Minder was a lovely little English TV series which ran for 10 years between 1979 and 1994. I loved watching it in the 1970s and early 80s and really thought it had finished back then so was quite surprised to find it kept going until fairly recently.

Arthur Daley was a small-time con man who hired Terry McCann as his minder to straighten out other people who wanted their money or goods returned when Daley had swindled them. One of my cosplay efforts for Discworld if C.M.O.T. Dibbler who could almost be modelled on Arthur Daley so when I saw this book in an op shop I absolutely had to buy it and use it as part of my costume when I’m playing Dibbler…but only when I remember to take it with me.

I get to brandish it at people and them I taught him all I knew and those who know the programme suddenly understand exactly what I’m saying.

It’s an interesting book, I have read it cover to cover and while I didn’t laugh too often I did find it very funny. It has all the hints and tips you need to survive as a small time crook in England including some rhyming slang, the list included some Yiddish terms which seem to have snuck into the vernacular at that time and place. I admit there was a lot that went directly over my head and I’m sure it’s because I’m in Australia and not England, there’s only so much culture one can pick up from TV, sometimes being there is a must, although it’s possibly because I haven’t seen all the episodes and certainly nothing for a very long time.

The author is the creator of Minder and I’d love to write and tell him how much I enjoyed his book and his series but unfortunately he died some years ago.

George Cole who portrayed Daley very nicely was in a film I watched very many years ago, one of the St Trinian movies, he was very young then. Dennis Waterman played Terry McCann and also sang the title song I Could Be So Good For You, he is also in a current series called New Tricks and funnily enough he also sings the title song for this series.