Review: Ghosts - Season Two

Ghosts is the latest sitcom from the team behind Horrible Histories. It follows Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) as she and her husband Mike (Kiell Smith-Byone) inherit a haunted house, inhabited by an eccentric group of ghosts that range from a caveman to a sleazy nineties politician. Series two continues the hijinks started in series one with Mike and Alison’s main challenge this year being to turn the house into an events venue.

I heard about Ghosts when it came out last year, but did not get around to watching it. However, I decided to give it a go recently and I am glad I did because I binged it all in two days and loved it.

One of my favourite dynamics in Ghosts is that Alison is able to see the ghosts but no-one else, including Mike, can. This is used excellently throughout Ghosts but especially in episode five, ‘Bump in the Night’, where Alison is away and the ghosts have to stop some intruders. Likewise, in episode two, ‘About Last Night’, in which Kitty has a falling out with Alison.

I also love that Ghosts, through its premise, is able to have such a range of characters that span time periods. This leads to some excellent clash of cultures humour and is an interesting insight into how England has changed since prehistoric times, something the Horrible Histories crew is obviously well-versed in.

I binged it all in two days and loved it

The best characters in series two of Ghosts are Robin (Laurence Rickard) the caveman, who gets some excellent character development including a brief flirtation with conspiracy theories in episode three, ‘Redding Weddy’. I also love Pat (Jim Howick), a 1980s scout leader, who is the most helpful of the ghosts for Alison and is often found trying to corral the rest of the ghosts. In episode six, ‘Perfect Day’, he gets a truly touching storyline and one that is well-deserved.

Series two’s stand out episodes are episode four, ‘The Thomas Thorne Affair’, which delves into Thomas’ backstory in an imaginatively funny way. I love the way it was narrated and how the narrative was gradually pieced together by the different ghosts. There is also the final episode, ‘Perfect Day’, in which Alison and Mike host their first wedding, with the help of the ghosts, and it perfectly balances the humour and sentiment that makes the series so loveable.

It perfectly balances the humour and sentiment that makes the series so loveable

It does occasionally feel like Ghosts is repeating old jokes, or using variations of the same ones. However, this never impacts on enjoyment of the show and often these are just running jokes used over the course of the episode or the show as a whole, like the innuendo of Fanny’s name used in series two episode one, ‘The Grey Lady’.

Ghosts is the perfect low-stakes, character driven show to watch, with its clash of time periods and personalities, as well as the excellent comedic timing. It also has a real heart to it and you find yourself rooting for the whole cast. I cannot wait for them to return in series three.