Decidedly non-literary crushes
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
1969-1971
I could possibly try to ground my love for this kitsch television series in a deeper appreciation of supernatural fiction, only like most childhood infatuations, there is no excuse. I wasn’t even born when the original show first aired in the late sixties/early seventies, but I used to watch the repeats on ITV long before the Reeves and Mortimer remake in 2000, so I’m not even ret-fanning a newer version! Only 26 episodes were ever made, so remaining faithful to one series of a forty year old show takes some imagination, but luckily the DVDs are a constant source of entertainment, even when I know the plots inside out! Friendship, fantasy and fun: the enduring legacy of a short-lived series which might be gone, but is certainly not forgotten.
What: Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) is better introduced by the alternative American title, My Partner the Ghost. World weary London ‘private in
quiry agent’ (private detective) Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt) is being haunted by the persistent spectre of his late partner and best friend, Marty Hopkirk (Kenneth Cope), who was bumped off while investigating a divorce case turned sour. Marty appears to Jeff - and Jeff only, bar the odd psychic or drunk - in an off- white suit, assisting with/adding to the workload and cramping his friend’s social life. Marty’s widow Jean (Annette Andre), an attractive blonde, is promoted from decorative mourning to decorative secretarial work in the office. Here’s the clever part, however - apart from Marty’s conspicuous clothing and limited interaction, it’s business as usual for Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). The pair carry on regardless, investigating missing persons and dodgy dealings from their seedy city office, except that Jeff now talks to thin air and Marty pops in and out while making a harpsichord sound effect.
Who: Despite being dead, Marty Hopkirk is still very much an active partner in the business, and remains deeply in love with his wife (widow), Jeann
ie. Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre made a cute screen couple, so it’s a shame that the premise of the show meant that they rarely got to pair up. Annette spent nearly the whole series pretending that Ken wasn’t there - or trying to, at least! And even though the late Mike Pratt had a more ‘interesting’ face than his co-stars, Marty and Jeff are a great TV double act. They are best friends, which is
always an important factor in my fandoms, and complement each other’s personalities in a typical ‘odd couple’ combination. Marty is the brains of the outfit, suspicious by nature and constantly fretting over nothing. He’s vain, possessive and insufferably stubborn, but also quick-thinking and loyal to his friends. Jeff is far more easy-going, with an eye for the ladies and a taste for whisky. He can charm the clients and knows how to handle himself in a fight (which is useful, because he usually ends up in a brawl or two during every episode!) And while Jeannie is no Emma Peel, she is smart, helpful and helplessly romantic, with a fantastic wardrobe.
Why: I love the combination of gritty sixties drama and spectral suspension of disbelief. The show had various writers with different approaches, however, so some of the scripts are stronger than others. My taste is for the funnier episodes, or those with a supernatural aspect, like ‘Never Trust a Ghost’ and ‘Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying?’ Some of the ‘straight’ storylines, focusing more on the detective angle, are also well written - ‘That’s How Murder Snowballs’ (with a young David Jason) and ‘But What a Sweet Little Room’ - but like every series, there are a few duds that don’t make the grade. Still, for an old show, RH(D) has aged very well - the fashions could still work today, and the casting more than makes up for the lack of special effects. Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope worked better together than Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer in the remake, and those two are actually best friends in real life!
Screen adaptations: The ‘cult’ BBC remake with Vic and Bob, co-starring Emilia Fox as Jeannie. And in 2010, SyFy bought the rights to the show, and there are plans for yet another ‘reboot’ from across the pond.
Published non-literary non-fiction: Both series have companion guides, now available only from second hand bookshops. Being an obsessive-compulsive type of fan, I have both - a retrospective account of the original series by Geoff Tibballs (Box Tree, 1994) and the rather cocky ‘behind the scenes’ promo for the remake, cobbled together by Andy Lane in 2001. There is also a couple of spin-off ‘novelisations’ for the 2000 series, which are not worth hunting down.
Fan fiction: The few decent stories I have found online are now decades old, from back when the original series still had a fan base (via the remake). Requiescat in Pace by N. Kelly is my eternal favourite. Karen F. Raizor is also very good, with her creative and intelligent stories which manage to fill the gaps in my imagination left by the series (Marty and Jeannie briefly reunited, Marty visible to a client, etc.) Both writers can be found here: http://astele.co.uk/rhfic/index.htm There is also a perverse and outlandish mash-up of both series, where the 1990s Jeff, Marty and Jeannie somehow find themselves back in 1972, where they meet the original Jeff, Marty and Jeannie. The plot isn’t brilliant, but I love the heartfelt conversation between 1990s Jeff and 1970s Jeannie: http://astele.co.uk/rhfic/stories/worlds.asp
Quotes:
Jeff: Why can’t you stay dead like everyone else?
Jeff: Look, Marty, you’re my best friend, you know that, you always will be - but our partnership was broken the day you got yourself killed
Marty: Well, that’s marvellous, isn’t it? That’s fantastic, that’s great - I crack the case and you don’t want to know! What sort of partnership have we got?
Jeff: A posthumous one, not recognised by law
Marty: Don’t quibble
Jeff: Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
Marty: Young Marty Hopkirk!