Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick and Laurence Rickard break down the end of the series.
After months of speculation, the final episode of Ghosts has finally aired on BBC One and iPlayer, revealing what becomes of Alison (Charlotte Ritchie), Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) and their household of friendly spectres.
Picking up after the events of season 5, the episode opens with the happy couple returning from hospital with their newborn baby, Mia, who the ghosts are ecstatic to meet.
However, things take a difficult turn as Alison struggles to give the ghosts the attention they have become accustomed to while also caring for her infant daughter – even with mother-in-law Betty (Sutara Gayle) there to lend a helping hand.
And when Betty spots what appears to be paranormal activity on a baby monitor, things escalate even further.
Co-creators and stars Jim Howick (Pat), Laurence Rickard (Robin/Humphrey) and Mathew Baynton (Thomas) had a spoiler-filled chat with RadioTimes.com and other press about the ending of the Ghosts Christmas 2023 special.
Ghosts Christmas special 2023 ending explained
The Ghosts Christmas 2023 special is sure to be an emotional rollercoaster for fans, as Mike and Alison decide to sell Button House and move on with the next chapter in their lives.
After the season 5 finale, it seemed the happy couple would be staying in their stately home for the foreseeable future – but when baby Mia arrives, the reality of that decision sets in.
The truth is that Button House – while beautiful (see West Horsley Place) – isn’t an ideal place to raise a child, with Betty’s doubts about the Cooper homestead spiking when she witnesses an apparent haunting in the baby’s room.
Of course, she isn’t strictly mistaken. What she sees on the baby monitor is Julian tucking in the baby using his limited ability to interact with the mortal world.
But nevertheless, Alison sets out to “disprove” Betty’s claim in the hope that she’ll finally leave when satisfied.
Alas, the attempt is in vain, and Betty secretly calls a priest to conduct an exorcism on the property – something which briefly terrifies both the ghosts and Alison. Could this be how they meet their ultimate end?
Of course not! The chirpy bunch are unaffected by the ritual, but Betty agrees to move out after its completion, content that Button House is safe enough for the family to live in.
But the saga takes a toll on Alison’s relationship with the ghosts, with the tired new mother asking for space as she and Mike get settled into their new roles as parents. They oblige, and come to a big realisation in the process.
“This child arrives… and that’s the family,” explained Rickard. “[And] the ghosts start to realise, ‘Oh, hang on then, by default, we actually aren’t,’ which is tricky for all of them.
“I think some handle it worse than others. Obviously, because Kitty’s always felt this incredible kinship with Alison, I think that was the most prevalent sense of jealousy.”
In a reversal of the season 5 finale – in which the ghosts, led by Julian, begged Mike and Alison to stay at Button House – the group approach them again as Christmas nears with a very different message: it’s time to move on.
Co-creator Jim Howick (aka scoutmaster Pat) explained: “I think [when] writing it, we were always of the opinion it was like parents saying goodbye to their kids when they go to university.
“It wasn’t necessarily a goodbye, it was more of a natural separation now that they’re proper grown-ups and they’ve got a child of their own. So they’re still very much a family in our mind, but one that visits.”
Ghosts Christmas 2023 special time jump explained
Things wrap up rather quickly from then, as Alison says her goodbyes and heads to Betty’s house for Christmas Day.
What follows is a surprising time jump several decades into the future, which gives us a glimpse of Alison and Mike’s twilight years.
They have remained happily married and make annual visits to Button House to catch up with their old friends, which lessen the initial pain of having to part ways.
Actors Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe are aged-up for the scene, although we don’t get to see the full extent of their transformation as the camera follows only from behind.
Explaining this decision, Baynton said: “It’s partly a practical concern… [If] you do it beautifully, you’re so proud of the work you’ve done that you linger on close-ups to go, ‘Doesn’t that make-up look realistic and amazing?’ [But] then the audience is thinking about the craft and not the story.
“And we just felt like what we wanted the audience to feel was like they’re encountering this space that they were familiar with – the uncanny feeling of the familiar made strange,” he continued.
“You wanted to be with Mike and Alison, experiencing that walk into the building.”
Howick added that the make-up job on the two stars was “really good… so it wasn’t a matter of hiding anything”, before revealing the team also discussed the possibility of casting older actors as Alison and Mike for the flash-forward.
Ultimately, this was deemed another thing that could result in viewers being “pulled out of the story”.
Here’s hoping Ritchie and Smith-Bynoe got some selfies in their aged-up forms – this fan (and no doubt many others) would be curious to see what the make-up artists came up with.
Ghosts is 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.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.