Jeff Randall

The Character

The living half of the duo known as Randall and Hopkirk (deceased). Jeff is still trying to make ends meet, mainly because he has a habit of accepting cases with little or no financial reward - although his involvement isn't always voluntary!
In his mid-thirties, Jeff's rugged exterior hides a gentle soul, and he will always fight for a deserving cause as a matter of principle; but then, he has accepted dodgy assignments - simply because the money will keep the rent paid, despite what his conscience - or the ever-present Marty - tells him. Jeff likes to relax with a glass of whiskey, and keeps some in the office as well as at home. A guitar in his flat indicates he may well be able to play it. He can speak a bit of Spanish, too - maybe he had a short posting overseas when he spent some years in the Army. He has a (somewhat disturbing) tendency to get creamed on a frequent basis. He refuses, however, to carry a firearm.
He does possess a certain charisma, as can be seen by his regular dates with many different women! He's no Captain Kirk, though; and some women seem to have their own agenda with poor Jeff. It isn't uncommon for him to get locked up, thrown down a well, or knocked out cold (with a hairbrush, even...). His relationship with Jean can never be more than a friendship - mainly because Marty would never allow it to go further, the jealous spectre suspicious of any man who comes within two feet of his widow, although she has given Jeff a key to her apartment, 'in case of emergency'. Upon Marty's death, he was given Marty's fob watch.
He is headstrong, unlike the cautious Marty, as well as being the optimist, and is just and fair; and while he has a respect for the law, he will do things his way if need be. Jeff has a knack of rubbing Scotland Yard inspectors up the wrong way - three of them, to be exact, who all seem to have it in for him. Unfortunately, Jeff seems to have a bad sense of timing when the police arrive - he's either caught standing over a body, running from the scene or knows about the incident already. But then, how do you tell a policeman your informant is a ghost who can walk through walls and is haunting you for the rest of your natural life?!

The Actor

Born June 7th, 1931 in London, Mike Pratt was already an ITC regular before Randall and Hopkirk; as can be seen by his appearances, usually as a villain, in episodes of Danger Man, The Saint, Gideon's Way, The Baron and The Champions. He was the first to be cast; said Berman, "He had just the touch we needed for the character of Randall."

He got his first taste at being a detective when he landed a a job as an assistant on the revue 'Memories of Jolson.' He admits he never found out what his primary job was, as he spent most of his time trying to find where the musical director had left his false teeth, which he had a habit of taking out and leaving around!

He was responsible for writing probably the funniest Randall And Hopkirk episode, 'A Disturbing Case', along with Ian Wilson. He really did play the guitar, and, Kenneth Cope says, "was into Indian stuff". This is evident in the series, from Jeff's posters on the walls. "He always had incense in his dressing-room... it smelt like a nice place." It proves that more than just a little of Mike went into creating Jeff's personality. An outstanding example is the episode 'The Ghost Talks,' where Mike really was laid up in a hospital bed with two broken legs! Mike was attempting to climb a drainpipe in a slightly inebriated state during his 38th birthday celebrations: "He fell 20 feet into the basement area... he'd forgotten his keys, and saw the stand-in doing it - successfully - first. Mike being Mike, he thought, 'I can do that,' and had a go." Jeff's excuse was that he'd fallen from a balcony in a chase - a little more dignified!

Mike also starred in a film with Annette Andre entitled 'This Is My Street,' and a TV series called 'Hunter's Walk' as well as utilising his talent for music composition, writing 'Little White Bull' for Tommy Steele, for example, as well as writing the songs for the film based on his life, 'The Tommy Steele Story.'

Mike Pratt sadly died of lung cancer on July 10th, 1976. He is sorely missed.

Mike's ITC Appearances

The Baron: 'There's Someone Close Behind You' as Sheldon
The Champions: 'Twelve Hours' as Raven
Danger Man/Secret Agent: 'The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove' as Briefcase
Danger Man/Secret Agent: 'The Black Book' as Serge
Danger Man/Secret Agent: 'A Very Dangerous Game' as the British Controller
Danger Man/Secret Agent: 'The Man Who Wouldn't Talk' as the Garage Manager
Father Brown: 'The Arrow Of Heaven' as Colonel Hector
Gideon's Way: 'Fall High, Fall Hard' as Jenson
Gideon's Way: 'The Reluctant Witness' as Red Carter
Jason King: 'A Red, Red Rose Forever' as Carson
Man In A Suitcase: 'Variation On A Million Bucks' (parts one and two) as Detective Sergeant Peters
The Saint: 'The Imprudent Politician' as Alex Morgan
The Saint: 'The Persistent Patriots' as Jeff Peterson
U F O: 'Psychobombs' as Clem Mason

Jeff's Car

Jeff drives a Vauxhall Victor FD, a luxury model of the time which had a red interior. This photograph of an identical model was taken in Germany at about the time the series was being filmed. Jeff's car also makes a cameo appearance in Department S, as the two series were filmed side by side. For the model fans, kit maker Bernard Taylor has created a 1:76 scale version of the Victor, which retails for eight pounds. See it here.

The FD Victor saloon, registration no. RXD 996F

An almost identical car, a Ventora, with a close registration to this one, was used in 'Money To Burn'. That version had a soft black top. I had thought that there were no roadworthy models left in existence, but Howard Bennett has sighted one in Gloucester, not to mention a couple of other models that did not appear in such a good condition. Also, fan Paul Fretwell owns a white Ventora, photos of which can be seen by clicking on the images below:

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