The eerily beloved British comedy Ghosts was first adapted into an American supernatural sit com. It has now appairated into 3 more adaptations in Germany, France and Australia. In each version, half of a modern, living couple inherit a historic mansion. After moving in, the woman has a brush with death, which allows her to see dead people. The spirits, thrilled that a living person can interact with them, quickly incorporate her into the various rivalries, romances and hijinks which have been simmering over centuries of co-haunting. High-spirited hilarity ensues. The element which makes this show particularly special for history lovers is that each ghost met their demise in a different era. And people from the past are brought to life, or rather after-life in a unique and humanizing way. Some of the characters are archetypes of classic ghost stories, like the gray lady and headless specter. But all typify important cultural touchstones from the history of each country they are set in. Where the phantoms converge and differ across versions says a lot about how each country views its own history. Let’s take a look at the spectral ensemble from each series, and compare them to each other, and to real history.

Ghosts UK

Button House is West Horsley Place in Surrey

Robin

The Basement Ghosts

Sir Humphrey Bone

Mary Guppy

Katherine ‘Kitty’ Higham

Thomas Thorne

Lady Stephanie ‘Fanny’ Button

The Captain

Patrick ‘Pat’ Butcher

Julian Fawcett MP

Ghosts US

Thorfinn Thor

Sasappis

Captain Isaac Higgintoot

Henrietta “Hetty” Woodstone

Alberta Haynes

Susan “Flower” Montero

Peter “Pete” Martino’

Trevor Lefkowitz

Ghosts Germany Ghosts DE

Donnerhall House is Bergerhausen Castle in Cologne

Urs

Claudius

Griet

Friedrich Dorn

Adelheid

Svenni

Joachim

Ghosts France Ghosts FR

Château de Mérudeaux is Château de Vaugien outside of Paris

Tayac

Albos

Berthe

Comtesse

Marie-Catherine de Mérudeaux

Augustine Montfleury

Georges Peyrache

François Laval

Daniel ‘Dani’ Quignon

Roland Givorant

Ghosts Australia Ghosts AU

Gideon

Joon

Eileen

Miranda

Lindy

Satan

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