Ghosts may have ended on the BBC, but the beloved sitcom continues to live on around the world. In addition to the hit American remake on CBS, multiple new international versions are in development, as reported by Deadline.
At the 2024 French TV industry festival Series Mania, BBC Studios’ Matt Forde confirmed that “there are two or three other versions [of Ghosts] in the works.” The warm-hearted comedy about a woman who inherits a dilapidated mansion along with a gang of spectres from across the centuries will be remade for multiple international audiences.
Which countries are about to get their own version of Button House and its comedy spirits? According to Ghosts co-creator and star Simon Farnaby speaking on Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (RHLSTP to friends) in November 2023, Germany and Spain are among them. So, get ready for ‘Der Geister’ and ‘Los Fantasmas’?
The US Ghosts is currently airing its third season and was recently renewed for a fourth (it’s sailed past the UK original’s 34-episode total and even after the SAG-AFRA strike delay, will likely double it). That success is in part down to the show’s decision to tailor its ghost characters to suit the new location. Instead of a disgraced Tory MP, it has a Wall Street Trader. The closeted WWII military captain is now a closeted Revolutionary War veteran, and so on.
Any new international remakes should follow suit and fill their ‘Knopfhaus’ or ‘Casa de Botones’, or whatever they name their version of Button House with historical characters specific to their own country. The German and Spanish versions of Thomas, Kitty, Robin, Lady B, Julian, Pat, Humphrey, The Captain and Mary should draw upon each setting’s own history.
Might Ghosts fans also expect the odd cameo from the UK show’s cast and creators (the same team behind Yonderland and the cast of the original Horrible Histories)?
It’s already happened on the US version when Wonka’s Mathew Baynton popped up as an alternative version of Scoutmaster Pete, and more UK cameos are expected on the CBS show, so don’t rule it out. It’s worth noting that The Captain’s Ben Willbond studied languages at university, so if a Russian or French remake also turn out to be in the pipeline, perhaps they should send him a carrier pigeon.
Ghosts series one to five are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and series one and two are available to stream on Paramount+ in the US.
Louisa Mellor is the Den of Geek UK TV Editor. She has written about TV, film and books for Den of Geek since 2010, and for…
