Episode 35 – Dave Shanks (Location Manager) Interview

In this episode we feature an interview with Location Manager of 13 Minder episodes, Dave Shanks. This is a great insight into behind the scenes of Minder and taught me a lot I had never heard before – I hope it will do the same for you.

We start with the revelation that there was a certain nobility attached to Minder. Who would have thought we would be talking about the Mountbatten family here and be able to connect it to the show? But the truth is, Michael John Knatchbull was the location manager for the first series of Minder and his grandfather was indeed Lord Mountbatten. There is a lot more I have discovered on this subject and Dave and I only touch on this a little. There is more to come in the future.

Dave’s story is fascinating enough. From a beginning of sweeping floors and travelling to Australia for two years as a teenager, to “bullshitting his way through being a floor manager”, this is a tale of its time. You certainly could not do it Dave’s way today.

We speak of his work on Worzel Gummidge and getting on with people who others found difficult, such as Jon Pertwee himself. On the subject of Minder there is a huge amount of how things worked behind the scenes, and not just for location shoots. But we do of course get into this as much as possible.

There are stories on the crew and how it came together to film an episode – the fact it took all day to get five minutes, all the way through to the generosity of the police in allowing Minder shoots to take precedence. What about the time Dave inadvertently knocked on Michael Winner’s door? Great tales of filming in Blythe Road and West London all round and how being a little innocent and naive probably led to some of the more unusual locations and outcome for Series 2.

Then there are the pitfalls of what happened on set, most difficult of which occurred during the Iranian Embassy Siege. One of the best memories Dave has is of ‘A Lot of Bull and a Pat on the Back’ causing all manner of discontent amongst the city dwellers on the crew.

We talk about the differences between directors, most notably James Gatward and Dennis Abey. We go into a few other episodes specifically, especially ‘Whose Wife is it Anyway’ and ‘Don’t Tell Them Willie Boy Was Here’ which spawns tales of Repton Boys Boxing Club. And I didn’t even mention Ray Winstone once boxed there. 

Dave describes Dennis Waterman as a “lovely old tart” and tells of when George Cole smashed a camera. There was also the fateful meeting where Verity Lambert put her job on the line and sold a new way of Minder to Dennis. What happened? Download the show here or via Spotify.

The Minder Podcast is presented in association with The Fans of Minder website. The best Minder resource on the Internet!