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Post by oldsoul98 on May 9, 2022 20:42:12 GMT
I only recently got into Minder (couple years), so haven't known of Dennis Waterman for the length of time most here have. Despite this, when I read of his passing yesterday evening, it cut deep - I was utterly stunned. I wasn't expecting the day to come so soon. Still making my way through The Dennis Waterman Years and only recently got onto series 6. Moving forward with episodes, it will be sad knowing he is no longer with us as, but grateful for the hours upon hours of magnificent entertainment he has given us. RIP, Mr Waterman.
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Post by dscarter1975 on May 9, 2022 21:12:21 GMT
I was shocked to hear the news yesterday. He was a really underrated actor IMHO. For me, arguably his best performance in The Sweeney was in Hit And Run, where he brilliantly portrayed a distraught Carter, trying to get over the loss of his wife and still soldier on with his life. This is what defined him and his relationship with Regan who also lost his wife, albeit under different circumstances. Minder was a classic too. He and George Cole were the perfect double act, they were a perfect team who helped the show get to the top of the TV ratings. Series 1-4 were the best. First 2 series of New Tricks were good, Circle(s) Of Deceit was a solid series which saw him go back to being an action man and he was superb in Up The Junction. Very believable as an East End lad who wanted his life to go up.
I'll also never forget watching him host Match Of The Seventies in 1995. RIP my old son.
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Post by dabizzo on May 9, 2022 21:42:29 GMT
Learning about his death was a big shock to me at such a relatively young age (George Cole passed at 90). Maybe they will reunite for some "nice little earners" and some booze at the Winchester up in the sky. He was excellent. Will be missed. R.I.P.
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Post by flashchris on May 9, 2022 23:20:12 GMT
I totally echo how everyone feels - it is tremendous how much coverage Dennis has received in the media and on social media. Dennis and Minder clearly touched the hearts of a lot of people, in the UK and overseas. I always dreaded the day George Cole would pass away once he turned 80 but I hoped that Dennis would see many more years - I know he lived life to the full but 74 is relatively young by today's standards. Even though his last Minder appearances were shown 33 years ago, Terry McCann still feels current today and will do for many decades to come. I've read a vast amount of tweets and obituaries - I was a little surprised that Mark Lawson (who did a wonderful long interview with George Cole around 2008) described George Carter as a "corruptible copper" in the Guardian - this was inaccurate and was soon picked up in the comments section. The obituary I personally found the best was by Richard Littlejohn who is clearly a genuine Minder fan, even down to having a Minder on the Orient Express original poster on his office wall - I loved the comment about how looking at the poster always cheers him up. www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/comment/littlejohn/179714/farewell-to-Dennis-waterman-he-was-one-of-our-ownI completely agree that ITV or even the BBC, given New Tricks, should produce a tribute programme to Dennis. "The Unforgettable" series on ITV around 10 years ago was pretty good and featured Gordon Jackson among others. A programme in this vein is the very least ITV or the BBC should make. I don't think Dennis was mentioned on The One Show or This Morning although I stand to be corrected on this. Dennis was mentioned very briefly at last night's BAFTA television awards before the regular section profiling those that have passed during the last year.
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Post by coyote on May 9, 2022 23:29:13 GMT
That's a great article - a heartfelt tribute. Thanks for sharing
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Post by AlanH on May 9, 2022 23:50:48 GMT
Obviously I'm not going to complain about an opportunity to see Susie Ann Watkins in that waitress outfit again (Terry would have approved...) but it's pretty illustrative of how ITV treats the series nowadays that they didn't swap it out for a Dennis episode today. I don't know. I'd hope for more of a tribute than an episode being screened on backwater channel ITV4... Maybe a documentary and a Minder and/or Sweeney on ITV's main channel would be more appropriate.
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Post by pr1 on May 10, 2022 0:26:02 GMT
It may sound corny but it’s kind of nice to think that somewhere Dennis is having a drink or two with John and George, talking over old times and having a good laugh.
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Post by jno on May 10, 2022 2:31:51 GMT
Agree with flaschris, "The Unforgettable" series was great and imho, Dennis definitely deserves at least a show like that. The sheer longevity of his career, he deserves that if you ask me.
Can I also say, it's great to see so many forum members paying tribute here, doing our Dennis proud.
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Post by OzTD Cortina on May 10, 2022 3:46:49 GMT
I looked up to the character Terry, a tough, fair but vulnerable man who was perfectly played by Dennis. In one of the articles I read he expressed how easy it was to play Terry, and I guess that shone through in his Minder performances. As a child 10 pound pom migrant to Australia surrounded by a community of fellow pommie kids, watching Minder was like looking at a home that I never got to experience but was so utterly familiar. The accents, humour, fashion, cars (gotta love the cars) and characters mirrored a community 5000 miles away (albeit we experienced 105 degree day summers and our parents used to tell us how healthy to get out into the sunshine and consequently burned to a crisp.) Anyway I digress, Terry was a fictional character who has stuck with me through life and Dennis' passing has just made me realise how important he was. Have a full pint on me from this expat, god bless old son.
