In this week’s In Appreciation Of, we look at the 6 BBC Ghosts creators, who dreamed up one of BBC’s funniest, most wholesome shows in years.
Welcome to In Appreciation Of, where we highlight actors, personalities, filmmakers and projects that have made an undeniable impact on popular culture.
Formerly of Horrible Histories (and later Yonderland), six minds came together to create hit BBC series Ghosts.
In addition to writing the scripts, all 6 members also star in the series.
They include Mathew Baynton (Thomas Thorne), Martha Howe-Douglas (Lady Button) and Jim Howick (Pat Butcher).
Joining them Simon Farnaby (Julian Fawcett), Laurence Rickard (Robin/Humphrey’s Head) and Ben Willbond (The Captain).
It goes without saying that death isn’t a very funny concept.
Yet, these writers depict characters who still deal with life’s big problems – even when their lives are long over.
They infused their show with humour, warmth and acceptance. There were quite tricky beginnings, culminating with Alison (Charlotte Richie) being pushed out of a window.
Four seasons later, there’s a genuine sense of family among all inhabitants of Button House. Living or dead.
That’s difficult to pull off with such a diverse cast of characters.
As an avid fan of the series, I’ve come to recognise the BBC Ghosts creators’ writing style.
For instance, Ben Willbond usually tackles the “emotional gut punch episodes”. A big example of this is “Redding Weddy”, episode three of Season 2.
This episode confirmed what fans long suspected: Willbond’s character, a WWII army captain, was in fact a closeted gay man.
Speaking of, the writers are also very smart about what they’ve shown the audience.
Lesser creative minds probably would have unloaded all the Ghost information early on. That way, they could focus on Alison and Mike’s (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) present-day storyline.
Instead, especially in the cases of some characters (the Captain, Robin, Kitty, Mary), it’s a slow burn.
Viewers learn gradually what happened to these few throughout the series. Whereas others, such as Thomas or Pat, were resolved quite early on.
It was recently announced that Ghosts would conclude with Season 5.
As always, I’m sure the BBC Ghosts creators will keep everyone on their toes.
While the show is ending, its American remake is still currently airing. That, as well as BBC iPlayer, will help keep Ghosts alive (pun intended) in the minds and hearts of its viewers.
Thank you to the Ghosts writers for the soon-to-be 5 seasons.
You may now rest in peace.
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