Why was it only made from 1969 to 1971? Just two years?
Yet it gets 'remade' in 2000, which that has never made it to the states, so I don't know what that was like, but I've read reviews that clearly it wasn't the same as the original.
But it had to have made some impression to get remade near 30 years later.
Why weren't more episodes of this show made? Did the stars decide they had enough?
They made 26 episodes, shown in 1969 and 1970 as one series.
It was new, fresh, unique, innovative, funny and had tense storylines (although of course the premise couldn't be termed as "realistic")!
Also bearing in mind, of course, that with all truly great shows, "less is definitely more".
The writer, production team and actors knew they had made a hit and, sensibly, quit whilst they were ahead.
After all, if you leave on a high, you are remembered fondly with affection forever.
Overstay your welcome and you will be forgotton, you will run out of ideas, the whole thing grinds to a halt.
And nobody will care - or notice - when the programme is axed.
The version launched in 2000 only lasted for two short series. It was over-budgeted, too highly polished and had more boring plots.
As is often the case these days, too much emphasis was placed around silly male/female relationships.
(YAWN!)
Part of the charm in the original was that it was smaller, less glossy, with dodgy sets, acting and dialogue.
It was unintentionally humourous with its subtle comedy touches. The new one tried to be funny; so it didn't work as well.
(Especially since the two main actors, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, are actually comedians; and not good actors, I'm afraid)!
They also tried too hard to impress with the new version. They overdid the "wow" factor with exaggerated special effects.
Classic example of "Style Over Substance". The audience was not impressed.
Believe me, you guys in the USA really didn't miss much!!
No No NO! Don't be silly; how can you find someone "Not Esther Williams"? (Graham Chapman)
We got R&HD in the states back in the mid-1970s and I never forgot the show.
30 years on, I track it down online on dvd and send off for it.
My older brother finally borrowed the dvds from me and he said he didn't recall it, but he was wondering how successful it had been.
The route for English imports to America has been a strange one apparently, starting with Monty Python and Fawlty Towers.
Once those were perceived as hits, we were given several other offerings.
I remember To The Manor Born from way, way back, about the same time I first saw Fawlty Towers.
Only recently have I learned that TTMB was a rating success in the UK, with its final episode, so clearly someone was wanting to see if Americans would be intrigued by the show as well.
Rather strange, when you think of the topic.
I'd be hard-pressed to think of an American show that was cancelled after two seasons (first of all it would be because of low ratings, nothing else) that is regarded fondly 30+ years on, so much so that it can be released on dvd like this.
Irwin Allen's Time Tunnel was a one season bomb here, but it has turned up on dvd, namely because Allen made successful movies in the 1970s, and also because Lost In Space has always intrigued people, so this gets Allen's other efforts trotted out for future generations.
Directors…Roy Ward Baker…Ray Austin…
Jeremy Summers…Les Norman………………..
Cast Inc…Mike Pratt…Kenneth Cope…Annette Andre…
Central Casting sent me to A.B.P.C. Studios to do some tests on a series they were about to make. It was tests for special affects to be tried out such as walking through walls etc.
I was to be Randall and a chap called Doug Lockyer was to be Hopkirk.
We did the tests over a period of a week and the following Monday the series got going for real..
I was asked ‘’Would you be a stand/in for Mike Pratt if he gets on with you..’’
Now I’m going to say no to a years work. (Not)
We got on like a house on fire from the first day. Mike told me that he and Lionel Bart wrote all of Tommy Steel’s early songs, (Handful Of Songs, Rock With The Caveman and many more)
With all the years I spent with the bands we had something in common.
We used to have a sing a long in the dressing rooms or where ever we could.
Douglas stood/in for Ken…
We did twenty six episodes over the next year and Mike, Ken and I became good friends.
I would read the other actors lines in the script so Mike could learn his.
Every two weeks we would get a new guest cast and I really wish I had saved all the call sheets with all the cast names on. I wonder how many went on to greater things.
One I do remember was a wild looking man called Dudley Sutton.
He went on to play Tinker in Lovejoy and we still send cards at Christmas time.
(Merry Christmas Dudley, it saves a card.)
Every episode I would have to double for Mike for his driving shots or walking in and out of London buildings. We used a second unit camera team (small crew) for this as it was better for Mike to be in the studio saying the words.
Although I appeared in a few crowd scenes during the series my claim to fame are those immortal words I say to the onlookers as Hopkirk is run down by the bad guys car.. I compose myself and utter ‘’He’s dead’’
I had a few fan letters in after that scene was shown on TV suggesting I go back in the timber game.. (It wasn’t even my voice, it was dubbed..)
When Mike had days off I had to find other film jobs to do.
We was only paid £5 a day and you only got paid if you worked
Lucky for me they were making other series in the studio and I would go in the bar and find an A.D. from Department S. or the Avengers and see if they could use me for a couple of days till Mike was back. So look out for me in other series playing a French/German/Spanish/American cop/waiter/soldier/sailor/crook etc…
I’ve been all around the world but I’ve never left English shores.
We finished shooting the series in 1969 and had a huge party to celebrate.
(It took me a week to get over it)
I’d like to say hello to the three main Stuntmen on the show, Rocky Taylor, Les Crawford and Frank ( Elstree Cowboy ) Maher.
Also my best regards to all the crew for making it a wonderful year.
MIKE PRATT DIED IN 1976…LONG LIVE MIKE PRATT…
Aitch.(H)
http://web.ask.co.uk/web?q=%22Harry+Fielder%22
Most British TV series had, and still have, far fewer episodes than US series. The ITC series like R&H (and the non-ITC Avengers) were different as they were made more expensively and dependent on international and especially US sales.
For that reason they were generally made, like US series, in blocks of around 26-30 episodes. R&H was reasonably successful but,for some reason didn't air in the US for a year or more after it was completed. By that time everyone had moved on.
I think this may not had been an instant hit but grew over the years as it was repeated.
Its that man again!!
[deleted]
Like many decent tv series RHD fell victim to the ITV regional network system, as did UFO, The Secret Service, Joe 90 and several others. Different parts of the country showed them at different times or not at all.
"Make me a baby!
Make me a star!
Leave my coffin slightly ajar!"
- Lesley Gore
Randall & Hopkirk (My Partner The Ghost in the US) now has a cult following on digital channel ITV 4 here in the UK. They ran all 26 episodes only last year. Kenneth Cope gave an interview a couple of years ago about the show and said the reception at the time was decidedly luke warm.With overseas sales less than certain, THAT was the reason the show was axed. It certainly had nothing to do with the rationalisation of the ITV network (although a radical shakeup was taking place at the end of the decade) It's interesting to speculate the reasons for the relative failure of the series at the time. Perhaps the UK public felt it was in poor taste? Heaven knows why, it was great fun and very much tongue in cheek. Tastes change, people who have watched the re runs all seem to enjoy it.
A bit of advice for American viewers curious about the 2000 remake;
Don't even go there! Abysmally appallingly bad doesn't begin to cover how awful it was! It lasted one season...and whoever filmed it had the good sense while shooting it to aim straight and shoot it fatally! It's hasn't seen the light of day since...praise be!
Stick with the late great Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre, superior in every way!
Enjoy!