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Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) - A Man of Substance
episode 1.6
UK 2000
produced by Charlie Higson, Simon Wright (executive) for Working Title/BBC
directed by Mark Mylod
starring Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Emilia Fox, Tom Baker, Jennifer Calvert, Gareth Thomas, Richard Durden, Elizabeth Spriggs, Richard Riding, Ralph Riach, Mary Ann Turner, Tony Bluto, Rachel Weaver
written by Charlie Higson
TV-series Randall and Hopkirk (deceased), Randall and Hopkirk (Reeves & Mortimer)
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Sexy Jane Dee (Jennifer Calvert) hires Jeff Randall (Bob Mortimer) to find her
husband , who was last seen in some small rural village. Jeff immediately goes
there with his dead partner Marty Hopkirk (Vic Reeves), a ghost who only he can
see, but once there they discover everything is quite odd: Time seems stuck
somewhere in the early years of the 20th century, everybody is just too
hypocritically nice to each other, tourists who do as much as litter are
executed by the police constable (Richard Riding), but weirdest of all, the
innkeeper (Gareth Thomas) can actually see Marty - & the other
villagers too, before long.
& while Marty is slowly becoming a man of substance (literally
speaking) again & enjoying it, Jeff desperately tries to find a way out of
the village - but no matter how hard he tries, he always ends up in the town's
square again.
After having sex with Jane Dee, Marty is completely won over to the cause of
the villagers - who are actually survivors from the great plague from 800 years
ago (!), who stayed alive because they have struck a deal with the devil, but
need a real ghost (like Marty) to be released from their time bubble &,
under his leadership, rule the world. The thing is though, they need a human
sacrifice to put this into action - & that would be Jeff.
MArty is now torn between keeping his friend alive & a life for himself
he always wanted, ruling the world ... & he almost chooses the latter,
wouldn't Wyfen (Tom Baker), his guide in the spiritual world, interfere &
send his fiancée Jeannie (Emilia Fox) to stop him just in time. Upon realizing
what he's doing, Marty condemns the village to hell - where it goes via an
impressive whirlwind ...
Nice finale for Randall and Hopkirk (deceased)'s first season,
finding the perfect mix of light comedy & all-out-horror, with some maybne
not terribly convincing but highly imaginative special effects thrown in (a
village sucked up by a whirlwind just is funny)
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