First appearing on our screens in late 1979, Minder was a vehicle for ex-Sweeney sidekick Denis Waterman, but its lasting contribution to TV culture was rehabilitating George Cole, whose loveable but unscrupulous "entrepreneur" (an older version of the spiv he portrayed in the St Trinian's films) mockingly reflected the values of 1980s Thatcherite Britain. Set in the rough demimonde of London, against a backdrop of small-time gangsters, seedy pubs, dubious business dealings and ageing dollybirds, Waterman plays Terry McCann, ex-boxer and ex-con trying to stick to the straight and narrow but persuaded against his better judgement to become involved in murky capers set up by his employer "Arfur" who regularly sublets him to associates of his. Though aspects of these episodes are a little creaky and dated--Terry's flares especially--the interplay between the too soft-hearted hardman Waterman and his dapper but slippery boss is both priceless and timeless. --David Stubbs