Rentaghost

"Ooooh Arthur! What are those lunatics The Meekers up to now?"

Aaahhh, *the* tv show of my childhood. Frequently pantomimonic, the antics of Claypole and the cast of (flippin') spooks amused me for a sizeable chunk of my childhood. The early episodes had actual plot and purpose with the profitless Rentaghost business, the later ones were low on quantity with the Spooks living with the Meekers. Christmas cracker joke scripts, a pantomime horse, Christopher Biggins acting more camp than a weekend at Butlins and an unhealthy dose of bluescreen effects with every episode leading to an all-cast chase around the Meekers' living room table as the theme tune played every week.

Harmless fun for the children of the 70s in the days before childrens television had to be educational and lost any creativity it ever had. Gone are the days of sit-coms for kids, but the spirit (ahem) is kept alive in "Rentaghost's" occasional repeats tucked away in the armpit of satellite television.

A classic. No question. Well, you must excuse me, the astral lift is waiting to whisk me away!

"Come away from the window, Rose....."

"We aim to shock, we hope your knees will knock..."

Definitely a classic of its time. A catchy theme tune, lots of puns and running round-what more does a kid need? Basically a sitcom about a group of ghosts trying to get by "down here." I agree with other comments about the earlier ones being a lot better. The later episodes focused too much on the Meaker's house and the dragon in the cellar. Altogether now-"Don't go in the cellar." Still, worth catching the repeats on digital tv.

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.

One of the overiding memories of my childhood was watching Rentaghost in the afternoon. The early episodes are the best and were actually quite intelligent. Sadly, but inevitably, it eventually just became trashy rubbish with the most ridiculous plots played as pure slapstick .(Luckily, by then, I had grown out of kid's TV so my memories remain untainted).

I just caught an episode on satellite as my young son was watching it (yes - I do feel old!!)and it made me realise how innocent it was to be a child in the 70's. Kid's TV now is so cynical and all about merchandising and product placement. Today's generation will never have the same warm nostalgia about 'Pokemon' or 'Batman of the Future' that my peers have about 'Rentaghost' and it's contemporaries.

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.