Character Relationship Map: Rentadick

Characters

• Simon Hamilton (played by James Booth) — protagonist
• Miles Gannet (played by Richard Briers) — supporting
• Utta Armitage (played by Julie Ege) — supporting
• Jeffrey Armitage (played by Donald Sinden) — supporting
• Major Upton (played by Ronald Fraser) — supporting
• Hobbs (played by Richard Beckinsale) — supporting
• West (played by Kenneth Cope) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Major Upton → Jeffrey Armitage (Professional Security Consultant And Client) — Upton's security business intervenes in Armitage's concerns about theft, but their dealings become strained when the stolen papers turn up at Armitage's house.

  Major Upton's security business becomes involved with Jeffrey Armitage's laboratory trouble, and Upton visits Armitage's home offering to inspect the...

• Major Upton → Hobbs (Professional Employer And Investigator) — Upton directs Hobbs's surveillance work; Hobbs reports a suspicious visitor but revises his description after getting a better look.

  Major Upton assigns Hobbs to watch Armitage's wife and record where she goes and whom she meets.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Miles Gannet → Utta Armitage (Social Encounter) — Their encounter connects Miles to Utta and the unfolding confusion, but the account gives no further detail about their relationship.

  The account says Miles Gannet becomes entangled in the events and encounters Utta.

• Simon Hamilton → West (Conflict Rivals Over The Loot) — West opposes Hamilton's attempt to take the loot during the final confrontation.

  Simon Hamilton tries to claim the loot, but West and others challenge him.

• Hobbs → Simon Hamilton (Conflict Accuser And Suspect) — Hobbs's identification directly challenges Hamilton's attempt to claim the loot amid the confused accusations.

  At the confrontation, Hobbs identifies Hamilton as the man who stole the gas cylinder.

• Major Upton → Simon Hamilton (Conflict Disputed Accomplices) — Their contradictory accounts leave it unclear whether Hamilton acted under Upton's orders, and they later clash over the loot.

  Upton says he sent Hamilton to retrieve the papers as a precaution. Hamilton insists Upton ordered him to do it, while Upton initially denies giving t...

Story Analysis

A security investigation spirals into mistaken identities, disputed orders, and competing chases over papers and stolen property.

Plot Progression

1. A Security Job Begins — Major Upton's security business becomes involved with Jeffrey Armitage's laboratory trouble. Upton visits Armitage's home over fears of theft and assigns Hobbs to conduct surveillance.
2. Surveillance and Mishaps — Hobbs struggles through surveillance, including a mistaken first impression of a visitor. Attempts to enter a locked enclosure produce comic mishaps, while Miles becomes entangled and encounters Utta.
3. The Papers and Conflicting Orders — The stolen papers appear at Armitage's house, prompting Jeffrey to demand an explanation. Upton and Hamilton give conflicting accounts of who ordered the retrieval.
4. Chases Multiply — The pursuit spreads from the papers to a camera and a gas cylinder. A detective disappears with a woman's mink coat, prompting her and Upton to give chase.
5. The Loot Confrontation — Hamilton tries to claim the loot as West challenges him and Hobbs identifies him as the gas-cylinder thief. Disguises, accusations, Upton's dismissal of the men, and a final struggle leave the scheme...