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Rentaghost has a terrible reputation in some circles, largely due to the awful later series with new unfunny characters and a silly pantomime horse.

After being introduced in a Christmas special, it’s widely forgotten that the first four series involved a trio of male ghosts, a leaning towards verbal rather than forced slapstick humour and actual plots.

Not only is the premise – three ghosts putting themselves up for hire – truly inspired, but also macabre for children’s television. Fred Mumford (Anthony Jackson) pretending to still be alive as his dead body was never found; Hubert Davenport (Michael Darbyshire) ruing not changing his will so he got his own money; and Timothy Claypole (Michael Staniforth) whose superb theme song had to be toned down to omit references to The Exorcist. The ghosts even have pitch-white faces to indicate the lack of blood in their bodies. Hubert looks older than his mother does, as he died aged 47, while she passed away at the age of 25. It’s this almost morbid black humour that makes Rentaghost possibly unique in children’s programming.

Most importantly, while the later series were often puerile, the early ones show every sign of being written by an adult. The first episode has Mumford thinking about gambling and being mistaken as a sexual pervert, while a later story sees a gag about bras. The fifth episode, with its militant union ghosts, even succeeds in political satire, albeit of a very limited nature.

Although clearly a product of the late 70s, this is offset by two of the ghosts coming from a previous time – the Victorian and Medieval ages – and grumpy landlord Harold Meaker (Edward Brayshaw) is so conservative that he defies any fashion trends. In fact, while Mumford has the most colossal pair of flares you’ve ever seen, his lingo causes some unexpected humour. The third episode has Claypole and Hubert believing he once dated a bird of the feathered variety. Very rare to hear a bestiality gag on kid’s telly.

The budget is low (One story has an airport "strike committee" made up of just four people) but the jumps in film and cheap special effects only add to the charm. The three ghosts are a great team (though it’s notable how often Darbyshire fluffs a line in this pre-retake age), while the stereotyped "crossed lines" misunderstandings of the sitcom format are done with such deliciously cheesy aplomb they’re great. In particular a scene where Mr.Meaker relates to the Mumfords all the different wards their (unbeknownst to them, hospital entertainer) son has visited – culminating in the maternity ward – is pure genius. While Staniforth is always over the top, but infectiously so.

It’s no longer laugh-out-loud funny (it perhaps cries out for an audience track) but it has a kind of low-key integrity for the usually patronising medium of children’s television. In fact, I remember being quite scared of some elements, particular Claypole’s maniacal laugh and some ghost squatters. In all, an original and imaginative series – just a shame that from 1979 onwards it all went down the drain...