Another 20 Nostaglic TV Theme Tunes We Just Can’t Let Go

19. Minder (1979)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHA_K0XZ2Hc So they want me to write the theme tune, sing the theme tune..... Oh Dennis, you had a good idea once, which has managed to bring you a series of PRS cheques ever since. Minder was a show which lasted from the 70's until the 90's and followed the exploits of Waterman's character (a bodyguard, or Minder in London slang) who had a dodgy friend that tried to make money whether it was inside the law or not. The theme song for this programme was so successful that it actually reached No 3 in the UK charts and led Waterman to appear on TOTP and tour the UK for the duration of 1980. It was also pretty damn catchy too, so there was no complaints. The show produced an incredible following, so much so that the legendary Only Fools and Horses was allegedly launched on John Sullivan pointing out just how successful it had been for ITV when pitching a similar show for the BBC. The show became so well liked between fans of both it and Only Fools and Horses that there was a massive row during Christmas 1985 when both BBC and ITV scheduled the respective specials of each programme at the same time. This was in the days before video recording equipment was widely available in UK homes and there were massive complaints that audiences would be forced to choose which special to watch. The song was actually co-written by Patricia Maynard (credited as Patricia Waterman at the time) who was Dennis' second wife. This marriage, alongside his three other marriages to date, ended in divorce €“ although he is still on good terms with all of his ex-wives and daughters, something which is a feature of his own character in the BBC programme New Tricks.