Ghosts (Series 5) and Christmas Special

[jamiefairlie]

Forgot to say Robin is one of those characters who goes from least favourite to favourite*.



*_{I don't count Humphrey as I find the character too stressful.}

Ha! He really is

[Des Wigwam]

I maintain that Thomas' delivery of "Lucky Fanny, to be touched up by those hands" when Alison is restoring the portrait is the best line of the entire show.

Better than the name for the Cocktail Society?

[ishantbekeepingit]

Better than the name for the Cocktail Society?

My favourite part of that is that some of the clip art has the little Google Images resolution overlay in the bottom-right corner.  Mike's technical inability is so great that he's just taken a screenshot and cropped them into the slideshow.

Big image

[close]

[frajer]

I maintain that Thomas' delivery of "Lucky Fanny, to be touched up by those hands" when Alison is restoring the portrait is the best line of the entire show.

Heh! It's testament to the restraint of the writing and utter earnestness of the delivery that the fanny gags are consistently so, so good.

The one that always gets me creasing is in the ep where it's discovered Fanny can be seen as a spectral image by the public:

JULIAN: These people came here for a glimpse of Fanny!
FANNY: Yes, and you can hardly fake that.

The sort of gags that if they were performed with anything other than copper-bottomed sincerity, they just wouldn't work. Such a marvellous show.

[Mr_Simnock]

I've binged all 40 episodes of the US version over a few months - well, mostly had it on in the background - and was struck by how much better this is. Everything is given so much space and has confidence in itself. I think it was the quiz show episode where that really stood out. Another thing that stood out is how many plot points are shared between this series and the US one - but I think some or all of the team consult on it.

I don't prefer either over the other, each has things I like a lot in. The US show is going down the US show route (as in it's being presented and done in a way US audiences will recognise more), episodes are shorter but we get to see more different ghosts and more back story stuff.

[markburgle]

I really loved the 1st series of Ghosts US, seemed to play with the format in a great way and have a lot of touching moments but the 2nd seems quite shallow and zingy for the most part.

I didn't know this existed though, it's great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfwfFLcrXnw

[Better Midlands]

BFI - Cast Q&A

[ajsmith2]

I really loved the 1st series of Ghosts US, seemed to play with the format in a great way and have a lot of touching moments but the 2nd seems quite shallow and zingy for the most part.

really? I thought the complete opposite. The 1st series was like a naff pale shadow of the UK one IMO, whereas by the second season they'd found their feet a lot more, the characters became a lot more likeable and deep and best of all they stopped giving the Captain lines like 'well I spent much of my time in the army under a lot of men woops pardon' like in a 55 year old Carry On script.

[Des Wigwam]

I didn't know this existed though, it's great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfwfFLcrXnw

Thanks for posting it. Yes I enjoyed that even though I pathologically hate "this thing you love but with a celeb" stuff.

And I do really enjoy Mike talking while panicked.

[A Hat Like That]

really? I thought the complete opposite. The 1st series was like a naff pale shadow of the UK one IMO, whereas by the second season they'd found their feet a lot more, the characters became a lot more likeable and deep and best of all they stopped giving the Captain lines like 'well I spent much of my time in the army under a lot of men woops pardon' like in a 55 year old Carry On script.

I quite like the US one, the Captain's whole storyline ends up very different. I also think there's more character in the Viking ghost and the banker ghost than their nearest UK counterparts. It's very different, but more episodes and a different structure make it at least worth a watch.

Also, hadn't seen the Kylie short. Great. Would recommend.

[Norton Canes]

Orkus porkus

[centristmelt]

Anyone going to get the book?

[neveragain]

Yup.

[Magnum Valentino]

Simon Farnaby is on RHLSTP's 'Book Club' episode this week to discuss it. Haven't listened to it though. In fact, I've never seen Farnaby out of character and probably don't want to. It's too hard to imagine that he's a real person, he's such an odd performer.

[dead-ced-dead]

Simon Farnaby is on RHLSTP's 'Book Club' episode this week to discuss it. Haven't listened to it though. In fact, I've never seen Farnaby out of character and probably don't want to. It's too hard to imagine that he's a real person, he's such an odd performer.

It was odd hearing him interviewed (last year I wanna say) on Kermode and Mayo's show discussing Phantom of the Open.

[Icehaven]

Anyone going to get the book?

Going to get it for my Mum for Christmas, so I'll leave it a respectable amount of time then read it when I'm visiting.

