Willesden Suite

Episode Overview

At the start of this episode Arthur, Terry and Pongo Harris drop off some toilet paper at the Havern Lodge Hotel. In need of a temporary security officer, the hotel’s manager Norma Bates enlists the help of Terry. The story itself is very well written and the first part of this episode seems to have many twists and turns happening all the time – two rogue vicars who seem intent on stealing items from the hotel guests, a dodgy jewel deal between Bates’s associate Charles Riding and the exploitation of a young girl who has come to London to be a model.

Cast

Toby Robins as Norma Bates, Bernard Kay as Charles Riding, Glynn Edwards as Dave, Sally Jane Jackson as Karen Bradly, William Simons as Pongo Harris, Susan Kyd as Sue, Michael Maloney as Father Andrew, John Michael as Father Michael, Frank Duncan as Philip Higgins, John Rowe as Chief Inspector Baxter, Valentine Palmer as Barry, Reece Dinsdale as Steve, Brian Hawksley as Mr Robinson, Peter Sproule as Sullivan

Facts

There are some great lines in this episode, even though Terry has sort of a decent type job at the hotel, he soon learns to dislike it and seems far more interested in watching the telly and chatting to birds than really getting on with what he is supposed to. Were it not for his little training session, he really seems a bit lazy in this episode, fraternising with female company, watching TV and having cups of tea at the hotel.

Double Take

Bernard Kay who plays Charles Riding would later appear as a different character Cronin in #10.4 One Flew Over The Parents’ Nest.

Bloopers: Listen very carefully to Reece Dinsdale’s character Steve in this episode – his voice is clearly dubbed. In a brief interview with Reece Dinsdale in June 2005 he confessed that when he appeared in Minder he was fresh out of drama school and that after shooting his scenes the production team were not happy with his voice because he didn’t sound like a villain! As a result he growled the lines back again for a second time on tape. It did bring a smile to his face when he discovered he had been rumbled. Also, when Karen and Terry are in Karen’s room and Karen shows Terry the photographs that her boyfriend has taken of her, she passes an envelope to Terry. Look closely at the envelope on which is printed “Please Do Not Bend”. This is obviously a different envelope to the shots just before and after, and this has clearly been inserted.