In the British version of Ghosts, Mary Guppy (Wix) was a haunted household mainstay from the pilot episode. Mary is the spirit of a peasant woman who was burned alive in the 1600s after being deemed a witch for speaking to her deceased husband. Despite the horrific fate, Mary is funny, polite, and cares for the other house ghosts as the elderly, de facto matriarch. Mary appeared in 24 of 35 episodes before shocking fans to the core with her abrupt departure in Season 4, Episode 4, “Gone Gone.” She was the first of the primary ghosts to exit the house.
In “Gone Gone,” fans were stunned to witness Mary suddenly ascending into a golden spire of light from the heavens above. Resigned to finally entering the afterlife, Mary appeared at peace with her heavenly fate, even if it left the other ghosts sad and remorseful. What makes Mary’s exit even tragic, is that it was never intended. According to series co-creator Ben Willbond on the Ghosts Podcast, “We never intended for a character to leave, so it was very sad the whole process.”
Although Wix’s departure as Mary was dramatic onscreen, her offscreen exit was anything but. According to The Sun, Wix left the show as Mary to focus on her busy schedule and oblige her full slate of commitments. Those commitments included a 9-episode arc as Barbara in Ted Lasso in 2023, 11 episodes as Jules in the British sitcom Big Boys, and the 2023 TV movie Men Up. About Wix’s exit, the showrunners told The Radio Times:
