This 1969 British TV series, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), introduced the rather bizarre concept of one half of a private detective team being a ghost, having died in a hit and run accident, during a routine divorce investigation. Rather extreme for divorce, you might think - and thereby hangs a tale.
The ghost and brains of the operation is one Marty Hopkirk (played by Kenneth Cope), who appears to his, rather less bright partner, Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt), while Randall is visiting Hopkirk's grave in the cemetery. Of course, being a ghost, Marty wears the obligatory white suit.
The object of Hopkirk's appearance is to help Randall find his (Hopkirk's) killer which in due course, they do. This taste of success leaves Marty wanting to stay around and help Jeff with further cases. He is also self-appointed guardian of Jeff's life in general, including his driving and his personal life, on which Marty comments liberally and without invitation, to the point of nagging mercilessly.
The other main character is Jeannie played by Annette Andre, Marty's widow, to whom Marty is still very attached. Marty is extremely jealous and makes sure that things go wrong if ever another man takes an interest in Jeannie. To make matters worse, Jeannie joins Jeff at the agency and in the course of their work, they become quite close. Of course, Marty doesn't stand for that either and takes steps to ensure that something always prevents their actually getting together.
The amusing thread of the series is that only Jeff Randall can see and speak to Marty Hopkirk, and often finds himself in conversation with another, live person, while Marty stands behind him nagging and reminding him what to say. Jeff is sometimes seen apparently talking to himself, which makes matters awkward, particularly with Jeannie. Despite Marty's best efforts, he never does manage to contact Jeannie.
The original series only ran for 26 episodes, but remains as a fond memory to its small following.
In the year 2000, however, the series came around again on BBC1 in the UK starring Vic Reeves as Hopkirk, Bob Mortimer as Randall and Emilia Fox as Jeannie. I guess they wouldn't have done that if the original hadn't had a fair popularity.
If you want to find out about someone's life without their notion, be it regarding a case work, about kidnapping, to collect evidence of illegal conduct by your partner, or anything that you need to know, a private investigator can do that for you. A private investigator, or PI, is a person who does investigations for a private citizen or some other entity not involved with a government or police organization.
What do they do?
Private investigators investigate cyber crimes such as identity theft, illegal downloading of copyrighted material, and harassing e-mails. Many insurance companies hire them to resolve claims. They also investigate cases dealing with civil liability and personal injury cases, child custody and protection cases, insurance claims and fraud, premarital screening, and missing person's cases. They gather information through interviews, investigation and surveillance, and research, including review of public documents.
Many of these private investigators often specialize in a particular field. Some may focus on intellectual property theft, for example, they help clients stop illegal activity, investigate and document acts of piracy, and provide intelligence for prosecution and civil action, where others may deal in developing financial profiles and asset searches.
These investigators are always required to keep detailed notes, and they have to be prepared to testify in court regarding any of the investigations carried out by them. To carry out investigations, they may use various types of surveillance or searches; however they cannot go out of the law, otherwise they can lose their licenses as well as face criminal charges. Private investigators assist attorneys, businesses, and the public, with legal, financial, and personal problems.
Qualifications required:
There are basically no formal education requirements to become a private detective and investigator, though some do have college degrees. Many choose to become a private investigator after their retirement from the military, Federal intelligence jobs, or government auditing and investigative positions. There are many other people who enter this profession from such diverse fields such as accounting, finance, commercial credit, insurance, investigative reporting, and law. Only a few enter the occupation directly after graduation from college, doing a bachelor degree in criminal justice or police science.
Know your Investigator:
There are hundreds of private investigators, so you have to be careful while choosing one for your work. You have to find out from people around you, and it's a good idea to get acquainted with the industry by asking lots of questions. Sometimes you just have to follow your instinct, and also rely upon impressions you get from interviewing the detective as to whether or not you need him, why you need him, and so on.
There are some things that you need to check about the detective before hiring him:
- His license - His past experience - His specialties
If he holds a good record and you think you can trust him, then he is the one for you.
Both Michael Russell & Paul Maciver are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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