Around the Corner

Arthur needs money, which is where most of his stories begin, and this one hands him a greyhound. The dog is called Daley's Deal, and that name tells you most of what you need to know about its chances. Terry is meant to be training the animal while Arthur, in the meantime, has been talked into a line of dodgy video recorders from Tasty Tim. But the videos turn out to be a far bigger problem than the dog. Several members of the police take an interest in the stock, and the pursuit that follows ends with a bang.

The debt that started all this never really goes away. It just sits in the background while Arthur runs two losing schemes at once, which is about as much forward planning as the man has ever needed. The greyhound is a non-starter, the video line attracts every copper in the district, and the pair still come out the other side. That is mostly down to Terry, who is better at escaping trouble than Arthur is at finding it.

Roy Ward Baker directed from a script by Tony Hoare and Leon Griffiths. Dennis Waterman is Terry, George Cole is Arthur, and Patrick Malahide's Chisholm hovers on the edges, never quite landing a blow. Glynn Edwards plays Dave, Colin Farrell is Tasty Tim, and the police side is filled out by Peter Childs as Rycott, Michael Povey as D.C. Jones, Michael Troughton as D.C. Melish and Tony Caunter as D.I. Norton, with Brian Capron as Fred. The episode went out on Boxing Day 1984, which feels right: a story about being conned at Christmas, more or less.

The best running joke is the dog. Arthur names it after himself, watches it fail, and never once seems to notice the irony. You could say the same about the videos.