Why won’t there be a Ghosts season 6? Co-creator explains decision

The decision came not from the BBC itself, but from the show's creators – Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond – who felt strongly that the time was right to wrap up their story.

That isn't to say that they found it easy, however, with almost every member of the cast admitting to have shed tears at some point during filming on the climactic run.

Laurence Rickard, who plays both caveman Robin and Tudor nobleman Sir Humphrey Bone, told RadioTimes.com exactly why Ghosts season 5 had to be the last.

Why won't there be a Ghosts season 6?

Rickard explained that five seasons had always been a target in the minds of the Ghosts creators, although that seemed like "an unrealistic number" when they were just starting out.

When the team finally approached that milestone, however, they reflected on what would be best for the legacy of the show.

"Sitcoms, particularly in this country, don't run for very long," said Rickard. "And so, we wanted to do enough to serve all the stories and particularly the backstories of the ghosts – people are always keen to know how they ended up at the house – but not so many that you become part of the furniture.

"Or that you start to enter that inevitable TV trajectory where other things come along and there are a few less viewers and a little less interest. We never wanted it to peter out."

He continued: "And so, partly, once we started to get towards the actual fifth series [and] once we were the most watched sitcom over here, the temptation to go out on a high became paramount.

"And once we paid off all of those stories, we didn't want to be treading water with our flashbacks. We're always wary of that."

Indeed, fans can expect payoffs to a number of long-running mysteries in Ghosts season 5, with the writers assuring they wouldn't leave their audience without sufficient closure.

But as much as they have enjoyed working on the show, Rickard also said that there was a desire to take on new challenges after so many years working on Ghosts, which takes up much of their annual schedule.

"We wanted to have the time to explore other things – other things as a group, a few other things within the Ghosts universe like the book [Ghosts: The Button House Archives]. And obviously... it took up large amounts of the year," he shared.

But while Ghosts may be coming to an end in the UK, the US version continues to go from strength to strength, which was another factor that gave the creative team confidence in their decision.

Rickard added: "The existence of the US version and various others in development meant there was that slight sense it had become its own thing beyond us and you want to let that fly.

"So there were a number of reasons why, the closer we got to a fifth series, the more we thought that actually might be the right number and it wasn't just hyperbole. And story-wise, we felt like we had good elements that we could tie it up with."

The groundwork for the Ghosts ending will be laid in season 5 – which is streaming now – with a surprise Christmas 2023 special due to be the official final episode.

Ghosts seasons 1-5 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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