The Second Time Around

Episode Overview

After his old pal Ronnie Todd contacts him, Arthur realises he has mistakenly sold a Georgian dining suite and sofa to a contact in Belgium. The suite actually belongs to the famous novelist Lorraine Masters (real name Ruby Hubbard and Ronnie’s mother-in-law) who has been abroad for a while but has decided to return to England after a 15 year absence to write a new novel. While Arthur is doing his best to obtain a ‘mock Georgian’ from Tony Strong and ensure the sale of the suite is not revealed, he tells Terry he has persuaded Ruby that she needs a minder. Arthur is convinced this would be ideal for her to gain insider information on the criminal fraternity, perfect for her new novel. Ruby soon convinces Terry he should stay with her.

When the remainder of Ruby’s furniture goes missing, it soon transpires that Ruby’s husband Barney has sold the house to a religious group known as ‘The New Divine Light Movement’. With Ruby upset by the sale of the house, Terry tells Arthur to track Barney down. Arthur soon realises that his old pal Barney and Barney’s son Ronnie are involved in the shenanigans surrounding the sale of the house. When Barney returns from Spain, Arthur tracks Barney down and offers Barney the chance to patch things up with Ruby.

Cast

Glynn Edwards as Dave, Beryl Reid as Ruby Hubbard, Bill Maynard as Barney Todd, John Landry as Ronnie Todd, Fiona Mollison as Susan Hall, Ivor Roberts as Jack Hodgson, Dot Rubin as Jane Lugg, Nigel Le Vaillant as Andy, Peter Birrel as John Scott, Barry Martin as Tony Strong, David Webb as John Draham, Sara Heliane Elliot as Temp, Erika Hoffman as Faith

Facts

Fiona Mollison who plays Susan Hall would later appear as a semi-regular alongside Dennis Waterman in his 90s sitcom ‘On The Up’. There is a great line in this episode when Terry visits dodgy furniture maker Tony Strong and asks “Is this Georgian?” to which Strong replies, “Yes, George made it last week”. The title ‘The Second Time Around’ is a clever title that refers to the fact that the book that Ruby ends up delivering is the same story as a novel she wrote many years before. It also refers to the outcome of the episode which sees Ruby and Barney drive off together possibly for a new life together the second time around.

John Landry had previously played the character Turtle in the TV series ‘Turtle’s Progress’ which is often compared to Minder by TV enthusiasts.

Bloopers: When Terry and Ruby are at the restaurant at around 18m12s, listen to Beryl Reid who seems to fluff her lines slightly. Also, when Susan Hall (Fiona Mollison) introduces herself she says she’s been sent by the publisher, Mr. Scott when in fact the company name of her publisher (who we see twice in this episode) was ‘Norman & Page’.