User reviews

As a child of the 60's and 70's, I was a complete sucker for all the ABC fantasy / thriller programmes which were so much in abundance at the time. I guess it started with "The Avengers" and "The Saint", continued with "The Baron", "Man in a Suitcase" and "The Prisoner" but for me it really kicked in with the more "out-there" shows - "Department S", "The Champions" and of course this, the great "Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)". I remember having to watch it on re-runs very late at night but always thrilling to the outlandish mis-en-scene, and slightly tongue-in-cheek lead acting of hangdog Jeff Pratt and chirpy Kenneth Cope. Each episode was not unnaturally a variation on a theme, with down on his luck private eye Randall invariably taking on a case which got him into hot water and required the assistance of his partner the ghost. The plotting was always inventive, the acting engaging and looking back now of course you get the extra benefit of seeing vintage exteriors, cars and fashions - and yes, Annette Andre was a visual delight to my 10 year-old eyes. I'm so pleased to own this and many of the other series mentioned above. Haven't got round to watching them all yet (the curse of the DVD boxed set!) but as I write this, somewhere there's a voice coming through the ether saying "Only you, Jeff, only you" and I know that I will sit down one day in my dotage and view them all wall-to-wall and I know I'll forgive the continuity errors, low-budget sets and corny special effects as I happily regress again to age 10.

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.

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.

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.

Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) was shown in the US during the 1970s under the name My Partner the Ghost. As a child, I remember this series with foundness and every time I think about it a smile appears on my face. I have never been able to see it again since then but I yearn to one day. Once in a while they sell the complete series for about $100 but in Region 2 (UK). I hope that I may stumble on a used version in a used DVD store. It would be like striking oil! I can't express how mesmerizing the theme was or the enticement of waiting for Saturday afternoon to come around so I could watch the episodes when I was a child. I highly recommend for everyone that has any artistic blood for european culture or the swining 60s to see the original series! They are releasing the remade series on A & E Home Video but I fear that the improved special effect will take away from the magic that great acting, wonderfully clever storylines and cheesy special effects gave me three decades ago. If you can get your hands on a copy.....buy it and watch them.

I loved the series and will gladly watch all again.

The last time I've seen this show was on re-runs in the 70's, approximately 1977. Hard to forget the show. Great theme song, beautiful girl, fabulous 60's, and a unique situation. To others who couldn't see Marty, Jeff was often seen talking to himself, making for some hilarious moments. I would love to see, or own, the series again.

Absolutely brilliant show, exciting as well fun too, memories of the times I will always remember

I would like to first say that as a child, I really liked this series. It was unique that way, with the living and the deceased working together. Sounds a little morbid yes, but since it was a comedy, it worked well for me. It's been a long time since I've seen it but I can still remember it in few details. One thing that strikes me odd, as an adult looking back, is Martin Hopkirk was married. P.I.s usually didn't marry. It's, at times, an extremely dangerous job. Nevertheless, He married. But the relationship between the three was wonderfully warm. More than a partnership, it was a friendship. I detected a light-hearted sweetness about this comedy. I think if it were more serious,it still would have been adored just the same. Other British tele shows come to mind as I think of this one, The Saint and The Avengers. And I loved those shows as well. But this one truly delved into the extremes of life and relationships. I dig British T.V.!!!

As a child in the 60s my whole family loved this series. It's just as enjoyable today. The chemistry between Randall and Hopkirk is great and there's just the right balance between humour and an action packed cosy mystery to solve. Each episode solves a case and Hopkirk is adorable in his white suit and helpless panic all the time. It's fun to watch him improve his powers from the beyond. I don't know why the original show has had a change of name but it airs in the UK with it's original title. I heard there was a remake a few years ago but I haven't wanted to check it out because I love the original. There's actually a lot more action than I remembered and poor Randall is beaten up in every episode more than once!! Lots of work for his stunt double but it looks like he probably incurred a lot of bumps and scrapes himself during the making of the show. Great wholesome fun.

November 2021

For some reason i had never seen a single episode of Randall and Hopkirk deceased before, despite the fact its repeated regurlarly on freeview channels.

Much to my surprise if turns out it is a fantastic series, as good as any other from the period, right up there with The Avengers.

I just went through all 26 episodes, and was disappointed thats all there was.

Virtually every episode is a veritable who's who of recognisable faces, some that went on to be big names such as David Jason, and others that you would of seen in things like The Saint and Department S.

I was also unaware there had been a series remake in the year 2000, so i have promptly ordered that on dvd, and am hoping it will be as good.

