By: Vidal D’Costa (A Toast) –
Alison & Mike, a broke couple, can’t believe their luck when they’re informed that they’ve come into possession of a large manor. Happy to finally have a roof over their heads, they move in… unaware that the manor comes fully furnished with a group of friendly ghosts who refuse to leave.
A Toast
If What we do in the Shadows & Beetlejuice had a ghostly, British love child, this show would be it!
Ghosts has a great mix of likeable as well as rather annoying characters (both living and dead). It is well written too and every now and then it has delightful little pop culture references (both ancient and modern) sprinkled in. The thoroughly enjoyable plotlines revolving around the ghostly inhabitants, their backstories, and interactions with the living couple (especially with Alison, once she begins to literally see dead people after a bad fall at the house) make this show a hoot to sit through.
I also loved that each ghost comes with their own set of quirks and hails from various time periods – ranging from Robin the caveman who has a penchant for playing around with the lighting, Julian Fawcett who’s a disgraced (& brace your eyes, trouserless) MP and also quite the scummy misogynist who died in the midst of… ahem, ‘doing it’, the stern World War II era closeted Captain who’s turned on by men with fine leadership qualities and oftentimes even by their fine physical qualities, Pat who’s a polite 80s scoutmaster who died at the hands of a careless boy scout during an archery session, Mary who’s a victim of witch trials, Thomas Thorne who’s the ghost of a Romantic poet but is alas not that good at poetry nor at flirting or putting his emotions into words (in short, a wannabe Keats), Kitty from the Georgian era who just wants to be friends with everyone and who considers herself the Phoebe Buffay of this ghostly gang, and last but not least, Lady Fanny Button who is a strict noblewoman, former owner of the manor, and Alison’s closest relative (she’s also quite the party pooper and rather grumpy, but that’s a given, considering her husband cheated on and later murdered her).
The ensemble cast of Charlotte Ritchie, Lolly Adefope, Simon Farnaby, and other fan favourites of Horrible Histories fame give it their all & deliver with their comic timing. The script allows them to be more than just one-sided caricatures of ghosts (there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say).
Despite their bumbling adventures, there is also space in the show for some sympathetic, heartwarming, and moving moments, like when Pat’s family pays a visit to the manor to pay a tribute.
Beer Two
I do wish that the ghost of the headless nobleman had been given some more screentime and character development. All he does is scramble around for his head and although it’s funny at first, it is a gag that could become stale after a few episodes. Hopefully, there’s more of him in season 2.
Verdict
If you fancy a rib-tickler of a show or just something to binge on Halloween with the fam, go for Ghosts!
A Ghostly Drinking Game
Glug back spirit of your choice: every time the headless nobleman loses his head or tries to find his way back to it. Despite being a neverending gag, it does have potential as an aid in drinking games.
Glug back spirit of your choice: every time the pigeon acts up & causes more havoc than the ghosts do.
Last, but not least, pick a designated driver to drop you home. Drinking & driving might lead to you turning into a ghost yourself… just saying.
