By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
The ghosts of Button House return for another Christmas Special and as you’d expect, it’ll make you laugh and cry in equal measure! This marks the third Christmas outing for the ghosts and once again they deliver a heartwarming and humorous festive story that will be long remembered.
Pat (Jim Howick) features in one of the most emotional moments in the series’ history when we first discover his backstory, and I didn’t believe there was more story to tell. So when it was made clear that he would be the focal ghost in the episode, I was intrigued to see how they would proceed. I should know never to second guess this show or its writing, as what they delivered, as always, was incredibly moving and full of joy. Written by Horwick and Laurence Rickard, this special is more subtle than previous outings, but the concept of the story works even better because of it. There are plenty of genuinely ‘laugh out loud’ moments and by the end, you’ll be tearing up as the writing takes you on an incredible journey.
The story centres on the ghosts performing a pantomime for Alison and as you can imagine, with such an eclectic cast of charters, hilarity ensues! From Kitty (Lolly Adefope) struggling with stage fright as the leading lady or the Captain (Ben Willbond) finding his true calling in the play, the characters bounce off one another to great effect. Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) take a secondary role in this outing, but their small part in the story was still enjoyable and a distinctive element in the episode.
The quality of the show has rightfully earned the prestigious Christmas Day spot on the festive TV calendar and this year’s Christmas Special is more than worthy of this honour. It was a perfect mix of comedy with the usual emotional notes running throughout until it is elevated to the next level as the episode reaches its satisfying and extremely moving conclusion. The characters and performances have become a staple of our TV viewing and when the writing continues to be consistently brilliant, Ghosts shows no sign of overstaying its welcome – so here’s hoping for the Ghosts to return next Christmas!
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