The Captain

> "You must take that emotion and bury it, never let it out."― The Captain to Fanny[src]
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**James**, more commonly known as **“Captain”**, is the ghost of a World War II army veteran who resides in Button House and is portrayed by Ben Willbond. Most of his personal life remains unknown. As a ghost, he seems to be closest with Fanny and Kitty.

## Biography

As his name was unknown for majority of the series, he is referred to simply by his rank as 'The Captain' or occasionally just 'Cap', no one has ever asked his real name and he shows no signs of being inclined to reveal it, even identifying *himself* as "The Captain" when roleplaying in I Love Lucy; although it stands to reason that ghosts such as Robin, Mary, Kitty, Thomas and Fanny would be aware of his true identity, having already been haunting the house by WW2. When Pat attempts to help Alison revise for the Button House Christmas quiz, he asks her what the Captain's name is, saying that the question is "an easy one", suggesting that it the ghosts know it even if they do not use it.

His cause of death was also unknown for the majority of the series and a lack of bodily evidence (like Thomas' bullet wound or Mary’s body smothered with smoke) suggested his death could have been an illness like a heart attack or cancer or a non-violent type of accident. In series 5 episode 5 “Carpe Diem”, his cause of death was revealed to be a stress-induced heart attack. His death does not appear to have been witnessed by the other ghosts, who consequently appear genuinely unaware of the circumstances.

### Life

He was born in Bledlow, 1900, likely sometime in November, as he turned 18 roughly around the armistice in WW1, as he reached the front lines just as the ceasefire was announced.

During WW2, The Captain was for the most part stationed at Button House. He was C.O of a unit charged with HQ duties with his second-in-command being Lieutenant Havers, until he was transferred. It is unknown precisely what the Captain was charged with achieving although it can be speculated that it was research into new weaponry, as he alleges that he was the only one aware of a top secret project called Operation William. William was a secret prototype limpet mine which The Captain buried in one of the gardens (though why is unknown) shortly after Havers left for North Africa. If Cap really was in charge of armaments research it would explain his particular fondness for weaponry.

While his medals - The 'War Medal 1939–1945' issued to all service personnel during the war; The 'Defence Medal' issued to various personnel, including personnel working in headquarters, on training bases and airfields for the duration of the War; The 'France and Germany Star' issued to personnel who served in Europe, to personnel who entered into operational service in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Germany between June 6, 1944 and May 8, 1945 - imply he saw action in the war, the episode “Carpe Diem” reveals that he did not. He stole the medals and put them on to sneak into an event to reunite with Havers, hence why they are upside down. He died of a Heart Attack when confronted by another soldier. His last words were him trying to tell Havers something (possibly that he loved him) to which Havers responded with 'I know' before the Captain could finish.

### Death

Having installed himself as leader to the gang of ghosts at Button House, he likes to keep a watchful eye over everybody. Unlike Pat who attempts to keep the dead residents interacting and close-knit, The Captain calls for order and often uses them as troops for his plots and plans. In a way he has turned himself into Button House's chief of security and does not take kindly to newcomers for the most part. He insists the house is guarded and will often put Humphrey on look-out duty at night.

Upon Lady Heather Button's death during the first episode he claims her room for his own, an act which even Julian finds distasteful, he later complains that each night he is woken by Fanny "screaming like a mad person" when she throws herself out of the window in a trance-like state as she repeats her death. He shows no concern for her or why she does this each night, even after her motives and compulsion are revealed, Cap is simply annoyed by it all. Robin suggests they swap rooms so Fanny is on the ground floor and can't jump but this doesn't solve the problem as again he's woken to her jumping. In the end, he and Pat have Julian push the clock hands so that Fanny jumps in the morning when everybody wakes up.

When Alison and Mike first move in and start to renovate, it is The Captain who organizes the hauntings, he sorts everybody into an order and treats it very much like a military mission. This plan fails, but he is not deterred in the least. Later, after the disgraced politician, Julian, pushed Alison from the window and she becomes able to see them, he once again starts a campaign to out the Coopers from the house via guerrilla war; this lasts until Alison agrees to give him an hour a week of television about tanks and super weapons when she finally confronts them. Though he was never outright for killing the pair of them, he is the only one who doesn't seem overly opinionated on the morality of Julian's actions as he simply wants to be rid of the Coopers and will work with what he's given to accomplish that goal.

