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https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/oct/10/bbc-rip-ghosts-a-joyful-comedy-that-lit-up-this-bin-fire-of-a-world>
"
One of the best comedies of the decade has come to an end … and we’ve
laughed, cried and laughed even more. Farewell you sweet, life-affirming show –
TV won’t be the same without you
I am trying to narrow down my favourite scene from
Ghosts. Perhaps it’s 1980s
Scout Master Pat (Jim Howick) creating his own radio station – adverts included
“Buy cheese. Please” – then realising no one can hear him on account of him
being dead. It could be whenever 17th-century witch trial victim Mary (Katy
Wix) accuses swans of being “Lucifer’s lackeys” or calls a camera a “one-eyed
metal cow”. Then there’s the episode where the plague sufferers who live in the
basement become stans – ie obsessive fans – of tortured romantic poet Thomas
(Matthew Baynton), only to lose interest when they actually hear his poetry.
The beauty of
Ghosts – the much-loved BBC sitcom whose fifth and final series
airs this month – is that this description could either be a highlights reel of
top television or the ramblings of a particularly intense fever dream.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of
Ghosts, the premise is simple enough:
when you die, you spend the afterlife haunting the location of your death …
wearing the outfit you died in. This is particularly unfortunate if you are the
90s Tory MP Julian (Simon Farnaby), who wanders around without trousers after
dying in a sleaze scandal, caught for ever (literally) with his pants down.
Our ghosts are spending eternity in Button Hall, a dilapidated stately home
recently inherited by young couple Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell
Smith-Bynoe). After falling from a window and nearly dying, Alison develops a
new ability: she can see ghosts.
What follows is a classic ensemble comedy that is somehow both gently
reassuring and gag-heavy. Recent years have seen the dominance of the
“dramedy”, where some of the best comedies being made (such as
This Way Up,
Feel Good and
Pure) tackle serious issues such as suicide and sexual abuse.
Like other “comfort blanket” shows such as
Ted Lasso and
Schitt’s Creek,
Ghosts goes counter to the trend: when the world is a bin fire, comedy
doesn’t have to have a worthier aim than to make the viewer smile."
It is an excellent show! The US version is also quite good.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
