Ghosts (BBC series)

This article is about the British sitcom *Ghosts*. For the American adaptation of the same name, see Ghosts (CBS series). For the supernatural entity, see Ghost.

## General

### Genre(s)

Supernatural
Comedy horror
Sitcom

### Created by

Mathew Baynton
Simon Farnaby
Martha Howe-Douglas
Jim Howick
Laurence Rickard
Ben Willbond

### Directed by

Tom Kingsley
Nick Collett
Simon Hynd

## Broadcast

### Network(s)

BBC One
HBO Max

### Production company(s)

BBC
Monumental Television

### Premiere date

15 April 2019 – present

***Ghosts***  is a British sitcom that first premiered on BBC One in April 2019. It is written and performed by many of the cast members from *Horrible Histories* and *Yonderland*.

## Premise

Crumbling country mansion Button House is home to restless spirits who have died there over the centuries. Each a product of their time, they are thrown together for eternity, resigned to squabble over mundane daily gripes. But their lives, or rather afterlives, are thrown into turmoil when young urban couple Alison and Mike unexpectedly inherit the peaceful derelict house and plan to turn it into a bustling hotel.

The ghosts initially plot to get rid of the newcomers, but after several failed attempts to scare them, one of the ghosts pushes Alison out of an upstairs window. When Alison awakens from an induced coma two weeks later, she discovers that Mike has arranged a huge mortgage and she now has the ability to see and hear ghosts due to her close brush with death.

Alison initially believes the ghosts are hallucinations resulting from her accident, but inevitably accepts the truth and confronts them. Because the Coopers are unable to leave due to financial constraints, and the ghosts are confined to the mansion's grounds until they can ascend into the afterlife, both sides eventually agree that they must coexist as best they can. Meanwhile, the house needs a lot of work, and Alison and Mike come up with several schemes to try and stay afloat.

## Cast

* Charlotte Ritchie as Alison Cooper
* Kiell Smith-Bynoe as Mike Cooper
* Martha Howe-Douglas as Fanny
* Mathew Baynton as Thomas Thorne
* Simon Farnaby as Julian Fawcett
* Lolly Adefope as Kitty
* Laurence Rickard as Robin and Humphrey's Head
* Ben Willbond as The Captain
* Katy Wix as Mary
* Jim Howick as Pat

## Characters

The principal living characters are Alison Cooper, played by Charlotte Ritchie, and her husband Mike, played by Kiell Smith-Bynoe. As the series begins, they are a young couple struggling to get on the housing ladder, until Alison unexpectedly inherits Button House from a distant relative she never even knew existed. Alison and Mike move in to Button House with the intention of doing it up and opening it as a hotel, but in doing so attract the opprobium of the ghosts who already populate the house. Although the ghosts cannot be seen by the living, they do what they can to scare the Coopers away, culminating in causing Alison to have a near-fatal accident, which leads to her gaining the ability to see and hear the ghosts.

The ghosts themselves are people who have died on the site over several centuries, including Robin, a caveman; Humphrey, a decapitated Elizabethan nobleman; Kitty, a naive Georgian noblewoman; Mary, a medieval peasant woman apparently burned at the stake; Thomas Thorne, a failed Georgian poet; Fanny, a prim noblewoman of the Edwardian era; an unnamed WW2 army captain; Pat, a youth group leader accidentally shot during an archery lesson; and Julian Fawcett, a 1990s MP who died in a sex scandal. Button House is also haunted by a group of plague victims who mostly remain in the cellar.

The ghosts cannot normally be seen or heard by the living, though some have abilities which enable them to interact in a minor way with people, or with objects around them. The ghosts are free to roam the house and grounds, but cannot leave and are deflected back if they attempt to cross the boundary. Being trapped together, they attempt to make the best of the situation but their options are somewhat limited, since although they can be supported on things, which allows them to sit on chairs, lie on beds and climb stairs, they are otherwise unable to interact with solid objects (with the exception of Julian, who can exert a little pressure on objects if he concentrates very hard). They are able to pass through solid objects with no ill effects, though passing through living people or animals (or having people or animals pass through them) is painful. While intangible to the living, ghosts are solid to each other. They are stuck with their appearance at the time of their death, including whatever they were wearing and any injuries they sustained. They cannot eat or drink, but do require sleep just as living people do.

Their plight is made worse by the fact that over the years they have seen many people move on to another stage of existence, even after first being ghosts, but have no idea why they are still left behind.

Several episodes have flashbacks which elaborate on the ghosts' backstories:

## See also

* For some of the production timeline see Production/transmission Timeline
* For the Comic Relief Red Nose Day telethon see Comic Relief 2023 Sketch

## Videos

### Behind the Scenes

Ghosts Season 1 Blooper Reel - BBCGhosts Series 3 Bloopers! 😂 - Ghosts - BBC
### Clips

The morning routine of a house full of ghosts - Ghosts - BBC
## External links

* Official website
* IMDb page