In "Happy Death Day", The Captain joins forces with Julian to figure out a way of getting rid of the builders. They quickly agree that all builders are thieves so all they have to do is watch and wait for one to steal something, then report it to Alison. However, none of the builders are thieves, they're actually rather good people, one is even helping to build a playground for charity. In the end, Cap and Julian resort to pushing Alison's engagement ring into one of the tool boxes and claiming it was stolen. This does get the builders out the house since they quit, but not for the reasons the ghosts had intended.

Cap later takes a liking to Adam, the 1st assistant director for the show 'Life of Byron' in "Free Pass". The Captain follows him around Button House as Adam tries to work and even starts to imitate him, though if this is due to him having taken a fancy to Adam or because his job is to direct and he feels an affinity for this is unclear. This is the first time The Captain's homosexuality is focused on (apart from the hint when Mike turns up at Button house for the first time - "Yes, he'd make a very fine soldier") as he clearly develops a crush on 'young Adam', as Cap calls him, and is upset when he leaves after Toby Nightingale falls through the ceiling, he even has a Freudian slip by saying 'I shan't miss him' which he quickly corrects to 'them'.

When the eclipse comes around and Robin wants to have his traditional ceremony, The Captain agrees only on the grounds that he can do the reading, Thomas contests this but the others really don't care, he then proceeds to orchestrate as if it is a battle plan with a map of the house and small rocks to represent the hedge which once stood there. Unfortunately for Alison the ceremony takes place in the middle of her dining room while she's throwing a dinner party and it is Cap who stands up for Robin by pointing out that it is important and a time honored tradition; however, he only does this because he doesn't like to receive orders but prefers to give them. He and the other ghosts are soon distracted by watching 'Friends' until Pat gets the sofa moved outside so they can look at the moon.

In the final episode of season one, "Getting Out", he again turns his attention to getting rid of Alison and Mike, though unlike last time the ghosts refuse, since they've become rather fond of the Coopers. He accuses them of a "bloodless coup" and is thrown out of their group for being too commanding, then replaced by Pat who hadn't really intended to take his place. The Captain tries to get the plague victims to join him with the promise of quarters upstairs, but they want nothing to do with him either. He remains intent on getting rid of Alison and Mike, though starts to have second thoughts when he notices Fiona Legge's odd behavior. Ultimately he is the only one of the ghosts, or indeed the entire household, who realizes she is attempting to con Alison and Mike to get Button House for practically nothing. Cap then uses this knowledge to trick Kitty into having Alison get Fiona's people to dig up the basement and reveal the plague victims, he does this having set aside his want for Alison and Mike to leave to reveal the injustice. As Fiona runs away, the ghosts discern that Cap had put all the wheels in motion and again welcome him into their group as they realize they do actually need him. Kitty is upset that he's used her until Cap points out that it means Alison is staying which is when she instantly forgives him.

Cap spends most of "The Grey Lady" focused on trying to shave time off his record for the morning jog around the grounds which Alison times for him. It is always two minutes and thirty seconds no matter how hard he tries. When Pat suggests to him that his time never gets any faster because The Captain is dead and so can't put on any muscle mass or improve his athleticism in any way he responds with "we didn’t win the war with attitudes like that” and promptly heads off to do some stretches, of course these don't help since Pat is right. Later, when he shoves Fanny down the stairs to the basement in order to hide her from the ghost hunters in the house, he wonders whether the cold night air would aid him in shaving off a few seconds and decides to try it. The Captain starts his lap via the chime of the grandfather clock since Alison is nowhere around and charges off as soon as it sounds. When he returns through the gate, he spots Fanny - who had left the basement and then backed away from the ghost hunters and their cameras - and notices she is about to be spotted by a phone camera, he runs as fast as he is able and just manages to knock her through the front door before she's spotted. Happily, he climbs off of Fanny and proudly announces that he had knocked a second off his time giving him a new record of two minutes and twenty-nine seconds; the others don't agree and Julian even suggests that it was slower than usual.

When Mike and Alison have a drunken party at the house in "About Last Night", he makes his irritation known; it's also the second notable reference to his homosexuality when he stares at the naked man walking around for just a little too long. He helps Alison to track down Dante (Lady Button's stuffed dog) and further aids them by throwing her off while they look, despite him and Pat butting heads over who gives the orders.

