Rentaghost

The only kids' programme to make me giggle, so I am amazed that there are only 10 reviews. The antics didnt seem silly to me, even when I was 15 years old.

I recall S01E01. I even remember reflecting on it as I stood there in my school playground, thinking on how great it was.

Watched every episode after that. BBC kids' TV was great back then, wasn't much of it, and they knocked out quality, 3:30-6:00pm. And that was all you got.

I agree it got worse as the years rolled on. But, then again, I got older as well. So, who's to say?

At 33 years of age I remember the early series as well as the later, and the opening bars of that bloody programme filled me with dread as my best friend always had to rush in from playing outdoors to see the damn thing with me in toe. Not the most fun 30 minutes of my young life waiting to get back outside. Now - Ulysses, that was something much better. "Flying through all the galaxies..."

'Rentaghost' was a children's comedy series by Bob Block, who also wrote the equally bizarre 'Pardon My Genie' and 'Robert's Robots'. It concerned an employment agency, run and staffed by three ghosts - trendy Fred Mumford, Victorian Hubert Davenport and jester Timothy Claypole. All used to 'teleport' by pinching their noses! Their landlord, and frequent victim, was Mr.Meaker. Each week, the Rentaghost gang would try their hand at something new - a taxi service, furniture removals, or entertaining hospital patients - usually with disastrous results. Mr.Claypole was always misinterpreting instructions - once, when asked to help Fred's parents move house - he did exactly that. Another story had Mr.Meaker turn into a budgie, and in yet another, his wife became a cocker spaniel. Whenever the doorbell rang, she barked! Fred's parents didn't know their son was dead - he was killed whilst working abroad - hence on home visits, he had to throw Mother's dinners away ( ghosts don't eat ). All very silly, but done with great panache. And it had one of the greatest theme tunes ever!

unlike the other reviewers,i am of the age where the later tacky episodes are the ones i remember and love. sure it got sillier as time went on,but that was the charm -all manner of daft jokes and comedy chases -and it stands the test of time! i actually saw an episode last week and as an adult it still made me chuckle -the nonense of it all is infectious -i'm smiling just thinking about it. so check it out -currently on satelite tv on sundays.