The special was set to adapt a classic Christmas story.
BBC comedy series Ghosts has been a huge hit since it first debuted in 2019, with the show now heading towards its fourth season and its third Christmas special.
The show has been a regular feature of the BBC's Christmas schedule since 2020, but star and co-creator Mathew Baynton has now revealed that the festive specials can come with their own difficulties in the writing process.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International TV Festival 2022, Baynton said: "There's a different challenge as well – on top of the challenges of our own show and not repeating ourselves is that you've got all of the Christmas specials in the history of sitcom in the background of your mind.
"So there's ideas we've had before where we've said, 'You’re not going to top Blackadder doing A Christmas Carol, let’s not go near A Christmas Carol'. For the first Christmas special, it was the very first idea we had and dismissed."
Baynton continued: "It was like, 'Our show is called Ghosts – if anyone is ever going to do a thing with the Ghost of Christmas Past and so on…' But it’s like, Blackadder nailed it, don’t go near it."
Blackadder's Christmas Carol first aired in 1988, and saw a twist on the classic Charles Dickens story, in that the central character was changed by his encounter with a spirit from good to evil, rather than the other way around.
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Speaking at the Festival, Baynton and the rest of the team behind the series also revealed why the show's pilot episode has never aired, explaining that multiple changes were made to the show from that point.
Ghosts season 4 will air later this year, while seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
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