Ghosts: The Possession of Button House is a monumental return for many reasons, one of which being that it's a rare escape from the haunted premises for the late Julian Fawcett (Simon Farnaby).
As revealed in the trailer, the titular 'possession' concerns Julian taking over the body of a wayward teenager for a jolly around a near-unrecognisable modern world.
It leads to some cracking fish-out-of-water comedy as the former MP grapples with the challenges of modern life – including the unforeseen consequences of some of the policies he supported.
In an interview with Radio Times, actor and Ghosts co-creator Farnaby said it was "a lot of fun" to bring Julian out of his usual confines, but the writers found themselves spoilt for choice of where to put him.
One risqué idea was destined for the scrap heap, despite being in-keeping with the disgraced reputation of the perpetually trouser-less public servant.
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"Actually, it was quite a challenge to narrow down what we wanted – well, what I wanted – to do," began Farnaby, whose other writing credits include Paddington and Wonka.
"I think there was a betting shop at one point," he recalled. "He was busking, wasn't he?"
Co-star and co-creator Jim Howick elaborated that some of these concepts naturally fell away, as the writers had to consider their suitability for a fanbase spanning all ages.
"We had to make it underneath the bar of a family audience, because there's so much we could have done," explained Howick.
Martha Howe-Douglas, a fellow co-creator, who plays Lady Button, added that it's "hard" to keep Julian's innately scandalous qualities within that sweet spot.
"We couldn't go to a strip club," lamented Farnaby, "[but] it was a lot of fun to have him out in the world – and to wear trousers again!"
The plot of The Possession of Button House puts the life of teenager Jack (played by Scott Ellis Watson) on the line, as the ghosts face a ticking clock to reunite his disembodied spirit with his corporeal form.
The dramatic stakes are beyond those of any earlier episode of Ghosts – but don't worry, the film is chock-full of the same fast-paced humour that made the series a mega-hit.
Ghosts: The Possession of Button House is out now in UK cinemas.
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