Ghosts - What a super (natural) show it was

Wow, where to even start with this gem? Firstly, it’s quite sad even thinking about this show now being in the past tense, but I'm still so glad that it was made at all. For those that don’t know it, this blog is going to be focusing on another brilliant series that I’ve hardly talked about on here, which is ‘Ghosts’, which ran for five seasons from 2019-2023 on the BBC (there is also an American remake which started airing in 2021 but this post is just about the original series). ‘Ghosts’ was created by Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe Douglas, Ben Willbond, Mathew Baynton, Laurence Rickard and Jim Howick and even if you don’t know their names, you might know their work as they’re the team behind the ‘Horrible Histories’ TV show (2009-2014) and ‘Yonderland’ (2013-2016)*. They refer to themselves as the ‘Six Idiots’ and are arguably some of the finest comedic actors and writers of their generation working right now (the same could definitely also be said of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, whom I mentioned in my No.9 blogs). They’re a brilliant team together and apart as Ben Willbond appeared in ‘The Thick of It’, Jim Howick appeared in the new sitcom ‘Here we go’ and Simon Farnaby has co-written hit films such as Paddington 2 and Wonka (with some familiar faces from ‘Ghosts’ appearing in Wonka too.) The creators all have main roles in ‘Ghosts’ and co-star with several other brilliant actors, such as Charlotte Ritchie, Lolly Adefope, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Katy Wix**.

Without giving away(too many) spoilers, the plot of ‘Ghosts’ revolves around a young couple, Alison and Mike, who move into a large old house that Alison inherited through her ancestors and through…an accident of sorts, she is suddenly able to see and communicate with the ghosts who live in their (haunted) house. The ghosts represent different eras and time periods to provide a lot of the comedy and add variety to the expected tropes surrounding ghost stories and haunted houses. For instance, there’s a 1980s Scout leader, a caveman, a formal Victorian lady, a sleazy 1990s Tory politician, a decapitated Tudor aristocrat, a Plague pit in the basement full of ghosts who died of the Plague, a sweet young woman from the Georgian era and a woman who was sadly a victim of the horrible 'witch trials'. It works so well as the ghosts are influenced by the time period that they’re from while also subverting expectations and being influenced by Alison and each other as we learn about the back stories for each of the ghosts, which provides more context and understanding for why they are the way they are as ghosts. For example, the caveman character is actually quite articulate and wise at times, partly because he’s been around so long and learned from all the people who have lived in the house. Also, while the Tory politician is by no means portrayed as a good or decent person, he does genuinely improve and goes through growth in death. However, they also have to stay how they died (warts, or wounds, and all) and this extends to their feelings too (although the characters never feel dull or one-note). This means that the early 19th century Romantic poet ghost instantly falls for Alison, partly because of his own love and heartbreak while alive and the very serious World War II captain, who was closeted, will always remain in love with his lieutenant, and while it takes him a while, he does gradually become more comfortable in his sexuality as the ghosts really are a lovely found family who accept each other for who they are. It’s also important to note that while the captain is a humorous character, the fact that he’s closeted isn’t purely played for laughs and his back story about his unspoken love is genuinely moving. There’s just so much to love about this show and it has just so much humour and heart so I would really recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it, you won’t regret it.

Just a little heads up, this isn't a still/promo photo from the show, it's our family Halloween costume as some of the characters. 😅👍 * I haven’t actually seen ‘Yonderland’ but I am a fan of the creators so if anyone has seen it and recommends it, please feel free to post a comment/reply. **Katy Wix appeared in some episodes of ‘Horrible Histories’ and Lolly Adefope appeared in a remake of ‘Horrible Histories’.