Perkinses, who appear from series four onwards and think the Meakers are mad. Episodes Releases Only the first series of Rentaghost was released on VHS and DVD, with rights issues holding up further release. However, the first two series were made available digitally via the BBC Store. Some master copies of Rentaghost episodes and other children's shows were wiped by the BBC in 1993 on the assumption that they were no use and that examples of some other episodes were sufficient. The wiped tapes were then sold overseas to countries that still used obsolete, in the UK at least, tape formats. However, BBC Enterprises had requested copies of the first three series a couple of years earlier and they were showing at the time on UK Gold; these were later recovered by the BBC Archives. The first two series and series nine is currently available through the UK BritBox service as part of their "Back To School" section. Britbox is a subscription online TV service run by BBC and ITV. Regular cast Anthony Jackson - Fred Mumford (1976–1978) Michael Darbyshire - Hubert Davenport (1976–1978) Michael Staniforth - Timothy Claypole (1976–1984) Betty Alberge - Mrs Sheila Mumford (1976–1978) John Dawson - Mr Phil Mumford (1976–1978) Edward Brayshaw - Harold Meaker (1976–1984) Ann Emery - Ethel Meaker (1976–1984) Christopher Biggins - Adam Painting (1977–1984) Molly Weir - Hazel the McWitch (1978–1984) Hal Dyer - Rose Perkins (1978–1984) Jeffrey Segal - Arthur Perkins (1978–1984) William Perrie and John Asquith - Dobbin the Pantomime Horse (1978–1984) Lynda Marchal - Tamara Novek (1980) Sue Nicholls - Nadia Popov (1981–1984) Kenneth Connor - Whatsisname Smith (1983–1984) Aimi MacDonald - Susie Starlight (1984) (Vincent White) - Bernie St. John (1984) Remakes A pilot for an Australian version of the series was filmed in 1989, five years after the end of the original series, and in keeping with other BBC series such as Are You Being Served which had been adapted for Australian versions. The producers had originally wanted Michael Staniforth to reprise his role as Mister Claypole, the unofficial 'lead' of the original series, but Staniforth had died two years prior. The pilot, which followed a similar plot to the first two episodes of the original Rentaghost but with some of the more pantomime-like humour of later years, was set in a derelict old office in Victoria due for destruction, where the Rentaghost team had set up