Ghosts creators on “unavoidable” melancholy in the Christmas special

There has been much speculation among fans about what the finale could involve, with co-creator Laurence Rickard telling RadioTimes.com and other press that they were deprived the shortcuts of a typical sitcom.

He explained: "I think the nature of the show, because it's about living people and dead people, you're never going to have that ending of ‘they all move to Greece!’

"There's an inherent division that we have to service so I suppose, in some ways, it was unavoidable that there was going to be a degree of melancholy."

Rickard continued: "It's not like, ‘oh, they go their separate ways’. At the beginning of the pilot, in the greatest possible sense of the word, they've already gone their separate ways. And so we have to try to stay true to that division in some way."

The writer and actor – who plays both caveman Robin and nobleman Sir Humphrey Bone – previously teased that the final episode would be "unexpected" and "tonally different" to season 5's Last Resort.

Whatever happens, the Ghosts finale is bound to be emotional for the legion of fans who have come to love the show, but co-creator Mathew Baynton assured that the festive theme helps to lighten the mood.

"The obligation to make sure that we kept this episode Christmassy was a huge boon to the episode itself, because otherwise it would have been pretty straight down the line sad at the end – without much to kind of leaven that," he said.

"But the Christmassiness of it, I think gives it the sweet against the bitter."

Baynton went on to detail the careful thought that went into this concluding chapter, with all six creators – including himself, Rickard, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick and Ben Willbond – voicing their own ideas.

He explained: "We just wanted to do something that we all felt was a fitting end. And in many ways – I hope this doesn't sound wrong – but no one could love the show more than us.

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"So if we’d disappointed ourselves, we'd be disappointing the fans, and hopefully, if we have satisfied ourselves, it will satisfy the fans. Really, that's kind of the benchmark: do we all think it is fitting?

Baynton added: "There's a big group, a lot of opinions. So it takes a good idea to satisfy everyone."

The synopsis for the episode reads: "Christmas is just around the corner and Mike’s mum, Betty, is staying. Although she is just trying to be helpful, Mike and Alison soon lose patience with her interfering ways. There’s no easy way to ask her to go home so the couple (and the Ghosts) struggle on, with Button House feeling fuller than ever.

"Now a Christmas convert, Robin is missing that all important 'Christmassy' feeling, so the gang share their secrets to getting into the festive spirit. But when even more decorations and merry music don’t do the trick, the Ghosts wonder if Robin will be able to capture that Christmas magic again?"

Ghosts 2023 Christmas special airs on BBC One at 7:45pm on Christmas Day. 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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