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

It played fine to me. I saw it on YouTube when it came out

There are loads, most of them very cleverly throwaway. I recently rewatched the whole series in anticipation of the final, and not only did I hear all the Fanny jokes, but all the implied references about the Captain, and other things that are more obvious in retrospect.

That was the real point of the final series. To conclude the stories of how each of them died. I think we got two reveals per season.

I just checked, and now there is a trailer up on Paramount+, and it’s listed as “coming November 16”, and was able to add it to my list. So it is defiantly coming to Paramount+.

So it doesn’t want to come to Paramount+ but is being forced to? :wink:

There’s no end the the amusement autocorrect can cause, is there?

But I think it would be the opposite – Paramount+ doesn’t want it, but UK Ghosts is like “Screw you, I’m coming anyway.”

I’ve got to give respect for a couple of scenes in a recent episode.

Spoilerized:

The usually uptight Fanny contemplates a “bucket list” for doing things she never tried in life. She approaches a pond, then the camera shows her from behind as she lets down her hair, which goes all the way to her ankles, then prepares to jump in. The scene cuts to her fully clothed, deciding not to take the plunge. Later, a neighbor drops off more used baby goods and drives off on his motorcycle. In the next scene, she’s on the bike with him, her hair trailing 20 ft behind, as she screams a big whoop.

The scene cuts to her fully clothed, deciding not to take the plunge.

That’s not what happened. In the Ghosts reality, anything they were wearing or holding when they died can only be separated from them for a few seconds before they reappear again exactly how they were.

Split hairs much? I thought it was a beautiful and meaningful scene, regardless of the technicality.

I don’t think it was splitting hairs or a technicality. It didn’t happen because she was defeated by the rules of the afterlife, not because she chose not to.

This Thursday November 16, 2023 at 9pm Eastern Time Ghosts UK will be airing as “Who do you think you are?”

To be clear, that’s the title of the first episode, not a rename for the series.

That is CBS sending out the wrong info.

To be clear.

It must be a screwup in a press release. The CBS site lists the series name and the episode title for episode. So for Thursday they list:

8:00pm
Young Sheldon
A Baby Shower and Testosterone-Rich Banter

8:30pm
Ghosts
The Perfect Assistant

9:00pm
Ghosts UK
Who Do You Think You Are?

9:30pm
Ghosts UK
Gorilla War

10:00pm
SEAL Team
Nine Ten

The DVR feed info is borked, they’ll probably fix it before Thursday but it may cause some recording issues.

A couple of nuggets from recent publicity here in the UK:

I saw an interview with Martha Howe-Douglas (who plays Fanny). It was interesting to hear that she was originally considering taking the Alison role, because she’d got used to being the “straightwoman protagonist” in the troupe’s previous show Yonderland and she wasn’t sure if she could still play a comedy character.

Also, a lot of Robin’s comedy mispronunciations are the result of the actor’s prosthetics affecting how he can shape words. They write around it, and sometimes lean into it.

Yonderland is very much worth seeking out if you like Ghosts, by the way. Imagine Labyrinth if it was written by the Monty Python team.

So I see they’re doubling up on episodes, which is good I guess for those of us who’ve seen all but the most recent season. Still means, by my calculation, several months before they catch up, though. Oh well.

Also, d’oh, I thought well, I’ll have to just wait until they’ve caught up with the most recent season and get Paramount+ long enough to binge it (which I may still do). Then this post reminded me that oh yeah, that ancient practice of Network ‘appointment TV’ still exists :man_facepalming:

In the previous Christmas panto episode, they had some difficulty in this regard around Kitty’s shoe.

Here is an excellent article that explores the tonal differences between the UK and US Ghosts. Basically, it covers the points that have been raised here: that the American version is significantly more optimistic, in keeping with American optimism vs. British pessimism (or realism, if you prefer). It also covers the fact that the British ghosts are more prickly and demanding and less enamored (save for Thomas’ crush on Alison) of their Livings.

Yeah, but the humor is different.

I do not like the Brit couple as much as the Yank couple. Their reaction upon seeing the library- meh. Also, witches were not burned in England. They were hung, etc

Right.

Exactly.

The UK Ghosts are pretty cool tho.

Sniff. (Wipes nose on sleeve.)