Randall & Hopkirk: Deceased
 1 9 6 9 - 1 9 7 0 (UK)
26 x 60 minute episodes
When Marty Hopkirk is killed in a hit and run accident, it is
left to his partner Jeff Randall to run their private
investigation company with Marty's widow Jean (played by
delectable Australian Annette Andre).
Marty comes back as a ghost to help, but only Jeff can see him.
Despite the fact that the two are like chalk and cheese - Jeff is
a chain smoker who enjoys a drink and a gamble while Marty is
squeaky clean and wholesome - the two make a great team.
Marty can not be seen by anyone else, nor is he able to touch
anyone or anything. This is a tad unfortunate as he is unable to
help Jeff in the constant fist fights he finds himself in! Jeff
often finds himself running foul of Detective Inspector Large of
the local plod.
Randall's office is just off Trafalgar Square and much of the
action is set around the Soho area of London. Accordingly many
episodes feature nightclubs, seedy bars, illegal casinos and
dancing girls. Randall is constantly on the brink of financial
ruin and resorts frequently to borrowing from Jeannie (her car,
her money) much to Marty's disgust.
In one notable episode (Never Trust a Ghost), Jeff uses
Jean to establish an alibi. She rushes over to his flat in her
nightie (well actually in her car . . . but she's dressed in her
nightie) and jumps into his bed. Mmmm . . . Sadly, that's as far
as it ever went.
Despite the show's popularity both in the UK and the US -
where it was unimaginatively retitled My Partner the Ghost
- the show failed to get a second series. The format was
resurrected in 2000 by the BBC as a vehicle for comedy duo Vic
Reeves and Bob Mortimer. Unfortunately, the revival failed to
recapture the appeal of the original series.
As Jeff once asked Marty: "Why can't you stay dead like
anyone else?"
EPISODES
My Late Lamented Friend & Partner | A Disturbing Case | All
Work and No Pay | Never Trust A Ghost | That's How Murder
Snowballs | Just for the Record | Murder Ain't What It Used to Be
| Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying? | The House on Haunted Hill |
When did you Start to Stop Seeing Things? | The Ghost Who Saved
the Bank at Monte Carlo | For the Girl Who Has Everything | But
What a Sweet Little Room | Who Killed Cock Robin? | The Man From
Nowhere | When the Spirit Moves You | Somebody just Walked over my
Grave | Could You Recognize the Man Again? | A Sentimental Journey
| Money to Burn | The Ghost Talks | It's Supposed to be Thicker
than Water | The Trouble with Women | Vendetta for a Dead Man |
You Can Always Find a Fall Guy | The Smile Behind the Veil
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