DENNIS WATERMAN 24TH FEBRUARY 1948 – 8TH MAY 2022
11 May 2022
Dennis Waterman was a part of the lives of several generations of Britons. For some, he will be the Triumph Stag driving former Detective-Inspector Gerry Standing of New Tricks. For many, he will forever be Detective-Sergeant George Carter, arriving at the crime scene in a Ford Consul GT or Granada 2.8iS Mk. II. Some older readers may recall Dennis Waterman as a child actor, but arguably his most famous role was as Terrence ‘Terry’ McCann in Minder. And his transport was one of the most Capris in television history – a white 2.0S Mk. II, registration SLE 71 R.
The writer Leon Griffiths was inspired to create Minder by the characters he encountered in North London drinking clubs. The original title was ‘The Minder’, and Griffiths envisaged McCann as “a good journeyman boxer”. Euston Films initially thought Terry would use a new Escort Mk. II Harrier before they realised that Arthur was highly unlikely to let him drive such a desirable car. This, after all, was an ex-convict desperate for work and one who had lost his boxing licence after he took an obvious fall in a rigged match. In the opinion of the ever-sympathetic Daley, McCann should have been arrested for overacting.
Minder was largely a vehicle for Waterman after the end of The Sweeney’s fourth and last series, with Season One filmed between spring and autumn of 1979. The opening episode, Gunfight at the OK Laundrette, aired on 2100hrs on Monday 29th October 1979, with the opening credits taking place in a Hammersmith car lot. An Audi 100 C1 and a Fiat 132 were amongst the many bargains of the week. As for the McCann Capris, they were:
Series 1 –Mk. II. JRX 782 P and RLW 17R
Series 2 Mk. I. (but sporting the SLE 71R plates!)
Series 3 –Mk. III. MJN 701V
Series 4-6 - Mk. III. EUC 223V (although it does resemble a 1982 1.6 LS)
Series 7 –Mk. II. LTF 980P
Today the principal Capri has been fully restored and, if anything, is in a better condition than one of Daley’s many unmissable used car offerings.
Dennis Waterman had an extensive and diverse career in theatre, cinema, television and music that lasted for 60 years. But for so many people, this represents him at his best.