After George an ex bank robber is released from prison, Arthur gets Terry to mind him, until the whereabouts of a large amount of hidden cash is found. The only problem that Arthur forgot to tell Terry is that George is a decoy laying a false trail, while the real bank robber is released, and then he and Arthur will be free to find the money. but they all have a surprise in store
When some barer bonds go missing from big time gangster Bobby Altman, the courier Billy Gilpin is suspect. He later turns up at Arthur's house wanting to get out of town. So Terry drives him to a hotel in Brighton.When Altman finds out , he suspects Arthur of being involved and takes him for a run to get at the truth.
Terry trains Willie a boxer on the comeback trail, but it becomes apparent that he is not taking the fight seriously. The promoter wants Willie to lose and has had a large bet on the other boxer. Terry shames Willie into training properly but the outcome is in the balance right up to the last round.
Arthur meets his old army mate Yorkie. After a night on the town, Terry is to drive them home, but after taking him to his hotel, he goes missing. After a long search it turns out that Yorkie went to a local Hooker and somehow has lost his trousers. With his wife on her way down to London, the hunt is on for a replacement pair.
A young footballer Danny Varrow wants to sell his story to the press, so Terry to minds him until Arthur can arrange a deal. Unfortunately Varrow is in debt to the local bookie, and the father of his latest conquest is also looking for him to talk about the little matter of sleeping with his daughter.
Terry and Arthur are hired to move a bull from it's field to the owners new farm. Later they discover that they have stolen the bull, so they decide to find the men who hired them and get the bull returned to the rightful owner. Terry is also hired by his stripper girl friend to discourage a stalker.
An old friend of Arthur's gets out of prison, and hopes to pick up a large amount of money left over from a bank robbery, but things start to go wrong when the retired policeman who was in charge of the case, a warden from the prison, and the other member of the gang learn of the mans release, and try and get a share of the money.
While Arthur gets to serve on a jury, he leaves Terry in charge at the lock up. Debbie (Terry's friend) goes into the business of home hair cutting and on her first job, the clients house is robbed and as she is a witness, she tells Terry and they both go to the police, only to fall under suspicion.
Arthur and Terry help Dave to decorate the Christmas tree in the Winchester, whilst ‘Er Indoors and the children are supposedly on their way to Florida. It transpires that the tickets, purchased by Arthur from a mate, are standby only, and she is not pleased. She remains stranded at the airport, but Arthur makes a few urgent calls and eventually she gets away. At the Winchester, they reminisce about times past; clips from previous episodes of Series 3 are shown, featuring such memorable characters at Maurice Michaelson, the gambler, Big Bobby Altman and Scotch Harry.
When Arthur goes to a pirate boxing match, it gives him the idea, of getting Terry back into the ring for a fight with Jackie Wilson the man he fought seven years ago, when Terry threw the fight, and lost his licence. Things start to get complicated when Wilson's wife shows up and suggests that her husband isn't fit to fight.
When a rock star fakes his death, Terry tries to protect him from his unscrupulous manager, and a record producer who both want a share of his last recording which due to a mix up has ended up in Arthur's lock up.Arthur tries to sell the tape when it becomes clear that due to his so-called "death" the record has every chance of being a hit.
Arthur is involved in a deal to buy some dodgy tobacco from a sailor (Commander Hawksley) so he sends Terry and Arnie down to the South Coast to complete the deal only to find that the tobacco has to be smuggled ashore from a French boat. When Arthur turns up all three and Commander Hawksley go out to sea to pick up the goods but when Terry finds out what is happening, and then the police turn up they dump the tobacco in the sea.
Arthur opens a video shop and gets Terry to run it, but there is a mix up over a tape that has been shot by a big time gangster (Jack Last) which compromises the local police, that has been inadvertently taken back the Arthur's shop in place of the real tape, the police , the gangsters are all after it before Arthur discovers what he has.
After Terry marries and leaves for Australia without telling anyone, Arthur appoints his nephew Ray his new minder and assistant, on similar vague and ungenerous terms as with Terry. Ray proves himself as physically capable as Terry was, and also finds his French language skills of use when he is sent to Brussels to pick up a car. He saves Arthur from being arrested for drug trafficking.
Arthur is persuaded by Herbie Collins to buy a large consignment of British wine allegedly made by the 'Blessed Brothers of Saint Bidolph' in Kent. Before Arthur can collect the wine, Collins is arrested and the warehouse chained up prior to an inventory being taken. Ray and Arthur break in and take the cases they have already paid for. Arthur holds a official launch of 'Bulldog Wines PLC' at the Winchester, but discovers that all the wine has been 'corked' and is unsaleable.
