Rentaghost
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Rentaghost was a British children's television comedy show broadcast between 1976 and 1984. The show's plot centered on the antics of a number of ghosts who worked for a firm called Rentaghost, which rented out the ghosts for various tasks.
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[edit] Background
The company, located in South Ealing, is run by Fred Mumford, a recently deceased loser who feels he can find work for ghosts whose lives were as failed as his. His first (and only) recruits are Timothy Claypole, a mischievous jester with a comical lack of knowledge about modern technology, and Hubert Davenport, a delicate Victorian era gentleman who is morally shocked by the modern world. The ghosts work from an office which they rent from Harold Meaker, who discovers the truth about them in the 3rd episode.
Over the course of several series, other characters were added: Hazel the McWitch, a Scottish witch; Nadia Popov, a Dutch ghost who suffers from hayfever and teleports away when she sneezes; and the pantomime horse Dobbin, who appears in a one-off Christmas special called Rentasanta and is brought to life by Claypole.
Another character who appears in more than one episode is a ghost from the Wild West called Catastrophe Kate, played by Jane Shelden, who is collected from outside a magic garden in the Spirit World by Fred Mumford. The two ghosts are transported back to Earth on a flying broom named Dusty, Catastrophe Kate having turned down the alternative of a flying carpet.
When actor Michael Darbyshire (the performer of Mr Davenport) died, Anthony Jackson (Mr Mumford) declined to appear in the next series, leaving Michael Staniforth's Claypole the sole original ghost. After Mumford's departure, the business was taken over by Harold Meaker and his wife Ethel, who suffered from the various problems the ghosts brought to their lives.
The long suffering neighbours of Rentaghost are the Perkins, who think the Meakers are mad.
A musical version of the show written by Rentaghost fan Joe Pasquale toured the UK during the spring and summer of 2006, continuing to a late summer season at Butlins.
[edit] Style
Rentaghost was a comedy and some episodes could be considered very camp, with elements of pantomime. The acting in later episodes was sometimes over the top, and the scripts contained highly-contrived jokes, as illustrated in the example below.
- The Meakers have left their house to catch a bus into town. Mr Meaker, carrying aloft an umbrella, intends to buy a work of art for the office wall. Mrs Meaker is walking a small dog belonging to a neighbour. Mr Claypole appears unnoticed behind the Meakers as they wait at the bus-stop, and magically changes the umbrella into a television aerial and the dog into a brass kettle. The Perkinses approach and notice the bizarre appearance of the Meakers, muttering about their madness.
- Mrs Perkins (to Mrs Meaker): What an unusual dog.
- Mrs Meaker (very pleased): Yes, I'm walking him for a friend.
- Mrs Perkins (increasingly disturbed, indicating the kettle): What's his name?
- Mrs Meaker: Rusty!
- Mr Perkins (to Mr Meaker, incredulously): Are you going into town like that?
- Mr Meaker: Yes, I'm hoping to get a good picture!
[edit] Running jokes
In an early series, the Perkinses are given a magical amulet that grants all their wishes. They do not realise this, however, and persist in expressing odd wishes which the amulet then grants.
- Mr Perkins (referring to Mr Meaker): I wish he was here now. For two pins, I'd tell him what I think of him!
- The amulet is seen glowing. Mr Meaker immediately walks into Mr Perkins's living-room.
- Mr Meaker (in a strange monotone): "I am here."
- Meaker produces two enormous 'prop' pins and hands them to Mr Perkins, who accepts them in the same somnambulist way.
- Mr Perkins: You are a nutter.
- Mr Meaker: Thank you.
- The pair bid each other farewell and Mr Meaker leaves.
- Mr Perkins returns to normal and is confused and somewhat distressed by what has just happened.
One of the more frequent running jokes was the building's cellar. The building's power was provided by a dragon who served as a furnace. If anyone entered the cellar, typically all characters present would chant "don't go into the cellar" all at once, and a few moments later the unfortunate who went in would return charred and covered in soot.
[edit] Influences
The situation of Rentaghost was very similar to that of The Goodies, with three middle-aged men running an agency and hiring themselves out for money. Michael Staniforth's character (who also wrote and sang the theme tune) bears close comparison with the similarly small and bearded Bill Oddie who wrote and sang the theme music to The Goodies.
[edit] DVD
Only the first series of Rentaghost has been released on VHS and DVD. It is unlikely that any other series will be released, due to complicated rights. A number of actors are blocking the release because their contract at the time did not include video royalties. Some of the actors have been offered small one-off payments that have been rejected, and several cast members (or their families) are unable to be contacted, to grant consent. Two minor actors, who have since left the profession, have blocked a number of episodes, and they are unlikely to be shown. In addition, the programme included extracts from many copyrighted songs, often played in the background. Clearance of these is increasingly financially unviable for DVD releases.
Some master copies of Rentaghost episodes were junked by Adam Lee of the BBC archives in 1993 on the assumption that they were 'no use' and that examples of some other episodes were sufficient. However, the BBC Enterprises had requested copies of the first three series a couple of years earlier and indeed they were showing at the time on UK Gold - these were later recovered by the BBC Archive.
[edit] Regular cast
- Michael Staniforth - Timothy Claypole
- Edward Brayshaw - Harold Meaker
- Ann Emery - Ethel Meaker
- Anthony Jackson - Fred Mumford (1976-1978)
- Michael Darbyshire - Hubert Davenport (1976-1978)
- Molly Weir - Hazel the McWitch (1977-1984)
- Sue Nicholls - Nadia Popov (1981-1984)
- Christopher Biggins - Adam Painting (1978-1983)
- Hal Dyer - Rose Perkins (1978-1984)
- Jeffrey Segal - Arthur Perkins (1978-1984)
- Lynda La Plante - Tamara Novek (1980) (as Lynda Marchal)
