Number 

Episode Overview

First released in 2006 on the series 6 Umbrella DVD box set in Australia.

Dave believes his wife Doris is having an affair with another bloke called Ernie from Blackpool. Terry tells Dave he has a cousin up in Blackpool who he can ask to check Ernie out. Terry’s cousin organises a meet with Ernie and Terry and Dave travel up to Blackpool to meet him. When they arrive they meet Rula, who informs them that Ernie is a computer and explains the intricacies of how Ernie generates a random number in order to ensure the system is completely fair and how prizes are allocated for each draw. When Terry’s number comes up on the Premium Bonds, he ends up buying the Winchester Club off Dave.

Cast

Dennis Waterman as Terry, Glynn Edwards as Dave, Rula Lenska as Rula, Ernie as Himself

Facts

This is a commercial film, produced for The Department for National Savings about Premium Bonds. ‘Ernie’ was the name of the computer that generates the random numbers. As this was not intended to be shown on television, it is never counted as part of the 108 episodes of Minder. So why was it made? Glynn Edwards told minder.org in 2015 that this production was not made by Euston Films and instead was meant as an ‘in house film’ for staff purposes (those working with Premium Bonds).

This is the only piece of Minder related film that does not feature George Cole as Arthur Daley, although Arthur is mentioned by Terry and Dave at various points in the episode and Arthur’s voice is heard on the phone speaking to Terry at the end – quite clearly not the voice of George Cole. As part of his payment for filming this commercial, Glynn Edwards was offered part payment in Premium Bonds, for which he has still never won a thing!

Glynn Edwards has also told minder.org that he has no idea why George Cole was not involved in this episode and is probably because he was simply not available at the time. This episode was filmed on location at the Ernie Theatre Lytham St Anne’s and at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool, although there is very minimal outdoor location shooting for the viewer to see.

Double Take

Rula Lenska had previously appeared in #3.7 The Birdman Of Wormwood Scrubs and #6.5 From Fulham With Love and would later appear in #7.4 The Last Video Show.

Bloopers: In this advertisement, which was clearly produced outside the realms of Euston Films (it was actually produced by ‘East London Films’), Rula refers to Dave as “Mr. Edwards”. Until this point in the regular series Dave’s surname had never been mentioned. His wife’s name is also mentioned, Doris. These names would later be contradicted in the regular series episode #7.2 Days Of Fines & Closures when we discover Dave’s real surname is Harris and his wife’s name is Lucy. The interior of the Winchester Club is also not the same set that would feature in the regular series, with Terry mentioning at the start that he likes the ‘new interior’.