Jim Howick, co-creator of Ghosts, shares a heartfelt moment as he revisits the script for the show’s final episode. It’s mid-December, just two weeks before the much-anticipated Christmas Day finale, and Howick has just pulled up the script he co-wrote with Mat Baynton.
While checking a detail, he smiles at the familiar words and reads a section aloud. “The car drives away. The waving ghosts fade into the distance. The screen goes black. The music stops. Is that the end? No. The scene fades back in, revealing the driveway.
The house stands, and memories remain (Photo: Ghosts/Paramount Picture)The music resumes, but the house appears different. It has been beautifully restored and decorated with tasteful Christmas touches. “A couple, now much older, enter the frame with their backs to the camera. The woman holds the handle of a wheelie suitcase, while the man carries a golf bag on his shoulder.”
Pausing for a moment, Howick nods. “There you have it. That’s that moment. I could read this all day.”
The Final Scene – A Look Into the Future
The last scene of Ghosts jumps forward several decades, revealing a transformed Button House. Once a crumbling estate, it has now been turned into a luxurious golf hotel. Alison and Mike, now elderly, return for what appears to be a tradition—spending Christmas at their former home.
As they check-in, the receptionist welcomes them warmly. Alison then walks up the staircase into the Higham Suite, named after Kitty’s family, who lived in the house long before the Button family. Once inside, her words make it clear that the spirits are still present.
She greets them with a cheerful “Merry Christmas,” responding to voices only she can hear. “Of course, we can, Kitty. Thank you, Thomas. You flatter me. What’s new, Julian?”
This moment raises a question for fans: does the absence of Robin, Lady B, the Captain, and Humphrey from this exchange suggest they are no longer around? Were they—using Ghosts’ term—‘sucked off’ in the years that passed? Howick assures that nothing of the sort happened.
“She naturally reacts to the characters who would be most eager to welcome her back—Thomas and Kitty. There wasn’t an intention to introduce any mystery about the others. It simply wouldn’t have worked for her to go down a long list, greeting everyone in order. That would have felt forced,” Howick explains.
“We had to choose the most realistic moment. Who would rush to greet her first, like excited puppies at the door? Thomas and Kitty fit that role perfectly. Of course, viewers are free to interpret as they wish, but as far as we’re concerned, the rest of the ghosts are still there.”
A House Restored, A Tribute to Its Past
The sight of Button House, fully restored, brings a touching end to the series. There are no futuristic elements—no hoverboards or robotic staff, as Howick jokes—but careful attention was paid to keeping the hotel’s design true to its history.
If one looks closely, tributes to the ghosts remain scattered throughout. The stuffed fox is displayed proudly and restored portraits of Lady Button—alongside her cherished dog, Dante—and Humphrey Bone hang elegantly by the staircase.
During filming, this moment hit Howick deeply. “Walking up that staircase and seeing the portraits of Lady B and Humphrey on the wall struck me. These were forgotten souls, known only to Alison, yet here they were, honored and celebrated for all to see. That was a powerful moment for me.”
The emotions weren’t limited to Howick alone. Martha Howe-Douglas, who plays Lady Button, shared that saying farewell to Button House was incredibly difficult. At the series launch, she recalled crying so much that her old-age makeup had to be reapplied multiple times.
Similar aging techniques were used for Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe in the flash-forward, though the final edit doesn’t linger on their older appearances. “We considered casting older actors for those scenes, but we didn’t want to lose the familiarity of their natural movements and expressions.
The goal was to show that it was still them, so the approach was subtle—no heavy prosthetics, just a delicate touch to age them up.” Makeup artist Natalie Pateman and her team handled the transformation with precision, while director Simon Hynd made creative decisions to focus more on the setting than the aging effects.
“There are some shots where you catch a clearer reflection of them in the mirror, but we felt it was more important to showcase the hotel’s atmosphere than to put too much attention on their aged faces. And I completely agree with that choice.”
Letting the Story Speak for Itself
According to Howick, the team wanted to ensure that nothing distracted from the heart of the story. “The challenge was that we were wrapping up an entire show, and there was so much for the audience to take in. We didn’t want viewers to get sidetracked by analyzing the makeup effects.
No matter how well it’s done, it’s human nature to focus on those details and think, ‘Oh, they did a great job with her hair!’ Instead, we framed the scene carefully—seeing them from behind, catching glimpses in the mirror, keeping it refined. A direct, full-frontal view might have pulled people out of the moment.”
The message at the heart of the finale was clear. Even though the ghosts selflessly allowed Alison, Mike, and their baby, Mia, to move on and start a new life beyond Button House, their connection remained unbroken. “It’s much like leaving home in real life,” Howick reflects.
“If you’re a parent, it’s similar to watching your child leave for university. If you’re the child, it’s about stepping into adulthood while still knowing you can always visit. We don’t live with our families forever, but we still have a place where we belong.”
One line in the flash-forward scene that Howick insisted must stay clear in the audio mix is the receptionist’s words to elderly Alison and Mike: ‘Your usual room is ready for you.’ That single line tells us everything. This place still belongs to them. They keep coming back, year after year. It’s their home.”
The End of an Era for the Cast and Crew
For five years, Button House wasn’t just a fictional setting—it became a second home for the Ghosts team. Every year from January to March, the cast and crew gathered at the stately home in Guildford to film, creating memories both on and off set.
From haunted halls to a grand hotel (Photo: Ghosts/Paramount Picture)Filming during the winter months gave them something to look forward to, Howick admits. “It was a bright spot in the darkest part of the year. Just as we wrapped, spring would begin to bloom, and it felt like a fresh start.”
Now that their time at Button House has come to an end, the adjustment will be difficult. “January will feel strange,” Howick predicts. “We’re all expecting to feel a bit lost when we’d normally be heading back to set.” Before that, however, they plan to reunite at Button House one last time in the New Year.
Despite the sadness, Howick believes what they have created is worth celebrating. “More than anything, we are immensely proud of what we’ve made. It’s a privilege to have been able to bring this story to life, package it beautifully, and leave it there for people to enjoy forever.”
It is this shared pride that keeps the emotions in check. “Missing the place is tough, but knowing what we built together outweighs that. We have this incredible bond, and we’ll always have Ghosts.” On Christmas Day, Howick will be watching the finale with his family.
Though it will be a smaller gathering than the previous year’s packed living room, the moment will be just as special. “That time last year, sitting with my family, watching the Christmas special, was surreal. When you’re writing, you don’t always realize the impact of your work.
But that moment—watching Ghosts with the people I love—was like a dream come true. Growing up, that was always my goal. And for all of us, it was an incredibly special way to experience it.”
