Ghosts conjures a feature follow-up, The Possession of Button House

If you thought we’d seen the last of the Button House gang, well, turns out the afterlife has a few more tricks up its sleeve. 'Ghosts', the irreverent BBC sitcom about a patchwork crew of spirits haunting a crumbling stately home (and its very-much-alive new owners), wrapped up for good in December 2023 after five series and 34 episodes. But apparently, dead doesn’t mean done — there’s a feature film on the way called 'Ghosts: The Possession of Button House'.

Plot: Teenage Dirtbags Meet Aggrieved Ghosts

Honestly, the BBC’s playing things close to the vest about what actually happens in this film, but we do know the basics. The story kicks off when a bunch of teenagers break into a now-abandoned Button House. Rather than just nick some lead off the roof, they decide to hold a séance – as you do – and, inevitably, they stir up the resident ghosts, presumably with plenty of chaos and supernatural faff to follow. That’s about all we know, plot-wise, but safe to say there’s bound to be more spectral bickering than genuine menace.

The Crew: Doing It Themselves, Again

If you’re fond of the show's original line-up, good news – absolutely everyone who matters is back both in front of and behind the camera:

• Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, and Ben Willbond – the core set of writers who doubled as most of the ghosts – have written this one and are all returning to star.
• Charlotte Ritchie, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, and Lolly Adefope are reprising their (living and undead) roles too.
• Direction’s handled by Simon Hynd, who already directed plenty of the telly episodes.
• Producing duties are down to Alison Carpenter and Andy Brunskill.

Why Bother? Well, Turns Out They Couldn’t Help It

Here’s what the creators had to say about coming back for more — and you can feel the ‘genuinely surprised and slightly alarmed by our own enthusiasm’ energy coming through:

'We thought we had said goodbye to Button House at the end of the final series. We never planned to come back. But when we had the idea for this story, we all got so excited that we couldn’t resist returning to our haunted home for one more adventure. We can’t wait to be together and to welcome some brilliant new faces, to tell this soul-stirring tale of life and death.'

To be fair, if you’re handed another excuse to do pratfalls in wigs, why wouldn’t you?

Release Date: Halloween, Obviously

'Ghosts: The Possession of Button House' is hitting UK cinemas on 23 October — lined up rather nicely for anyone who enjoys spooky season with a side of daft, British humour. No word yet about international plans, so anyone outside the UK will have to wait to see if the ghosts can cross borders.