In Praise of 'Ghosts' (British TV Series That Inspired The American One)

Cafe Society
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I fell in love with Ghosts when it debuted on CBS last season, so I decided to give the British version a try. I’ve fallen in love with that show, too, but for different reasons.

They are definitely two different shows, to be sure. As for the ghosts, there’s some character overlap, but not much. They and we both have a Boy Scout who was killed by an arrow in the 80s (Pat/Pete); they and we have a stuffy old lady (Fanny/Heddy), but theirs is a century older and quite a bit more prickly; they have a pantsless guy, but theirs is two decades older and a sex-up MP, ours is a drugged-up finance bro (Julian/Trevor). Their closeted military guy is from WWII, ours from the Revolutionary War. Their oldest ghost is a caveman*, ours a Viking. Other than that, there’s no character overlap.

Their ghosts are, well, British. They seem to love Mike & Allison to a point, but they believe the good of the house triumphs the good of Mike & Allison. Their crotchety old lady is all about propriety and has convinced Allison to get rid of tradesman on the grounds because she doesn’t like them; Sam puts Heddy in her place. Our ghosts, once they got used to them, have loved Sam & Jay since about Episode 3.

Sam & Jay are enthusiastic, earnest and optimistic; or, you know, American. Mike & Allison are defeated, reserved, and, you know, British. Keep calm and carry on, and all that.

Two of the past five episodes of the British series that I’ve seen have left me in tears (end of S2, beginning of S3). The Christmas one, when the ghosts joined Allison in her hymn, I was verklepmt, and I’m an American agnostic. And then the episode I saw last night, when Allison and Thomas remarked about how it’s the same Sun that rises over the same patch of land every morning, just as it has always done, but that it shines over their little slice of England and it’s theirs. I know that that’s about as close as the British get to being patriotic, and it got me in The Feels.

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It’s interesting that you say that from an American perspective, because from a British perspective I would have said that the British couple are earnest and optimistic, although beset with problems. It’s just that British people don’t necessarily express those characteristics with exuberant enthusiasm. (I haven’t seen the U.S. version.)

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I’ve been watching the UK original for a couple of years (it’s available on the HBO Max streaming service in the UK) but was apprehensive about the CBS adaption, given that some other American TV shows adaptions have utterly failed). But I’ve enjoyed the CBS show, though it’s a little different.

I’m looking forward to seeing the fourth series/season of the UK show, as it’s not yet available on HBO Max.

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I keep checking, I wish HBOMax would at least say when they’re getting the 4th season.

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Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the fouth season of the British version airing as we “speak”?

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I’m not sure, I thought the season was already done. Remember, they only get 6 eps and a Christmas Special.

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Yeah, WTF, British TV?

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I do wish the American version would make use of the Plague Girl (but she’d have to be a Cholera Girl here). I think it’s funny that she scares the shit out of the other ghosts, too! :smiley:

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Reading the Wikipedia article, the fourth series was broadcast on BBC One in September and October but the last episode I saw on HBO Max was the Christmas special from December 2021, entitled “He Came!”.

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I’m not really sure what Robin is supposed to be. Before his “name” was revealed, my captions called him “Caveman.” The first hominids arrived in the British Isles around 500,000 BC, so Robin could have been haunting the grounds for as much as half a million years. I’d prefer not to think about that. When I first saw him I took him as a Stone Age person, which would make him about 10,000 years old, give or take. Plenty of time to improve his English! :smiley:

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Thanks for this! It also happens to be available in the US. I’m going to check it out.

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Sorry, I’m an idiot. It’s on the HBO Max streaming service in the United States. It may well be available on that service in the UK as well, but I can’t be sure of that.

13

Can we get a general synopsis/description of these shows

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A woman inherits an old house. After moving to it with her boyfriend, she has an accident involving a near-death experience, after which she can see and talk to ghosts. In particular, she can see the ghosts who have been “haunting” the house, some for decades, some for centuries.

Some episodes relive the circumstances that led the ghosts to die at the house.

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Young couple inherits a mansion haunted by people who have lived there before. TWIST! The woman can see the ghosts. Shenanigans occur.

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I love the BBC show, but don’t really care for the CBS version. I’m not sure if I might like it if I’d never seen the original. I, too, am looking forward to S4 becoming available on HBO Max!

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I don’t think the science is quite rigorous on that. But if he was an anatomically modern Homo sapiens he would look like everyone else, just dressed differently. He apparently is a Neanderthal, which would mean he had been dead for at least 35,000 years or so.

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BTW, most of the members of the cast (at least the ghosts) come from another show called Horrible Histories, which basically tells many gross or gruesome historical stories. (I tried watching it, but really the stories were just too gross.)

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And Yonderland.

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They also made a movie about Shakespeare called Bill. If you like Ghosts, then I definitely recommend that.