But What a Sweet Little Room

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“But What a Sweet Little Room”
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 13
Written by	Tony Williamson
Directed by	Jeremy Summers
Guest stars	Michael Goodliffe Doris Hare Norman Bird Raymond Young Anne De Vigier
Production no.	13
Original airdate	14 December 1969
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "For the Girl who Has Everything " "Who Killed Cock Robin?"
List of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)episodes

"But What a Sweet Little Room" is the thirteenth episode of the popular 1969 ITC British television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre. The episode was first broadcast on 14 December 1969 on the ITV. Directed by Jeremy Summers.

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Overview 3 Cast 4 Video and DVD release 5 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Jeff investigates the disappearance of a wealthy young girl's aunt. When she too is killed he is led to the regular meetings of a medium, Madame Hanska, and uses Jeannie as a decoy to foil a thieving operation in which a gang of three middle class men murder and rob rich middle aged widows by taking them on an apparently innocent excursion to a cottage in the county.

[edit] Overview

In this episode Marty contacts a phony psychic medium who claims to be able to contact the dead husbands and wives of well heeled middle aged widows and widowers. To the fake medium's extreme surprise he is then able to materialise as a ghost in front of her (the first real ghost she has ever seen in her long career) and gets her to confess to receiving money from the gang of three middle class men in return for setting up seances at which they target wealthy widows and lure them to their deaths. She shows a genuine sense of fear and remorse over her wrong-doing when confronted by Marty the ghost.

This is a particularly macabre episode (very different from the almost slapstick comedic atmosphere of The Ghost of Monte Carlo) with the sudden unexpected grisly death of the widow in a gas proof chamber, initially masquerading as a delightful cottage drawing room or study (the room that gives its name to the episode title), shown in graphic detail at the start of the program. Only later on in the episode does it become clear why such a bizarre and elaborate means of murdering the widows has been constructed by the script writers when Jeff is also nearly gassed to death in the same room only to be saved at the last moment with Marty's usual spiritual assistance.

[edit] Cast

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) 21 September 1969 - 13 March 1970 Actors  Directors Mike Pratt Kenneth Cope Annette Andre

Episodes: My Late Lamented Friend and Partner A Disturbing Case All Work and No Pay Never Trust a Ghost That's How Murder Snowballs Just for the Record Murder Ain't What it Used to Be Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying? The House on Haunted Hill When did You Start to Stop Seeing Things? The Ghost Who Saved the Bank at Monte Carlo For The Girl Who Has Everything But What a Sweet Little Room Who Killed Cock Robin? The Man from Nowhere When the Spirit Moves You Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave Could You Recognise That Man Again? A Sentimental Journey Money to Burn The Ghost Talks It's Supposed to be Thicker than Water The Trouble with Women Vendetta for a Dead Man You Can Always Find a Fall Guy The Smile Behind the Veil

• Mike Pratt as Jeff Randall
• Kenneth Cope as Marty Hopkirk
• Annette Andre as Jeannie Hopkirk

• Frances Bennett .... Anne Fenwick
• Norman Bird .... Elliot
• Joby Blanshard .... Police Inspector
• Anne De Vigier .... Julia Fenwick
• Chris Gannon .... Salesman
• Michael Goodliffe .... Arthur de Crecy
• Doris Hare .... Madame Hanska
• Cyril Renison .... Andrews
• Betty Woolfe .... Martha
• Raymond Young .... Rawlings

[edit] Video and DVD release

The episode was released on VHS and several times on DVD with differing special features.

[edit] External links

• http://www.anorakzone.com/randall/old/index.html
• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0682592/