Lovers of the spooky BBC One comedy Ghosts can breathe a sigh of relief and keep making up their ghost theories, as season four has officially been confirmed. (Unlike series two and three, which were confirmed at the same time, it remains to be seen whether we will have a season five).
The news of the renewal was first announced by Katy Wix, who plays Mary, on the Distraction Pieces podcast. Wix casually mentioned the news while discussing her writing process:
"Ghosts – am I allowed to say that? I don't want to get in trouble. I've often gotten in trouble for announcing things when they haven't been announced. That starts in January..."
And the beginning of filming was confirmed by co-writer Jim Howick, who also plays Pat Butcher, after he posted a familiar photo of Button house alongside the caption, “Hello old thing. Rehearsal week begins for series 4….”
The cast have since confirmed that filming on season four has finished. On March 11, writer/star Martha Howe-Douglas tweeted: "I'm wrapped on S4 of #BBCGhosts! Huge thanks to our incredible cast & crew who work so tirelessly to make the show what it is. I feel very lucky to call this my job, and can't wait for the doors of Button House to reopen to show you what we've been up to!"
On the renewal, the Ghost creators said: "We are thrilled to be returning to Button House for a fourth series. We have an exciting batch of new stories in store and can't wait to share the next chapter."
And Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy, added: "We can't wait to return to Button House for series 4. Ghosts is a true jewel in BBC Comedy's crown, and we're delighted to be working again with the cast and creators, and Monumental (Television), who never fail to deliver a faultless combination of big laughs and loads of heart."
So if you're looking forward to discover more about the sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking lives of the residents of Button House – keep reading.
Ghosts season 4 potential release date: When is it coming out?
Right now, the BBC has not announced an official air date. However, if we assume it is following a similar timeline to previous seasons, we can expect to see it on our screens sometime August/early September 2022.
And in the meantime we have all the other seasons and specials to rewatch….
Ghosts season 4 cast: Who will be in it?
We can expect the usual core cast to reprise their roles. This includes Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond – who have previously worked on Yonderland, Bill and Horrible Histories together – as well as their fellow ghosts and co-stars Lolly Adefope and Katy Wix.
Of course, the show wouldn’t be complete without Button House's owners, Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) who we can expect to return. Outside the house, we'd hope to see a reappearance from their frustrating neighbours Barclay and Bunny Beg-Chetwynde (Geoff McGivern and Sophie Thompson).
Although it is unlikely we’ll see her in season four, Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous) did guest star as Fanny’s mother in the Christmas special, so has the potential to return if we delved further into Fanny’s story.
Charlotte Ritchie told Digital Spy about her time working with the cast: "It's heaven. They're so funny. All of them are so funny. They're just genius, every single actor on that… I feel insanely grateful that I do it."
She also shared an update in March about how filming on the new season was going.
"It's going really well and I'm so excited for people to see the new series," she told WhatToWatch. "Sometimes I'll be doing a scene and I'll really think about the fact that I'm standing with Pat or Kitty. They've become real in my mind!"
Ritchie has certainly had a busy few months – as well as filming season four of Ghosts, she has also joined the cast of Netflix's You, which has been filming in the London area this spring (including at Royal Holloway, University of London, where Surrey Live reported that students posted videos). She also has a role in the upcoming Charlie And The Chocolate Factory prequel, Wonka, alongside Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman and her Ghosts costars Simon Farnaby (who has cowritten Wonka with Paddington's Paul King) and Mathew Baynton.
Farnaby and Baynton – along with Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond – haven't exactly been taking it easy between seasons, either, as they are all executive producers on the US version of Ghosts, that has a New York couple inheriting an American country house and the ghosts inside (including hippie Susan, who died trying to befriend a wild bear, and Viking Thorfinn, who died of a lightning strike and is modelled on the British Ghosts' Robin the caveman).
The US version has just been renewed for a second season.
Ghosts season 4 plot: What will it be about?
In season three, the overarching plot centred around Alison rediscovering her "long lost sister" Lucy. With Alison's money at stake, Lucy's story unravels, heading to a confrontation in the final episode. This seemed to be a firm end to that plot. In the next season we can expect Alison and Mike to continue to host different events at Button House, from community services to all-out weddings.
We can also look forward to learning more about the ghosts' lives (and, more importantly, deaths). There are still many characters we have yet to explore, from Robin's life to Kitty's death and more.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Ritchie said, "We learned a bit more about Kitty's backstory, but we didn't learn, for example, how she died. We know a bit more about the Captain's backstory but we haven't found out how he died. We know about Mary and I sort of hope we never see Mary's death because it's just too horrific..."
Ghosts co-creator Laurence Rickard told RadioTimes, "the writing team has been bottling up storyline ideas," so there's lots to look forward to.
And Mathew Baynton spoke to Digital Spy with hints for season four, "We know that people are excited by finding out the mysteries that we still have left, but we also know that once they're gone, that will be a shame.
"So we're seeping things out in a way that, I hope, is as fun for the audience as it is for us. There's a couple more backstories in the next series.
"I think it's fair to say you'll find out one of the deaths that is as yet unexplained, but they'll still be more unexplained for the future."
The BBC has also teased some details about season four. "When we return for series four, Button House is open for business, well, the gatehouse is. Can Alison and Mike make a success of the humble B&B or will the interfering ghosts once again scupper their plans?"
Ghosts season 4 trailer: When will it be out?
There is no trailer yet but we may see a promo for the fourth season in early summer 2022.
Ghosts season one, two and three are available on BBC iPlayer.
Asyia is an entertainment reporter covering TV, film, theatre, music, books and general showbiz.
She was previously a freelance reporter who has written for publications including Glamour, gal-dem, Metro and Bustle.
She has a gold-standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates. Asyia has covered industry events such as the London Film Festival and BFI Flare and has a specialist interest in analysing LGBTQ+ issues, race and identity within the cultural landscape.
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Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies.
She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