Arthur’s bank won't extend his already large overdraft, the telephone and electricity in the lock-up have been cut off and the local council won't let him erect a flagpole on his car lot. Then Mrs Daly disappears without a word. Whilst Arthur is taken to court by the council, Morley and Park investigate his wife's disappearance. Arthur, defending himself in court, successfully has the case dismissed. But Morley has convinced himself that Arthur has killed his wife and buried her under a concrete slab on the car lot. Mrs Daley finally reappears; she'd decided, without telling anyone, to go to a health farm.
Three men who have been conned by Arthur decide to pool their resources to get back at him. He’s drawn into a card game for big money, and is landed with a Trabant,which is worth very little. Then he bids at an auction, thinking that he's buying furniture but finds himself buying a greyhound that proves to be a non-runner. Then Ray sells a car, taking a piano in part-exchange, thinking it's a rare and valuable item, but it proves to be worth only a hundred pounds. Arthur begins to realise who is behind the con and sets out to turn the tables on them. The greyhound proves its worth at a stud farm, the car is sold back to the man who sold it to Arthur - at ten thousand pounds. And Arthur presents the piano to the Winchester.
Arthur is invited to the funeral of big-time gangster Charlie Johnson and the wake afterwards. The funeral is being carefully observed by police and the palatial Johnson home in Pinner is bugged. Police identify Tommy Hambury, a major crook returned after many years abroad and conclude that something major is being planned. Ray starts romancing Joanna, a friend of the family, who is later revealed to be an undercover police officer.
Arthur’s doctor wants him to give up alcohol and tobacco if he wants to avoid an stomach ulcer, but this causes Arthur even more stress and he begins to believe that everyone's after him. The feeling is reinforced when building contractor Benny McLeish threatens him over a paint deal that goes sour. Arthur becomes so paranoid that he demands police protection.
Bookmaker Stan Sorrell and Billy from Bradford have a £10,000 bet on a pigeon race from London to Bradford. Billy asks Arthur to lend him Ray for this job, so Ray goes to Bradford with Billy. Whilst there, he falls heavily for Sorrell's daughter Donna. Back in London, Ray starts thinking about moving to Bradford to be with Donna. Arthur sets up Donna in a nightclub with 'Nostalgic' to break up the budding romance.
Arthur sets himself up as a 'security consultant', selling security alarms to business premises. He recruits Ron the Burglar, a reformed burglar, for his hard-won expertise, but when Ron installs a system on Arthur's lock-up, it immediately malfunctions. Arthur is unable to leave the premises and he's forced to stay there all night. A series of break-ins at premises that have installed Arthur's equipment soon arouse the suspicions of the police and Morley and Park investigate.
Arthur and Monty Hinchcliffe book a former music hall act for the “British Volunteer” - retired ventriloquist 'Professor Pickford and Mystic Micky'. The act goes down well with the punters - but Tommy Pickford suffers from heart trouble and can't continue the act every night. Then some karaoke gear that Arthur's rented from Mrs Gabadini is stolen from his van. He sees dire consequences from admitting it's loss to Mrs Gabadini and her sons, but then Ray strikes lucky. He does a deal with dodgy wheeler-dealer club owner Barry to sell the karaoke machine, which he stole, to the Gabadinis.
Gangland boss Billy Meadows comes to London from Birmingham for a meet with his estranged brother Vinnie to locate Henri, a French chef who has got his daughter pregnant. Henri is working for 'Daley Catering' who are about to cater for a police retirement party. He is kidnapped and returned to Birmingham for a shot-gun wedding, but all’s not well with Arthur. A police Superintendent at the party is admitted to hospital with possible food poisoning.
Businessman and former casino owner Lewis Nelson gives Ray the job of making sure that his wife Lorna, a compulsive gambler, doesn’t visit a casino (where she habitually makes a loss). But she persuades Arthur to do her gambling for her, using her money and her ‘system’. Arthur is initially successful but then the system instructions disappear and he starts losing heavily. To make matters worse, the flirty Lorna escapes Ray’s care and turns up at the casino. Ray and Arthur struggle to get her away before Lewis finds out.
