Jeff Randall and Jeannie Hopkirk (Mike Pratt and Annette Andre) recognise George Roden (Stanley Meadows), a West End gangster, as the killer of a rival villain, Jennings, in a car park outside of a hotel where they had attended a Rotary Club dinner. The body had been dumped inside Jeff's car, and in order to stop them from giving evidence at the trial, George's mother, Mrs Roden (Madge Ryan), has Jeff beaten up and Jeannie kidnapped. In order to try and prevent Jeff from giving evidence against George, the Rodens threaten him with Jeannie's life. So it becomes a race against time to find her before the court returns a verdict of not guilty and George walks away a free man. Even in that eventuality, it is likely that they will have her killed anyway. The trouble is even Jeff's ghostly partner, Marty (Kenneth Cope), cannot find her.
All in all, Could You Recognise That Man Again? is another fun addition to this well-loved series. It strikes the correct balance between straight detective thriller and comedy under the skilled direction of Jeremy Summers. The humour comes from Jeff attending a Rotary Club dinner having been persuaded to go by Jeannie who thinks that he could meet some potentially lucrative clients there. The problem is he has left it until the last minute to hire an evening suit and there is a hilarious scene inside a shop where Jeff argues with the shopkeeper who is unable to find a suit that properly fits him. And Marty is there winding him up with his teasing quips. The suspense aspect is there too with Jeff and Marty's hunt for Jean and the climatic scene at the courtroom where Marty uses his supernatural powers to delay the proceedings giving Jeff time to rescue Jeannie and get to the court before the judge makes his ruling allowing the murderer to go free is effective. It's depiction of London's underworld with gangsters and protection rackets gives it a feeling for realism, which is helped by down-to-earth and honest performances from the cast. Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope are a joy to watch as always while Annette Andre gets more to do here whereas, more often than not, her role was woefully underwritten in other episodes. But the most attractive aspect in this episode has to be the mother figure leading the criminal gang's activities. Madge Ryan is excellent in the role of Mrs Roden portraying her as clever, resourceful and devilishly ruthless. We wonder if it is she who was really the mastermind behind the gang's operations rather than her son even though he was seen as gangster number one by the police.
All in all, Could You Recognise That Man Again? is another fun addition to this well-loved series. It strikes the correct balance between straight detective thriller and comedy under the skilled direction of Jeremy Summers. The humour comes from Jeff attending a Rotary Club dinner having been persuaded to go by Jeannie who thinks that he could meet some potentially lucrative clients there. The problem is he has left it until the last minute to hire an evening suit and there is a hilarious scene inside a shop where Jeff argues with the shopkeeper who is unable to find a suit that properly fits him. And Marty is there winding him up with his teasing quips. The suspense aspect is there too with Jeff and Marty's hunt for Jean and the climatic scene at the courtroom where Marty uses his supernatural powers to delay the proceedings giving Jeff time to rescue Jeannie and get to the court before the judge makes his ruling allowing the murderer to go free is effective. It's depiction of London's underworld with gangsters and protection rackets gives it a feeling for realism, which is helped by down-to-earth and honest performances from the cast. Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope are a joy to watch as always while Annette Andre gets more to do here whereas, more often than not, her role was woefully underwritten in other episodes. But the most attractive aspect in this episode has to be the mother figure leading the criminal gang's activities. Madge Ryan is excellent in the role of Mrs Roden portraying her as clever, resourceful and devilishly ruthless. We wonder if it is she who was really the mastermind behind the gang's operations rather than her son even though he was seen as gangster number one by the police.
