#Rentaghost

[earhartsease]

when we were 14, this ludicrous tv series started on bbc called Rentaghost, in which Mr Mumford, a recently dead ghost, starts a business renting ghosts out to humans to help with difficult situations - anyway we mainly watched it for the poltergeist character, Timothy Claypole, an absolutely queer ghost minstrel who we as a closet queer trans teen loved with a fiery passion

he was played by Michael Staniforth, a gay actor who died of aids in 1987, breaking our heart when he did - anyway look at this absolute sweetheart in the first ep in 1976

[frankidacre]

the queer fashion spectrum

[partywithponies]

So Ghosts got taken off Britbox, Britbox still only has seasons 1, 2, and 9 of Rentaghost with no sign of seasons 3-8 ever appearing, and Ghosts of Motley Hall is still nowhere to be seen on any streaming service.

[cbrailway]

i need more timothy claypole gifs and pictures otherwise i might sob or kms there’s no in between

[bogusbyron]

how many people actually want to watch rentaghost but cant... i thought it was just me but maybe there are more. any other michael staniforth fans out there or is it just me & one other guy out there

[tobbogan-13]

Happy birthday Micheal Staniforth!!!!

[nauticaltrainofthe80s]

Starlight Express Appreciation Month

Day 17: Pre-2018 Caboose

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Favorite Actor: Michael Staniforth for voice and Todd Lester for physicality

Favorite Song/Scene: Wide Smile. It’s the perfect act II wake up call

Favorite Costume: Broadway but you know how it looks on the 89 bootleg? Yeah that. Those super shiny legs. Honestly one of the best designs in the whole show

Favorite Ship: Dinahboose

Headcanon: Besides the whole serial killer thing, he’s a bit of an oddity among cabooses. He did a bit too good of a job convincing everyone he was a Normal Helpful Guy. Sure cabooses are pretty intelligent, considerate individuals because of the amount of stuff they have to take care of on a train, but they’re not very friendly. Everyone felt a little uneasy around CB. A big smile but with eyes that looked right through you. 

Unpopular Opinion: I have none. Perfect character

[kwebtv]

Rentaghost - BBC One - January 6, 1976 - November 6, 1984

Children's Comedy (58 episodes)

Running Time: 30 minutes

Stars:

Anthony Jackson - Fred Mumford (1976–1978)

Michael Darbyshire - Hubert Davenport (1976–1978)

Michael Staniforth - Timothy Claypole (1976–1984)

Betty Alberge - Mrs Sheila Mumford (1976–1978)

John Dawson - Mr Phil Mumford (1976–1978)

Edward Brayshaw - Harold Meaker (1976–1984)

Ann Emery - Ethel Meaker (1976–1984)

Christopher Biggins - Adam Painting (1977–1984)

Molly Weir - Hazel the McWitch (1978–1984)

Hal Dyer - Rose Perkins (1978–1984)

Jeffrey Segal - Arthur Perkins (1978–1984)

William Perrie and John Asquith - Dobbin the Pantomime Horse (1978–1984)

Lynda Marchal - Tamara Novek (1980)

Sue Nicholls - Nadia Popov (1981–1984)

Kenneth Connor - Whatsisname Smith (1983–1984)

Aimi MacDonald - Susie Starlight (1984)

[cultfaction]

Cult Faction Podcast Ep. 79: 100 Years of the BBC (Part 1)

Cult Faction Podcast Ep. 79: 100 Years of the BBC (Part 1)

This week’s episode is the first part of our celebration of 100 years of the BBC aka the British Broadcasting Corporation. We look back at what programmes stood out for us and why! Expect conversations on Rentaghost, The Box of Delights, Neverwhere, The Children of Green Knowe, Moondial, The Witches and The Grinnygog, The Worst Witch, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Running Scared, M*A*S*H, Fawlty Towers,…

[quarterpastmidnight]

Am I still pissed off at myself for missing a showing of Rentaghost on the BBC at the weekend? Yes, yes I am.

