Search - Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Set 1 on DVD

This series was a true original!

Robert Cossaboon | The happy land of Walworth, NY | 06/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Welcome to the world of Randall and Hopkirk, Deceased. I can remember when I was very small how this series was once ran on my local TV station in the States as My Partner, The Ghost. At the time it seemed very somber and I can remember feeling a little uneasy from the general mood of each episode.....ok, I was scared. Boy, I never knew how good I had it until I purchased the first volume of this treasure trove! R&H is an interesting alternative to the other popular series of the time such as the Avengers, the Prisoner (despite its mere 17 episode run), I Spy, and the Man From U.N.C.L.E. For my money it's also got the coolest theme song going-but then I'm prejudiced in favor of the harpsichord. I think what set this series apart was the seedy approach it took to fighting crime. For the most part, the villains are not megalomaniacal masterminds trying to deep-six their own country. These guys usually go the route of murder and the stakes are usually some small financial potatoes, relatively speaking. Also, our heroes are always just barely making ends meet; they always seem to find another case just in the nick of time to avoid bankruptcy for another episode. Additionally, the character of Jeff Randall is more of an anti-hero than anything else-his priorities are money, women, and keeping the job afloat; somewhere in there is a sense of justice mixed in, but it's very low on the priority scale! But in my opinion, the nervous, anxiety-fueled character of Marty Hopkirk (played by Kenneth Cope) and how he interacts with his live partner, Jeff, as well as deals with the day-to-day stresses of the job (such as murder!) is what drives this series. Need other reasons to try this series? How about the pristine transfer! I agree with the Great Lakes reviewer that Marty the ghost is sometimes difficult to see, but that could've just been because of back-then production shortsightedness. There are extras: a cool picture gallery, and a nice little History Channel ditty. A&E get a truckload of thanks for championing this forgotten series and giving it the resurrection it so richly deserves! Now about the Night Stalker series?????"

Better than I expected. Now fork over set 2 !

St. Ananas | Twin Cities, MN United States | 01/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Has anyone bought this that didn't have vague fond memories of watching this (My Partner the Ghost) as a child? I too am in that boat.
I feared watching this might spoil my memories. Fortunately I find I had fine taste as a youngster, because this show was very enjoyable as an adult. This time around it seemed less eerie, and was more nostalgic, campy fun.
This is the story of a pair of detectives, Jeff and Marty, one of whom is murdered on a case. Thankfully the only sad part in the series happens right away. Marty promptly returns to help Jeff, and also keep an eye on his widow Jeannie, now working in the office with Jeff. Naturally part of the fun is that only Jeff can see Marty (with a couple rare exceptions).
The premise holds up, thanks to actors who seem to have just the right touch, and the show is as entertaining as it sounds.
The stories are all pretty light, even when murder is involved. The plots are kind of small-potato Avengeresque. A plotting, sinister, bad-guy taking over an inheritance, rather than a mad/sinister agency attempting to take over the world.
The fact that one of the private detectives is a ghost leaves an anything-can-happen feel. While a lot of far-out adventures occur, it never goes beyond the great-beyond for supernatural storylines. In other words, they don't get into sci-fi (aliens), or horror movie type(vampires) plots. It happily sticks to a private-eye mystery show with a fun twist.
I enjoyed this as much as when I caught some Ellery Queen and Banacek re-runs a few years back (other long-lost childhood detective heroes).
I have seen this was released in England as an entire set of 26 episodes. We know the next 13 are out there, so come on A&E, put them out already."

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Set 1

Reno | IL | 10/09/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Where is Set 2? This series brings back many memories when it aired as My Partner the Ghost in the states years ago. I would complete the collection. I don't really know why, but I thoroughly enjoy watching these episodes repeatedly."

Dolly birds galore

Jed | UK | 05/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased),known as My Partner The Ghost in the US, is an off beat British TV series that ran for 26 episodes in 1969-1970. Starring a cast of relative unknowns it aired originally to mostly indifference before quietly being cancelled. But like many things re-runs of the show fuelled an interest that turned it into something approaching "cult" status, (although I don't share quite that level of enthusiasm)

Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk are two financially struggling private investigators in London. In the first episode Marty Hopkirk is murdered, giving rise to the basic premise of the show. He returns at intervals,now in white suit, invisible and inaudible to only Randall. Now, ghosts appearing to only the main character are not really a totally original idea in drama or comedy, but ghosts appearing to private investigators in swinging '60s London, yes that's original!

Perhaps the main flaw is that Randall& Hopkirk (Deceased) is neither a drama or a comedy, it treads the middle ground but it doesn't really excel at either. Admittedly I found the episode where Randall is held at a psychiatric hosptial and hypnotised quite amusing, but don't expect Monty Python here. The drama too is somewhat predictable after the first epeisode; Randall is called upon to investigate some "shady" dealings with somewhat cheesy villains, or gets involved in it accidentally, there's a bit of dialog, a bit of action, a bit of sexual tension with Hopkirks widow (well,maybe it's a all a bit too wholesome to read much into that!), Marty shows up at various points and almost invariably uses his "ghostly" powers to help Randall out of trouble. Of course a lot of shows follow formulas (wasn't Star Trek about beaming down to planets, Kirk snogging alien women, the guys in red shirts getting wasted and Bones commenting on the current vitality of prone figures?) And for the mystery side, well it's probably closer to the Hardy Boys than Columbo.

To me, the main appeal of the series is,and I know this might a bit harsh, in it's "kitsch" factor. Even when they showed this series back in 1988 a big part of the appeal was in seeing what things were like back then."Hey look at the cars with square edges! Look at the London streets, look at the suits, the terrible hairstyles, the weird interior decorating. Tape to tape recorders? Groovy!" It does a sort of naive escapist charm to it if you're in the right mood but it's largely a sense of nostalgia for a long gone era that makes me want to watch this series. It's not in a kind of sniggery Austin Powers way though, having just missed the 1960s by 2 weeks, it's genuinely interesting to see what I missed!
"