Thursday 18 January 2018

Remember That Show... Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)


Remember that show about two private detectives where while on a case one is killed and resurfaces in the afterlife BUT he can still visit the world of the living and speak and been seen by his previous partner...

The show actually aired in the late 60s and then in 2000 a remake of the show was made with off the wall comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, as Hopkirk and Randall. Emilia Fox was Jeannie, fiance of Hopkirk and later partner and love interest to Randall. Tom Baker rounded the cast out as afterlife mentor, Wyvern, to Hopkirk, telling him the rules of Limbo. Apologies for the low quality pictures, there isn't much out there to choose from.


Looking back, it was a weird show all round. Casting comedians Reeves and Mortimer in slightly more serious roles than they were used to, as well as the The Fast Show veteran, Charlie Higson who produced the show and directed a few episodes. Each episode focused on a case which Randall and Jeannie would be hired to solve (or they stumble in to) and are aided by ghost Hopkirk who on occassion distracts and makes this difficult, especially when he discovers a new ability such as being able to inhabit and control Randall.


Each episode and each case seemed to get weirder and weirder, covering supernatural, media frenzies, mind control, plants that give you ever lasting life, a town that avoided the plague by making a deal with the devil and a few straight forward murder cases too. As well as being strange, the show featured quite a few famous and familiar 'before they hit the big time' faces, such as David Tennent as a crazed jealous artist in the pilot episode, Simon Pegg and the cast of The League of Gentlemen.

Even with all the comedic actors that passed through the series, the show had some comedy elements but it was mostly surreal and fascinating, with added homages to the original show, such as Jeannie's very 60s inspired wardrobe. The show had two series with rather an anti-climatic end which seems a shame as the characters deserved more.

If you're able to get a hold of a copy of the show or find it on the web somewhere, this definition of quirky show is worth your while.

(Deceased)