Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000 TV series)
| Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | |
|---|---|
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|
| Created by | Dennis Spooner |
| Starring |
Vic Reeves Bob Mortimer Emilia Fox Tom Baker Charlie Higson |
| Theme music composer |
David Arnold Tim Simenon |
| Composer(s) | Murray Gold |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Simon Wright |
| Producer(s) | Charlie Higson |
| Cinematography | John Ignatius |
| Running time | 49-51 minutes |
| Production company(s) | WTTV |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 18 March 2000 – 10 November 2001 |
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) is a British television series, produced by Working Title Television for BBC One, written and produced by Charlie Higson. It is a remake of the 1960s television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and stars Vic Reeves as Marty Hopkirk and Bob Mortimer as Jeff Randall, two partner private detectives, Emilia Fox as Jeannie Hurst, Hopkirk's fiancée, and Tom Baker as Wyvern, a spirit mentor. Two series were commissioned and were broadcast in 2000 and 2001 with the pilot episode airing 18 March 2000.
In keeping with the original series, in the initial episode Hopkirk is murdered during an investigation and returns to Earth as a ghost tied to his partner Randall. Randall is the only living main character who is able to see him although occasionally other characters can. The remake paid much more attention to where Hopkirk went when he wasn’t on Earth than the original and introduced Limbo, a place where he could meet other ghosts. It also introduced the character Wyvern, a mentor who helps Hopkirk hone his powers, introduces him to other ghosts, and is terrible at poetry. The remake also made Jeannie a more central character than the original and changed her status to Hopkirk’s fiancée, rather than widow, allowing for a love-triangle element between the three main characters to form.
Two series were made, the first in 1999 (broadcast in 2000) and the second in 2001. The show was produced by Charlie Higson, who also directed some episodes. Writers for the show include Gareth Roberts, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson, Paul Whitehouse, and Higson. When the rights to the series were first obtained by WTTV, Simon Wright, the company's executive producer and president, envisaged the series as a straight thriller, but this changed after he suggested casting a comedian as Marty Hopkirk with Robbie Coltrane and Rik Mayall originally considered for the role. After discovering that the rights had been bought by WWTV, Reeves and Mortimer showed a strong interest in the two lead roles. After being offered the roles, the pair suggested Charlie Higson as writer.
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