DS Morley is ordered to sell a police bus to Arthur so that their accounts will balance. The latter starts using it for tourist purposes; taking punters through “The London The Tourist Never Sees”. The bus breaks down and the whole tour ends up at the Winchester. They become spectators at a fight between Denny Willis and Ray, which pleases them greatly and they are satisfied to have had their money’s worth. In the meantime, Arthur’s trying to join an exclusive golf club and Ray discovers that the current captain has an underhand scheme to sell the club’s land for executive apartments.
When Ray's van breaks down whilst delivering two hundred video recorders to a client in Limehouse Arthur needs alternative transport - and fast, especially as he learns they were stolen property and psychotic Big Dai wants them back. His answer is to take them by barge, the ancient 'Persephone', a journey which inevitably ends in disaster and some very wet video recorders.
Whilst searching for car dealership Goodtime Motors, Arthur is arrested for kerb-crawling, soliciting a prostitute and assaulting a police officer. Despite DS Morley's opinion that Arthur would be incapable of such offences, DS Tomkins is determined to proceed with the case. Arthur insists on defending himself in court. As the trial proceeds, Ray seeks out the elusive Goodtime Motors and eventually finds them. He persuades the owner to appear in court as a defence witness, and the prosecution withdraw all charges.
Arthur sells some surplus stock to Nolan, a fairground owner, in exchange for a slot machine, but discovers that the machine is full of Irish money. He realises that Nolan was part of a major Dublin bank robbery some years previously and has thus hidden the money. With Ray's help, Arthur manages to inform DS Morley of what's been happening and an operation is set up to arrest Nolan and his cronies.
Toby ‘Jug’ Johnson is released from prison after many years and a drunken reunion begins at the Winchester between him, Arthur and Dave, who were members of the same gang in their youth, the ‘Brentford Backhanders’. Arthur begins to suspect that Dave is setting up a rival business with another gang member and they fall out. So Arthur starts a rival club and a price war erupts. Ray is eventually able to arrange a mediation and peace is restored.
Arthur decides to retire and leaves Ray in charge. He is initially successful, computerising the records and expanding business, but he doesn’t have Arthur’s hard-won knowledge of people and their habits. Ray falls victim to a sting operation involving jewellery and Arthur, who’s become bored with retirement anyway, returns to the business to sort out the mess.
Seeing the fashion for television satellite dishes, Arthur employs Logie Lawson, a self-trained electronics ‘expert’ to install ex-East German army dishes – but the instructions are all in German and they mess up their first job. They get an order to install one on the house of ‘Fingers’ Rossetti, who has a very bad reputation and a very short temper. The installation goes badly wrong and both Arthur and Logie, who has a fear of heights, are stranded on the roof.
To celebrate Dave’s 25 years at the Winchester, Arthur offers to get the club redecorated. He gives the job to “Heart Attack” – but the latter promptly breaks through a bearing wall and the club is forced to close down. To raise the money for repairs, Arthur organises a fundraiser football match, refereed by DS Morley. Then ‘Heart Attack’, who’d vanished, reappears and hands over the money for the repairs, which he’s stolen from Vic, a rival club owner. To allay police suspicions, an auction is held in order to ‘launder’ the money.
After not selling a car for several weeks, Arthur decides to rent them out instead. This ploy is successful and soon all but one have been rented – including Arthur’s own car. One punter is late in returning and Ray and his friend Winston are forced to repossess it. This leads to accusations of theft, especially when the one car left on the lot is found to have been stolen. Arthur’s car is tracked by police as it’s driven around the country, but finally returned to the car lot.
A private detective, Bill McCabe, arrives from Australia to investigate a claim that Arthur is heir to a fortune left by an distant relative who’s died intestate. Ray and Arthur carry out some genealogical research at the Family Records Centre (then located at St. Catherine’s House and now merged with the National Archives), and also search parish records. They finally locate what appears to be clinching evidence of Arthur’s claim to be the last surviving descendant of the deceased’s family. But the Will requires the inheritor to be ‘of good character’, and Arthur has just been charged with unauthorised use of parking infringement notices (which are also forged).
Expecting a massive windfall from his unknown Australian relative, Arthur prepares to fly to Sydney with Ray. On arrival, they are met by Bill McCabe and booked into an expensive hotel. At the lawyers office, they discover that there are several claimants to the estate of great-uncle Joshua Daley. Arthur and Ray visit the Daley estate; Paradise Springs; a largely derelict homestead on several thousand acres of outback land - land that’s potentially valuable for grazing and possibly mineral rights.
