Ghosts is set to bow out for good as the doors close at haunted Button House in the fifth and final season of the acclaimed comedy.
Ghosts season 5, which begins on BBC One on Friday 6 October at 8.30 pm, sees Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) and the spectral residents of their stately home face an epic change, while more surprises are on their way.
We caught up with Charlotte Ritchie to find out all about the last-ever episodes of Ghosts…
Ghosts is coming to an end! How does that feel?
Charlotte Ritchie: "It feels rubbish! It’s the right choice but it's painful. I'm in denial. I was sad leading up to the last day of filming and then I felt numb. I think I ‘pre-grieved’ because I spent the last three weeks giving lingering looks to everyone and welling up at the tea table, so I got it out of the way."
Will it be a fitting close to the show?
Charlotte Ritchie: “Yes, they have taken real care over it and pulled out all the stops, so expect a great, funny, heartfelt final series. I hope viewers feel satisfied and moved and know that a lot of thought has gone into it because it’s just as sad for everybody involved.”
What can we expect?
Charlotte Ritchie: “We learn more about some of the ghosts’ backstories in an exciting way and about things that have been lingering for a few series. The story for the Captain [the wartime soldier played by Ben Willbond] is a big one. He's the sweetest character. It’s brilliant and moving. There’s also classic stuff from the ghosts with them not getting on but loving each other and learning from each other.”
Where do we find Mike and Alison?
Charlotte Ritchie: “We see them entering a new phase and considering what their life is at Button House and how possible it is for it to be maintained. There are dilemmas. Not just because of the money but now for bigger reasons. They have other concerns…”
In the opening episode Alison joins Headless Humphrey, the ill-fated Tudor spectre played by Laurence Rickard, to get revenge on the ghosts for pranking her with an April Fool’s gag. Was that fun to film?
Charlotte Ritchie: "Larry as Humphrey is so funny so it’s nice to work with him. And it's great having Alison being mischievous because she’s usually cleaning up after the ghosts. It’s also another way of showing how different all the ghosts are because Pat [the genial 1980s scoutmaster played by Jim Howick] proves the hardest one to fool. That’s brilliant, he’s so gentle, kind and wide-eyed and then there’s this sudden gearshift!"
Did you take any souvenirs after filming?
Charlotte Ritchie: “I really wanted Alison's car, I think it belongs to a member of the art department though! But I have some of Alison's trousers, jumpers and boots. I won't wear them, because it's weird. But I can look at them and be like, ‘Ah, that's great, that was Button House!’”
Finally, what has Ghosts meant to you?
Charlotte Ritchie: “I feel proud to be part of a show that has heart. But it's not OTT about it, it’s loving and thoughtful but not saccharine and it’s always undercut with self-aware humour. Lots of people have said that it makes them feel better after they've watched it and that feels really good.”
The final season of Ghosts begins on Friday 6 October on BBC One at 8.30pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