And the box sets are too much out of my price range🙄

[decepti-geek]

for all that I love Ghosts, I've been getting a very different kind of joy out of watching uploads of a very, very similar show on youtube - The Ghosts of Motley Hall.

Like, a setup where the ghosts actually mostly like each other from the off, so that a huge chunk of the dialogue just goes towards establishing more and more of their meandering, idiosyncratic shared history (especially because the budget was clearly about £1.50 so they have to establish most things through dialogue)... that has its own kind of charm.

[fortunatelyfresco]

i know this changes in later seasons but something i genuinely enjoy about early rentaghost is the fact that none of the three main characters is like. The Human Straightman. much funnier and more interesting to have the everyman be a ghost who is new to being dead and still trying to figure out his ghost powers. while hanging out with an extremely powerful jester from hundreds of years ago and one of the inventors from chitty chitty bang bang.

[scotianostra]

Happy 98th Birthday the Scottish actress Gurdrun Ure.

Every year when I get to this anniversary I have a wee smile, Gurdrun was born on 12th March 1926 in Campsie, Stirlingshire, making her probably the oldest living person feature in my posts.

A lot of people , even now thought that Supergran was played by Rentaghost actress Molly Weir who passed away in 2004 aged 94, and theatrical rag The Stage even confused the two in Molly Weir's obituary, but it was always Gudrun in the award winning series, I must say I never confused the two, I loved Supergran, the series based around a grandmother with super powers. I even found a picture tagged Gurdrun that was in fact Mary Ure in one source, as far as I am aware they are not related.

The show was made for Tyne Tees Television for Children's ITV and became hugely popular with people asking 'Is there nothing that she cannae do?'. Gudrun's enemy on the show was The Scunner Campbell played by the late actor and theatre director Iain Cuthbertson and the show was so popular it won an Emmy, and was sold to over 60 countries worldwide.

In the mid-50s, she decided to start using the name "Ann Gudrun" to make it easier for her audiences but, by the 60′s it looks like she had started using her real name, according to IMDb, certainly though by the times her bout of fame came about in the 1980s she had reverted back Gudrun Ure in a new climate of more acceptance of unusual names.

Gurdrun starred in Orson Welles' 1951 stage production of Othello and also appeared in 1953 film 36 Hours at the age of 27 under the artist name Ann Gudrun. She later appeared in shows including T-Bag and the Pearls of Wisdom, Midsomer Murders, The Crow Road, Where the Heart is and Casualty, the latter being her last TV role in 2009. She also appeared around the country on stage and on radio.

Oh and the name originates from the old Norse language, but is also nowadays has been one of the most frequently given female names in Iceland as Guðrún.

There has been a buzz kately that a big screen version of the show may be in the air, Tilda Swinton, an adopted Scot has been mooted for the lead role.

[partywithponies]

Britbox is the most insane streaming service.

I mean it's also the best don't get me wrong, it's the only one that has actually niche stuff that I can't even pirate or get on DVD anywhere else, but why does it have Life on Mars but not Ashes to Ashes?

Why did it add just the Christmas specials of 'Allo 'Allo nearly an entire year before the rest of the show even though 'Allo 'Allo is the most continuity-driven sitcom with every episode following directly on from the last, making the Christmas specials make zero sense out of context?

Why do they have Ghosts but only series 2? Why do they have Renatghost but only seties 1, 2, and 9? Why do they have Catweazle but not Ghosts of Motley Hall, a similarly popular cult classic literally made by the same people? Why is britbox so ghostphobic?? Did a ghost kill the head of britbox's dog???

Why did they add up to series 11 of Grange Hill and stop???

Why did they add all of Jungle Run but not literally any other game show ever????

[commonguttersnipe]

Have you seen BBC Ghosts' 2 main(ish) TV show inspirations "Rentaghost" and "The Ghosts of Motley Hall"? If so, any thoughts?

I have seen Rent A Ghost! It was one of my Dad’s favourite shows when he was little, and I really like it!

[asexualdindjarin]

seeing tim downie in a rentaghost hoodie like oh no.... must be normal about this man....