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Shane Ritchie poised to 'reinvent' Minder

February TV debut for Arthur Archie Daley

Shane Ritchie will in February hit TV screens as Archie Daley in Five's 'reinvented' Minder, with the actor admitting he was a bit hesitant about taking on the role.

According to the BBC, Archie is the nephew of Arthur Daley - played in ten series between 1979 to 1994 by George Cole - who'll be accompanied by 29-year-old Lex Shrapnel as minder Jamie Cartwright, assuming the role originally tackled by Dennis Waterman.

Ritchie said: "My first thought was that they were going to recreate it and it wasn't something I wanted to be attached to. We had a meeting and they said, 'No, we're going to reinvent it', and it started to float my boat and I liked the idea of doing that."

The actor assured that the new Minder is not a remake, something which "would have had critics gunning for the show before it even started". He did, though, admit: "Is it risky? I don't know. Is the new Doctor Who a risk? Was Daniel Craig playing Bond a risk?

"Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but the essence of the show is about heart. That's what the original series of Minder was about. You don't always remember storylines but you remember the relationship with Terry and Arthur."

In the spirit of reinvention, the show promises a modern-day London setting plus soundtrack featuring bands such as The Fratellis, Hard-Fi and Kasabian, complementing scripts by Teachers pensmith Tim Loane. The theme, though, will be the classic I Could Be So Good For You, albeit reworked by Glaswegian band Attic Lights. ®

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