BBC Ghosts season 5 stars have responded to the idea of following up the TV show finale with a movie in the future.
Other famous BBC TV productions such as Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey have created movie follow-ups, so could the same be possible for a short-form sitcom?
The hit comedy will sadly premiere its final outing on October 6, and after that, we only have that surprise Christmas special to look forward to.
It's no secret that the cast and writers love making the show, and although they want to go out on a high, they've been honest that it would be tempting to revisit the characters in the future somehow.
Two of the show's writers and stars spoke exclusively to Digital Spy about the idea of a movie conclusion, including Laurence Rickard, who plays Humphrey and Robin, and Ben Willbond, who plays The Captain.
Laurence said: "It's always tricky with comedy, finding a format that works, that keeps the tone of the television comedy across the narrative of sort of 90 minutes. It's a tricky balancing act, which I think is why so few things have done it – or certainly done it successfully. It's in the easier translation with drama.
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"But, you know, we've made films together in the past. We'd certainly be excited about the idea of doing one in the future. And there are various ideas that we've looked into. I think it's something that if we found the story that worked, and there was the financial means and the enthusiasm to do it, then it's something that we'd probably explore.
"But there's no immediate plans to do it. We had a real ball with the last film we made together, so I don't think it's something we'd discount."
Meanwhile, Ben added: "Yeah. It's a thing that people try to do. Either they're a bit of a success, or they're people going: 'Oh, I wish it wasn't in a TV show.' Our world is a half-hour sitcom, and that's what it is.
"The minute you turn it into a film narrative, it becomes something else. Film narrative works very differently. And it might not feel right. I don't know. It's not come out. Let's put it that way. No one's asked us to do that."
Elsewhere, the creators have written an official companion book, Ghosts: The Button House Archives, which features letters, newspaper clippings and diaries delving into the Ghosts' backstories and using some ideas that couldn't make it into the show.
The book is available for pre-order now from both Amazon and Waterstones and is published on October 26, just in time for Halloween, or Black Friday early Christmas shopping time, depending on how you look at it.
Beyond that, the cast is working on other projects together beyond Ghosts, including a mixture of film and TV, Laurence explained: "There's a live-action thing that we're doing for TV. There's a potential feature, if we can pull all the elements together. There's an animation that we've been discussing for a while. There's fingers in pies."
As for their ideal projects to work on beyond BBC's Ghosts, Ben and Laurence were very clear: James Bond and Marvel.
Ben said: "My constant pursuit of trying to be in a Bond movie continues. But obviously the older I get… who knows? Never say never. I'm just going to put it out there. If they want me in one, I'm happy. I'm free.
"What's most likely – it's for me just to be in a boiler suit, and to be shot at. It's the most likely. But I'd take it. I'd take it. Man in Boiler Suit 3 is probably the most likely."
Laurence added: "I mean, obviously, Marvel are never off the phone. I'm waiting for the right hero character to come along to really do justice to [laughs].
"Ben [Willbond] is the world's most handsome man, and with the name Bond actually in his name. How have the casting directors not found their way to that one? I don't know. I think he's resigned himself now to being either a sort of second-tier government official, or a kind of smarmy henchman."
The final series of Ghosts starts on Friday, October 6 at 8.30pm on BBC One and the full series will be available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer on the same day.
Ghosts: The Button House Archives is published by Bloomsbury on 26 October, and is available to pre-order now.
Laurence Mozafari (he/him) is a multi-award winning journalist, editor, and presenter. A former Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy, Laurence previously held roles as the site's Editor, Deputy Editor, and Associate Editor focusing on news, social, and video. Laurence hosted the BBC Sounds podcast Obsessed with Peaky Blinders in 2019. He also hosts his own podcast production, Time of My Life, where he interviews fascinating elders about their life lessons, including Only Fools and Horses' Sir David Jason, Star Trek’s George Takei and Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh.
Laurence was named Editorial Director – Youth Audience at Reach in early 2025. Prior to joining Digital Spy, he was previously at Bauer Media working as Digital Editor of Heat magazine's website Heatworld.com, and has also worked at and written for Sky, NME, Q magazine, Grazia, Closer, FHM and dedicated careers website GoThinkBig. He secured a first-class BA journalism degree at Staffordshire University, along with several NCTJ qualifications, and now has 14 years' experience in digital publishing covering TV, movies, music, gaming, tech, showbiz, and travel.
Laurence has been a broadcasting contributor on television and radio, including KISS, Heat Radio, BBC Radio London, Radio 5 Live, and BBC Breakfast.
He is also a visiting lecturer at various universities teaching journalism, including City, University of London, Nottingham Trent, Staffordshire University and London Metropolitan. Laurence has won numerous awards in his journalism career, including the BSME Talent Award’s Best Deputy Editor, the PPA's 30 Under 30, and the New Editor and Editor of the Year at the AOP and BSMEs. He led Digital Spy to win PPA's Digital Content Team of the Year twice, along with the British Media Awards’ Brand of the Year in 2021.
Laurence joined the committee for the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2022 and was named vice-chair in 2025. He has since hosted panels with CEOs of Immediate Media and the Media Trust at the PPA Festival, as well as presenting his own radio show on Green Man Radio at Green Man Festival in 2022. Laurence is also a Brits voting academy member.
Laurence has been lucky enough to interview numerous celebrities, actors, and musicians throughout his career. Arnold Schwarzenegger loved his hair, Jimmy Carr loved his coat and Antonio Banderas gave a shout-out to his mum. Laurence has covered set visits for The Witcher on Netflix and Marvel’s Inhumans, he got Daisy Ridley to do a Chewbacca impression and loves Marvel, PlayStation, Glastonbury and craft beer. Linkedin
