It’s time to get reacquainted with the residents of Button House.

By David Craig

Published: Friday, 30 July 2021 at 12:00 am

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BBC One has confirmed a premiere date for Ghosts series three, which will be bringing some much-needed giggles to our Monday nights in August.

Hot off its BAFTA nomination for Best Scripted Comedy at this year’s television awards, the six new episodes will see Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) face their toughest challenge yet as an unexpected mystery person throws their life into chaos.

Meanwhile, we’ll get to see more backstories for the restless spirits of Button House, including one episode about Georgian noblewoman Kitty (Lolly Adefope) that co-star Laurence Rickard promises will “break your heart”.

There’s no word yet on whether Ghosts will continue for a fourth series, although the writing team told RadioTimes.com they already have ideas for more episodes, while they also weighed in on the US remake hitting screens this autumn.

Read on for everything you need to know about Ghosts series three, including UK air date, cast, and story details.

Ghosts season 3 release date

CONFIRMED: Ghosts series three will premiere on BBC One at 8:30pm on Monday 9th August, with new episodes airing weekly in that time slot.

Series three started filming at the beginning of February, as confirmed by star and co-creator Laurence Rickard on Twitter, with the production coming to an end in April.

‘Smizing’ pic.twitter.com/wm8hqhJLa2

— Laurence Rickard (@Lazbotron) February 1, 2021

Rickard previously told RadioTimes.com and other press how Ghosts was adapting to the post-coronavirus world: “A bit of a switch is trying to keep an eye on avoiding unnecessary crowd scenes and things like that, but we always want to be trying to be bigger and better and more ambitious.

“I don’t think we’re tempering it in that sense, we’re just having to look at some of the practicalities of shooting with a slightly more intense eye.”

We’re still awaiting confirmation on whether Ghosts could continue beyond the third series, but the cast are highly enthusiastic about the idea.

Ben Willbond told RadioTimes.com in December 2020: “It would be lovely because I think this time around in the writing process, as we unearth more, you just go ‘oh wow, we could do that in series four, but we haven’t got a series four!’.

“It’s a nice feeling when you go, ‘actually we’ve got a lot of road here creatively’. It’s a nice prospect, but you are just beholden to whether the BBC want more or not. It’s a really hard thing to contend with.”

Ghosts season 3 cast

Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe will return as the show’s two main living characters, Alison and Mike, who have to juggle their chaotic lives with the demands of their undead tenants.

The creators of Ghosts will also be back – Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond – all of whom portray characters on the show.

In addition, Lolly Adefope and Katy Wix will also return as Georgian noblewoman Kitty and witch trial victim Mary, two of the other spirits in Mike and Alison’s home.

Ghosts season 3 plot

At a recent interview with RadioTimes.com and other press, the cast of Ghosts teased what we can expect to see in the third series of the sitcom, starting with an unexpected new arrival to Mike and Alison’s life that will send shockwaves through Button House.

Charlotte Ritchie was cryptic about who this mystery figure is, but did tease that their introduction will cause conflict and concern among the manor’s undead inhabitants.

“I can’t tell you anything about them, but I could probably say that they’re very unexpected and it poses a bit of a challenge to Mike and I, and our plans,” she explains. “It kind of leaves everybody warring a little bit. There’s a bit of a question over this person and who they are, essentially.”

The former Call The Midwife star added that we do learn “a bit more” about Alison’s family in the next six episodes, who have been largely unexplored up until now.

We also get to see a different side to husband Mike in series three, as he will have an opportunity to interact with some of the ghosts as he gets stuck into working from home.

“It was really enjoyable to film those scenes and have those moments where I actually felt like I was acting with those guys a lot more, because it’s usually me acting with the guest cast and the ghosts are interacting with Allison,” said Kiell Smith-Bynoe. “So I felt that we really got a lot more of that in this series, me with the ghosts, even though I can’t talk to them directly.”

As for the ghosts themselves, a seldom seen apparition of Button House will get more time in the limelight in series three, that being Laurence Rickard’s headless Tudor, Humphrey.

“Humphrey is more focal this time round and there’s a bit of exploration for him as a character, and also a little bit of what was happening in his life,” teased Rickard. “It was tremendously good fun and quite a departure from what we’ve done with that character before.”

BBC

He continued: “There’s a lovely story with Julian, which is a real departure. Across the whole thing, to say you see another side to Lady Button is an understatement, and you see a protective side of Mary in a very literal sense.

“And there is an episode with Kitty that will break your heart. There’s a couple of episodes this year where my reaction to watching what Lolly was doing made me feel like giving up a bit, she’s just so so good.”

While still being a family-friendly comedy, Ritchie has also teased that Ghosts series three will lean more into the show’s horror elements, with references to classic tropes and movies in the genre.

RadioTimes.com has confirmed that the show will continue delving into the backstories of the ghosts in series three, giving fans an insight into what their lives were like and the circumstances of their demise.

Ghosts season 3 trailer

Not just yet. However, we expect to get our first look at the new series very soon.

Ghosts is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide.

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