Marooned in Sydney and unable to pay their hotel bills or airfares home, Ray and Arthur move into a cheap backpackers hostel. Ray gets some bar work and Arthur falls in with Collins, a small-time street dealer and receiver of stolen goods whose methods he is very familiar with. He starts street trading and makes some money, but the police soon catch up with him. Glad to see the back of him, they give him forty-eight hours to leave Australia. Then businessman Reid mistakes Arthur for a big-time drug smuggler, and gives him twenty-four hours to get out of town.
An nun buys an Austin Allegro from Arthur’s car lot, despite Arthur knowing it’s clapped out and overpriced. Then things start going wrong with his attempts to supply equipment to Bjorn, the manager at Jorgensen’s new stress reduction clinic. He’s convinced that divine retribution is to blame and sends Ray to the convent with instructions to put the car in good order – whatever the cost.
Arthur takes over a booth at a Business Expo, and sets up as a provider of services to busy executives – West End theatre visits, casinos, hard-to-get tickets for booked out shows etc. The initial attempt is a disaster, but another one goes fairly well with satisfied customers. This arouses the ire of another whose ideas he’s pinched. Ray is drawn into a fight with a hyperactive casino owner and also tries unsuccessfully to romance the Expo manageress. This arouses the jealousy of his current girlfriend, a jazz singer.
Ray’s Uncle Brian is suffering from what appears to be deep depression and won’t talk to anyone about it. Arthur seeks advice from a successful businessman who suffers similarly but has managed to live with it. Meanwhile, he sells a car to a punter, a retired Detective Inspector, who also suffers from depression since being dismissed for corruption. The man returns to the Winchester, on which site the house he was born in once stood, locks himself in the toilet and refuses to come out.
A price war has erupted and the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between Daley Motors and the former owner of a nearby car dealership is violated after moneylender Don Gedley takes over. Arthur attempts to increase business by radio advertising, but can only afford to use amateur announcers on a local pirate radio station. Grant Gedley, a thrusting young executive determined to prove himself to his father, tries to sabotage Arthur by setting him up with police on hit-and-run charges. Anxious to keep the peace and equally anxious to keep his son out of trouble, Don proposes that Arthur pleads guilty to all charges, in return for paying his fine. But Grant won’t cooperate and violence is the result.
Violent bank robber Charlie Knowles, a life prisoner, has decided to get even with his former partners who all received lighter sentences. Phelan, his former quartermaster and ‘outside man’ sets them all up and they get extra jail time. Arthur, who sold him the getaway car that broke down and allowed police to arrest them, is set up on dangerous driving charges and cops a sentence of 100 hours community service. Despite the evidence, DS Rogerson isn’t convinced of Arthur’s guilt and Ray helps him to expose the set-up. It emerges that Phelan, who originally ‘cooperated’ with police, also double-crossed Knowles. Phelan is arrested, but Knowles dies in prison.
Café owner Luigi is opening a mafia-themed restaurant, the ‘Cosa Noshtra’ with Arthur’s financial backing. On the evening before the grand opening, ‘Cranky Frankie’ Connor escapes from prison and holds Arthur at gunpoint in his lockup. He demands to see Rosie, his wife, whom he suspects of having an affair with Luigi. Luigi’s wife Carla also has her suspicions.
An exclusive interview with George Cole covering the early years of Minder.
George Cole recounts the memories of the middle years of Minder.
George Cole concludes the exclusive interviews with a recount of the final years of Minder with the departure of Dennis Waterman and the arrival of Gary Webster as Ray Daley.
An interview with George Cole about the series.
An old friend of Arthur's, Charlie Barker, has been banged up and the arrival of his son Shaun provides a problem when he asks Arthur for somewhere to kip. Arthur's all set for a trip with 'er indoors to the "Costa Packet" leaving Terry to look after the lad. Shaun will have some tough decisions to make when confronted with the prospect of taking drugs - will he make the right choice?
Saving deceased gangster Jack South's daughter Nikki from an attack by hired thugs earns "minder" Terry McCann a trip for two across Europe on the famous Orient Express. But a perfect romantic opportunity with his girlfriend Annie is ruined when his dodgy employer and "friend" Arthur Daley cons his way onto the trip to avoid a court appearance, and Terry again finds himself battling to protect Nikki from a whole train load of sinister characters all after Nikki's legacy. Add to this a Mafia hitman, a gun-toting Interpol officer and an unwelcome appearance by Terry and Arthurs' London nemesis, the long suffering Detective Sergeant Chisholm.