My Partner the Ghost

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 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.

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!