He does his best to avoid Alison digging up the garden so she can prepare it for a venue viewing in "Redding Weddy", as he is the only one aware of the prototype limpet mine buried there, he tells her that there is something “potentially explosive" but she takes this to mean scandalous. Mike eventually builds a bonfire to burn the garden waste and causes the mine to blow up leaving a crater in the garden, Cap dives over it as one would a grenade and later states he did it because he was "caught up in the moment". The whole thing haunts The Captain since it reminds him of when his second-in-command, Lt. Havers, left for the front. Throughout the episode it becomes quite clear that he had feelings for Havers and was deeply upset by his leaving.

When burglars break into Button House to steal the hired wedding items, Cap quickly launches into action and mobilizes his fellow ghosts. He is quick to come up with a plan and sets them all off on jobs while he, Julian, and Pat try to figure out a way of contacting the police. On other occasions, The Captain's attempts at leadership have been either rebuffed or totally ignored by the ghosts, but knowing the situation is serious has even Julian listening to his orders. Finally he manages to contact Alison via Mike's phone and explains the entire situation, which prompts her to come home just as the burglars crash their van.

With the first wedding at Button House in jeopardy because of the snow storm and a series of other factors in "Perfect Day", it looks as though Sam and Clare will have to cancel their wedding. However The Captain quickly installs himself as the unofficial wedding planner and aids Alison to turn Button House into the perfect wedding venue, since they can't get to the church. While most of the ghosts are happy for the wedding to take place at Button House, it is only Cap who takes an active role in making it come to fruition, The Captain even makes sure to commend Alison for the way she encourages Clare not to cancel her wedding. At times he seems more determined to make the wedding happen than either bride or Alison do. He has Alison set the chairs out in neat rows, instructs her how to hang the lights (he wants "lovely, long loops like waves across the space"), and talks rather animatedly about the floral arrangements, saying it's like a "flower grenade", he also puts forwards the idea of flowers on the end of each aisle which he refers to as "floral street lighting". The Captain makes a rather good wedding planner and puts all of his energy into the task, it is also arguably the stereotypical side of his sexual orientation coming out rather than just his tactical mind and organizational skills gained from his days in the Royal Army.

During the party after the wedding he is seen dancing beside two men he struggles to take his eyes off of; it can be suggested that this references the party in "About Last Night" and indicates that he may have relaxed his irritation to change at Button House and thus has come to fully accept Alison's and Mike's presence as well as what they wish to accomplish with the house; to some extent at least.

## Appearance

Cap has neatly combed silver hair and a mustache which was clearly black or brown at one point and looks to have died in his late forties to mid fifties. He wears the standard WW2-era Army officer's service dress with a Sam Browne belt as well as his medals and a baton which he carries at all times - it is unlikely he can put it down similar to how Thomas' letter reappears in his pocket when he discards it. It is also somewhat of a peculiarity that he carries this swagger stick as they went out of fashion with the outbreak of the Second World War and officers ceased carrying them. It is later revealed in Carpe Diem that the swagger stick belonged to Havers, and was given to The Captain as he died.

The only time The Captain is seen wearing anything other than his service dress is during the episode "Redding Weddy" when he had multiple flashbacks to his life. Here, he is seen without his swagger stick, wearing his wool overcoat and cap while smoking a pipe. Of course, his medals are also missing from his uniform; his medals are always shown wrongly ordered as they were put on in a hurry.

The Captain is even asked by Pat during one of their meetings what he would wear that day if he was able to wear anything else however, Cap insists that he would still dress in his uniform, highlighting how much his uniform means to him and because he constantly talks about the war as if it is still present -even though he died after the war was already over- it shows what a huge impact the war had on him.

In the episode “Speak as ye choose”, Cap takes off his jacket and rolls his shirt sleeves up to his elbows, after Kitty encourages him to be more easygoing. He carries his jacket over his shoulder and - along with his sand coloured shirt and green tie - it can be seen that he wears braces in the same colour as his shirt. He returns to his usual state of dress within the blink of an eye, suggesting that the ghosts can’t discard the clothes they died in and they will automatically reappear on the ghost’s body.

## Personality

The Captain likes to be in charge and keep order, he's a fairly reserved man who often stands on ceremony and can at times (especially during parties) become somewhat overbearing. He has established himself as the de facto leader among the ghosts and believes this to be his rightful position as he is 'ranking officer'.