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2022 5:03:25 GMT
It's probably one of the few bits of childhood driftwood that I cling onto with any hapiness. Man, what great of a quote is that.....cant word it any better. Ok, with me being from Germany I only learnt about Minder when I was a bit older but anyway it influenced me more that some of the German programs at that time....
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Post by DiscoDroid on May 10, 2022 9:10:30 GMT
Man, what great of a quote is that.....cant word it any better. Ok, with me being from Germany I only learnt about Minder when I was a bit older but anyway it influenced me more that some of the German programs at that time.... Cheers Tel! .
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Post by ltd on May 10, 2022 9:34:20 GMT
Very believable as an East End lad who wanted his life to go up. He's really good in Up the Junction. Arguably there's a tendency in some quarters to pigeon hole him as the always cheerful chirpy cockney which ignores the fact he was a versatile actor and more than capable of giving quiet and sensitive performances. The scene in The Sweeney where Carter's telling Regan about seeing his wife's body in the morgue is another highlight - he really evokes George's sheer stunned incomprehension at what's happened.
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Post by DiscoDroid on May 10, 2022 10:05:25 GMT
Thinking of Dennis still this morning so i watched a couple of my favourite Terry scenes again.. forgive the adlib nature of my dialouge but it's more about the mesmeric chemistry between the actors which only comes once or twice in a lifetime. Proper Alchmey.
Ahhh Dennis, what an actor...
First off, Terry booming away at Arthur in the Winchester club like a scornful old testament god in defence of the honour of the straight up boxer of the Sweet Science, in 'Don't tell them Willie boy was here'. Arthur Is mocking Tel on the bent nature of boxing and that he's laid a few quid off on Willie's Opponent jack straw....
Terry... 'They're not Einstein but they're straight Arthur, you remember what straight is Arthur?, they may not have the brains to make a mint of money , they leave all that clever stuff to intellectuals like you and Barney Mather but these geezers get in the ring and they do it believing there's something Honourable about the noble art... they think for some strange reason, there's something honourable about playing by the rules ... And for them, and for some of us... It's Kosher'!
Arthur... 'ohhh well i'll go to our house'!
Dave...'you're a real diplomat Arthur'... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also some classic lines fom car salesman Wally in the 'Car Lot Blaggers', walking into the winchester after kopping a fine for turning back the clock on his motors.
Arthur... '1100 sovs wally, that was a bit gruesome'
Wally...'That Magistrate took the bang needle to me from the off.. he was a right canniball, I put me hands up told 'em how sorry I was...he sat there like stone cocking a deaf'un...if he was an undertaker people would stop dying.. the only time i saw him smile was when i asked for time to pay, one poxy week he gave me.... i ain't got it but i haven't come here to put the hand on you Arthur... I'm into a good Earner but i need a favour.. It'll be easy.. lifting pennies off a dead mans eyes...'
All the while you can see Dennis drinking it all in , just enjoying the chemistry and flow between Arthur and Wally. It's all too beautiful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Probably one of my Favourite episodes 'In' featuring 'The Ferret'... 'I'm inadequate...' , Also the German 'Fulham Connection' Inspector Klingsmann... 'They love documents the Jerry's..'
Tel bursts in after Scot's Frank in this back street knocking shop/Hotel and Frank has it on his toes, leaving part time brass Diane Langton in bed without her fare.
Rita.. 'Who's this?''
Terry 'I'm the man from the michelin guide'
Rita... 'he (frank) had his money in his socks... no wonder he kept 'em on'
Terry 'a pal of mine's in the nick beacause of him!'
Rita.. 'Tough Titty.. he didn't even pay me... all I got was a right hander!, blimey what with all this I'm due early morning tea and Biccies.. I don't suppose you want any business?'
Terry.. ''Nah.. Nah... time rushes on'....
'hasta luego, Tel'
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Post by steve99 on May 10, 2022 18:52:12 GMT
I don't watch the news much - same old same old, with little to cheer the soul - and it was my mother who told me of Dennis's passing on Sunday. In a way I wasn't shocked as although I hadn't heard anything about him being ill, I'd thought Dennis's lifestyle in years gone by was beginning to catch up with him. Nonetheless it was very sad to learn he was gone. Albeit Dennis departed the stage far too soon, he had a charmed life in many ways, making the very difficult transition from child star to successful adult actor with leading roles in era-defining series and landing significant theatre parts in plays such as Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell. Who wouldn't have liked to have played Terry McCann, working with George Cole and other fine actors every day. And from what I've read, Dennis regarded the Euston crew as a bunch of mates so Minder must have been a dream job for him. But it wasn't all smiles, as Dennis, like so many guys from working class households who make it to the top, had more than his share of bad times, with broken marriages and a lull in his career (even if only in TV terms) prior to New Tricks. It's as if when talent is handed out to those from ordinary backgrounds, it often comes with a hefty price to pay, or at least this seemed to be the case with the post-war generation. Dennis was always an actor you were pleased to see on the screen, a bloke you could relate to and as Terry McCann he provided a role model for young working class men of the 1980s. Tel may have done his share of bird and worked for one of the less honourable citizens of West London, but he was a decent guy who knew right from wrong. Quite incredibly and given that working class males comprise a huge section of the population, this type of character isn't so much marginalised on modern television as completely ignored, something which lends no credit to today's TV executives. Anyone who has read Dennis's autobiography knew how much he rued the decline in standards on television in this country, however at least we have the DVDs and terrestrial broadcasts to remind us of Dennis's and British telly's glory days. I can only echo George Layton's comments on Twitter that it's Dennis's family you feel sorry for. Nothing can take away their sadness, but in the years ahead they can look back proudly on Dennis's career, with performances which meant a lot to so many of us. When the rawness of their grief has lessened, Dennis's loved ones can also take comfort in knowing he was able to enjoy his later years in the sun, which he certainly earned after 60 years as an actor. I watched The Beer Hunter as a tribute on Sunday night and I just hope Arthur is finally giving Tel his due upstairs as Dave lines them up for the legendary twosome, along with Yorkie and all those other scallywags, to quote old Rycott.
