Primetime CBS slot for the British version, after remake was a hit

The original British version of Ghosts is to be screened on network TV across America.

In what will be a huge boost for the stars of the BBC comedy, CBS will broadcast the series in a primetime Thursday-night slot from the autumn.

The remake has proved a hit for the broadcaster, regularly attracting audiences of more than 9 million when catch-up viewing is included. 

There are already more episodes of the remake than the original (40 compared to 27) and a third season had been commissioned, and had originally been expected to start in the autumn.

However, with Hollywood actors and writers on strike, it is not known when the series would go into production.

Now CBS has revealed its fall schedule, with a repeat of a US episode at 8.30pm on Thursdays, followed by a double bill of the UK version, starting from the very beginning. 

The BBC series already streams on Discovery’s Max platform, but the new slot will raise the profile of its original stars considerably. 

Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe play the couple who inherit a plagued by ghosts played by Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix and the series creators Matthew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond.

A fifth and final series has been filmed and is expected back on UK screens in the autumn.

A companion book, subtitled The Button House Archives, is being released in October and last week publishers Bloomsbury released details of the cover. 

The blurb for the title, which has been written by the comedy’s creators, says: ‘Gathered together in this volume is a treasure trove of unearthed cuttings, original records and rare artefacts that explore the unseen lives of those who died at Button House: from Thomas's love letters to Pat's Summer Camp Rap, and from Julian's campaign promises to Lady Button's Rules of Etiquette. There are even documents dictated to the one person who can see and hear the ghosts: Alison Cooper.’

Published: 18 Jul 2023