Ghosts: The Possession of Button House brings a brand new character in contact with the spirits of the historic manor – and the creators have revealed why that was such a vital element in adapting the sitcom to film.
The new feature picks up after the events of the Ghosts finale, where Button House owners Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) tearfully parted ways with their haunted home.
From then, their paranormal tenants endure months of boredom, which is gratefully interrupted by a group of teenagers looking for a scare.
Alas, Jack (Scott Ellis Watson) soon gets much more than he bargained for when Julian (Simon Farnaby) possesses his body, leaving him abandoned in the spirit world – and at risk of fading away forever.
In an interview with Radio Times, Ghosts co-creator and star Mathew Baynton, who plays Thomas Thorne, revealed the considerations that went into introducing the character.
"There's a couple of things it allows us to do," he began. "One of those is that you're making a film that you want people to be able to watch [even] if they've not watched five series of the TV show.
"So, having a newcomer come in allows you to reintroduce all the characters through them, so that was important."
He continued: "Also, it allowed us to then have someone whose life is at stake, ultimately. And I think, when you're moving from TV to film, it's tempting to think that cinematic means budget and scale, but actually, I think it means stakes and adventure.
"So that's also what Jack brings for us."
Co-creator and star Laurence Rickard added that, although it was "fun and exciting to get a new character" to explore, Jack also made them nervous for one key reason.
View Green Video on the source websiteHe explained: "I think there's always that fear when you're writing for someone young, and we are people of a certain age, going 'is this what they sound like? Is this how they speak?'
"But thankfully, we had Lolly [Adefope, co-star], who's our translator to Gen Z, so we were able to check that we were sounding cool and down with the kids."
Conversely, in the film, Adefope's excitable noblewoman Kitty is one of many characters who struggles to connect with Jack, as the ghosts of decades (or centuries) past can't quite wrap their heads around today's youth.
Ghosts: The Possession of Button House marks another farewell tour for the beloved BBC sitcom, following the season 5 finale, 2023 Christmas special and two companion books.
Whether or not it's truly the end of the road remains to be seen.
Ghosts: The Possession of Button House is out now in UK cinemas.
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