Review of Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased): Volume 2

Introduction

Randall and Hopkirk. Partners in a private eye business. Nothing unusual you might say, except that Marty Hopkirk (Kenneth cope) is a ghost. Cursed to wander the earth for a 100 years he resumes his old job helping to solve cases with his partner Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt). As Randall is the only one who can see Hopkirk, it turns out very useful to have an invisible ghost on your side who can often turn the tide in your favour.

Episodes include:

Episode 3: All Work and No Pay
Poor Jean (Hopkirks widow) is convinced that Martys ghost is trying to get in touch with her after she is plagued by a poltergeist. She hires suspicious spiritualists, the Foster Brothers to try and establish contact.

Episode 4: Never Trust a Ghost
Marty is unconvinced at the miraculous revival of a man he has just witnesses being shot dead. Can he persuade Jeff that all is not what it seems?

Episode 5: That`s How To Murder Snowballs
A mind reader is shot dead after a Russian Roulette act goes horribly wrong. Randall and Hopkirk witness this in the audience and so take it upon themselves to solve the crime. Guest star David Jason

Episode 6: Just for the Record
Jeff and Jean act as escorts at an international beauty contest. Marty`s suspicions are aroused by Miss London`s odd behaviour during a sightseeing tour.


The Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) series of which only 26 episodes were made has seen a bit of a revival lately, what with the Reeves and Mortimer 30th anniversary remake kindling new interest. And to be honest it’s easy to see why. Set in everyday London (no flash exotic locations here), with its odd sense of humour and featuring a rather down on his luck lead character, the series always remained distinctly British and compared with other series of the day, very down to earth.
The series also broke away from the usual action-adventure shows in that the lead is a very normal down to earth guy, (excluding the ability to talk to his dead partners ghost) who has none of the advantages of money, model like looks or super human powers.

Well for those who haven’t seen the series or those who wish to collect them on DVD, Carlton has kindly obliged and put together a nice little package together to get you started. Containing four episodes and a small number of extras, this DVD is not only good value for money, it also saves a considerable amount of shelf space from all those chunky, worn out videos that you have been collecting. Highlights include a guest appearance from David Jason in ‘That`s How To Murder Snowballs’, probably the best episode here (check out the guy with the enormous goitre in his neck seated in the theatre audience), and ‘Never Trust a Ghost’ with Hopkirk arguing with the ghost expert.

Video

Carlton gives us another decent print of another old, cult series. First off you will notice a small level of grain which runs throughout the episodes, (although its never intrusive and less than some of the other series Carlton has released on DVD) and the odd nick or bits of dirt. Colours seem faithful to the source although remaining a little subdued (it looks like that was how it was filmed though) and the detail levels remain at best average with the picture remaining soft throughout.

You really have to expect this though given the source material. Location footage seems to suffer most with all the studio scenes remaining significantly cleaner and of course better lit, upping the detail levels. Digital artefacts are minimal with no real problems visible.

Audio

Presented in the original mono, dialogue is always clear and undistorted presenting no problems.
The cool theme music although lacking in dynamics and bass is always good to listen too.

Features

Extras include the chance to see the original UK title sequence that was replaced in the mid 70’s with and alternate version when the original was thought lost or destroyed. Discovered in June 2000 this rare piece of footage is included here for all those fans that wondered what ever happened to it.

An ITC publicity card is included with the option to zoom in on the text, as is a small stills gallery.
The menus are themed with the music and suitable background pictures as well as a small animated scene selection section.
And small fold out booklet which includes production and cast information along with chapter details.
There are 8 chapters per episode.

Conclusion

Well thankfully another solid release of a cult series from our friends at Carlton. A decent print with a good, if small selection of extras makes this DVD good value for the fans while also making a good introduction for anyone new to the series. As long as your ok with the limited condition of the source material then I cant see any reason not to enjoy this DVD.