Ghosts to return after three years as BBC sitcom teases comeback

The BBC's hit sitcom Ghosts is returning to screens as a feature film after three years. The upcoming comedy, GHOSTS: The Possession of Button House, is set to arrive in cinemas across the UK and Ireland this October. 

The award-winning series, which ran for five seasons from 2019 to 2023, follows a cash-strapped young couple who inherit a vast country mansion only to find it is haunted by the ghosts of its former inhabitants. 

© LIONSGATE UK

The series, which drew 7.2 million viewers for its final episode, is created by the comedy group Them There, who are behind the acclaimed children's show Horrible Histories and the sitcom Yonderland. The collective is made up of Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond, all of whom star in Ghosts. 

If you haven't yet binge-watched all five seasons of Ghosts, you're in for a treat. A unique blend of sharp humour and profoundly moving moments, this supernatural comedy will have you both laughing out loud and tearing up in the space of 30 minutes. 

Keep reading to find out more about the upcoming feature film…

What to expect of GHOSTS: The Possession of Button House 

Filming is currently underway at West Horsley Place and at locations across the South East of England.

While plot details remain firmly under wraps, the show's writers and creators teased a "soul-stirring tale of life and death." They said in a statement: "We thought we had said goodbye to Button House at the end of the final series. We never planned to come back. 

© BBC

"But when we had the idea for this story, we all got so excited that we couldn't resist returning to our haunted home for one more adventure. We can't wait to be together and to welcome some brilliant new faces, to tell this soul-stirring tale of life and death."

© Guido Mandozzi

Meanwhile, Alison Owen and Debra Hayward, Producers for Monumental Television, said the film will be "an unmissable event".

Who stars in GHOSTS: The Possession of Button House?

Reprising their roles as the ghosts of Button House are Mathew Baynton (Gavin & Stacy), Simon Farnaby (Detectorists), Martha Howe-Douglas (Doctor Foster), Jim Howick (Here We Go), Laurence Rickard (Tracey Ullman's Show) and Ben Willbond (There She Goes), Lolly Adefope (The Franchise).

Meanwhile, Charlotte Ritchie (Call the Midwife) and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Stath Lets Flats) will return as married couple, Alison and Mike Cooper.

© BBC

When will the film be released?

GHOSTS: The Possession of Button House arrives in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on Friday 23 October 2026. 

Other sitcoms to watch if you love Ghosts

• Yonderland - Another hit comedy from the creators of Ghosts, this fantasy series follows full-time mum Debbie, who becomes bored with her life after her young twins start school. That is until an enthusiastic elf appears in a kitchen cupboard, transporting her through a portal to another world that is under threat from dark forces. 

• Here We Go – Another hilarious yet heartwarming BBC comedy, Here We Go follows the Jessop family as they navigate life's everyday challenges. The series stars Ghosts' Jim Howick, alongside Rivals actress Katherine Parkinson and Gavin & Stacey's Alison Steadman.

© BBC/Gary Moyes

• Stath Lets Flats – This BAFTA-winning comedy features two Ghosts stars, Katy Wix (Mary) and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Mike), who play exasperated colleagues of Stath, an incompetent Greek-Cypriot letting agent in North London.