Curiously, “Ghosts” was one of those sit-coms that I resisted – for quite some time. However, with the holiday period upon me and with hearty recommendations from work colleagues, I decided to have a look.
Two weeks of holiday later and I have watched all three series.
And they are truly wonderful.
I could very well stop this blog post there. That’s it. “Ghosts” is an extraordinary piece of television and I urge you to watch them. All of them. At the earliest opportunity.
But that approach would be to sell this comedy short – so let’s explore deeper and see where we get.
“Ghosts” is put together by the same team that worked on the anarchic “Horrible Histories” series. This show did an excellent job of teaching children about the past, but there was plenty in it for the mums and dads underneath the Tudor dance routines. It felt like an extended version of the Simon Groom arch “what a lovely pair of knockers” comment that everyone of a certain age enjoyed in a 1980 Blue Peter – hiding in plain sight but flying over the heads of all but the most precocious of youngsters.
But with “Ghosts,” those shackles are well and truly off. One could expect a smut-fest, but what we have is far more subtle and character-driven.
One of the reasons that I didn’t watch the show initially was that I wondered just how long the writers could draw out continual spooking and scaring. But the team didn’t go for that. There is something curiously comforting about the living characters’ acceptance of their spectral housemates. Due to a near-death experience, Alison can see and communicate with the ghosts. Meanwhile, husband Mike, who is entirely in the land of the living and relies upon reporting from his wife, accept the eerie presences early on within the plot.
This simple premise opens up some engaging character growth and comedy, which lifts the series’ into something far more relatable. The ghosts become fleshed out, which they probably long to be in actuality.
Another layer, only achievable within such a ghoulish premise, is having characters from different historical backgrounds interact with one another.
With each character bringing their own norms and experiences, based on their historical placement, some fascinating and satirical explorations can take place. One of the most rewarding relationships is between Robin, a caveman and oldest ghost, and Julian, the Tory MP, and most recently deceased. They bond over the chessboard when Julian, realising he has some serious time on his hands, decides the teach the caveman to play. As it turns out, Robin is surprisingly good, and his openness to learning makes him a most endearing creation.
When I first became interested in the mechanics of comedy writing, a BBC guideline was the “rule of four.” The advice was simple. Try to have no more than four main characters and four locations. Viewers find things easier to follow that way. That there are nine ghosts and two main living characters, all of which have their own rounded personalities, is a testament to the skill of the writing.
Some of the peripheral characters are worth a mention too. My favourite is the joyously bonkers performance of Geoff McGivern as neighbour, Barclay Beg-Chetwynde. McGivern’s rendition is straight out of “Toast of London” and is riotously huge and exaggerated. This comes without mentioning the other community of ghosts that live in the cellar, where, at one point, their plague-ridden graves are excavated by a modern-day archaeologist.
The writing team manages to find enough storylines to fill the three available series comfortably. There is a mixture of recurring narratives, mostly surrounding the pursuit and loss of the filthy lucre, and these are interspersed with “ghost of the week” tales, which present the opportunity for some fantastic star cameos.
So, I think what I am saying is this. If you have been planning to watch “Ghosts,” watch it. If you have not planned to watch “Ghosts,” then do the planning bit and follow the instructions above. The show is genuinely funny and throws up many tender moments too.
More than that, “Ghosts” is just fun. And we could all do with a bit more of that these days.