8.7 A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In Shepherd's Bush

[jno]

Link to episode on minder.org: www.minder.org/episodeguide/S08E07_ABirdInTheHandIsWorthTwoInShepherdsBush.htm

[daz]

I watched this last night and had to admit to thoroughly enjoying it. Racing pigeons is not something you would have expected Arthur to be involved in, but he was and I found it to be a very good episode. The part when him and Ray were at Bradford station trying to capture a pigeon was brilliant. Some very good lines in the episode also.

The good thing about Minder is how it likes to stereotype Northerners, the Irish, Welsh, Scots, etc, etc. Don't think you would get away with half of it now without a complaint being made.

I think it benefitted from not having Morley in the episode.

[jno]

The club 'Mackintoshs' where Ray takes Donna in this - watch closely and you'll see it's the same place as The Penge Sporting Man's Club in 7.2 'Days Of Fines & Closures'.

All filmed at the Middlesex & Herts Country Club.

[daytona355]

Ah, nostalgic, what a throwback... nicks Ray's bird and gets away with it, lucky devil. Blondie was very fit too, poor old Ray got played, always the bridesmaid!

[jno]

Feb 24, 2016 0:37:51 GMT daytona355 said:

Ah, nostalgic, what a throwback... Nicks Ray's bird and gets away with it, lucky devil. Blondie was very fit too, poor old ray got played, always the bridesmaid!

Yes, a particularly attractive addition to this one.  I like Nostalgic, top character and shame we didn't see more of him. He was scripted to appear in another episode too, mentioned elsewhere on the forum. Also don't forget an article and feature on Nick Day as DS Morley in this one, which you can read on this thread: minder.proboards.com/thread/566/ds-morley-unknown-truth

[alf]

Eh up another cracking episode.Fancy a few of the Adlibs left in on this one.

Ray "Where a I going?"
Arthur "This is no time for philosophy,Ray.Off you go."

[pr1]

I like the part when Arthur is using the wipe board and has a long list of things that need to be down under Ray's name and all he has listed for himself is getting a haircut.
Racing pigeons was certainly a different idea for a story.

[jno]

Press photo:

[winchesterclub]

Re watched today, Strong episode for me with a good supporting cast, did Arthur And Ray ad-lib the set piece when they were trying to catch the Pigeon at the railway station and Arthur get"s his finger caught in the whicker basket door ??
As said before Nostalgic would of been a good return player , Billy from Bradford always worked well in the episodes best lines for me

"What music is that Ray
'Rap"
"Your right about that" says Arthur

And Dorren talking about Donna

" Up north full of diamond hunters in high heeled clogs"

Talking of Donna "Gabrielle Cowburn" another actress who hasn"t seem to have done anything since the early 2000"s… jno can you shed any light ?

[jno]

Gabrielle Cowburn - sadly not, all I have seen is her IMDb credits and she was in a lot up until 2002. She has either disappeared off the face of the earth or maybe just got married and has a different name. I'm sure news of her will pop up somewhere at some point.

She is in this with Patrick Malahide, which is worth a watch:

minder.proboards.com/thread/2053/patrick-malahide-blackheath-poisonings-1992

[McCann]

Going through the Ray years for about the third time.

This one is 4/5 for me. It was much better than I remember on previous viewings. Although Arthur is such an idiot the way he decides to deal with the birds himself without listening to a word of advice from Ray or Donna.

Will have to try and identify that old motor with the running boards that Nostalgic is driving. That club with the swing music is a novel idea. A break from the norm, it would be a cool night out once in a while. This one also gives us the sight of Arthur Daley running around an early 90s nightclub.

Possibly a bit of an underrated episode overall.

[blanco]

May 23, 2020 22:31:30 GMT McCann said:

Going through the Ray years for about the third time.

This one is 4/5 for me. It was much better than I remember on previous viewings. Although Arthur is such an idiot the way he decides to deal with the birds himself without listening to a word of advice from Ray or Donna.

Will have to try and identify that old motor with the running boards that Nostalgic is driving. That club with the swing music is a novel idea. A break from the norm, it would be a cool night out once in a while. This one also gives us the sight of Arthur Daley running around an early 90s nightclub.

Possibly a bit of an underrated episode overall.

I agree I think the pigeons put a lot of people off as you don't associate Daley with them 

[lecoyote]

I'm not a big fan of the Ray era generally but I cautiously welcomed Minder's return at the time and some episodes are more watchable than others.

This, however, comes into the category of "others". I remember thinking at the time how bad it was and how it represents the north and its population extremely poorly and stereotypically, and having seen it on ITV4 the other day I have not changed my view. I grew up in a traditional, narrow-minded, insular northern town in the 1980s, and tbh if I never go back there ever again it will be too soon. However, portraying the natives as whippet-owning, flat-cap pigeon fanciers so they could be laughed at seemed like scraping the barrel a bit to me. Mean, chauvinistic, violent, arrogant, proud of their county for no good reason yes, stuck in the 1940s and 'ey oop' stereotypes no.

Probably goes without saying I am one of the two current votes for 'poor'

[heredia1]

This is my first post since the Terry years. So far to be honest none of the 7 episodes to date have done it for me. While I was laughing hysterically in many episodes series 1-7 I only find Minder mildly amusing so far thru 8. I don't rate Gary Webster at all as an actor, he has no comic timing and little charisma. DW was the complete opposite. So far series 8 also doesn't seem to have any of the hilarious characters that appear regularly in episodes 1-7. I remember losing interest in Minder at the time after watching a couple of episodes of series 8. I will soldier on thru the rest to the end of course, mainly cos I love GC so much and also I hear it does get better.

[swainy]

At least make it up until The Coach That Came In From The Cold, that’s easily my favourite episode from series 8.

[ramone]

Just watched this after recording it yesterday and really enjoyed the comedy in it. Some lines already quoted by others and Arthur being thrown out of the jazz club looking affronted when the manager says “you coming here in your 1940’s clothes”.
And agree, the blonde was a very tidy addition!