# Ghosts (2019)

> A cash-strapped young couple inherits a crumbling country house haunted by its former residents, who refuse to leave.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/15946

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 30
- Episode runtime: 29 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, fantasy
- Created by: Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Laurence Rickard, Jim Howick, Martha Howe-Douglas, Ben Willbond
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Charlotte Ritchie, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8594324/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: cozy, wry, sentimental, whimsical, gentle

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate Ghosts as a warm, acclaimed supernatural sitcom, though some find its humour exposition-driven and its later seasons less sharp.

## Synopsis

Ghosts (2019-2023) is a British national-television supernatural sitcom created by Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Laurence Rickard, Jim Howick, Martha Howe-Douglas and Ben Willbond for BBC One. Alison Cooper (Charlotte Ritchie) and her husband Mike Cooper (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) inherit a grand country house that is falling apart and crowded with the spirits of its former inhabitants. The engine of the show is the friction between the living couple, who want to make the house pay and get on with their lives, and a household of ghosts who cannot leave. Among them are the stuffy Captain (Ben Willbond), the cheerful Thomas Thorne (Mathew Baynton), the lovelorn Julian Fawcett (Simon Farnaby), and Kitty (Lolly Adefope). Each episode turns on a small domestic crisis, a fresh renovation problem or a clash over the past, and the ghosts' centuries-spanning histories provide a steady stream of gentle exposition and wry jokes. The five seasons form one continuing story rather than isolated episodes. The mood is cozy and affectionate, with warm sentimental beats, an easygoing sense of comfort, and a light touch of absurdity. Fans of Blackadder, Beetlejuice and the US remake of Ghosts will find resonance in its blend of quirky characters and cosy supernatural comedy.

## Shows like Ghosts

- [The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/52610)
- [Ghosts (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/104479)
- [Mum (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58530)
- [Shining Vale (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/112960)
- [Being Human (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/6598)
- [Crooked House (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/18364)
- [What We Do in the Shadows (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/71326)
- [Topper (1953)](https://ember.film/tv/11324)
- [Haunted Hotel (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/170509)
- [Trying (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/82564)

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