"That's How Murder Snowballs" is the fifth

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. Etymology The noun ''episode'' is ...

of the 1969 ITC British

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt (actor), Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Denn ...

'' starring Mike Pratt,

Kenneth Cope Kenneth Charles Cope (14 April 1931 – 11 September 2024) was an English actor and scriptwriter. He was best known for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in '' Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'', Jed Stone in ''Coronation Street,'' Ray Hilton in '' ...

and

Annette Andre Annette Andre (born 24 June 1939) is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Early life and early career The daughter of an upholsterer, Annette Andre was born in Drummoyne, Australia ...

. Directed by Paul Dickson and written by Ray Austin, the episode was first broadcast on 19 October 1969 on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

Synopsis

Overview

In this episode themes of

morality Morality () is the categorization of intentions, Decision-making, decisions and Social actions, actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principle ...

are raised when after Fernadez is murdered Jeff tips off a newspaper contact named Barry Jones who pays him well for story information. Jeannie on the other hand shows some moral compunction by questioning Jeff's ethics in selling a story. "Well, did you get your blood money?" she demands of Jeff. We also learn that Jeff once paid Jeannie with a gold earring "in lieu of salary" again revealing his financial difficulties. Jeff is hit many times in this episode. He is coshed over the head, shot at four times, nearly hit with a large sandbag and a thrown

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

, and worst of all is knocked out by a shelf tipped on him in the basement as he is searching for clues. Meanwhile, in this episode Marty acquires a taste for dining at the finest restaurants, remarking that he had recently dined at the Savoy with the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

(at the time

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...

Cast

* Mike Pratt as Jeff Randall *

as Marty Hopkirk *

as Jeannie Hopkirk *

Robin Askwith Robin Mark Askwith (born 12 October 1950) is an English actor and singer who has appeared in a number of film, television and stage productions. Making his film debut as Keating in the film '' if....'' (1968), a role he would reprise in '' Brit ...

as Call boy *

Simon Barnes Simon Barnes is an English journalist. He was chief sports writer of ''The Times'' until 2014, and wrote a wildlife opinion column in the Saturday edition of the same newspaper. He has written three novels. The son of Edward Barnes, a co-cr ...

as Man with Cards * James Belchamber as Mark *

Harold Berens Harold Berens (born Isadore Harold Berenbaum; 4 March 1903 – 10 May 1995) was a British comedian and character actor. Biography He was born into a Jewish family in Glasgow, the son of a tailor, and grew up and was educated in Leeds, Harrog ...

as Tony Lang *

Arthur Brough Arthur Brough (born Frederick Arthur Baker; 26 February 1905 – 28 May 1978) was a British actor, theatre founder, producer, and director. He is best known for portraying the bumbling senior menswear salesman Ernest Grainger on the BBC TV sitc ...

as Snowy *

John Cazabon John Forde Cazabon (3 August 1914 – 22 June 1983) was an English actor and stage writer whose career began in Sydney, Australia. History Cazabon was born in Hertford, Hertfordshire, to violinist and composer Albert Cazabon (1883–1970) and N ...

as Doctor *

Grazina Frame Grazina Frame (born Lydia Anna Grazina Obrycha; 6 November 1941) is an English stage and screen actress, singer and voice double Early life Grazina Frame was born as Lydia Anna Grazina Obrycha to Polish parents Zena Frame (mother) and Karol Jan ...

as Gloria Marsh * Michael Griffiths as Inspector Nelson *

Patrick Holt Patrick Holt (31 January 1912 – 12 October 1993) was an English film and television actor. Biography Born Patrick Parsons in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Holt spent some of his childhood in India with his uncle, after which he was sent to ...

as Barry Jones * Stuart Hoyle as Kim *

David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally as David Jason, is an English actor. He has played Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector Jack Frost in the drama series '' A Touch ...

as Abel *

Valerie Leon Valerie Therese Leon (born 12 November 1943) is an English actress and model who has had roles in many film and television productions, including six of the '' Carry On'' film series and two James Bond films, '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and ...

as Kay *

Marie Makine Marie may refer to the following. People Given name * Marie (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** List of people named Marie * Marie (Japanese given name) Surname * Jean Gabriel-Marie, French composer ...

as Old Lady (credited as Marie Makino) *

John Styles John Styles (17 March 1782 – 22 June 1849) was an English Congregational church, Congregational minister, biographer and animal welfare writer. While he is in many places described as a Methodist, the notices in the ''Evangelical Magazine'' to ...

as Ventriloquist *

Tony Thawnton Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony the Tiger, cartoon mascot for Frosted Flakes cereal * Tony (given name) Tony is an English masculine given name that occurs as a diminutive form of Anthony or Antonio in many countries ...

as Fernandez

Production

Although the 5th episode in the series, ''That's How Murder Snowballs'' was the 11th episode to be shot, filmed between October and November 1968. The theatre used in this episode is the Palace Theatre, Watford, Herts. The music used for Gloria Marsh's song is lifted from ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–1943), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders ...

'' episode ''Portrait of Brenda'', first shown in February 1969. Silent behind-the-scenes footage of this episode was included as an extra on the fourth-region 2 DVD. Shot by a

second unit A second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming s ...

crew using stand-ins for the leads, the sequence runs to 1 minute, 6 seconds.

References

External links