the irrepressible schoolboy lead. with the total shock suspense, the sweeney. it was, though, the 70s showed the sweeney that first made him a household name. dennis waterman. have you gone bananas? waterman s character, a voice of reason tojohn thaw s no nonsense policing style. but it was minder, starring alongside george cole s unscrupulous arthur daley, that cemented a place in television history. how did you get someone like grainger to give you the best part of a grand for two dodgy phones? # if you want to i ll change the situation. his recording of the theme tune, reaching number three in the uk charts. didn t have to do that. in 2004 he took another storing role as a former detective in the tv series new tricks. spare us the carefully placed build up. they found the gun. dennis waterman worked across theatre, television, music and film in a career which spanned more than six decades.