Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)

Remake of classic cult ghostly detective series

Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) was produced by Working Title Films for BBC One. It was a remake of the 1960s television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and stars Vic Reeves as Hopkirk (once again in a white suit) and Bob Mortimer as Randall, with Emilia Fox as Jeannie.

Two series were made, the first in 2000 and the second the following year. The entire first series was written and produced by Charlie Higson (of Fast Show fame), who also directed some episodes. The second series employed some other writers, including Gareth Roberts, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson. The basic situation was the same, but the circumstances of Hopkirk's death were changed. Another change was the introduction of Wyvern (Tom Baker, Dr Who), a kind of heavenly mentor for Marty.

Many episodes also included storylines that paid homage to the original show, as well as other 1960s shows - especially those made by ITC. In the fifth episode of series one, a clip of Mike Pratt (who had died before the new series was produced), from the original series episode "The Smile Behind the Veil", was included. Marty encounters him in Limbo.

The Original Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) is a late 1960s British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman.

Marty Hopkirk is murdered in the line of duty but returns as a ghost that only Jeff Randall can see and hear and helps, and sometimes haunts his former partner in fighting crime from the grave.

The series was produced by the ITC film corporation who produced a total of 26 episodes in 1968 and 1969 which were aired between September 1969 and March 1970. The company produced other cult series of the period such as The Prisoner and The Saint. The pilot episode was first originally broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom on 21 September 1969.