Five's decision to bring back Minder is not for nostalgic reasons - in fact it smacks of desperation.
Minder was one of the TV shows that made the decision of the Government to strip Thames Television of its broadcasting licence all the more tragic. It harks back to ITV's glory days of the 80s - well-acted, brilliantly scripted - and more innovative (and sometimes edgy) than its pantomime pastiche of a rival on the BBC, Only Fools and Horses.
Which is why Five's decision to remake this classic looks all the more misguided; quite how Five with its miniscule programming budget (most of which it has committed to Neighbours, which it is now forced to flog to death) thinks it can make a credible version of this TV classic is absurd. Which, I suppose, is why they've had to hire Shane Ritchie to star as Archie Daley, Arthur's nephew.
I'll give it one series. If you want to watch Minder, the only place to find it is repeated on ITV4.
