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Fans of ITC programmes have always been well served with really high standard DVD and Blu-ray sets from Australia, UK and USA. These varied editions, however, present dilemmas for fans like me: should I upgrade my collection to a seemingly better edition and if I do should I retain my existing copy or dispose of the old one? All sorts of factors influence this decision such as financial, aesthetic and space considerations. I can't tell you whether to add this edition to your collection, use it to replace an existing copy or pass on it altogether. What I will try to do is explain how this version compares to the Network and Umbrella DVD sets and the Network Blu-ray set, thereby helping you to make an informed decision.

To start with, there are no region coding hassles with this Blu-ray set. It is Region Free and will play worldwide. In any case, the UK shares the same region for Blu-rays as Australia, but if you live in the USA or elsewhere it will play fine in your country too.

I assume that anyone visiting this site will already be familiar with the series and its premise. If you haven’t seen it for a long time then be assured that it retains all its charm, with interesting storylines, humour and a good rapport between the three leads. If you are unsure about whether it is worth watching old TV shows in High Definition then I can assure you that most of the ITC shows that have been restored in HD have been done to an incredibly high standard and show a lot of detail that was always there but hasn’t previously been seen. None of the distractions inherent in the relatively poor quality DVD versions are there now and you can just relax and enjoy this fantastic series in its vivid 1960s glory. This is the same HD restoration as the earlier Network release and it is gorgeous!

There are five completely new featurettes and one new audio commentary. The featurette I enjoyed the most was Titles by... The History of Chambers and Partners by ITC expert Jaz Wiseman. In common with its subject matter, it is an extremely stylish documentary in which Jaz talks about the artistry of the different title sequences which this company made for ITC series. The titles are a memorable feature for fans of ITC programmes and they set them apart from cheap-looking and functional titles of most British series from the same era.

In fact, the titles are a particularly salient issue for fans of Randall and Hopkirk with fans divided about what is the best or correct title sequence, usually based on which one introduced them to the series. The graveyard Only you, Jeff sequence (a favourite for those who saw the earliest ITV screenings) versus the actual original titles – the hand sequence – which was shown in the 1980s ITV regional and 1990s BBC2 network transmissions of the show. This box set allows you to set your favoured title sequence for watching each individual episode – with options available for either of the two UK sequences or the US version with the variant title My Partner the Ghost. Stateside fans can even make this box set their own just by reversing the displayed view of the hardcase box which has the US title – something which made my wife "Tut tut" as she doesn’t like the alternate title.

Returning to the featurettes, Jonathan Wood has produced one for this set on the different episode running orders (duration: 15 minutes) – which is perfect for geeks like me. I find that with most ITC series the best way to watch them is to use a random number generator as this deals with issue such as consecutive episodes sharing sets or props (The Champions), moving from real foreign locations to gloomy Britain (as in The Persuaders!) or changes in direction and tone (Man in a Suitcase and Randall and Hopkirk).

The other new featurettes are: an 8 minute interview with Jane Merrow where she reflects on her involvement in Randall and Hopkirk and ITC programmes more generally (I recommend following her page on Facebook which she runs for the benefit of fans); one on Jeannie’s fashions in the show and the other on restoring the series in HD – which is interesting for tech buffs.

The brand new commentary is by film historian Henry Holland and Dennis Spooner’s daughter Elaine. She is very knowledgeable about her father’s work and enthusiastic about discussing it, making this a delightful if slightly poignant commentary. The other commentaries are all from either the previous Network or Umbrella sets. To the best of my knowledge, the only US DVD release of the show was by A&E, comprised only half the episodes, and had little in the way of extras apart from photo galleries, cast biographies and an irrelevant History Channel documentary on haunted London. Oddly, the release used the UK title Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), suggesting that it was aimed at people who had bought other ITC shows rather than those who remembered seeing it on TV. Perhaps if they had used the US title My Partner the Ghost there might have been enough interest to release the second half of the series.

Anybody hoping for scandal or people dishing out dirt on the commentaries will be disappointed. There were no big egos or method actors or auteurs on this show – just good professionals and the professionalism and warmth you see on screen is the whole story. That doesn’t mean that it is not interesting or enjoyable hearing people’s anecdotes and recollections.

The commentaries from the Umbrella DVD are as follows:

• Who Killed Cock Robin? – Roy Ward Baker (director).

• Vendetta for a Dead Man – Cyril Frankel (director and ITC stalwart) and George Sewell (guest star). Nice affectionate interplay between them on this one.

• Can You Recognise the Man Again? – Ken Baker (assistant director) and Malcolm Christopher (production supervisor)

• A Disturbing Case – Annette André (star)

The Umbrella commentaries, all from 2005, are moderated by Jaz Wiseman, who often knows more than the original personnel can remember and he is excellent at drawing out recollections from his guests and filling in gaps when their memories are faulty. It is often understandably hard for actors and production staff to remember things that happened 40 years previously. I would have great difficulty in remembering much about my work of that long ago. However, it is great to hear them talking as many of them are now no longer with us.

