This is a humorous British detective series produced for private TV, clearly inspired by Topper (1953). Similar to the previous series The Champions (1968), it combines two genres that were very popular at the time. This time: Secret agent / mystery like The Avengers (1961) or The Champions (1968) combined with supernatural sitcom like Bewitched (1964) or I Dream of Jeannie (1965), with more elements taken from the latter than before.
Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk run a detective agency, with Marty's wife Jean acting as secretary. When Marty dies in the first episode, he returns as a ghost and helps solve his own murder case, then stays to support his partner. Only Jeff can see and hear Marty's ghost; Jean is completely unaware that Marty isn't resting peacefully in his grave. Marty's abilities to interact with the world apart from Jeff are extremely limited, and his continued propensity to fear, panic, rash actions and jealousy about his wife and car also adds to the basic setup.
On top of that, the series' writers kept coming up with interesting new ways to exploit the setting by adding psychiatrists, exorcists, other ghosts and the like, good or evil, in various constellations. Only one season of 26 episodes was produced, but it is well worth watching.
Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk run a detective agency, with Marty's wife Jean acting as secretary. When Marty dies in the first episode, he returns as a ghost and helps solve his own murder case, then stays to support his partner. Only Jeff can see and hear Marty's ghost; Jean is completely unaware that Marty isn't resting peacefully in his grave. Marty's abilities to interact with the world apart from Jeff are extremely limited, and his continued propensity to fear, panic, rash actions and jealousy about his wife and car also adds to the basic setup.
On top of that, the series' writers kept coming up with interesting new ways to exploit the setting by adding psychiatrists, exorcists, other ghosts and the like, good or evil, in various constellations. Only one season of 26 episodes was produced, but it is well worth watching.