[Twilkes]

Was disappointed by series 4, possibly also series 3, but this series is maybe one of the best they've done, some nice introspection from the ghosts about their situation.

There is something about a three series structure where 1) you present your new ideas, 2) you refine them, and 3) you close them off, and this series seems to be playing the latter role extremely well. S3 and 4 were kind of coasting by comparison, like they could only come up with static ideas that didn't really propel much forward.

Spoiler alert

I did think that when the French wife was saying something negative and her translator translated something positive, that that's how Robin would've learn French, and he would translate incorrectly for Mike and Alison screwing things up for the golf course. Kind of glad he didn't though.

[close]

[neveragain]

Y'see, I like a sitcom that 'coasts' a bit. On top of the comfort of a static situation, I want to spend enough time with the characters that I can't remember everything they got up to. Five series and however many specials is the right number for me.

[Alberon]

If you've not seen it - a Den of Geek article on The Fanny Rule.

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/ghosts-larry-rickard-explains-the-shows-strict-fanny-rule/

[Norton Canes]

Y'see, I like a sitcom that 'coasts' a bit. On top of the comfort of a static situation, I want to spend enough time with the characters that I can't remember everything they got up to. Five series and however many specials is the right number for me

I was kind of hoping for six series, for no other reason than six lots of six is a pleasingly rounded amount (and of course, more Ghosts) but by the time the four specials are factored in (and the Kylie Children In Need special) we get more than 36x30 minutes, so it's all good.

[frajer]

Re: the book, I wasn't overly interested... until I found out there's audio version read by the entire blimming cast!

Found the below preview and it is absolutely wonderful. That's an audible credit spent right there.

https://on.soundcloud.com/PXDz8qEY5wjd6ScJ7

[neveragain]

Re: the book, I wasn't overly interested... until I found out there's audio version read by the entire blimming cast!

Found the below preview and it is absolutely wonderful. That's an audible credit spent right there.

https://on.soundcloud.com/PXDz8qEY5wjd6ScJ7

Oh my lord, what with this, Partridge and Peter Kay, the claws of Audible are dragging me back with a vengeance.

[greencalx]

Even as someone who is often on the lookout for double entendres I managed to miss most of the Fanny lines, which is testament to how well played the acting is. You can go there if you want to, you don't lose anything if you don't.

[A Hat Like That]

The recent one with the golf course/French plot. The montage with Robin was so well done. Liked the random, older ghost with the sword still in him.I had skimmed a couple of episodes this series but that one was great.

[greencalx]

We've just got to this one.

My favourite part of that is that some of the clip art has the little Google Images resolution overlay in the bottom-right corner.  Mike's technical inability is so great that he's just taken a screenshot and cropped them into the slideshow.

Big image

[close]

This is the kind of thing that TV shows often get badly wrong, where the production values of in-show creations match that of the show itself, rather than looking like it was more authentically done by the characters themselves.

[studpuppet]

Re: the book, I wasn't overly interested... until I found out there's audio version read by the entire blimming cast!

Found the below preview and it is absolutely wonderful. That's an audible credit spent right there.

https://on.soundcloud.com/PXDz8qEY5wjd6ScJ7

Started listening to this on my commute. It's like having one of those eighties BBC comedy tie-in books (NTNON, Young Ones), but in sound. This is a GOOD thing.
Got about halfway in one sitting, and no Fanny gags, but the Captain's fitness regime ("BEAT THEM OFF!") and the name of the birds of prey company that Pat's troop get attacked by are very on the nose.

Edit: The more Robin speaks, the more he sounds like Adam Buxton's surly restaurant owner on 8 Out Of 10 cats.

[centristmelt]

I'm still hoping for a Pat Butcher prequel spinoff series.

[Angst in my Pants]

Last night we watched the episode (5, I think) where we're shown the Captain's

Spoiler alert

final moments.
Heartbreaking. Beautifully done.

[close]

This final season is just lovely. I'm so pleased they got to write a final season rather than it just being cancelled.

[bobloblaw]

It was odd hearing him interviewed (last year I wanna say) on Kermode and Mayo's show discussing Phantom of the Open.

He's brilliant on Herring - several 'I shouldn't probably say this... oh what the hell' moments including a 'filming with the Queen' bit of indiscretion. Also: a brilliant Mackenzie Crook anecdote from Detectorists

[DelurkedToHelp]

I'm still hoping for a Pat Butcher prequel spinoff series.

The Jim Howick Multiverse of Mischief, in which his archery-competing character from Pandemonium/Here We Go hits and kills his character from Ghosts.