Cap's fellow ghosts generally respect his authority (except in "Getting Out", where the group rebels against him, then make Pat their new leader) and will take his words as gospel when there is a serious issue, such as the burglars who break in during "Bump In The Night". He likes to be out front leading the team, or at least he likes to tell people he does; Cap informs Pat that their attempts to haunt Alison are a "military campaign" and that he "is not the type to bring up the rear". He can be too strict and authoritative, often forgetting that his fellow ghosts aren't soldiers, but is also highly intelligent and ultimately does have a heart, two traits clearly shown by the way he cons Kitty into getting Alison to stay even after they'd outed him from their group and despite he himself having wanted Alison and Mike gone from Button House.

He is obsessed with warfare, and acts like a war captain even after his death. The Captain appears to have a particular love of tanks and super weapons, which has lead to a great enjoyment of documentaries, which he has Alison put on for him at every available opportunity.

He also appears to have enjoyed musicals and operas such 'The Pirates of Penzance', as he has been heard multiple times singing 'Modern Major General'; most notably when Alison is doing her very best to ignore him after she first gets her ability to see the dead. He also references the composer Cole Porter in “The Hardest Word”, suggesting that he was a fan of his musicals. He sings with Kitty in “Speak as ye choose” and generally seems to enjoy music.

Cap is heavily implied to be gay. While he does not advertise this fact and would prefer to keep his feelings to himself, The Captain doesn't appear to be entirely closeted. He often makes comments accidentally revealing his attraction to certain men who enter Button House and at one point refers to a builder as "the handsome one. The chap with the arms". He further reveals his orientation when he mutters under his breath "almost certainly not" while Thomas is complaining that the ghosts don't understand his feelings for Alison. All his fellow ghosts have taken notice of these comments and often give him sideways glances for them but have no objection to his sexual preference whatsoever. Fanny's husband, George, was also gay, so the topic is brought up occasionally in conversations, during these The Captain doesn't try to escape the conversation, nor does he participate. Ultimately, Cap has relaxed his need to hide his orientation after his death, though still remains very private on the subject due to the era he grew up in.

In "Redding Weddy", it is quite apparent that The Captain has feelings for his second-in-command, Lieutenant Havers, as he is nervous and uncharacteristically friendly around him. He is also noticeably upset when Havers is transferred to Africa; a sadness which lingers even after his death. The Captain takes it upon himself to unofficially aid Alison and Mike in planning a wedding for a lesbian couple since the wedding planner crashed his car. Later, when the service takes place all the ghosts attend and The Captain seems very pleased that the two brides are allowed to marry.

## Quotes

* "Good Lord."
* "A.O.B, any other business." — Who Do You Think You Are?
* "... screaming like a mad person." — Who Do You Think You Are?
* "Damnit Fanny!" — Who Do You Think You Are?
* "With a shaft of this girth, Michael, the trick is firm blows." — The Ghost of Christmas (Series 2 Christmas special)
* "If you were dead, I would thrash your bottom, sir!" — Gorilla War
* "I mean, I thought the Blitz was bad, but your builders make the Luftwaffe look like a youth group." — Happy Death Day
* "Rules are rules, and young Adam deserves our every respect." — Free Pass
* "Stop saying Tootsie!" — Moonah Ston
* "Could that be any more vexing." — Moonah Ston
* "Ha-ha, gleaming bundook op from the civvy! We'll have him out boshing Jerry in no time!" — Moonah Ston
* "Pom Pom!" — Moonah Ston
* "Robin, light pollution." — Moonah Ston
* "You cannot banish us in one breath and then demand our re-enforcement with the next." — Moonah Ston
* "The question is, what do you care about more? Keeping Alison here or letting her be happy?" — Getting Out
* "For king and country!"
* "Just stuff its leg back into shape and pop its eye back in." — About Last Night
* "Gentlemen, we're on our own." — Bump In The Night
* "Honestly, why is no one ever alive when you need them?" — Bump In The Night
* "What has happened to ties nowadays?" — Perfect Day
* "It's chic and it's now and if it makes her feel fabulous then, no, very good.." — Perfect Day
* "Stand down, Thorne. Stand down!" — Perfect Day
* "Wonderful choice. A darker shade as if to frame the glowing white of the beautiful bride without upstaging her." — Perfect Day

