The hit comedy show, ghosts created by the original horrible histories team was first aired in 2019 and immediately hit a spark with viewers, the slightly morbid yet hilarious stories of all the ghosts was very well received and the show has just finished its fourth season.
To wrap up season four, the writers (Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Ben Willbond, Laurence Rickard, Jim Howick) decided to create a fun, festive Christmas special. This specific episode features the eight main ghosts putting on a pantomime for Alison (Charlotte Ritchie), their human friend, as a Christmas gift.
It’s easy to see why this show is so beloved, the quirky characters are well developed and nuanced, this episode showing Robin, a caveman, (Laurence Rickard) and The Captain’s, a closeted WW2 soldier, (Ben Willbond) softer side, both of them having a heart-to-heart with their fellow ghosts, The Captain encouraging Kitty, a georgian noblewoman, (Lolly Adefope) out of her stage fright and Robin teaching Pat (Jim Howick) the importance of not being afraid to be made fun of.
There are very heartwarming moments throughout and the end performance is perfect, a highlight being Kitty’s glorious camp performance of Cinderella and the audience (made up of the Plague ghosts) joining in with typical pantomime back and forths.
However, as the last minutes stretch out, the viewers were hit with a beautiful tear-jerking moment of Pat, a Scouts leader, watching a VHS of his family at christmas the year after he died, a touching reminder to enjoy the christmas period whilst you still can.
Special mention to the hilarious gifts each ghost received from Alison, perfectly encapsulating their characters, particularly the romantic poet Thomas (Mathew Baynton) who received the album by the Smiths ‘The queen is dead’.