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Post by swainy on May 10, 2022 20:22:20 GMT
Seems that Dennis had been battling lung cancer for the past 2 years.
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Post by McCann on May 10, 2022 21:18:39 GMT
Indeed according to Patricia Maynard in the Mail. Dennis died at home, and had been keeping his illness private for the last two years.
'I'm really pleased that he did not suffer and died peacefully,' she told MailOnline
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Post by plasticpenguin on May 11, 2022 11:39:00 GMT
Anyone who doubted his ability as a actor -- no one on this forum -- should look at the different types of roles he's had since becoming a child star. It's one heck of a CV.
Another unique aspect of Dennis' acting, he's never really been stereotyped or typecast in one genre. His roles have gone from 'William' (adaptation of Just William) to a Mod in Up The Junction, to horror films to the Flying Squad, Arthur Daley's sidekick, comedies etc etc etc.
I'm hard pushed (as I'm typing this) to think of another actor with such variety than Dennises back catalogue of work.
Also, add in the charity work over the years and he came across as a genuine individual.
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Post by ontheslate on May 11, 2022 12:41:16 GMT
Agree with you totally pp, I think his first role was in 1960 had huge hit in the 70s with Sweeney huge hit in the 80s with Minder had comedy roles in the 90s with on the up and stay lucky, New tricks in the 2000s as well as film roles of mixed genres during that time as an actor he leaves a vast body of work to be proud of.
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Post by jjmolloy on May 11, 2022 14:28:12 GMT
Making a great living with his God given talents since he was a child. Star of stage and screen. Did an excellent voiceover playing the title character of Churchill's bodyguard on a series based on his memoirs on Yesterday channel recently enough, should be available on UKTV play I think. Dennis's acting talents never in doubt.
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Post by yoyopickles on May 12, 2022 2:14:39 GMT
Seems that Dennis had been battling lung cancer for the past 2 years. My mum died of the exact same terrible disease four weeks ago,the only difference was we only found out that she had it a few days earlier
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Post by johnnybear on May 12, 2022 6:51:58 GMT
Yep my best pal died of it back in 2006. He was given four months but died in two and a half. Awful it reduced him to look like an old man in a matter of weeks! Very sad. He's still about though, that I'm sure! JB
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Post by bensonrad on May 12, 2022 7:21:19 GMT
Very sad news indeed, I am glad he died peacefully, I did wonder why he had been off the grid for the last couple of years.
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Post by AlanH on May 12, 2022 7:37:05 GMT
Sad to hear the cause confirmed and that he'd had a tough last couple of years.
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Post by forster square station on May 12, 2022 18:29:24 GMT
Sad week for all minders fans, great actor and the only one we knew as “minder”
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Post by gustav on May 13, 2022 8:52:33 GMT
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Post by ontheslate on May 13, 2022 10:29:32 GMT
It looks like ITV4 are doing a tribute to Dennis this weekend with several minder then sweeney episodes but I don’t know if there will be an actual tribute show as such
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Post by yorkshirebilly on May 13, 2022 12:51:04 GMT
He is the subject of an obituary on BBC Radio 4's "Last Word" today (Friday 13 May) at 16:00.
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Post by holdinfoldin on May 13, 2022 19:15:24 GMT
Been feeling sad all week over the loss of Dennis. Watched Fiddler on the Hoof again last night and great to see the old gang - Terry, Arthur and Dave and the fabulous Maltese Tony.
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Post by McCann on May 14, 2022 10:51:37 GMT
ITV4 are having a Minder and Sweeney marathon today for Dennis. 4 episodes of Minder and 3 episodes of The Sweeney.
Takes you up to the Cup Final.
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Post by chopper on May 14, 2022 11:36:34 GMT
It looks like ITV4 are doing a tribute to Dennis this weekend with several minder then sweeney episodes but I don’t know if there will be an actual tribute show as such They have hand picked some episodes that he is probably seen as more of the main character. ”What Makes Shamy Run” would have been a good one, also, for Sweeney - wish they’d selected “Messenger of The Gods” over “Hears an Minds” but still, a good tribute day to him.
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