The Network commentaries are as follows:

• My Late Lamented Friend and Partner – Kenneth Cope (star), Annette André (star) and Cyril Frankel (director).

• For the Girl Who Has Everything – Cyril Frankel (director) Ken Baker (assistant director) and Malcolm Christopher (production supervisor).

• That’s How Murder Snowballs – Ray Austin (writer) and Brian Clemens (not actually involved with this episode but always worth listening to). This is one of Ray Austin’s earliest television scripts, but it's a great story and one of my favourite episodes.

• A Disturbing Case – Kenneth Cope (star), Annette André (star) and Guy Pratt (son of star Mike Pratt).

• A Disturbing Case – Ray Austin (director) and Brian Clemens (not involved in this episode).

• The Ghost Talks – Cyril Frankel (director), Ken Baker (assistant director) and Malcolm Christopher (production supervisor). This episode can also be watched with an introduction by Kenneth Cope from the Umbrella set.

There are also some additional featurettes from the Umbrella and Network sets:

• A Kenneth Cope interview (Umbrella). This is a superb 35 minute interview that shows off Kenneth’s great sense of humour.

• An Annette André interview (Umbrella), which is also excellent

• A Making Of documentary (Network) which is very nice because it shows Kenneth Cope and Annette André reunited and has contributions by many people involved in the series. It is narrated by Ian Ogilvy and discusses a range of topics including locations and the tension between the series being more humour based or drama based.

• There are various other odds and ends (again from previous editions) including textless titles, production footage (which here is helpfully divided by episode for the first time), photo galleries and memorabilia galleries.

Additional bonuses are episodes from other series which feature the Randall and Hopkirk stars: an episode of a series called The Man in Room 17 which features Mike Pratt and UFO favourite Vladek Sheybal; a Tales of Edgar Wallace film/episode which features Kenneth Cope; and best of all is an excellent episode of Gideon’s Way featuring Annette André which is stunningly restored in HD.

There is one thing I found frustrating about this set and that is the menus. Whatever item you are on is highlighted in a very light green which is almost indistinguishable from the white lettering of the other menu items. When you click on an item it turns red before loading but by that time it is too late if you have clicked in the wrong item.

The box includes a beautiful book with finely reproduced stills. The first half of the book is a new essay by television historian Andrew Pixley. While not as big as his books that accompanied Network releases of The Prisoner and UFO, it is very informative and well written. In common with his essays in other Imprint ITC releases, it contains information about what else ITC was doing at the time, making me think that when they are all put together they will form a detailed history of the company. The middle of the book contains the ITC sales brochure and the text of the press book, followed by ITC episode summaries from their story information book, the cover of which is included. Each episode has a beautifully reproduced still from the episode on the left hand page followed by the story information on the right page. The design of the booklet is exquisite and a great piece of merchandising itself. The discs are housed in three plastic cases and everything fits into one of Imprint’s upright 'hardcase' boxes.

It's worth pointing out that there are a few things from the Network and Umbrella sets which don't appear here. Jane Merrow's episode introduction to Who Killed Cock Robin? from the Umbrella set is missing – probably because there is a new interview with her, and it would have been repetition. Also missing is the film Angel On My Shoulder (1946) which featured in the Network set and was cited by Dennis Spooner as a major inspiration for the show. It is possible that this is because there was a US Blu-ray release of this film by VCI Entertainment in 2021 and the licence situation has therefore changed.

There are a few stylistic differences which you might miss if you have the Umbrella DVD set. Their motion menus began with a brief, cheeky clip of Kenneth Cope specially filmed in the same vein as ones done by Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvy for their Umbrella sets. You also don’t get the 'ITC Presents' ident at the start of the disc and each episode, which was a lovely flourish in the Umbrella DVD sets. Also, the initial hard cardboard box release of the Umbrella DVD set included a standalone leaflet reproduction of the ITC sales brochure. You do get it reproduced in the booklet for this set but it is kind of nice to have these things as standalone items and try to imagine yourself as an ITC rep selling the series to a bored American TV executive.

Overall, I think this set is great. If you don’t have the series in HD, it is an absolute must buy. The same applies if you don’t have either of the DVD sets. If you have a bare bones Network Blu-ray set and one of the DVD sets then there are a lot of 'new' extras for you. If you have both DVD sets and a Blu-ray set then it is a more difficult decision, but it's worth mentioning that Imprint have gone the extra mile and produced new special features in addition to bringing together very nearly everything from previous editions. If you are a real fan then you are going to weaken eventually and it is better to buy this limited edition now rather than pay over the odds on ebay when it inevitably sells out!

I hope that this rather long review has been a helpful one, and if you do buy this great new set... Enjoy!