Ghosts’ Charlotte Ritchie reveals favourite episode: ‘It’s so meta’

Initially viewed as a bother, it eventually transformed into an extraordinary household spanning five heartfelt seasons. This journey culminated with Alison and her spouse Mike (played by Kiell Smith-Bynoe) embarking on a new phase in their lives.

She reminisced that for the first episode of season 1, we shot episode 4 at Button House, where a drama was being filmed as part of the series Free Pass. In this storyline, Alison and Mike struggle to raise funds for renovations by granting a TV production company unrestricted access to their rundown home.

In the process of shooting our show-within-a-show, we had both genuine and false assistant directors, along with authentic and counterfeit cameras, as explained by Ritchie.

In this instance, it’s incredibly self-referential and packed with witty humor. There are hilarious moments revolving around Thomas, portrayed by Mathew Baynton, messing up a scene, while Mary, played by Katy Wix, struggles to comprehend how the characters manage to appear on screen.

In addition, Ritchie recalls affectionately some initial clues about The Captain’s sexuality – a subplot that was eventually resolved in season 5. This thread started to take shape in the episode “Free Pass,” as Ben Willbond’s character showed growing interest in one of the ship’s male crew members.

She remarked: “I believe this episode is fantastic, yet it also served as an excellent setup for the show’s tone and our goals. As soon as we completed it, I felt we were on to something truly exceptional. It gave me the feeling that this was going to be amazing.

Over the past five years, Ritchie has shifted his focus from ghost-related roles to more intense, dramatic characters. Recently, he can be seen as the chilly Kate Galvin in the Netflix thriller You and as DS Ashleigh Francis in ITV’s fresh series Code of Silence, featuring Rose Ayling-Ellis.