Ghosts creator and star Laurence Rickard has opened up about a gag in the beloved BBC series that he feels could have been executed better. In a recent interview, Rickard admitted that one particular joke, which made it into the show, started as a temporary idea that was never fully refined.
The gag in question was intended as a placeholder but ultimately made it to the final cut. Reflecting on it, Rickard shared that he wished it had been “cleverer,” admitting that it wasn’t the joke they had envisioned in the first place. “It was a placeholder,” Rickard explained. “Sometimes, when you’re writing, you come up with a line or an idea and think, ‘Well, this will do for now,’ but it ends up staying in. I look back and think, ‘That could have been so much sharper.’”
Despite his reservations, the gag still garnered laughs from fans and fit with the show’s quirky, fast-paced humor. But for Rickard, it serves as a reminder that not every line of comedy hits the mark as intended, and sometimes the simplest ideas stick around longer than expected.
As a creator, Rickard expressed that he always strives for originality and wit in the writing process, but the unpredictability of humor means that not every moment can be meticulously crafted. Nonetheless, the success of Ghosts overall suggests that even “placeholder” gags have a place in the series’ comedic magic.
This candid reflection from Rickard adds a human touch to the creative process, reminding fans that even the best comedies are sometimes the result of trial and error—and, in some cases, a placeholder that just happened to work