## Trivia

* While alive, The Captain made requests to be issued a service weapon, which never seems to have been accepted since his ghost wears no weapon and service revolvers were not usually issued to those on HQ duties. Although, during "Moonah Ston", The Captain easily guides Alison and Mike to shoot a pheasant in one shot with a shotgun (he probably is also the one who instructs them how to load it) which suggests he does actually have weapons experience. Once the pheasant is dead, he also spies a hare, but his want to shoot it is ignored by Alison. Also, in "Part Of The Family", The Captain states that he vividly remembers shooting a Seagull with a "Bren Gun", from a pillbox in Weymouth. This indicates that The Captain was potentially in military field service during World War 2 when the Bren Gun was used.
* Cap's comment to Alison and Mike in Moonah Ston after the pheasant is shot, "Ha-ha, gleaming bundook op from the civvy!" is a compliment, he's praising Mike. It just means "good shooting from the civilian". The word 'bundook' is an old British military slang term for a gun or rifle. It was derived from the Hindi word 'bandook' (बन्दूक) which literally translated to gun and shotgun. The slang term probably first became popular with soldiers post 1858 when Britain first began to rule over India during the reign of Queen Victoria, and later spread to military members at home in Britain.
* It is not the first time Ben Willbond has portrayed an army Captain. While all the cast portrayed different officers for both the First and Second World Wars during their time on Horrible Histories, Ben also played Commander Spink who talks The Elders and Debbie through the battle plan before heading off to the beach in Yonderland. This is arguably the first incarnation of The Captain we know in Ghosts as the two characters share striking resemblances, such as the moustache and similar speech patterns, however, the Yonderland captain is less high-strung and not particularly good at his job.
* The Captain appears to be unable to crouch for very long, his knees crack loudly and it seems to cause him discomfort even after his death. While just speculation, it is possible that this was a medical issue of some kind and a reason for him not being sent to the front during the War. It is also possible that it is irrelevant to WW2 and was something he picked up naturally as a part of ageing after the war but before his death.
* His medal ribbons are in the wrong order according to British army dress regulations and should be reversed.
* He assumed all actors on the set of 'The Life of Byron' would walk around oiled up and kissing one another. Whether this was an actual assumption or just wishful thinking is uncertain.
* Cap 'bagsys' Heather Button's room in the first episode upon her death because he wanted the garden view that the west wing provides, however, thanks to Fanny's constant screaming he swaps rooms with her so he's on the first floor and Fanny is on the ground floor where she can't jump. Although, judging by the wallpaper and door placement this first floor room was his office while alive.
* When Alison introduces them all to 'Friends', Kitty lists which of the characters they are and says that The Captain is clearly Ross, however, he disagrees with this and insists that he is in fact Chandler, on the grounds that he has a dry humor.
* The Captain has been insultingly referred to both as 'Major-General Can't-Sing' by Alison and as 'Smelly, old walrus' by the rest of the ghosts behind his back when they make jokes about him having excessive ear hair.
* In The Thomas Thorne Affair, The Captain gets bored of hearing about the duel which killed Thomas and turns it into a fire fight with grenades and flintlocks which magically fire more than one bullet.
* In an attempt to prevent Alison and Mike digging up the garden, he claims it to be the regimental allotment, then changes it, saying that his dog, Barry, is buried there. The pause and pondering expression when he says this suggests that Cap may have actually had a dog called Barry at some point of his life.
* Though he constantly portrays the brave soldier, even he is uncomfortable and slightly scared of the plague girl, Jemima.
* Robin and The Captain made a bet on whether Pat would become a ghost after being shot with the arrow; Cap lost as he thought Pat would move on.
* It is implied that all of the ghosts knew The Captain’s real name prior to it’s reveal in Carpe Diem as when he introduces himself to Maddocks in Poached Guests they are all standing nearby. Furthermore, in He Came!, Pat asks Alison what The Captain’s name is as part of practice for the quiz, stating that ‘it’s an easy one’. This suggests that all of the ghosts are aware of his real name but choose not to use it.
* In Gone Gone, the Captain says that he cannot act loose or care-free for long because he would then move on.

## Sources

1. ↑ Gorilla War
2. ↑ The Thomas Thorne Affair
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Happy Death Day
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Perfect Day
5. ↑ Free Pass
6. ↑ Getting Out
7. ↑ Redding Weddy
8. ↑ Who Do You Think You Are?
9. ↑ Bump In The Night