a bath with no herbal fragrances , lunch of a clear soup and a hard biscuit , set up the office in the front room , lay out the grey whistle, white dickie and red peckham ..... You expect the fine and dandy's to have taken their toll , but no - he remembers word for word ! Arthur admiring the Cannelloni on the wall , his daft scheme of trying to bump into Sayin as he arrives at Heathrow. Doubling down on this by introducing Frankie as light entertainment .This is epitomy of Arthur - conceiving an ill thought through nice little earner but seeing it kiboshed by his own incompetence and misreading of the situation. We learn a bit more about Terry's character - fundamentally he does the right thing the right way even if this is to his disadvantage. He doesn't leg it after the hit but spirits Dai and Sayin away to a safe house (pub) eluding the kidnappers/assassins . And rather drive straight to the nick at the end - takes Sayin to the airport saving him from trouble with his fake passport. Also I got the impression Arthur whilst driving the van was trying to think of a way to alert Terry - called him Terrence for example. So there is a spark of decency underneath all that skulduggery. The good guys win out in the end as in the best Hollywood feelgood endings. A solid 4/5
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