Mon ami le fantôme

This is a fantastic piece of 1960's British TV. It is such a unique show, with the premise being a couple of private detectives on adventures every week, with the one snag that one of them is in fact dead, and only appears as a ghost to his ex-colleague. The show is made additionally watchable for male viewers as it stars the gorgeous Annette Andre (now i know why Benny Hill proposed to her!) Just a brilliant show allround, I wish it was video!

I saw all the episodes when originally aired in the late sixties / early seventies. To me, then it was unmissable TV (I cannot count the times that I refused invitations because Randall and Hopkirk is on tonight). Over the years the memories faded until I noticed that amazon were selling the complete series on DVD, I have just watched all 26 episodes again. I love the acting and the way the comedy in no way detracts from the serious private eye case in question, I just wish they had made more. The recent attempt at reviving this genre by making a new series was a good chance to carry on the work, but it was an awful re-make, in my opinion the characters were just not believable.

As long as you don't expect too much from the low budget special effects department this series was Brilliant Stuff ! I will be watching it over and over.

I have to be honest, being a fan of nostalgic tv shows I avoided this show as I thought it was a ludicrous concept, Only recently did I accidentally watch an episode prompting me to watch the first episode, and I was hooked. I can't believe now that it did not get a longer run, main actors highly underrated. Marty and Jeff's relationship is pure bro code, Jeff looking after/providing for Marty's widow Jeanie for no other reason but she is his best friend's widow. Jeanie is a very strong and likeable character, which is unusual in these shows. Marty, finally, is comedy gold, great chemistry between him and Jeff.

Although I live in the US, I was fortunate to be able to see this series anyway. It was carried on a Canadian network and my cable company carried that channel. I saw this back in the early 70s and loved it. I've not seen it since then, so I only have fond memories to go by. However, I've noticed that Amazon.com is now listing this series in their to-be-released section. Unfortunately, it does not state whether it's the original series or the remake. I'm hoping it's the original because I'd love to see it again.

The premise is so absurd (a detective solves cases with the help of the ghost of his deceased business partner) and the special effects so primitive, that it's very surprising how well it works.

The atmosphere is almost Hitchcockian in the first episodes, with some comedy added. But the grittiness is such that an alternative interpretation is possible: that there's no ghost and the cases actually happen only in the confused mind of the surviving partner. In the latter episodes the tone is mellower and more comical -- personally I prefer the early ones, but I know that opinions differ on that.

The actors are all fantastic, especially Mike Pratt -- a Bogart in minor mode, with his perma-ciggie, elegance and the battered look of someone who has seen too much of the world.

Unlike other commentators, I saw this series for the first time as an adult, and I was surprised that it has a moderate reputation for being a children's show: it's way too scary for kids. Still, it totally deserves to be rediscovered.