I confess. I am a huge fan of the BBC TV series Ghosts. The creators of Horrible Histories made a sitcom with all the elements of the children’s show, plus a touch of Monty Python and the odd slice of pathos thrown in for good measure. The series centred on a woman called Alison, who inherits a haunted house and, after an accident, can see ghosts from various parts of history, and only she can. A simple concept that ran for five seasons between 2019 and 2023 before ending. Since then, the idea has been sold worldwide, but like most comedies, the original is still the best. Just when we fans thought there would be no more, Ghosts: The Possession of Button House arrives, and unlike most TV spin-offs, it feels like an extended version of the series, and it is just joyful.
As Alison and Mike sell Button House to turn it into a hotel and golf course, the ghosts miss their living friend. A group of kids show up with an Ouija board, and the ghosts accidentally discover they can swap souls with the living. After the house looks like it’s about to be set on fire, it’s up to politician Julian, who has entered into a boy named Jack, to track down Alison and Mike and bring them back.
If you want to be up to speed, you need to have watched at least a handful of episodes, since this starts off like a continuation. It gives no explanation of who these characters are, what the situation is, or why they need a woman named Alison so desperately. More importantly, why does Julian wander around without trousers? If you are familiar with the show, it is like being wrapped in a nice, warm blanket. It hasn’t gone down the route of most TV spin-offs, where they cannot think of anything new to do in their cosy sitcom settings, so they take the characters and put them somewhere else, a trope that started with the dire Holiday On The Buses and has been used ever since.
The body-swap idea lets the characters escape the confines of the house, but it stops them from jumping on a plane to Spain: they must return, or both the spirit and the body’s owner will be lost forever. It does, however, give the cast the opportunity to explore a world so alien to them. Cue jokes about the price of train travel, riding bikes and taser guns. It never forgets its origins, keeping the same tone and basic ideas that made the series so popular, right down to the plague victims haunting the basement.
The series works, and keeps that magic alive, by juggling gentle humour, familiar characters, genuine heart, and plenty of pathos. It moves through the emotions without ever being jarring or sacrificing any of the jokes. Let’s face it: when a film can make you emotional watching a man eat a Scotch egg, you know you are in the company of greatness.
The cast are so good in the characters they have created; it’s like welcoming back old friends. Simon Farnaby, as the disgraced politician Julian, gets a large slice of the pie as he travels to find Alison. Lolly Adefode’s simple Kitty is always a joy to behold, and Laurence Rickard’s caveman Robin has always been my favourite character, and he doesn’t disappoint here.
Ghosts: The Possession of Button House is a blast. What makes it so enjoyable is sitting in a crowded cinema and sharing that experience of laughter. It’s funny, it’s moving, and it will leave you with a full heart. We’ve never needed a movie like this more right now to take us away from the outside world’s doom and gloom.
5 out of 5
Director: Simon Hynd
Starring: Matthew Bayton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond, Charlotte Ritchie, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Scott Ellis Watson, Rufus Jones
Written by: (based on the characters created) Matthew Bayton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond
Running Time: 97 mins
Cert: PG
Release date: 23rd October 2026
