Ghosts to return for surprise Christmas special finale

Fifth and final series is also beginning this week

The acclaimed BBC sitcom Ghosts is set to return for a surprise Christmas special this year, it has been announced.

On Friday (6 October), the popular series starring Charlotte Ritchie, Jim Howick and Lolly Adefope will begin airing its fifth and final series on BBC One.

Ghosts follows a married couple who inherit a country house inhabited by a set of ghosts from different time periods.

News of the special was announced on Twitter by actor Martha Howe-Douglas, who wrote: “The final series of Ghosts starts on Friday... but there might be one last present under the Christmas tree this year #BBCGhosts.”

The series is no stranger to Christmas specials, with the forthcoming finale constituting the fourth such special throughout the show’s run.

It was announced back in March that the forthcoming fifth season would be the series’ final outing.

A statement from the show’s creators – Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond – at the time read: “After five incredible years haunting the halls of Button House, we have decided that the time is right to let our beloved sitcom Ghosts rest in peace.

“We have just wrapped filming on our fifth and final series and we can’t wait to share it with you all later this year. We could never have imagined the reception the show has enjoyed, or the fun we have had making it, and we would like to thank our amazing cast and crew as well as everyone at BBC Comedy, BBC One and Monumental Television for their tireless support.”

They finished their statement by thanking “everyone who watches” the series.

Ghosts is the BBC’s most popular current sitcom, and has received strong reviews throughout its time on air.

‘Ghosts’ airs on BBC One (BBC/Monumental/Guido Mandozzi)

In a four-star review of the initial series, The Independent’s Sean O’Grady described Ghosts as “like Horrible Histories in reverse – made for grown-ups but also potentially enjoyable to kids”.

“You can tell Ghosts comes from the people behind Horrible Histories,” he wrote. “I enjoy foul language, smut and the mockumentary style as much as the next trendy comedy fan, but the fact that this jolly little comedy is almost entirely free of profanity and filth is actually quite refreshing.

“With its minimally didactic content, it could, in fact, have been lifted from the children’s TV schedules. A waste of a post-watershed slot maybe, but at least it does make a change.”

Jacob Stolworthy, meanwhile, stated that the 2021 Christmas special was “funny, festive and suitable for all the family”.

Ghosts returns to BBC iPlayer and BBC One on 6 October.