For the former BBC Business Editor, see Jeff Randall (journalist)

Jeff Randall (journalist)

Jeff William Randall is a journalist, who presents Jeff Randall Live, a business and politics show on Sky News...

Jeff Randall is a fictional character played by Mike Pratt in the original private detective series, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)

Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...

from 1969 to 1971 and by Bob Mortimer

Bob Mortimer

Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...

 in the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 remake. He is the only man in the world (with the exception of the occasional psychic

Psychic

A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...

) who can see and hear the ghost of his deceased partner Marty Hopkirk

Marty Hopkirk

Marty Hopkirk is a fictional ghost played by English actor Kenneth Cope in the television private detective series Randall and Hopkirk from 1969 to early 1970...

.

Original Series

Randall is a successful private detective whose success in solving mysteries becomes inevitably greater once he has the benefits and paranormal

Paranormal

Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...

 abilities of his deceased partner Marty Hopkirk

Marty Hopkirk

Marty Hopkirk is a fictional ghost played by English actor Kenneth Cope in the television private detective series Randall and Hopkirk from 1969 to early 1970...

, who was murdered during an investigation. Randall is quick and agile, but often shows a distinct lack of physical strength and stamina. Randall is known to have a fiery temper and can become particularly irritated with certain situations and people, particularly the ghost of Marty, who torments him as much as helps him. He smokes regularly and is a heavy drinker under stressful situations.

Jeff at times can be a highly ambiguous character. In certain episodes he can show morals and respect for other characters, but at other times he can appear as immoral and verging on criminal in his behaviour. In the fifth episode "That's How Murder Snowballs

That's How Murder Snowballs

"That's How Murder Snowballs" is the fifth episode of the 1969 ITC British television series Randall and Hopkirk starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre...

" for example, rather than reporting to the police after the murder of a theatre performer, Randall rings a newspaper immediately to ensure that his tip off saw him a substantial amount of money for leaking the story.

Randall is also a womanizer and he attracts many beautiful women from episode to episode. However, any love interest fizzles out very quickly.

Remake

From 2000 to 2001 Randall was played by Bob Mortimer in the remake of the series. By contrast to the original series, Randall on this occasion is a far more moral individual, refusing to become involved with Jeannie after Marty's death despite being significantly tempted, and displaying little real interest in other women even when they make their attraction clear. He shows a greater understanding of other people than the original, but lacks his hand-to-hand combat skills, with most of the physical side of their cases being handled by Jeannie.