Recommended.

9 out of 10.

The positive reviews for this show were nearly all written by people who had memories of having seen this series as a child. I too can wax poetic about Gilligan's Island but that doesn't make it Chekov -- The fact is this series is dreadful. The concept is good and should provide lots of fodder for episodes, but the writing, acting and production is too amateurish and simplistic.

The cheap production values almost make it a candidate for cult status but the cheesiness isn't quite enough to work: visible wires, the movement of actors between stop takes for the ghost to disappear, the same extras used over and over (in one scene an old lady appears in two different hats and a fur coat exiting a theatre), and obvious two dimensional pictures outside windows of street scenes and buildings.

The no-name actors are so stiff and unfunny I was unaware this series was supposed to be a comedy until the 3rd episode. Not that I feel lead actors should always be young and handsome, but the lead actor who plays the living detective is also in shockingly bad shape for a 38 year old - he looks 50!

The far fetched story lines echo some of the great sci-fi Brit series of the period, from The Prisoner to The Avengers, but there is no originality or thought put into the episodes by the writers to try to make the stories credible. The episodes always rely on some far fetched scheme by some master criminal that uses some inexplicable technology or parapsychology to steal a secret formula, from body doubles and hypnosis to cross dressing and machines that make things fly around the room. The problem is in this case the writers were in way over their head and had no idea how to maintain that kind of creative writing. They should have stuck to simple murders and robberies.

Probably the best episode I saw (I could only manage 6 episodes before I had to turn it off) involved a murder of a mind reader in a music hall. The story is given away at the very beginning when a 'lady' from the audience is asked to load a bullet into a gun. The lady is 6 foot 3 inches tall and has 5 o'clock shadow...

I was 9 when Randall And Hopkirk was fist shown on T.V, and never thought much about it at the time, it was just another crime series, then I grew up, and couldn't belive what I'd missed all those years ago, now Re-released on DVD this is a real must see, must buy.

I have fond memories of watching this when I was 10 or 12. I was shown on tv on a Sunday lunchtime. It was not a kids show but it was light, it had humour.

Nearly every episode features bumbling Scotland Yard detectives and pretty girls. Watching it now it seems odd that nearly everybody smokes and drinks all the time.

Now being more than 11 I can appreciate the beauty of Annette Andre.

But like all the ITC series to enjoy this you have to accept the same locations again and again and the awful lack of plots.

There are several episodes which seem to rip of others in the series,they ran out of plots but just kept waking the series anyway.

London is shown to be full of pretty girls,gangsters and seedy clubs and bars. I was a bit disappointed when I first visited London and discovered it had less seediness and more sunshine than shown in this series.

I was nine years old when Randall and Hopkirk first appeared on UK television and although it was rarely in a regular slot I really enjoyed it. The theme tune itself is a classic and I never tire of hearing it.

Watching the programme now I am in my mid Sixties it's obviously very much of it's time with the usual punch ups where no one ever gets concussion(Jeff gets duffed up in nearly every episode!) and it's obvious that the actors rarely left the studios with plenty of stock shots and stand ins throughout the series.

It's all good fun but it's pretty obvious why only one series of 26 episodes was made as stories can be a little repetitive and clearly the producers felt there was nowhere else to go with the programme.

This is a humorous British detective series produced for private TV, clearly inspired by Topper (1953). Similar to the previous series Les champions (1968), it combines two genres that were very popular at the time. This time: Secret agent / mystery like Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir (1961) or Les champions (1968) combined with supernatural sitcom like Ma sorcière bien aimée (1964) or Jeannie de mes rêves (1965), with more elements taken from the latter than before.

Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk run a detective agency, with Marty's wife Jean acting as secretary. When Marty dies in the first episode, he returns as a ghost and helps solve his own murder case, then stays to support his partner. Only Jeff can see and hear Marty's ghost; Jean is completely unaware that Marty isn't resting peacefully in his grave. Marty's abilities to interact with the world apart from Jeff are extremely limited, and his continued propensity to fear, panic, rash actions and jealousy about his wife and car also adds to the basic setup.

On top of that, the series' writers kept coming up with interesting new ways to exploit the setting by adding psychiatrists, exorcists, other ghosts and the like, good or evil, in various constellations. Only one season of 26 episodes was produced, but it is well worth watching.

Very enjoyable and essentially light spirited (excuse the pun). Mistreated by the empty suits, people not qualified to work in the TV industry. So only one season and it was killed off despite good ratings.