Marty Hopkirk

Martin "Marty" Hopkirk is a fictional character played by English actor Kenneth Cope in the television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) from 1969 to early 1970. In the 2000-2001 remake, he was played by actor and comedian Vic Reeves.

In the original series, Hopkirk was murdered, run down by a speeding car. Hopkirk dies instantly, but returns as a ghost selecting his friend and partner Jeff Randall as the only man who can see and hear him as he returns to the world of the living. After staying out in the daylight to help Jeff solve the case of his own murder, he is cursed to roam the Earth for 100 years. Marty is always dressed in a white suit to mimic the attire of a ghost. At times his pressuring of Jeff to pursue cases and follow up leads that he has witnessed nearly puts Jeff at breaking point and haunts Jeff almost as much as he aids him in fighting crime.

As a ghost Marty travels by teleporting from one place to the other although he can seemingly walk as a human would in whatever location he is in. Although he cannot physically touch people or things (leaning against walls excepted) he can manipulate objects such as vases and furniture which prove crucial in many cases in putting attackers of Jeff at bay. In one case ("Just for the Record") Marty saves the trapped Jeff from a burning warehouse by using his concentration to shatter the fire alarm glass. Marty can also generate remarkably powerful wind squalls by simply blowing.

However, Marty can also be very jealous, and often jumps to conclusions. In the episodes "Never Trust a Ghost" and "Murder Ain't What it Used to Be", he becomes enraged when it appears that his widow Jeannie has been unfaithful. While Marty possesses certain extra sensory abilities, his capability to understand situations where he is not present are as limited as a humans. In the episode "The House on Haunted Hill" Marty appears terrified of the ghostly noises in the attic of a deserted house, more so than even Jeff, and he doesn't appear to have any sense of other paranormal phenomenon when he can not physically see them. He also shows a subservience to the 1920s American gangster ghost of Bugsy in the eighth episode "Murder Ain't What it Used to Be".

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