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 revival 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 (though occasionally other characters can). The remake paid much more attention to where Hopkirk went when he was not 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. Background 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 series 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 WTTV, Reeves and Mortimer showed a strong interest in the two lead roles. After being offered the roles, the pair suggested Charlie Higson as writer. Mortimer was initially to play Marty Hopkirk, to echo the physical characteristics of the original actors, but this was changed as Higson felt that Reeves' "manic energy" better suited Hopkirk's personality and situation. Reeves and Mortimer are both fans of the original series, with Reeves citing Hopkirk as the inspiration behind